C.K. Bryant's Blog, page 8

Attention Book Bloggers!

In anticipation of the release of BROKEN, I'm offering a FREE copy of BOUND to any Book Blogger who hasn't read it yet. In exchange for your free copy, I only ask that you post an honest review on your blog and as many other book venues as possible. 




If you're interested. Please go HERE and fill out the form. 




Or go to the BOOK BLOGGERS tab above.





Easy stuff!










FYI - I'll be scheduling a blog tour for BROKEN soon and will only include those who have read BOUND, so get your copy ASAP!! And get your review up!




Thanks!

Spies, Murder & Mystery Marathon

­In celebration of the official release of A
Spy Like Me , Laura Pauling is hosting a three-week blog series: A
Spies, Murder and Mystery Marathon. Woot! Woot!








Authors galore, guest posts and book giveaways
almost every day!

Gemma Halliday, Cindy M. Hogan, Elizabeth Spann
Craig,
Nova Ren Suma, Elisa Ludwig, and Anne R. Allen....Just to name a few!

And here's why she's celebrating!








Stripping your date down to his underwear has
never been so dangerous.

After dodging bullets on a first date, Savvy must
sneak, deceive and spy to save her family and friends and figure out if Malcolm
is one of the bad guys before she completely falls for him.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords

Head on over to Laura’s blog
for the start of the Spies, Murder and Mystery Marathon. You won’t
want to miss this sizzling series as we head into summer. Stock up on some
great thrilling reads! If you dare…

Clockwiser by Elle Strauss

CLOCKWISER









The last year has been smooth sailing for Casey Donovan. She and her boyfriend Nate are doing better than ever, and things at home are good, too. Everything’s been so calm, she hasn’t “tripped” back to the nineteenth century in ages.




Then the unthinkable happens and she accidentally takes her rebellious brother Tim back in time. It’s 1862 with the Civil War brewing, and for Tim this spells adventure and excitement. Finding himself stuck in the past, he enlists in the Union army, but it doesn’t take long before he discovers real life war is no fun and games.




Casey and Nate race against the clock to find Tim, but the strain wears on their relationship. It doesn’t help that the intriguing new boy next door has his sights on Casey, and isn’t shy to let her know it.




Can Nate and Casey find Tim in time to save him? And is it too late to save their love?




Sales links:

Amazon

Smashwords



Sample Chapter


Chapter One

CASEY

Beginning of Summer Holidays







Sometimes I wished I were an only child. But then I’d be walking or taking transit instead of getting a lift from my brother Tim in his Cavalier beater. He didn’t have air conditioning either, and the wind blowing in from our open windows was hot and moist. The humidity made me feel like I was wearing a warm, wet washcloth for a shirt.

“Can’t you drop me off first?” I said, fanning myself with my hand. I was meeting my best friend Lucinda at the mall, and she only had a thirty minute break from her job at Forever21. Plus, the mall was air conditioned. Bonus.

“I gotta get some cash first. Besides, I’m not your personal taxi service, Casey.” Tim snarled, turning the volume up on his stereo. The bass beat was so loud it rattled the trunk. “Get off your lazy butt and get your license already.”

I gave him a dirty look and reached over to turn the music down. I had a very good reason for not getting my license, but I could never tell Tim or any member of my family what it was. There were only three people currently living who knew the reason. One of them was my boyfriend Nate Mackenzie.

My heart still fluttered a bit when I thought of him in those terms. My boyfriend. Not just some out-of-reach guy I crushed hard on my whole sophomore year, but my boyfriend.

We’d already been an official couple for an entire year, totally blowing all the doomsday predictions that we’d never make it. No one thought a college boy would stick it out with a junior in high school--especially Nate’s evil former girlfriend!

But he did, and we were still going strong. I’d be starting my senior year in a few weeks and then I’d join him at Boston University, too.

“If you dropped me off first, you wouldn’t have to deal with me,” I tried to reason.

