Magan Vernon's Blog, page 34

The Next Big Thing

So, Hugh Howey mentioned Sarra Cannon in his "The Next Big Thing" post and then Sarra Cannon mentioned me and now I'm hyperventilating a little. I wonder if this is how Celion Dion feels. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO COME DOWN FROM THIS?

If it's not obvious, I'm a huge Sarra Cannon fan girl...as evident by this video. If you haven't read the Peachville High Demons series, the first one is FREE on all eretailers including Amazon, so get it now.

But the purpose of this Internet meme, as some of you know, is to talk about your next book. The My Alien Romance series is over, I know, it's sad. A lot of people have emailed me about continuing the series, but I think it ended just the way I wanted it to. There is going to be three more books in the My Paper Heart Saga (because of the huge support from fans on that one when the book was going to be a stand alone), but today I'm going to talk about my upcoming project. The #SecretNAProject I've been teasing everyone with on Twitter. I'm working with Mae I Design for a cover and will reveal that in February with the release date in April. So without further ado, The answers about THE ONLY EXCEPTION.

What is the title of your next book?
THE ONLY EXCEPTION

Where did the idea come from for the book?
For awhile I've wanted to write a book with a liberal girl and a conservative guy, but couldn't think of a great storyline. Then I saw an episode of new girl in which Schmidt pretended to be Mitt Romney's son. Instantly that put an idea in motion of a conservative senator's son living next door to an uber liberal girl.

What genre does your book fall under?
New Adult Contemporary. It's pretty hot, but nothing I wouldn't let my MIL read. There are some controversial topics and some different political things, but as one of my CPs told me, "I had politics, but I loved your character's banter on it."

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie?

I kind of have an obsession with casting my characters...obviously. For MPH, Blaine and Libby were actually just in my head the whole time and hard to pick someone that would represent them. It got easier the more I wrote. I'm only going to pick a few characters, but hopefully it should give you a little taste.

Monica Remy- She's a fiery liberal with an eyebrow piercing and "auburn" hair (so she says...everyone else says red.) I would go with either
Trey Chapman- The conservative senator's son with a killer set of green eyes and a dimpled smile. *sigh* I think
Melissa- Monica's friend and co-worker who has a mound of curly, brown hair and always keeps Monica in check. I think
Mindy (Trey's mother)- She is described as bottled blonde and the perfect senator's wife. Immediately I thought of
I have a very OBVIOUS choice for Trey's father, but I'm not going to put that down, so I'll just put my chocie for his mother. I realize that the actors for the son and mother are probably the same age, but it's my book and I think how I want.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Fiercely liberal Monica Remy prefers to blend in. Despite her tattoos, piercings, and outspoken personality, she transferred to Central to escape—before she finds out that her next door neighbor is the uber conservative senator’s son, Trey Chapman.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-published

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
No laughing...uh like two weeks. I write a lot and every day. With my new work schedule I probably write at least two-four hours a day with my lunch break, after work, and sometimes before work. It's crazy, but then it went off to my alpha reader, revise, first round cps, revise, and right now it is off to second round cps and then after I revise that, to my editor.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I'm sure that people are going to compare this to the big NA books that are out there now like THE SECRET OF ELLA AND MICHA or LOSING IT or books like that, but really what makes this book stand out is that I took the formula of bad boy and good girl and flip flopped it. Yeah, my hero is a genuine good guy. Soak that one up.


Who or what inspired you to write this book?
This book really took a lot of my heart and soul. Like I said, the episode of New Girl started it, but I needed something dark for Monica to escape from and then I had to put a political scandal in that dark moment. There is a moment in which Monica faces her dark past and I literally cried while writing it. I love this book so darn much it's a sin.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Um...it's sexy? No, ha, there is more to it then than, but I try to pride myself on writing as sexy as possible without getting down and dirty (as obvious by the alien books). I'm not saying the characters don't get down and dirty, but...

For those who are leary on politics, it's more political banter. The characters have different beliefs in things, but it leads for some interesting scenes that will have you laughing out loud or crying with the characters.

AND, hot guy in dress clothes. That's all.

****


So, that’s The Only Exception and this is the first time I'm talking about it! Scary! It's out of the bag!
Now, it’s my turn to tag five writers. I haven’t checked to see if they were already tagged because I’m too lazy and it was hard to pick only five, but I decided to go with a few that have helped along with some ideas for this book...and then I added one more. I DO WHAT I WANT.
Juliana Haygert
Chelsea Cameron
Laurie Larsen
Kelsey Ketch
Leigh T. Moore
Eryn LaPlant

Free Souls cover reveal!

Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn
(Book Three of the Mindjack Trilogy) Now Available!When your mind is a weapon, freedom comes at a price.Four months have passed since Kira left home to join Julian’s Jacker Freedom Alliance, but the hole in her heart still whistles empty where her boyfriend Raf used to be. She fills it with weapons training, JFA patrols, and an obsessive hunt for FBI agent Kestrel, ignoring Julian’s worries about her safety and repeated attempts to recruit her for his revolutionary chat-casts. When anti-jacker politician Vellus surrounds Jackertown with the National Guard, Kira discovers there’s more to Julian’s concerns than she knew, but she’s forced to take on a mission that neither want and that might be her last: assassinating Senator Vellus before he can snuff out Julian’s revolution and the jackers she’s come to love. All Mindjack stories available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes (Note Free Souls is not yet available on iTunes)Early Praise for Free Souls
“Quinn paints a picture of a not-too-distant America where politicians inflame the hatred of one section of the populace for another—all for their own gain—and you worry that her world is not so far off from our own.” — Dianne Salerni, author of We Hear the Dead, The Caged Graves, and the forthcoming The Eighth Day"Free Souls starts with a bang and doesn't let up. Like a mash-up of all your favorite science-fiction adventures from Star Wars to The Legend of Korra, it blends nonstop action, nail-biting escapes, and great romance. I absolutely loved it! A great series conclusion—a must-read."— Leigh Talbert Moore, author of Rouge and The Truth About Faking“Susan did it again. Free Souls was WOW! I expected Kira to step up to her role as heroine but not like this. Surprises kept coming until the very end which tied up more loose ends than I knew existed. Warning: Don't start reading until you have time to finish. I didn't want to put Free Souls down for a second. It's that kind of book.” — Sher A. Hart, Goodreads Review Interview Susan's over at Amy Saunder's blog today (12.14.12), answering questions about how she came up with the mages' abilities, what kind of mage she would be, and all about her future works. Digital Box Set Since Free Souls is out, there is now a Digital Box Set of the Mindjack Trilogy for those of you who want the whole series!
Available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble Mindjack Origins Collection Want more Julian? Wondering how Sasha's ability really works? Looking for EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES from Free Souls? This collection of novellas, scenes, and other goodies is for those craving a bit more of the characters and drama of the Mindjack series.
Includes: Mindjack NovellasMind Games (Raf's story)The Handler (Julian's story)The Scribe (Sasha's story) TWO EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES from Free Souls (published nowhere else!) PLUS Mindjack flash fiction, an (imaginary) conversation between Raf and Julian, and other goodies for readers who want just a little bit more of Kira, Julian, Raf, and the Mindjack crew.
Available on Amazon, Barnes&NobleENTER TO WINone of FIVE ecopies of the Mindjack Origins Collectiona Rafflecopter giveaway

Destined Blog Tour

Choosing is a bad idea, because Desi always makes the wrong choice, and sometimes there are no do-overs. Certainly not this time, when all has been lost and Desi can’t even save herself, let alone her friends. For Desi, the hardest thing is letting someone help her, to accept their sacrifice on her\behalf. But that’s exactly what she’ll have to do in order to save the worlds from Helena’s destruction.
The goddess of Helheimer, long imprisoned by Desi’s father, Loki, is free at last, and she’s bent on reclaiming what once was hers. The nine worlds will be drawn into war, over Hell, over Earth, with innocent humans as meaningless collateral.
While Michael and the Gardians of Asgard, along with the golden-armored Valkyrie, lead the battle for freedom, it’s Desi who holds the destiny of all the worlds in her hands. 
Can she set aside her doubts, once and for all, and claim the gifts that are hers to bear? Can she accept the sacrifice that is made for her and Become all that she was created to be?
Her final choice will define not only her future, but the fate of humankind, forever more.
For My Part of the Blog Tour I've asked Ali to compose a playlist for this book. She was happy to oblige!
Okay, so I created a fancy dancy playlist for the first book, Become, but never did it for Destined. Maybe because so many of the songs I liked for it were on the Twilight soundtrack, which is just plain embarrassing. Not because I don’t like Twilight, because I do, but because it made me feel unoriginal, ya know? But Magan insisted I share a playlist, and I don’t want to let her down, so here I go!
For the beginning: Josh Groban’s To Where You Are.For the first part of the book; the way James feels about Desi: Maroon 5’s She Will be Loved.For that moment we’ve been waiting for since book one: Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years.For the underlying theme of the entire series: Imagin Dragons’ Demons.For the story’s climax: Adam Lambert’s Underneath (this one’s for you Magan!). (Note**Magan and Adam are in a very serious, fake relationship)For the last scene: Sleeping at Last’s Turning Page.
And to REALLY celebrate, I'm giving Ecopies away of the entire series! Enter now!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway







Ali Cross is the sensei of the Writer's Dojo where she holds a black belt in awesome. She lives in Utah with her kickin' husband, two sparring sons, one ninja cat, two sumo dogs and four zen turtles.

My Winner of The Mating Game Blog Hop

The competition was stiff this time around, folks, let me tell you! I had a hard time choosing my winner, but I do indeed have one, the only guy in the competition who had my heart at purple Mohawk...
EJ Wesley!
 

 
Congratz to you both because you win an eCopy of my new adult contemporary romance, MY PAPER HEART Email me at: authormagan@gmail.com with your digital preference!
And congrats again, because you have made it to the reader's judging round where the readers will get to vote on their favorite couple. The winner will get a copy of all the judges books! So readers come back this Friday to see the entries and vote!
Don't forget to hop to the other judges blogs for their winners!!!
Jade Hart | http://www.dreamwritepublish.blogspot.com/Jaycee Delorenzo | http://blog.jayceedelorenzo.com/Chelsea Cameron | http://www.leftandwrite7.blogspot.com/Victoria Smith | http://twentysomethingfictionwriter.blogspot.com/

Her Heart's Secret Wish

Her Heart's Secret Wish by Juliana HaygertPublisher: Decadent PublishingRelease Date: 12/12/12Genre: NA contemporary romanceLength: 13,000 words

Book Description: 
With a renowned reputation as a player, she had everything figured out...
Twenty-year-old college student, Natasha is the life of every party and the reason behind many celebrations. The easiest girl on campus has all guys at her feet and more than a few in her bed.
…until he came into the game…
Having entered the academic world by chance, Professor Jason Stone is surprised to find one of his young students a huge temptation. The infamous Natasha has caught his attention. But is there more to her than meets the eye?
…and changed the rules.
As their unexpected friendship grows, so does their attraction to each other. When Jason’s Christmas plans are canceled and he ends up at the same party as Natasha, sparks flare, destroying the safe zone around them. Will they figure out how to break through their self-imposed barriers to be together, or lose one another forever?
Decadent Publishing | Goodreads

About the Author: 
Juliana is a Brazilian girl living in Connecticut.She would love to be Wonder Woman, Cheetara, Elektra, Buffy, Phoebe, She-ra, Rose, Korra, Cornelia, a blood elf shadow priest, and other various kick-ass female from books, comics, TV series, movies, and games, but she settles for—the less exciting but equally gratifying life—a wife, mother, friend and a writer. Her heroines are like the ones cited above and she also writes about the heroes who drive them crazy—and occasionally hot.Since her first stories, she wrote about 20-something year old protagonists, and today she's part of NA Alley, a blog dedicated to New Adult. 
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | NA Alley
Rafflecopter code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Mating Game Blog Hop

 Don't forget there are still two more days to win an Ipod Nano and alien swag!




 On December 3, 2012 go to each of the judge's blogs to gather the question for your couple to answer (There will be a total of five questions).
1. Victoria H. Smith |  http://twentysomethingfictionwriter.blogspot.com/ 2. Jade Hart |  http://www.dreamwritepublish.blogspot.com/ 3. Jaycee Delorenzo | http://blog.jayceedelorenzo.com/ 4. Chelsea Cameron |  http://www.leftandwrite7.blogspot.com/ 5. Magan Vernon |  http://thepunchingbagfightsback.blogspot.com/ On December 10, 2012 post your couples five answers and "hop" around the other participants blogs to comment on their couples!Optional: Participate in the reader voting round on December 14th to vote for the finalist couple that you feel stood out the most :)Optional: You have the option to post your couples pictures if you want to. But please do at your own discretion :) But wait, there's more!!!
On December 14th, 2012 there will be a special readers judging round. The readers will anonymously vote on their favorite couple from the five finalists couples which were chosen by the judges. And that winner will receive all five books--one from each of the judges!!!  Stop by any of the judges blogs that day to particpate. You'll only have to go to one since the voting is linked on each of the ladies' blogs.
  And Now for my excerpt and question, with a scene from My Paper Heart   


