T.R. Graves's Blog: T. R. Graves, Author, page 23

Thanksgiving Wishes - Early

In the spirit of the season, I'm thankful for lots and lots of things this year. As a mother/wife/friend, the gratitude deeply embedded inside of me specifically carved out for my family and friends will always be first on my lists. As a nurse, I'm thankful to have a job which allows me to give back to the community and make a difference to a cause near and dear to my heart, nonprofit healthcare. As a writer, I'm beyond grateful for every opportunity that I've been given during my debut year. The road has been long and arduous, but it has been every bit as rewarding as my healthcare advocacy job. Since the release of Warriors of the Cross , I've met dozens of great Indie authors (all phenomenal & special & talented people) and hundreds of friends/fans/followers/commenters/reviewers who are passionate about reading, writing, and blogging. I have learned something from each of them, and their lessons will never be forgotten. 
In preparation for December's release of Guardians of the Cross , I'm sending out a Warriors of the Cross link along with a coupon which will allow the most-recent edition Warriors of the Cross to be downloaded for *FREE*. If you have an older version, please feel free to use the coupon to update your Kindle/Nook/IPAD/etc.  Finally, you are welcome to share this on your blogs/Facebook/Twitter…if you like. It will be good until 12/20/11. As with any gift, there are no strings attached. If downloaded, there are no obligations to read, review, fan/friend/follow, or comment. All you have to do is sit back and ENJOY! https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/44277 - coupon LY87NFrom me to you, have a great Thanksgiving!T. R. Graves, Author Warriors of the Cross
Guardians of the Cross
Enemies of the Cross

YA Indie Carnival - 11 Reasons Why....

