Meradeth Houston's Blog, page 51
March 13, 2014
Cover Reveal for PERFECT FOR YOU by Ashelyn Drake
Perfect for Youby Ashelyn DrakeRelease Date: September 2014Swoon RomanceSummary from Goodreads:
Sophomore year in high school comes with its own set of problems. You're no longer a freshmen, but you're still two years away from ruling the school. So, you sit and languish in a kind of purgatory until junior year, when things start to get interesting.
That is, unless during your sophomore year, you find your boyfriend making out with another girl in front of your locker. Then, interesting takes on a whole new meaning, and that's what happened to seventeen-year-old Meg Flannigan. It's no wonder her self-esteem suffered a major hit.
Now a senior, Meg catches the eye of not one, but two guys at school (I know, right?). They happen to both be gorgeous, and each vies for her attention in the most flattering of ways. Sounds good, right? Not if one of the guys is her boyfriend, and the other one wants to be.
Meg doesn’t want to lose Ash. They’ve been together for almost five months, and she’s falling in love with him. But Noah. Ah, Noah. He’s the irresistible guy Meg has been crushing on for two years, and she isn’t ready to send him away either. But stringing both along could have disastrous results, leaving Meg in the cold once again.
One thing's certain. Meg needs to decide between Ash and Noah soon, or she'll lose her perfect match forever.
PERFECT FOR YOU was released previously as two novellas. Ashleyn wanted to give her readers more, and has decided to write an entire novel based around Meg's story.
About the AuthorAshelyn Drake is a New Adult and Young Adult romance author. While it’s rare for her not to have either a book in hand or her fingers flying across a laptop, she also enjoys spending time with her family. She believes you are never too old to enjoy a good swing set and there’s never a bad time for some dark chocolate. She is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency.Author Links:
Cover Reveal Organized by:
YA and NA Author Pinterest and Facebook Party!!
Join your favorite YA and NA authors as we celebrate being Irish for a day and play on Pinterest. There will be over 45 e-book giveaways!
You can join the Facebook party HERE!
You won't want to miss it!
Participating Authors:
Lila Felix A. W. Exley Melissa Pearl Jessica Gibson Cindy M. Hogan Sarah Ashley Jones
Marie Landry Rachel Morgan Jennifer Snyder
Stacey Marie Brown Jessica Therrien D.L. Raver
Stacey Wallace Benefiel Marilyn Almodóvar Angee Taylor
A.O. Peart Devyn Dawson Rick Chiantaretto
Raine Thomas L.P. Dover Tamara Hart Heiner
Leigh T Moore Meradeth Houston Amber Argyle
Tawdra Kandle Carlyle Labuschagne Lisa Collicutt
Christy Dorrity Stephanie Fowers Kristina Renee
Faith McKay Charlotte Abel Jamie Ayres
A.M. Hargrove Charli Webb Amy Harmon
Alyssa Rose Ivy Kristie Cook Lani Woodland
T.M. Franklin Laura Howard Sharron Riddle
Eliza Tilton S. M. Boyce Bethany Lopez
Dawn Leigh L.A. Casey Emma Adams Amber Garr Liz Long
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March 12, 2014
Release Day for A NEED SO INSATIABLE by Cecilia Roberts
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“You've owned me from the moment I walked into that music room. You've wrapped yourself in my heart and mind. I can’t get you out. I don’t want to.” ~ Rafael Van Rees
Sophie Fisher’s life is on fire. If she’s not ducking around corners or slipping out of windows to escape
the debt collectors her father's death has left knocking on her door, she’s dealing with her rebellious, fifteen-year-old sister, Lilli. And, as if that’s not enough, Rafael Van Rees crashes into her life—literally—bringing with him a past the public has no idea of. Can she unravel his mysteries before he unravels her, or will his presence finally force her to face the demons she's trying to outrun?Rafael Van Rees, maestro extraordinaire, prides himself on being in control of his destiny, music and women. As far as he is concerned, his past is a black cloud in the distance--until he meets Sophie, that is, and his world spins out of control in more ways than one. He knows the darkest sins and secrets eventually reveal themselves, but when it comes to Sophie, he'll stop at nothing to protect her from his past. Even if it kills him
Goodreads
BUY LINK: Amazon
Author Bio:
I write YA, NA and Adult. My motto: Passion rules. I enjoy writing stories about people finding love in the most unexpected places, coupled with adventurous journeys, whether it's urban, fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary or paranormal romance. There's always a happy ever after, no matter how long it takes to get there. When I'm not working in my full time job, I don my supermom cape, or in most cases find myself trapped between the pages of a book in search for a hero who'll make me swoon with just a look or a word. My favourite form of therapy is knitting. Best. Therapy. Ever.
Blog: Facebook: Twitter
March 10, 2014
SURRENDER THE SKY Cover Reveal and Giveaway!