"Of course he knows who you are, there are only five-thousand people in this town!" I exclaimed. "Now, where is he?" I let my eyes scan the room. It was packed with boys chewing tobacco and girls wearing cowboy hats. Brittany pointed toward the couch.
"That one, sitting in the middle."
That's when I caught my first glimpse of Blaine Crabtree. He was sandwiched in between two guys that were laughing at who knows what. At first I didn't notice anything but a big mop of bleached blonde hair, then he looked up from his pack of cloves and I was locked into the bluest eyes that I had ever seen. His expression didn't change, he didn't smile and didn't blink. It seemed like I was lost in his eyes, like he was using them to do the most calculated math problem, and that math problem was me.
I quickly gathered myself as best as I could and looked down, trying to hide my smile by biting down on my lower lip. I had hoped that no one was watching, but obviously someone else noticed our stare-down.
"What was that all about?" Sarah teased. "You better watch your man." Sarah poked Brittany in the ribs. Brittany was not amused, and looked just about as embarrassed as I was, not taking her eyes off of the ground.
I tilted my head up. "Well I guess we will just have to make him notice Brittany then!" They looked puzzled as I headed over to the stereo with the girls closely following behind me, whispering back and forth.
 I crouched down and rummaged through the pile of CDs next to the stereo system. Tool?  Really?  Nine Inch Nails?  It was no wonder everyone was just standing around. Finally I found something that would work with my plan, a disc of Def Leppard's greatest hits. I opened the CD case and put the disc into the stereo.
Everyone around me stopped what they were doing and grumbled, looking at me. I heard snippets of conversation in hushed tones, what the hell is she doing?  Then, "Pour Some Sugar on Me" started playing and I turned toward Brittany.
"Come on!" I reached my arms out to her, slowly swaying my hips as I stood up.
"Come on what?" She firmly crossed her arms across her chest.
I tugged on her arms and kept swaying, sliding my body up and down. She wouldn't budge, her arms were glued around her shirt and kept her eyes locked on the ground.
 "If you want Blaine to notice you, dance with me."
"I don't dance." She looked around and her cheeks flushed.
"You don't need to know how to dance. It's all basically just dry humping anyways!" I slid my body down to a crouching position in front of her and then slowly popped back up, sticking my butt out.
 "I choreographed Kappa Beta's spring Dance Off, Pants Off. I can show you some moves." I tried to pull on her arms again, swaying my body around her, and tried to lift her arms over her head. I leaned my back against her and slid down, as if she were a pole, and then slowly popped back up swinging my hair. She looked away from me and darted toward the other end of the room with Sarah following close behind.
"Britt! Wait!" I yelled and turned on my heels to go toward her, but a tight grip pulled me back.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" A deep country accent growled behind me. I turned toward the vice grip owner and met those blue eyes again.


Now for my question:  What was the first thing your main characters noticed about each other?

Comment below and I can't wait to hear  :)

Black Friday Sale!

 Tired of the malls and the stores? Looking for gifts without breaking the bank?

How about 20 Young Adult books each priced at 99 cents now through Monday on Amazon? 
Buy some books for yourself.

Gift books to others.

Books are still the biggest entertainment bang for the buck, and there's SO many great titles to choose from. 

 Like romance, adventure, humor, or contemporary? How about Sci-fi, fantasy, or mythology? We've got you covered! 
   

 

How to Marry an Alien Wedding giveaway!

When I was in college, I went to a formal dance with a dinner and a DJ. The DJ's method for music? He hooked up his IPod to a system and played the playlists we had sent him.

I have a playlist for every book I write and couldn't help but think what I would do with Ace and Alex's marriage playlist. I could just give it out, but that isn't very wedding like, but what if I gave one of my lucky fans the ability to be the DJ for Ace and Alex's wedding?

That's right not only will one winner get the playlist for How to Marry an Alien, a $15 Itunes giftcard, BUT they will also get an engraved Ipod Nano!