This weekend I stared guiltily at myweed-filled rose garden, wishing for some time to prune every single stem.  The perfume-free bushes once decorated withradiant roses had become weighed down with thin-pedaled flowers sproutingfrom spindly stalks.                      I was completely surprised when I left forwork a few days later and found a magnificent yellow rose growing from thefattest stalk and towering over the giant pile of thorns.  As an amateur rose aficionado, I can honestly saythe pedals on this particular flower were as thick and velvety as any I'dever seen, and its glorious citrus perfume was one even a connoisseur wouldhave appreciated.My absolute hope for Warriors of the Cross & Guardians of the Cross & Enemies of the Cross is for them to bestrong and powerful books, which stand apart from the crowd of already-toldstories filled with forgettable characters. ALL YELLOW ROSES.This week the YA Indie Carnival sponsors (authors/bloggers whose books/blogs are yellow roses by thier own right) aresharing 11 Reasons Why….  Rather than giveeveryone 11 reasons why I believe The Warrior Series is a powerful trilogy, I thoughtI would let the fans of Warriors of the Cross  explain (in their own words) whatabout it intrigued them the most.➓ THE BOOK COVER  kimyunalesca  "…4.5 stars,The book cover isreally beautiful and related to the story. It has a very good and interestingplot I like how it starts off with a little bit of mystery between all of thecharacters.There's a lot of medical scenes plus very detailed terminologies Ifound very useful in imagining the whole story. I felt the characters emotionsand struggles that kept me moving one page to another, within the story lies agreat message to every reader such as close family ties, bonds, do the right ...more ……The book cover is really beautiful and related to the story…"➒ THE SISTERS Maria "…I adored the sisters and wished they wouldhave been around more!"➑ THE LOCATION Julie "…I loved the setting. I live in Houston andGalveston is one of our favorite places. And believe it or not, The Face Wall... is real."➐ THE MEDICAL THRILL Vanessa Eric "… mostof the time, I felt like reading a paperback version of Grey's Anatomy ratherthan a contemporary paranormal …" ➏ THE UNIQUE AND MEMORABLE STORY-LINE Im'a Vermonsteraka Shawn "Evenwhen I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about the book, the characters."➎ THE SUSPENSE Jennifer "I finished this morning. After keepingmyself up until 2 a.m. reading. Only to grab the book at 6 a.m. when I awoke. Ilove the story line. I immediately fell in love with the characters. This is avery unique and absorbing story." ➍ THE STORIES MESSAGES Michael Maedo – Breathtakinglybeautiful – "This is the firstbook I have ever written a review on for amazon. If I could give it more than 5stars I would. I voraciously read multiple books a week but this is one of thebest books I have ever read. The love of God and the desire to do the rightthing permeates this book but does not hit you over the head. Brody, Allison,and Clark are so real. I feel like a better person after having read this book.I can't wait until the next book comes out.Gloria "I have never wrote a message on the books Ihave read. But I have enjoyed this book. I am looking for the other books inthis series. I am suggesting it to all my friends. It was amazing." Roseycortes cortes "This book wasfantastic. I read about a book per day or two, don't love most of them.Characters are real. Living people. They are likable and you care what happensto them. Dying for the next book!"ebgb – VeryEntertaining Read! – "This book wasso interesting, I read it twice! I can't wait for the sequel to be released.The plot twists are very creative, and being a nurse, I especially enjoyed themedical aspects.➌ THE LOVE TRIANGLE Dabs "WOW!I couldnt put this book down and now Im anxiously waiting for the next book!! Ikeep telling myself not to read love triangles because I get all caught up,worked up and and hate having to wait for the next book to come out to find outwhat will happen!!! but here I am caught up in the Allie/Brody/Clark triangle,but really...who couldnt get wrapped up in these wonderful characters!
I really enjoyed the storyline about insurance/healthcare, being a RN workingin the insurance portio ...more WOW! I couldn'tput this book down and now I'm anxiously waiting for the next book!! I keeptelling myself not to read love triangles because I get all caught up, workedup and hate having to wait for the next book to come out to find out what willhappen!!! but here I am caught up in the Allie/Brody/Clark triangle, butreally...who couldn't get wrapped up in these wonderful characters!"Jody "Ifyou are looking for a fresh paranormal romance thriller, Warriors of the Crossdelivers. I found the summary of this book to be intriquing. Allison La Crosseis a resident doctor who was born and raised in a big family full of love inLA. She gets her residency at a University Hospital in Galveston, TX and movesthere by finding a room to rent sight unseen. When she arrives she meets Clarkher landlord who is a medical malpractice lawyer and has an instant connectionwith him. Clark make ...more If you arelooking for a fresh paranormal romance thriller, Warriors of the Crossdelivers…Besides the Romance, there are many layers to this unique plot." ➋ THE HAUNTING PARANORMAL Rae "Whew...I did not know I could hold my breath so long! What a great read! I finished itin two settings. I had to stop reading yesterday when it started getting dark;it is one of those books to read only during daylight hours. I finished it thisafternoon as it is a bright sunny day in NC. lolol Ask anyone who knows me andthey will tell you I am fearless, sometimes to my own detriment. However, oncein a great while a book will come along that is a strike too close to the truthand "War ...more Whew... I didnot know I could hold my breath so long! What a great read! I finished it intwo settings. I had to stop reading yesterday when it started getting dark; itis one of those books to read only during daylight hours. I finished it thisafternoon as it is a bright sunny day in NC. lolol Ask anyone who knows me andthey will tell you I am fearless, sometimes to my own detriment. However, oncein a great while a book will come along that is a strike too close to the truth and "Warriors of the Cross" is one such title. My house has a fewghosts, sad but friendly, hanging around and sometimes too much paranormal justgets to be too edgy in the dark." ➊ THE CHARACTERS Loren "Lovethis book! Started reading it last night after receiving a link from theauthor. Best link ever! Before I knew it it was well past my bed time and intothe early morning hours. As soon as I got up this morning I had to know how itended.
The characters are amazing and I fell on love with them almost instantly. Allieis so loving and positive and I enjoyed reading about her. I love Clark for thesame reasons as Allie although he is a little darker and it was hard to readhis motives but ...more Love this book!…Before I knew it it was well past my bed time and into the early morninghours. As soon as I got up this morning I had to know how it ended.
The characters are amazing and I fell on love with them almost instantly. Allieis so loving and positive and I enjoyed reading about her. I love Clark for thesame reasons as Allie although he is a little darker and it was hard to readhis motives but Brody is my favourite. The story is a breath of fresh air different to a lot of the books I've beenreading lately. I'm not particularly religious but enjoyed the religiousaspects of the story. Overall it was a great and addictive read and I am eagerly awaiting the nextbook! ✪ THERE IS MORE TO COME (Guardians of the Cross – December24, 2011)E "…I recently added this book tomy to-read shelf, and was sent a link to this book by the author (for that, Iam forever grateful). After finally getting around to read it, I realized thisbook would be one of my favorites.

I'm not going to go too in-depth with this because I don't want to giveanything away. Everyone should read this without knowing any of the intricatedetails so they can be just as pleasantly surprised as I was.

Now, to be honest, I'm not a fan of romance. At ...more …..the pacing was impeccable, and it was a fairly quick yet funread. It was interesting the whole way through, but the ending is what made melove the book rather than just really like it. Granted, cliffhangers areusually just annoying, but this one has made me very excited for the next book.As a whole, the book was intriguing and worth every moment spent reading it. Ican't wait for the next to be released!"RyleighC – BESTBOOK EVER – "This is one of the best books that have ever read. was expecting somestereotypical book, but realized actually would have paid for it because it wasso good. The second book, Guardian of the Cross, comes out December 24, 2011and definitely am going to buy that.momof2cuties – Lovedit and can't wait for the next in the series – "This was an absolutely wonderful read. Ihave not reviewed any of the over 100 books I've downloaded so far, for me toreview means I was extremely pleased! Warriors of the Cross was fast paced withjust enough romance, bonds of friendship and family, and suspense to keep me uplate enough I had to take a nap the next day with my kids. Allie is a wonderfulperson who is so kind, caring, loving, and strong. Brody is gorgeous and justmysterious enough to leave you wanting more of him. Clark is a great friendthat anyone would be extremely lucky to have. The Sisters were wonderful and Iwould love to get to know them a little better. Overall, I genuinely loved thisbook…I'm excited and antsy waiting for the release of Guardians of the Crossthat will hopefully be real soon.