“If I didn’t shuttle you around at all I wouldn’t have to deal with you.”

The only reason he did was because my parents were putting the screws in. Tim’s bad attitude, questionable choice of friends and poor grades put him in their bad books. Driving me around was penance.

He pulled into the parking lot of the bank and hopped out, leaving the car running. I reached over and turned it off. Idling the car was bad for the environment for one, and a waste of Tim’s hard-earned minimum-wage job gas money for another. You’d think he’d know better.

I checked the time on my phone and grew anxious as Lucinda’s break time grew nearer. Tim had his back to me as he stood in line at the ATM window. I looked at my reflection in the visor mirror. Since I’d grown out of my skinny awkwardness last year (and snagged a hot boyfriend), I was more mindful of my looks. Instead of trying to hide behind a bush of dark, curly hair, I used better hair products and found a great stylist, and I liked the way my curls framed my face now. I took a tube of lip gloss out of my purse and rolled it onto my lips.

I tugged on my shorts and rubbed my bare legs. They were so long, my knees almost touched the glove compartment. Height had its advantages, but getting comfortable in a small car wasn’t one of them.

I turned the radio on and hummed along. I daydreamed about me and Nate and how we could relax for the rest of the summer, hopefully stretching the lazy days out as long as possible.

I checked the time on my phone again and immediately started stressing about being late to meet Lucinda. C’mon, Tim! He was second in line now. I texted Lucinda to let her know I might be a little late.

I heard sirens and I perked up. This wasn’t the best neighborhood. The bank wasn’t huge, just tucked into a strip mall along with a nail place, a dollar store, and a thrift shop. Litter overflowed from the bin and a good amount had been blown up against the cement foundation.

I checked on Tim. He’d finally made it to the front, the last one in line. If I’d known it was going to take him this long, I would’ve run into the dollar store and picked up cheap nail polish.

The siren noise grew increasingly louder and suddenly three cop cars pulled into the parking lot beside me. My heart jumped, and I thought fleetingly that maybe Tim was in trouble with the law again. Only, he was getting money out of the ATM, not robbing the bank.

But someone was.

Everything happened so fast.

A guy with a ski mask pushed past Tim as he ran out the bank doors. A cop shouted, “Stop or I’ll shoot,” and another masked man followed. Guns went off. Tim stood there, stunned and frozen.

I heard myself shout, “Tim!” He was right in the middle of the cross-fire!

A police officer ran to him, pushing him to the ground just as the second armed man shot in their direction. The officer fell to the ground, taking the bullet instead of Tim.

The robbers ran around the corner and out of sight, chased by police officers on foot and a cruiser down the back ally.

I sprinted to Tim where he was on the ground by the fallen cop.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice tight.

His face was white, and he motioned to the woman beside him. “Yeah, but I don’t think she is.”

The officer moaned, holding her hand on her chest.

“Oh, ma’am, are you okay?” I searched for blood but couldn’t see any.

“I will be,” she said gasping for breath. “I have a vest on.”

Another officer kneeled beside her. “Ambulance is on its way.”

The woman had dark hair pulled back in a low bun. Her eyes stayed pinched together and her pale face glistened with sweat. The impact of the bullet was enough to do some damage. I picked up her police hat that had fallen off her head and handed it to her.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Just doing my duty.”

The ambulance arrived. The paramedics pushed us aside and lifted the woman onto a gurney.

The cop who’d checked her pulse stepped forward from his open door cruiser. Radio dispatch noises leaked out.

I watched the ambulance pull away, siren blasting, and realized I didn’t know her name. I asked the officer standing beside me.

“That’s Officer Clarice Porter,” he said. “Now, would you two mind coming with me to the station to file a report?”

We agreed, and I took my first ride in a police car. It was Tim’s second, but his first was not for noble reasons. He still claimed it was his friend Alex, and not him, who’d stolen the cigarettes from the convenience store.

A thought like a loud banner ran through my mind as the doors of the police cruiser slammed shut and we drove away.