(Image is from Apple Store)
I will personally engrave the nano and it will be shipped to you along with the gift card in one of Apple's pretty little boxes. I will also mail the winner the personal playlist for the book. There is a lot of Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, and Frank Sinatra so if you aren't a fan of those, you can feel free to opt out.

What do you have to do? I could make this easy...I really could, but the life of a wedding DJ is hard work and I want you to be prepared! Okay, so maybe not that hard. You can get an entry just for being you and for tweeting, BUT you can get an extra entry for doubling your career as a DJ by becoming a photographer as well!



I want to see some awesome photos of you with one of the alien books, even if they are just on your Ereader! These entries will be posted (if you'd like) on the blog and my Facebook page (you can opt out of that as well).

BUT if you do submit your picture, not only will you be entered to win a signed copy of How to Date an Alien as well as a #TeamAlien t-shirt!

So what do you do now? Fill out the rafflecopter form for your entries and if you do a photo please email it to authormagan@gmail.com. The Deadline is December 5th so get your cameras ready and get ready for the wedding festivities!

And don't forget to get your copy of How to Marry an Alien so you can see how it all plays out! Available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, & Kobo.

**And Big Note:  Sorry, but this contest is only available to US residents. I heart all my fans that aren't in the US (I'm big in Germany, totes), but I can't do the shipping. I'm sorry :( **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Avow cover reveal!

AVOW The FINAL installment in the Archers of Avalon series by Chelsea Fine


SYNOPSIS


Scarlet remembers. Everything. Her past lives, Tristan, Gabriel, Nate: she remembers it all--including how to get to the Fountain of Youth. But time is running out. 
Heather and Gabriel have been kidnapped by Raven, while the curse that has plagued Scarlet and Tristan for centuries has shifted, putting the star-crossed lovers in more danger than ever before. Water from the Fountain of Youth is the only thing that can save Scarlet and her loved ones. But the water comes at a price.
With lives--and hearts--at stake, Scarlet leads her friends on a dangerous journey to the Fountain of Youth. Where eternal life is possible, but death is certain.

Available December 11th, 2012!

Don't miss the first two books in the Archers of Avalon series!

ANEW (book one)          AWRY (book two)
Kindle    Nook                  Kindle    Nook

First Chapter of How to Marry an Alien

 A week until the release of How to Marry an Alien! Squee! Since so many people have picked up a copy of the first two books with the 99 cents sale, I decided to be generous and post the first chapter of How to Marry an Alien! As Sadie Saxton would say, "Your Welcome."