1.Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series2.Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series3.Heather Self4.T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series5.Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga6.Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING7.Lexus Luke8.PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH9.Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy10.Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 11.K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed12.Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series13.Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga 14.Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy15.Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews 16.Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey17.M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping 18.Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys19.Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind20.Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls21.Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler22.Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden 23.Gwenn Wright, author of Filter24.TG Ayer

YA Indie Carnival - Blast from the Past

This week the YA Indie Carnival sponsors are reminiscing...sharing some of our early work.  The oldest piece I have is a bedtime story written for my son several years ago.  It's never been important to me for others to like it because he absolutely loved it.  More importantly, he appreciated the effort I put into creating a magical story of his very own. 
 
BUTTERFLY LOVE
Before I was fully awake, I felt a brush as light as afeather dusting my cheek.  The scent ofthe floral perfume wafting around me was as familiar as the aroma fromthe bacon I heard sizzling in the kitchen down the hall.  I stretched and hummed and envisioned Mommakissing me good morning…welcoming me to a glorious new day.  She'd always insisted we start each morningwith love and happiness, knowing the rest of the day's tenor would follow suit.As soon as my lids lifted, the sun's rays caused theheavenly dream to disappear into thin air. I was quickly reminded – with gut-wrenching clarity – Momma had been deadfor over three months.   The last fewprecious moments had been the only twinges of normalcy I'd felt since the daythe heartless doctors told us 'her treatments were failing'.  Without waiting for us to process theirwords or comprehend their meaning, they callously reminded us to 'plan for herdeath'. Devastated, I'd done little more than exist since those life-alteringsyllables were uttered.   Intending to tame the unruly hair tickling my cheek, Ireached up and was met by the fluttering of wings. Living in the south andconditioned to tolerate our varmints, I imagined my fingers had grazed at agigantic cockroach.  I, prepared to runscreaming from my room, jumped up. Instead of a filthy insect, I found my visitor to be one of the mostbeautiful butterflies – teasingly fluttering around me – I'd ever seen. Her brilliant tattooed wings magically waved toward me.  I knew the tiny creature was waiting for myresponse, but I sat immovable for several seconds. When I finally shifted positions, she made no attempt at flitting away.  Amazingly, she was not in theleast bit intimidated by me.  "Are you trying to tell me something?"  I asked, feeling silly but unable to stopmyself.   Her black velvet wings – sprinkled with glorious shades ofgreens, blues, and platinum glitter – went berserk. I lifted my index finger,hoping the perch would be a welcomed place for her to light.  With a few silent flaps, she landed, and Isensed the now familiar tickle.   This time, our contact opened my hearing in a whole new way.  I watched the joyous creature while shetelepathically sang a message to me. 'Good morning, Faith.  My name is Riodi.'Positive someone was playing a terrible joke on me, I lookedsuspiciously around the room. 'It's okay. Speaking aloud is not necessary.  We can talk just like this.  No one has to know about it,' she melodicallysaid without moving her mouth.'How do you know my name?' I asked only in my mind.'We have been sent to you by Elise,' she said, carefullywatching my reaction with her giant round eyes.    "Elise?"  I, stilllooking around for the jokester, asked.'Yes.  Your mother,Elise. She's sent us here to be 'flies on your wall'. Nobody said the flies hadto be ones who evolved from maggots,' she said, snickering to herself."We?"  I asked.  Complete and utter shock kept me fromspeaking anything more than one-word sentences.In response to my question, she released a deafening whistlesimilar to the two-fingered one my brother, Tommy, used when calling Skip, ourborder collie.  Seeing my painfulgrimace, she crooned, 'Sorry. I should have taken flight before doing that.'Seconds later, four new butterflies gracefully flutteredaround my room.  All five undeniablybeautiful. With their appearance, Riodi began the formal announcements.  Working in concert with her, the one beingintroduced landed on my arm, using it as their runway while giving me a wave ofthe wing.'This is Papi,' Riodi said as the first, an enormousbutterfly, sporting paper-thin purple and red wings, landed.  It was impossible to ignore the magnificenceof the conspicuous black veins interwoven within each of his scale-coveredwings.   Papi's soft yellow thoraxhad a jet-black stripe extending from his massive eight-ball eyes down to hiswispy tail.  He may have lacked Riodi's elegance,but he made up for it with an almost palpable allegiance. 'Your mother loves you…so we love you.  The honor is ours, Faith,' he said in a voiceas articulate as an announcers.   As soon as his unconditional pledge was transmitted to mymind, the tails of all five Lepidoptera brilliantly lit up.  I was instantly reminded of the lightningbugs Tommy and I caught every summer…when Momma allowed us to play by the riverafter night fall.  With their glow, I wasconsumed with a hug-induced warmth. Sensing my reaction, Riodi said, 'Think of that as a presentfrom your mother.  Her remote embrace.'  Ialmost cried when I thought of the lengths Momma had gone to send that messageto me.  'This is Lyca,' Riodi said just as the smallest butterfly –almost pigmy – landed right next to Papi. On touchdown, Lyca batted her iridescent eyes Papi's way andsaid, 'Good morning, Faith.'  Herinfatuations with Papi reminded me of Tinkerbelle's crush on Peter Pan.While Lyca's beauty was every bit as stunning as Riodi's,the metallic copper speckled with bright pink showcased on her wings were asunique as her quiet personality.  Lyca'svelvety thorax was a brilliant fuchsia. Her every move was as graceful andplanned as a ballerina in the middle of a ballet.As soon as a butterfly – with wings the greens of cabbageleaves mixed with the yellow of a lemon's peel – descended onto my arm, Riodisaid, 'This is Piere.  Be very carefulwith him. His favorite pastime is sprinkling girls with Love Dust.'Mischievous, he shook his head, causing a dash of ashimmering powder to cling to the hairs of my arm. A heartbeat later, anadmiration for Piere – similar to Lyca's for Papi – consumed me.  Thankfully, it only lasted seconds.'If his Dust hits you like that, imagine how it impacts us,since we are so much smaller. Its effects are overwhelming and can last fordays,' she said, squinting her eyes toward Piere's sheepish grin. With the tone of a boy caught with his hand in the cookiejar, Piere responded to Riodi's accusations. 'Awe shucks, you know you love me, Riodi…with or without the Love Dust.Just admit it, and I'll stop flirting with other girls,' he said, giving her alittle wink.  Then, he turned toward meand said, 'Sorry for the Love Dust, Faith. It just falls when I shake my head.Really, it's completely out of my control.'  With Piere's infinitesimal move closer to Riodi, I saw his thorax was as soft as rabbit's fur and white as a cotton ball.His deliberate impishness caused a giggle to escape from deepinside of me and bubble to the surface. I basked in the glory of the first show of happiness I'd felt in a verylong time.  Riodi rolled her eyes with Piere's obvious lie andpurposefully refused to give him any further attention.  'And finally, this is Lidae. She is a motherto all of us…even though we were all born within days of each other,' Riodisang.Lidae, cautious, landed between me and the rest of thepack.  She thoroughly scoured my brain,making sure my intentions were sincere when it came to her family. With heractions, I knew beyond a shadow of doubt she would instantly sacrifice herselfbefore seeing any of the other four hurting. Her absolute love of them wassimilar to the one Momma possessed for me. Lidae respectfully bowed her head toward me as soon as I passed the rigors ofher inspection.  Afterwards, I studied Lidae. To others, her colors would have been considered the most boring of thefive.  Not to me.  I saw every single intricate detail and theway they were highlighted by various shades of matte brown, ranging from lightto dark. Her wings were similar to a tortoise's shell and their design asstriking as any that I'd ever seen. Lidae's body was as bold as coffee and smooth as mink. With an earthyvoice, she finally said, 'Hello, Faith.'