Clarice Porter saved my brother’s life.

Cover Reveal for Closed Hearts

Cover Reveal for Closed Hearts



Coming May 23rd...

Closed Hearts (Book Two of the Mindjack Trilogy)



When you control minds, only your heart can be used against you.



Eight months ago, Kira Moore revealed to the mindreading world that mindjackers like herself were hidden in their midst. Now she wonders if telling the truth was the right choice after all. As wild rumors spread, a powerful anti-jacker politician capitalizes on mindreaders’ fears and strips jackers of their rights. While some jackers flee to Jackertown—a slum rife with jackworkers who trade mind control favors for cash—Kira and her family hide from the readers who fear her and jackers who hate her. But when a jacker Clan member makes Kira’s boyfriend Raf collapse in her arms, Kira is forced to save the people she loves by facing the thing she fears most: FBI agent Kestrel and his experimental torture chamber for jackers.

 





Release Date: May 23rd, 2012



Click Here to sign up for the Virtual Launch Party on May 23rd! There will be prizes, reviews, bonus content, did I mention prizes? Come join the fun!



PRAISE FOR

Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy)





“Being a fan of dystopian and sci-fi in young adult books this was exactly the type of book I was hoping to fall in love with and absolutely did ...YA readers who love authors like Ally Condie, Veronica Roth, Lauren Oliver and others would be missing out if they failed to pick up Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn. Join Kira on her journey to save her fellow mindjackers and potentially change the landscape of her world forever.”

— Danielle Smith, book blogger at There’s a Book



“Susan plunges readers into a compelling and frightening world where nearly everyone can read minds when they come of age. The very idea makes me shudder. This is easily one of the best books I've read not only this year, but in recent years.”

— Heather McCorkle, author of The Secret of Spruce Knoll



"Susan Kaye Quinn's Open Minds is an edge-of-the-seat YA sci-fi, where 16 year-old Kira dodges psychological bullets from all sides."  — Catherine Stine, author of Fireseed One



Open Minds $2.99 on Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes&Noble, and iTunes



Susan Kaye Quinn, Author

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Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. She pursued a bunch of engineering degrees and worked a lot of geeky jobs, including turns at GE Aircraft Engines, NASA, and NCAR. Now that she writes novels, her business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist" and she doesn't have to sneak her notes anymore. All that engineering comes in handy when dreaming up paranormal powers in future worlds or mixing science with fantasy to conjure slightly plausible inventions. Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as much as she can handle.



Way too often, you can find Susan on her blog, facebook, and twitter.



Susan’s Other Works





Open Minds

In His Eyes Anthology (includes Mind Games, a short prequel to Open Minds)

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit (a teen love story)

Full Speed Ahead (short afterstory to Life, Liberty, and Pursuit)

The Artemis Rising Blog Hop Giveaway

Author Cheri Lasota's Best Writing Advice












 




Don't shy away from ebooks

Whether we are ready for it or not, don't shy away from ebooks--whether
you're a reader or a writer. They are the future for a number of
reasons:

Technology is fast replacing older methods/modes of communication,
entertainment, and business. (i.e., analog to digital, paper to ebook).
Ebooks
are less expensive for publishers and authors to produce and for
readers to buy. Shipping, mailing, and overhead all play into the cost
of producing paperbacks.
Ebook readers tend to buy about double the amount of books per year than paperback readers.







Why Ebooks?

If you've been reluctant to give ebooks a chance, here are a few reasons why you might want to now or in the future:





E-Reader prices are dropping

In an effort to introduce more readers to ebooks, the prices of Nook,
Kindle, and Kobo e-readers are coming down each year. This can only help
the industry and bring reading to those who have not yet been able to
afford an e-reader. And I hear every day of ebook reader giveaways on
book sites, etc.





Ebook prices are dropping

Ebook prices, in general, are anywhere from $9.99 to free these days.
Promotions and sales on Amazon, particularly, abound. There are always
good books to be had for less than the price of a coffee or two. For
hours of immersive entertainment, that's a bargain!