Release Date: May, 2014
Synopsis:
Gabby lives by two unbreakable rules: don’t expose her kind, the Sary, and don’t fall in love—too bad some rules are made to be broken.
When Gabby’s most difficult charge accidentally shoots her in front of a class full of students, the event exposes her carefully hidden identity. She shifts from looking like a normal teen to her secret Sary form, revealing her wings and the existence of her kind—immortals who try to keep people from committing suicide. Her incident attracts the attention of the next leader of the Sary, Jassen, who offers her an impossible bargain: she can keep her wings if she makes amends with those who know the truth. Things get more complicated when a rebel Sary, intent on exposing them to the world, starts interfering with Gabby’s work. And there’s no denying her attraction to Jassen, who is torn between his duties and his heart. With threats at every turn and her immortality on the line, Gabby has to find a way to save the Sary or surrender the sky forever.
Surrender the Sky is a stand alone title that follows COLORS LIKE MEMORIES and THE CHEMISTRY OF FATE, with cameos from several of the characters in the first books! It will be available May 2nd wherever ebooks are sold!
Join in the celebration for a $10 Amazon gift card! Use the rafflecopter below for entries :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oh, and my publisher is offering up some ARCs! Check out the super easy entry here!
And of course, the Spring Fling Blog Hop giveaway is still going on, so be sure to check out that giveaway :)
March 7, 2014
Spring Fling Blog Hop and Giveaway!
I love participating in fun hops! And you know what else I love? Spring! I seriously, seriously want it to be spring. All last weekend was a massive blizzard and the snow is still thick on the ground here in Western Montana. My inner Cali girl is doing some serious "what is this??" as I tried to reconcile why March isn't a pleasant 70 and sunny :) (Yeah, thanks Mom for the daily reminders that you're enjoying this kind of weather at home...)
My favorite things about spring? No more snow! Sandals! Not having to wear so many layers I look like the "I can't out my arms down!" kid on A Christmas Story! And best of all? SURRENDER THE SKY is releasing. Yep, that definitely has me excited! The cover goes live on Monday, too, which is totally happy-making! (If you're up for helping me spread the word, LMK, m'k? :)
To enter the main giveaway for the hop, leave a comment with your name and email address. To enter my giveaway, let me know what your favorite thing about spring is. Use the Rafflecopter below to fill in your info, and feel free to spread the word for extra entries!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I'll be giving away copies of my two already published titles: Colors Like Memories, and The Chemistry of Fate, along with an ARC of Surrender the Sky, as soon as it becomes available! Here's a little bit more from Surrender to maybe get you interested:Gabby lives by two unbreakable rules: don’t expose her kind, the Sary, and don’t fall in love—too bad some rules are made to be broken.
When Gabby’s most difficult charge accidentally shoots her in front of a class full of students, the event exposes her carefully hidden identity. She shifts from looking like a normal teen to her secret Sary form, revealing her wings and the existence of her kind—immortals who try to keep people from committing suicide. Her incident attracts the attention of the next leader of the Sary, Jassen, who offers her an impossible bargain: she can keep her wings if she makes amends with those who know the truth. Things get more complicated when a rebel Sary, intent on exposing them to the world, starts interfering with Gabby’s work. And there’s no denying her attraction to Jassen, who is torn between his duties and his heart. With threats at every turn and her immortality on the line, Gabby has to find a way to save the Sary or surrender the sky forever.
The main prizes are pretty dang amazing too! Be sure to leave a comment to enter!
1st Grand Prize: (1) $Paperwhite Kindle2nd Grand Prize: (1) $25 Amazon Gift Card
Linky to the other posts:
com/listwidget.aspx?l=547C62E6-ECC8-4934-993D-31AA1AB54FE7" >
March 5, 2014
Blog Favorite: The Random Nature of Mutations (or why we won't ever turn into the X-men)
Anyhow, yeah, it was the whole "mutations can be induced where and when we want them because we *need* them to be here or we'll go extinct." Um. No. Just, no. Anyhow, I figured I'd re-run this post for funsies and maybe you all will get a little out of it, or just remember that I'm always here for random genetics-related questions for your WIPs (not that I'm like all-knowing or anything, but I do know lots of scientists!).
Okay, so for today's Science Sunday post I thought I'd hit on a topic that seems to be regularly misrepresented in general science stuff on TV and in books. Just this week I saw it messed up in a book I was reading (I won't get into which one, but I've already reviewed it here<--see, long history of this bugging me, lol!) and in an episode of the X Files (yeah, I love that show and watch reruns all the time, but sometimes Mulder gets a little jacked up when it comes to basic evolutionary theory).