I nodded.  It was apparent Lidae was the leader, but Riodi remained theunofficial spokesman for the group. 'As I have said, we have been sent by yourmother. She wanted us to remind you of her love for you.'"Can I talk to my mother?" I asked, hoping she'd beengiven back to me.All five heads shook from side-to-side.  'No' their obvious response."Can you talk to my mother?" I, afraid of their answer,asked.This time, every head bobbed up and down."Can one of you elaborate, please?" Lyca flitted over to me and said, 'We have been sent to staywith you and watch over you. We will stay until a rainbow appears.  The rainbow is a signal, a notice it's timefor us - one at a time - to embark upon a strenuous journey back to Elise. It'sthe only way for her to know how you're doing.'The familiar blur of tears clouded my vision.  After everything I'd been through, I couldbarely believe Momma was almost within my reach…that I would be able to tellher all the things I'd regretted not saying since the day she died.  Lidae said, 'Your mother wants you to stop being upset, andfor you to realize when you're sad, she hurts.'I sat stunned, wondering if I'd finally gone insane to thepoint where hallucinations were playing brutal jokes with my mind.  The exotic butterflies' heads shook from side-to-side as if the movement had been choreographed.Thankful for the tangible evidence proving Momma's presence,I knelt down on the side of my bed and thanked God – the one I had been cursingfor months – for this miraculous gift. Through these amazing messengers, Momma would be at my side.  At least, temporarily.Suddenly, it occurred to me that Momma had been right. Thisday had begun filled with love and happiness and would absolutely end on thatsame note.  Even better, there would be many more to follow.
1.Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series2.Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series3.Heather Self4.T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series5.Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga6.Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING7.Lexus Luke8.PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH9.Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy10.Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 11.K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed12.Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series13.Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga 14.Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy15.Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews 16.Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey17.M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping 18.Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys19.Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind20.Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls21.Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler22.Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden 23.Gwenn Wright, author of Filter

The Poison Diaries (#1) by Maryrose Wood

If interested, you can read The Poison Diaries for FREE on the HarperTeen site.  I haven't read it, yet.  After seeing its beautiful design & formatting and reading several of its reviews, I will definitely be adding this to my 'to-be-read' list.       

In the right dose, everything is a poison. Even love . . .

Jessamine Luxton has lived all her sixteen years in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle, with little company apart from the plants in her garden. Her father, Thomas, a feared and respected apothecary, has taught her much about the incredible powers of plants: that even the most innocent-looking weed can cure — or kill. 