The possibilities are endless

Both readers and writers can benefit from the new technologies becoming
available with ebooks. Enhanced ebooks can round out the reading
experience with hyperlinked glossaries, audio files of the author
reading, interactive content about the setting or background of a
story...the possibilities are only limited by our imaginations.










Learn from friends

Take
heart that there are so many authors out there willing to share their
advice and wisdom, their tips and tricks. There are so many aspects to
this industry: writing, editing, marketing, business. The friends you
make along the way can help you and, in turn, you can help them. People
often refer to writing as a lonely business, but that has never been my
experience. I am surrounded by writers I love to converse with, write
with, and learn with. It is an honor and a joy to be in the company of
writers, so join groups and organizations as well as find a few kindred
souls who get you and your writing.










Join marketing groups

Writers can join a lot of different kinds of groups. It isn't always about critiquing each other's novels.





Marketing groups

Marketing groups can help members cross promote each other in a variety
of ways. They can share marketing ideas as well as collaborate on
marketing projects like group giveaways, contests, and anthologies. They
can encourage, commiserate, and learn from and with each other. These
have been some of my most productive groups.





"Writing" groups

One of National Novel Writing Month's strengths is that it brings
writers together to write. For some writers, working together can be
incredibly inspiring. It can be distracting for some, but for those who
can remain on task--timed writing sessions work brilliantly--time spent
with other writers can be productive and encouraging.





Organizations and groups

Larger writing organizations, such as RWA or Willamette Writers can open
up opportunities that smaller groups cannot. Some offer legal support,
others host conferences where authors can pitch to agents and
publishers. Others bring in speakers and have workshops. Join a couple
of organizations that suit your needs and your goals. You never know
what doors these opportunities might open.










Keep writing

Writers
can oftentimes get so bogged down with the business or marketing work
that they forget who they are: writers. Writers write. It's as simple as
that. When we forget to carve out time for it in our busy days, we lose
sight of the most important element of what we do. Whatever your
writing process, keep at it.  Do what you love and don't lose sight of
your goals.










Watch Dr. Veronica's interview of Cheri Lasota on the Author's Forum














 




 




The Artemis Rising Blog Hop Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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To continue on the blog hop, please click here to jump over to Stacey Wallace Benefiel's blog.  BUT WAIT!!!






Don't forget to snag your own copy of Artemis Rising for FREE by going  HERE! 








On the voy­age home to
the Azores Islands, Eva accepts the pagan name of Arethusa but learns
too late that her life will mir­ror the Greek nymph’s tragic end. Her
mother reveals that her des­tiny lies with Diogo, the shipowner’s
volatile son. But Eva has a vision of another...



When the ship
founders in a storm off the coast, Tristan, a local boy, saves her life
and steals her heart. Destined to be with Diogo yet aching for Tristan’s
for­bid­den love, Eva must some­how choose between them, or fate will
choose for her.



This is an engross­ing novel in which sev­eral
strands of myth com­bine to cre­ate a com­plex yet beau­ti­fully simple
romance. It is at its high­est level an explo­ration of fun­da­men­tal
philo­soph­i­cal questions—the debate between fate and choice, the
nature of love and desire, the tena­cious and often dangerous hold of
belief on the human psyche. At bot­tom, and the rea­son why you will
love it, this is a bil­dungsro­man about a girl find­ing her way to
adult­hood and a story about two lovers both sep­a­rated and entwined by
their beliefs.

T . . . Time Out

Yep, that's right. I've decided to take a little break from blogging. I'm too close to getting BROKEN done to let anything distract me, and with my son graduation next month, I have a ton of stuff to get ready for him.



So, in the meantime, enjoy life.



FYI - I'm skipping the rest of the a-z challenge, with one exception. I will be featuring Megan Vernon on Wednesday for "V" so be sure to come back and make her feel welcome. Other than that, I'm done. A big thanks to everyone who participated and came to visit my blog. You're the best.