There are two days that every girl looks forward to: her wedding day and the day she finally gets out of high school.
I had been waiting for graduation day ever since I first set foot at Winnebago High School and after the past year I had with evil aliens trying to kill me and controlling my classmates, it was about time.
“I am so proud of you, Alex,” mom gushed. “You’re a high school graduate!” She was always the drama queen. Like a high school diploma was that big of a deal anymore.
“You did great, kiddo.” Brian, my stepdad, patted me on the back.
The late spring sun shone down on us in the parking lot, and I could already see the perspiration bead on his big, bald head. I never remembered it being so hot in May, but I chalked the weather changes up to global warming and hoped I didn't have a big wet spot on my gown from my sweaty back.
I still couldn’t get over the awkwardness of having my entire family in the gym, watching me walk down and get my diploma. I mean my ENTIRE family. My mom and her parents where there. It was always awkward having grandpa around since he believed that he knew my boyfriend, Ace, from somewhere. Okay, so my boyfriend may or may not have flown with him during World War II, but thank goodness grandpa was old enough that I could just say he was senile. Brian and his parents came along, of course, and even though I thought they were a little off their rocker, they always gave good Christmas gifts and I couldn't exclude them. Elijah, my little brother, loved my step-grandfather. In fact, he sat next to him the entire time during the graduation and told him every detail of the bugs that gathered on the back window. Then there was my dad and his parents. They all sat just a row above mom and Brian's family with the same Italian glare pasted on their faces. This blended family thing never got easier.
Mom, her parents, and Brian and his parents stood in a small circle in the parking lot outside the gym doors and dad and his family stood at least twenty feet away. I even think my nona called my mom something mean in Italian under her breath. Dad rarely saw my nona and nanu anymore since he was busy working in an alien operations center, but every time they came in from Chicago they acted like it had only been a few minutes since they last spoke and went back to talking about the same story they had the last time they were there. The story was always about food. I never knew where it was going, but they still kept going on about it.
At least Ace was there to pick me up and twirl me around as if I were lighter than air. My black gown swished around me. Having my alien there was enough to make me forget about my fighting family and just enjoy the fact that I was finally out of high school and would soon be on my way to Northern Arizona University.
“What was that for?” I looked up at him once he sat me down.
He had a giant grin spread across his face. There was absolutely nothing that I didn’t love about his smile or the way that he could just pick me up so effortlessly. In his baby blue sweater and beige trousers, he looked more like a model than my alien boyfriend, which was a good thing if he was going to keep his identity as an alien hidden.
“Can’t I just enjoy this moment with my favorite valedictorian?”
I rolled my eyes, pulling the itchy square cap off my head and smoothing out my hair. “Oh please. I’ve done way cooler things than be valedictorian.”
“Trying to show off for me, now?” He raised his eyebrows and pulled up the sleeves of his sweater ever so slightly.
Even though the temperature was probably approaching the eighties, Ace still had to wear long sleeves no matter how hot it was. He needed something to cover his temperature control suit, so he was better off looking like the weird guy in long sleeves than the guy in the silver jumpsuit.
“Yeah, it’s kind of my thing. I’m a show off.” I bounced on the balls of my feet. Mom might have made me wear a dress, but there was no way I was wearing heels for the occasion. Last time I wore heels, I was attacked by an evil alien trying to kill me and that would hopefully never happen again.
Hopefully.
“Well I have something to show off for you.” He reached out for my hand. I took it and arched a brow, looking behind us as my family just watched from their respective sides.
“What is going on?” I asked.
“You’ll see.” He pulled me through the parking lot, pushing past the groups of people huddled together.
My classmates were lined up all over, taking pictures with their friends in their gowns or just screaming in general. God, was I happy to be getting out of that place. The only pseudo friends I had at the school were the ones that only liked me because they were under the influence of an evil alien. Ugh, why did I always just attract evil aliens and not enough human friends? First Ace's mom, the queen of Calta, came after me and then some psycho ex-girlfriend. It was no wonder that dad kept sending me pepper spray guns for holidays.
Ace stopped next to an all-black SUV with tinted windows and rims that probably cost more than my entire car. I swore it looked like the same vehicles the president's secret service men drove in. I hoped there wasn't some sort of secret Circe mission I would have to go on and explain it to my mom.
“Uh, why are we stopping here?” I asked.
Ace just smiled and pulled out a set of keys from his pocket, pressing a button and unlocking the doors of the shiny car.
“No freaking way! This is your car?” I looked from Ace to the car and back to Ace.
“No.” He took a step closer, removed his hand from mine, and dropped the keys in my palm. “It is actually your car.”
“WHAT?”
“Just a little graduation gift.” He smiled as I took another step toward the car.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t let you drive that thing you call ‘The Pox’ to Arizona.”
I opened the door to be greeted by the new car smell. Not just new car smell, but top-of-the-line new car smell. The interior was decked out in plush leather with all the bells and whistles: navigation system, heated seats, DVD player, and a blue box sitting on the passenger seat? That couldn’t have been included.
“What is this?” I picked up the box and held it in my palm as if it might burn me.
Ace took the box and got down on one knee in front of me. I realized that my family were only standing a few feet away. Somehow in all my excitement, I didn't realize they came over. I looked past my mom's cheesy smile and also saw that half the town was looking at us. I could already feel the heat creeping up my neck and looked back at Ace.
He opened the box and a silver ring with a giant diamond the size of a cheese ball looked back at me. “I figure we should do this the right way,” he said with the smile never leaving his face. “So, Alexandra Bianchi, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
I was speechless. We agreed in front of the alien world that we would someday get married, but I wasn’t expecting a human proposal. I looked around at everyone’s eyes on us. Even stupid Gemma and her rugby cronies stood with their mouths wide open. Then I looked down at the only person that really mattered, my alien. After the events of the past year, there was no one else I wanted to be kneeling in front of me.
I felt the tears well up in my eyes. Not tears of sadness or of pain, but of pure happiness. I swooped a finger underneath my eye and hoped the pound of mascara on my eyelashes didn't all drip down my face.
“So is that a yes?” He arched his eyebrows.
I let my hands lay on either side of his statuesque face. His body was as cold as ice and even with his eyes dark and calculating, the way he looked at me made every single hair on my arms stand up and made me shiver in all the right places.
“It is a definite yes.”