When Jessamine begins to fall in love with a mysterious boy who claims to communicate with plants, she is drawn into the dangerous world of the poison garden in a way she never could have imagined . . .



YA Indie Carnival - Best Scares

This week's YA Indie Carnival topic is Best Scares. Now, I'mgoing to flat-up (my niece's favorite thing to say) tell you I never have and probably never will read ascary book. For all those same reasons, I do not watch terrifying shows or sitthrough horror movies. I know...I know I am in the minority, and I'm okay withmy lot in life. I just can't do horror in any fashion.

By contrast, I LOVE to read - and write - paranormalromance. There are aspects of the paranormal genre which allows me toexperience the excitement of getting to know the character's 'magical' talents withouthaving the bejesus scared out of me. When their mystical traits are coupledwith a solid romantic story-line, I can really devote some undivided attentionto the offering's of the author's imagination. 

SinceI have no frightening books to share, I'm going to talk about the paranormalromance I just finished, Everlasting byAlyson Noel.The final book of The Immortals Series is the perfect ending to a series filled with love,hate, romance, passion, regret, and the effects (positive and negative) of karma. 
We'veknown for a while that Ever, Damen, and Jude have met in each of theirlifetimes. This book opens us up to the possibility that everyone lives the samelife over and over until they get it right, and the karma from our past keepshaunting use until we've made amends to those wronged...and the universe. 
Travelingdown Ever's road, we find an entire population of people who have gotten caught upin - and keep getting caught up in - her cosmic adventure, one which includes auras, witches, telepathy, apothecary, and magic. Equally obvious is Ever'sdesire to go to heaven (to join her family) and her fear of landing in hell(lost an alone) for the choices she makes. 
Like the rest of the books in the series, Ever and Damen are ignorant when it comes to theimpact of their slip-ups. Because of this, they are prevented from journeying toward the worldof enlightenment they claim to seek.  Worse, they make the sameblunders over and over. Some of their worst mistakes are made when they try to do what they think is best for the other.  
Asin life, some of the characters are memorable, and others are not. By far, myfavorite characters of the series are Riley and Jude. If I were writing thisstory, they would become soul mates in their next life.  
Thisfinal book rights most wrongs while hinting at a new series...or even a seventhbook. It will be interesting to see which wins out. 1.Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series2.Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series3.Heather Self4.T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series5.Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga6.Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING7.Lexus Luke8.PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH9.Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy10.Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 11.K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed12.Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series13.Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga 14.Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy15.Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews 16.Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey17.M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping 18.Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys19.Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind20.Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls21.Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler22.Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden 23.Gwenn Wright, author of Filter24.Abbi Glines: Breathe, The Vincent Boys, Existence25.Be Afraid!
                                

Silence (Hush, Hush, #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick

Silence , a great third book in a series with a long, long future.  If you are a fan of Hush, Hush and Crescendo (and let's just face it...Patch), the only disappointment you will experience is the fact that the book ends.  I know this because I just finished Silence  and am already anticipating the next in the series, Untitled (Hush, Hush #4) .  Unfortunately, it will not be released until fall of 2012. 

With Silence , Nora Grey embraces her destiny and quickly becomes someone worthy of the Fallen Angel Patch.  The journey to this point has been long and arduous.  It's been filled with sobering deaths and anxiety-producing near deaths...unending love and venomous hate...pretenses of indifference mixed with heated passion.  Somehow, that same excitement is embedded into every page of  Silence , making it one of the best of the series (so far).

In my humble opinion, the stronger Becca Fitzpatrick makes Nora Grey, the more lovable she becomes.  The more empowered Nora is, the more I want Nora and Patch to end up as the soul mates they have claimed to be since Hush, Hush .  The more grown-up Nora acts, the more realistic the entire story, and its unique characters begin to feel.  Without any doubt at all, I can say this series has matured in a very good way, and the characters are more endearing than ever.

Most of all, I'm thankful for the ending.  I wouldn't dream of giving anything away, but for the briefest moment, I thought Nora, sweet Nora, was going to....   Sorry.  You will just have to read Silence  for yourself to find out my concerns.  Enjoy!

YA Indie Carnival - Memorable Halloweens

[image error] The sponsors of the YA Indie Carnival have a wonderful topic - GREAT HALLOWEEN MEMORIES - to post this week.  There were many haunted house horrors, carnival capers, and scavenger hunts which I could have shared.  Instead, I settled on a story where I was surrounded by my loving family yet frightened to the core.

The Halloween most ingrained in my memories was one celebrated with my cousins when I was seven years old.  My father went to work in Colorado and had to leave my mother, brother, two sisters, and me while living in a haunted farmhouse deep within the woods of central Louisiana. 

The house creaked and moaned all night long, making us believe the former, dead owner roamed the house nonstop.  It was so far away from civilization that 'lights out' meant ink black darkness.  We didn't just think there were wild animals slinking around the forest near our new (old) house.  Instead, we knew it.  We'd seen the dead carcasses of mountain lions and scared each other with giant snake skins.  We'd even heard the local hunters bragging about the size of the bears they'd encountered in the woods surrounding our home.  