Hugs!

S . . . Spies

I'm thrilled to focus today's post on Laura Pauling, author of A Spy Like Me . Laura is a fellow Indelible and has quickly become a great friend. Here's a little info about her book.





Danger. Romance. The Eiffel Tower. First dates. Betrayal. A nefarious pastry chef and a seventeen-year-old girl named Savvy Bent. Those are some words I would use to sum up my debut YA novel, A Spy Like Me.

I know, I know. Spies don’t live a glorious life. At times their lives are probably very ordinary and boring. But I love the romantic unrealistic views of spies. The jumping out of airplanes. The threat of death at every turn. The romance. (Sigh)

But it’s about more than that. I love writing fantastical stories and grounding them in human emotion. When Savvy dodges bullets on her first date in Paris, she must sneak, deceive and spy to save her family and friends and figure out if Malcolm is the bad guy before she completely falls for him.



  A Spy Like Me : Stripping your date down to his underwear has never been so dangerous.







Purchase A Spy Like Me on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Smashwords!



Do you have a favorite spy? Or spy novel? Or movie?





Laura Pauling writes about
spies, murder and mystery. A Spy Like Me,
her YA debut novel is available now. Her short story, The Almost Assassin, appeared in the In His Eyes Anthology and is free on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 



Visit my blog and say hello!

R . . . Review of Protected

 



PROTECTED

By Cindy M. Hogan



Blurb:

She has the guy. The terrorists have been taken care of and she has a shot at becoming popular.

Life is great!

Until they find her.

Now she must run and leave behind everything she knows,

including herself.



My thoughts:


This anticipated sequel sizzles with equal parts thriller, suspense and romance. A spine tingling story I could not put down.




And that's saying a lot. I don't usually pick up thriller/suspense novels, but because I read the first book in the series, WATCHED (which I absolutely loved), I couldn't help myself. Author Cindy M. Hogan did not disappoint me.  From beginning to end, the story drew me in. The characters, who I fell in love with previously, stayed true to form and took me on their journey with absolute perfection.




I highly recommend both WATCHED and PROTECTED and can't wait to see what Hogan comes up with next.




To purchase your own copy go HERE.




To find out more about the author go HERE.



For Donna Weaver's review, the next stop in the Protected Blog Tour, go HERE!!!



 

Q . . . Quibble

Once in a while I come across a word that makes me laugh. QUIBBLE is just such a word. Whenever I hear it I think of these . . .





I know. I know. All you Star Trek fans out there are screaming, NOT QUIBBLE you idiot, TRIBBLE.  I do know the difference, but that doesn't mean I can't see those fuzzy little creatures in my mind every time I hear QUIBBLE.



So, what does Quibble really mean?  Here's Websters take on it.







Sorry, didn't mean for this to be a vocabulary lesson. I just like the word. A lot. And for a little fun, try to say all those rhyming words in a row really fast. :-)



Is there a word that makes you laugh? Or maybe one you like because of how it rolls of your tongue?

P . . . Pink ~ Perfect

When I asked my husband to think of something I could write about that started with the letter "P" he said PINK, my favorite color. Smart man to know that, but it only made me think of PINK the singer and the song PERFECT. Which, of course, made me think of how many young teens there are out there that have low self-esteem or think less of themselves than they should.



I was one of those teens growing up.  My father never passed up an opportunity to put me down or comment on my weight. I was never good enough for him. I'm almost 50 and I still hear his voice in my head trying to convince me I'm worthless. But I'm getting better at pushing those voices away and so should you.



YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH!!!  You are a unique individual with talents and gifts. You're beautiful, wonderful and glorious. Do yourself a huge favor and wrap your arms around yourself and give that inner child a great big HUG!!  You deserve it.



Then listen to this song.  It's the clean version, so don't worry about that.








REMEMBER . . . YOU ARE PERFECT TO ME!!!



What voices do you need to shove out of your head?