On this particular Halloween, all the kids dressed in their vampire, zombie, Frankenstein, and ghosts costumes and piled into my grandmother's station wagon.  We drove miles and miles until we made it to the nearest small town.  The wonderful people of that community were eager to share their Halloween candy, caramel apples, and popcorn balls, and we were happy to take them.

I can still remember the flickering candles burning within the creatively carved pumpkins, mamma's complaints of an allergic reaction from the stacks of hay, and the pause we took when coming face-to-face with a life-sized scarecrow drenched in 'bloody clothes'.  We may have hesitated, but we didn't let any of those props stop us.  We trick-or-treated like it was a competitive sport and relished in the victory of having the most candy in our bags.  We had a great time...one to be cherished for a lifetime.  

When we got home, the only lights were those from within the house.  All the kids were high from the thrill of the evening and bounced from the sugar spiking our bloodstreams.  My mother, grandmother, and aunt led us from the gravel parking area, through the dark, and toward the house.  When we reached the porch, my mother used the light streaming from the window to find the key, so she could unlock the door.  

We complained impatiently while she fumbled because we couldn't wait to run inside, dump the candy out side-by-side, and crown one person the winner of the Most Candy Contest.  Suddenly, and without any sort of warning, a man flailing around his arms and wearing a mask jumped from behind us, roaring loud and long.  His growl sounded worse because of the concert of new high pitched screams instantly joining his.

Seconds later, we realized it was my uncle.  The fact that our 'ghost' was my uncle and not a real threat did little to calm my sister who had been so frightened she erupted into tears and dropped her bucket of candy.  Of course, my uncle felt horrible after he realized how badly he'd terrified all of us (including the adults), but I can honestly say his lack of good sense gave me a story worth sharing.
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1.Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series2.Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series3.Heather Self4.T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series5.Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga6.Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING7.Lexus Luke8.PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH9.Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy10.Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 11.K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed12.Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series13.Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga 14.Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy15.Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews 16.Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey17.M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping 18.Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys19.Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind20.Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls21.Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler22.Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden 23.Gwenn Wright, author of Filter

YA Indie Carnival - Favorite Fan Experience

It's the time of week when the sponsors of the YA Indie Carnival posttheir version of the very same topic.  I'malways shocked - in a very good way - by the unique twist two dozen people puton an identical subject.  This week weare sharing our 'best fan experience'.
This is the hardest blog I've written to date because itis almost impossible for me to isolate this wonderful journey, one filled withamazing people, down to one experience…one person.  For the rest of my life, I will remember thefirst person who read Warriors of the Cross and the only other person to have read Guardians of the Cross : Pollie Martinez, a supportive woman unlike any other.  My first fellow author virtual friend wasJayde Scott, a great Indie mentor, who helped me more than I can say after Ipublished Warriors of the Cross .  Then,there was one of my first five star (⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆) reviews. It was written by Jody, and with it, I knew she understood where I wasgoing with The Warrior Series.
While all of those first, were unbelievable…amazing...inspiring,the Warriors of the Cross  Tour embarked upon this last weekend by some wonderfulfans will forever be among my most favorite memories.  Below, I thought I would take each of you on a virtual tour of Galveston sites which are near and dear to Allison La Crosses's heart.  Also, enjoy the  Warriors of the Cross  excerpt next to each picture. 
The first stop on the tour was the Gleaves T. James Centennial Rose Garden  where Brody and Allison fell in love over the Mr. Lincoln roses.                         ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆Today, Clark had animportant lunch meeting, so I rushed outside and toward my backup lunch spot,The Rose Garden.  There, I sat, enjoyinga few coveted minutes of quieted peace.  I basked in the gloriousgolden sunshine and the fresh wind gusts coming from the ocean.  As the salty, ocean breeze blew through thegarden, it intermingled with and held hostage the heavenly mixed rosefragrances.  The result was a unique butrefreshing blend that would sell well if it were embedded in a candle. Theatmosphere was a needed reprieve from the morning's turmoil.  Startled out of my tinyworld, I noticed Brody standing next to my bench.  ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
The second stop was The Facewall, a frightening place where Satan's Sect killed Brody's girlfriend four years earlier.
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Several phenomenaoccurred the moment my feet hit the ground on the other side.  First, the wind picked up enough to cause animmediate temperature drop.  I reasonedit was more likely the result of the terror stinging my veins than an instantcyclone.  With it, my unbound hairwhipped around my face, stinging me with each painful lash.  Second, there was a sulfur-infused aroma inthe air so concentrated that I gagged. Finally, I had a sense of being in a forbidden area and an inexplicableurge to bolt.  It was like I had a shockcollar on and this was out of bounds for me.
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The third stop was the The Mosquito Cafe , where Clark took Allison and Mallory after the terrifying visit to The Facewall .        ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆"I knew we shouldn't havegone there.  Let me make it up to you andtake you to dinner," Clark said."No, thank you.  You have already spent your entire afternoonentertaining us," I said."Come on, Allie.  I'm starved. We haven't eaten all day," Mallory said. "Okay," I agreed when Irealized she was right.  I had been sonervous I refused to eat breakfast and lunch. It was not until that minute that I realized she had not eaten either.With my concession, Clarkdrove straight to the Mosquito Café.  Thecafe was an old home which had been transformed into a restaurant servingtraditional food with an unconventional twist.
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There was a visit to the wonderful seawall , a barrier between the gulf and the island and Allison's favorite place to walk with Clark. ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
After supper, we went fora walk on the seawall.  It was still verydark outside.  With Clark next to me andmore than enough street lights, I enjoyed the relaxing tropical stroll.  Getting my mind off everything else, I talkedto Clark about the patient charge issues I had seen.  He made it seem like he was interested in mydescription of the unfairness.  Isuspected he was actually just good at playing along with my need to thinkabout anything other than the subjects really bothering me. 
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They appreciated the beauty of  Galveston's glorious ocean view.  Along these beaches, Allison strolled for hours with Brody.  ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ 
In the midst of theendless waves traveling toward the sand packed beach, I watched the school ofdolphins gracefully ascending out and descending into the water.  Each following their leader's path andmimicking his actions.  I stumbled in myquest to get to the beach, wanting a closer look before they disappeared. I jogged over the rampextending from the deck to the beach. When I made it to the water-logged layer of beach, I took the flip-flopsoff.  I walked holding them and enjoyingthe exhilaration of the periodic wave as it made its way up to the beach andonto my feet.  I found myself tornbetween watching the dolphins, taking in the wonderful ocean view, andsearching for beach scavenged treasures. In the end, Lita's dolphins won out. At least, for a little while. 
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[image error] They spent time admiring the phenomenal beachfront houses, ones similar to The Sisters' sanctuary.
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When we made it to thehouse, it was dark.  The three-story housesat glowing like a lighthouse.  Mutedbeams of light had been hidden within the trees, around bushes, and underneaththe eaves.  The illumination allowed meto appreciate the cottage's warm shade of butter yellow along with its blackshutters, silver tin roof, and white deck. We climbed the flight ofstairs leading to the back of the house. Making it to the deck, I turned toward where the ocean would havebeen.  In its place was an unendingblackness which was speckled with an entire constellation of oil riglights.  The breeze whistled in my earsand pushed my hair away from my face, soothing me in a way I would have thoughtto be impossible given the day's events.
⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ The one place they forgot to visit was Big Red .  This is one of the most amazing buildings in Galveston, the first medical school in Texas...the building housing the cadavers which frighten Allison to the core. ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆I wandered up the stairsand into the second floor double doors. As the frigid air escaped, my nose burned from the smell of formaldehydeand death.  Left unhidden by the aromawas the fact that cadavers were housed somewhere within the halls of thisbuilding.  The smell became moreconcentrated and offensive after the doors closed behind me.  With my heart rate skipping and withoutmaking a conscious decision to do so, I turned toward the doors to leave.Exiting the building and meeting the beautiful sunny skies of the summer day,the trepidation engulfing me within the walls of Old Rouge evaporated like themorning dew in the afternoon sun. 
⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆♬ ANNOUNCEMENTS ♬

✦Courtney Cole released her Bloodstone Saga finale, My Tattered Bonds .✦Check out The Paranormal Plumes Haunted Book Tour in Savannah Halloween Weekend! ✦30% of the royalties of Lexus Luke's Manitou The Sky People Saga go to the ASPCA. ✦ The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines will release on Oct 21. Here is the book trailer. ✦For a limited time, Kimberly Kinrade is selling signed copies of her YA paranormal thriller/romance Forbidden Mind. As an All Hallow's Read bonus, she is also including some awesome gifts with each purchase... including a very special bonus to the first 5 lucky people who place an order. Get a copy for yourself and buy one for a friend in celebration of All Hallow's Read. For more details, visit her site. ✦ Filter Giveaway on Gwenn Wright's blog! When she reaches 100 followers she will give away a signed copy of Filter AND one of her fancy new mugs!
Take a few minutes to visit the other carnival participant's and join them in reliving their favorite fan experience:✰ Dani Snell's RefractedLight Reviews
✰ Patti Larsen Author of The Ghost Boy ofMacKenzie House, The Hunted Series and the Hayle Coven Novels
✰ Courtney Cole Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also, she's acontributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.
✰ Nicole Williams Author of Eternal Eden, and Fallen Eden. She is also acontributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.
✰ Fisher Amelie Author of The Understorey, as well as acontributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
✰ Laura A. H. Elliott Author of Winnemucca and soon to be released 13 on Halloween
✰ Amy Maurer Jones Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy as well as acontributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
✰ Rachel Coles. Geek Mom.Book Reviewer Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms
✰ T. R. Graves T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross and soon to be releasedGuardiansof the Cross
✰ P.J. Hoover Author of Solstice, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, The Necropolis
✰ Alicia McCalla Author of the upcomingscience-fiction novel Breaking Free
✰ Heather Cashman Author of Perception
✰ Abbi Glines Author of Breathe, and the upcoming Existence and VincentBoys
✰ Cheri Schmidt Author of Fateful, Fractured, and Fair Maiden
✰ Lexus Luke Author of Manitou, The Sky People Saga
✰ Suzy Turner Author of December Moon and Raven
✰ K. C. Blake Author of Vampires Rule, Werewolves Rule, and Crushed
✰ Gwenn Wright Author of Filter
✰ Kimberly Kinrade Author of Bits of You & Pieces of Me and Forbidden Mind
✰ J.L. Bryan Author of Paranormals series - Jenny Pox, Tommy Nightmare, and Alexander Death
✰ Darby Karchut Author of Griffin Rising
✰ Madeline Smoot Author of Missing (Liv &Death)
✰ M. Leighton Author of Blood Like Poison Series, Wiccan, Caterpillar, Madly & Wolfhardt, and The Reaping
✰ Cidney Swanson Author of Chameleon (The Ripple Series)
✰Heather Self 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 5 STARSAMAZING! Really, I'm not sure I've ever read a book where every sense iscompletely satisfied. Erin Morgenstern's descriptions are soflawless you know exactly how foods you've never eaten taste. She detailsfragrances in such a manner that - while they are nowhere near - they waftaround you and awaken your senses. She makes places, which are absolutelyforeign, feel like home and complete strangers seem like trusted friends. Inother words, she is one of the rare authors who can perform magic with herwords...similar to the way her characters perform their illusions within The Night Circus .

I've said before I have a long commute, so I enjoy listening to a greatbook. Somehow, listening to this story made the commute feel less of a choreand more like 'me time'. I was so enthralled by the story that I wasdisappointed every day when I finally made it to my destinations (work orhome).  

I should also mention that the narrator is phenomenal. He has one of thosevoices. An accent I could listen to forever. When you couple him with thebeautifully poetic writing and the unique and timeless story, this audiobookbecomes a must listen to (or a must read). In other words, pick your bookmedian of choice and go for it. You will not be disappointed.

Now, I just hope to win one of the two signed copies being given away on Goodreads . *fingers crossed*

Thanks to my dear friend, Michael, for insisting I read this book.  You were absolutely right! 

YA Indie Carnival - Favorite Character

Thanks for joining the YA Indie Carnival sponsors for another week. Today, we are sharing the characters we most love to read or write about.

AllisonFaith La Crosse of Warriors of the Cross is now - and always will be - myfavorite character.  First and foremost, herphysical characteristics mirror my daughter's features.  When I think of and/or write about Allison LaCrosse, my mind's eye envisions my daughter. For that reason, I love Allison, as if she were my second daughter.    
BeyondAllison's likenesses with my daughter, I've created a protagonist whosecompassion is so compelling that she cares more for others than she cares aboutherself.  Of course, this proves to be adebilitating flaw when it comes to her gifts since that same compassion makes herwilling to take on the symptoms of the dying people she saves.  Almost killing her on more than one occasion.
Inaddition to beauty and compassion, I've embedded a tolerance so pure it is rare.  She loves everyone without regard to race,religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomics, etc.   After hoping and praying for a world ofpeople with these very same individualities, there was little doubt my maincharacters would embody that which I crave.   
Inthe end, I like to think I've molded Allison into a role-model for younggirls.  I hope they want to be like herenough to follow her lead, educate themselves, and show everyone therespect they deserve. 

**Galveston's Rainforest Cafe: Pictures of my lovely daughter.
♬ ANNOUNCEMENTS ♬

Beyond The Veil: A Ghost Story Anthology released this week by Rachel Coles Griffin Rising  by Darby Karchut is a nominee for the 2011 Cybils Award (YA Fantasy)
Interviewing Kimberly Kinrade by Dani Snell

Don't forget to visit the other carnival participant's and see which characters are their favorite: ✰ Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews ✰ Patti Larsen Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, The Hunted Series and the Hayle Coven Novels ✰ Courtney Cole Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also, she's a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles. ✰ Nicole Williams Author of Eternal Eden, and Fallen Eden. She is also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles. ✰ Fisher Amelie Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles✰ Laura A. H. Elliott Author of Winnemucca and soon to be released 13 on Halloween ✰ Amy Maurer Jones Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles✰ Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms ✰ T. R. Graves T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross and soon to be released Guardians of the Cross✰ P.J. Hoover Author of Solstice, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, The Necropolis ✰ Alicia McCalla Author of the upcoming science-fiction novel Breaking Free ✰ Heather Cashman Author of Perception✰ Abbi Glines Author of Breathe, and the upcoming Existence and Vincent Boys ✰ Cheri Schmidt Author of Fateful, Fractured, and Fair Maiden ✰ Lexus Luke Author of Manitou, The Sky People Saga✰ Suzy Turner Author of December Moon and Raven ✰ K. C. Blake Author of Vampires Rule, Werewolves Rule, and Crushed✰ Gwenn Wright Author of Filter ✰ Kimberly Kinrade Author of Bits of You, Pieces of Me and Forbidden Mind ✰ J.L. Bryan Author of Paranormals series - Jenny Pox, Tommy Nightmare, and Alexander Death ✰ Darby Karchut Author of Griffin Rising ✰ Madeline Smoot Author of Missing (Liv & Death) ✰ M. Leighton Author of Blood Like Poison Series, Wiccan, Caterpillar, Madly & Wolfhardt, and The Reaping✰ Cidney Swanson Author of Chameleon (The Ripple Series)