So, here's the low-down: mutations are random. This means new adaptations that are based on the changes that these mutations create are random. And just because we NEED something to happen in order to survive, well, we can't make that happen just because we want it to. Confused? Let me give an example:
Le sigh, this is just dumb....Say there's a massive change in the environment that happens really fast, such as Climate Change melts all the ice caps and drowns most of the world's landmasses (yeah, there's been a few movies about this). Well, humans would all do a whole lot better if we could breathe under water, right? It might allow our species to survive. We really *need* that mutation that allows us to have access to our vestigial gills. But just because we need it doesn't mean we're ever going to have a mutation occur that's going to allow us to access those bad boys, a la Waterworld.In reality, the only way humans would survive this kind of situation would be if someone, somewhere had already had this random mutation (or was born with it in time to make use of it) and this random event allowed them to survive, have offspring, and pass along that mutation for gills (something that was probably pretty hard, seeing as how A. they're probably the only one on earth with gills, and B. human "gills" aren't really gills in the sense that work that way, but whatever, it's just an example).
Hopefully that makes sense :)
Just because we need, want, or would find a particular ability totally useful doesn't mean we're going to get it. We are constrained by the random nature of whatever mutations occur in our DNA that produce a different phenotype (or outward expression of the genes or genotype) and the right kind of situation that will allow for selection of that phenotype, so that it becomes more common in the population through natural selection.
There has been some recent research into this using bacteria and mutations that allow them to process types of food that were usually harmful or poisonous to them, and finding ways to survive, but the underlying principle is the same: the mutation that allows for the bacteria to feed off something new is still random and not "induced" by the environment.
If we *were* hypothetically able to induce mutations due to need, you can bet your bucks that someone, somewhere would have figured out how to induce mutations for superpowers (probably through lots of radiation, which in reality would just kill you...). Or, induce mutations to change haircolor or texture, or anything along those lines. Right? I mean, if I really, really needed to fly (and I've give a whole lot of money to be able to do so) I'd find some way to induce that kind of mutation. But that's just not how it works.Bummer, really.
In reality, most mutations that occur and create changes in our DNA, and then in our phenotype, are usually crappy. They lead to things like cancer and a host of other unpleasant genetic diseases. No fun. So, the next time you hear about genetic mutations, think less about the X-men, and more about cancer.Next time maybe I'll go into the awesome world of Punctuated Equilibrium, another topic that Mulder clearly needs some schooling on... :)
March 3, 2014
Pot of Gold Giveaway and all kinds of announcements!
Also, I've created a mailing list. I've been busy :) So, if you're interested in learning about new releases and other good stuff (and I swear, I'll only send pertinent, non-spammy info), you can sign up here:
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And now onto the fun stuff!! I'm happy to be taking part in this seriously fun giveaway, and hope you enjoy entering. Who wouldn't love some gift cards or a kindle fire? :)
Welcome to the Pot of Gold Giveawayhosted by Darkly Delicious YA and Book Nerd Tours
Three winners will receive
But in addition....
One Very Lucky Leprechaun will receive a 
pre-loaded with 30 great books!
Click on the covers to get to know the authors
that are participating in the giveaway
and learn more about their books!
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The Rafflecopter is a wee long, but worth it! May the Luck of the Irish be with you!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
A big thank you goes out to all the authors and bloggers who helped make this event possible!
"LUCK MAITH" to you all!
March 1, 2014
PODs by Michelle Pickett is the Amazon Deal of the Day!
Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it's in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it's a balm for the broken soul. After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That's the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.
Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.
AMAZON LINK!
February 28, 2014
WIP: The Movie Bloghop with characters from SURRENDER THE SKY
Kyra Lennon has organized a fun bloghop for this lovely Friday, with more information here! Basically, this is what's up:
Almost all of us have imagined who would play the characters in our WIPs if they were ever made into a movie. On February 28th, we want you to “cast” your WIP, and post photos of the actors/actresses you would choose to play the characters in your latest manuscript. You don’t have to cast everyone if you don’t want to, just show us your MCs and tell us a little about them.
Also, we’d like you to tell us which songs you’d have on your WIP Movie soundtrack! This can be one song that fits the main theme of the story, or several songs that make you think of your story.
Sounds like fun, right? I thought so! Too bad I'm totally lousy at picking actors and actresses, but I'm going to give it my best shot for my upcoming release, SURRENDER THE SKY, which is the third book in the Sary Society series (though they're all stand-alones, too, so there's that :). Anyhow, here's who I had in mind:
This is Jassen (AKA Godfrey Gao), who I feel deserves to be introduced first, because, well, holy hotness Batman! The google images search just left me drooling a little (but don't tell hubby, m'k?) Jassen is heir to leadership of the Sary and generally a pretty reserved guy. He has his reasons though, which is explained in the book. It takes a whole lot of convincing for Gabby to break down his defenses. And now I think I need to make a new homescreen on my phone.... :)
Picking someone for Gabby in this book is tricky. I know exactly what she looks like, which means there isn't anyone who's going to mimic her perfectly. But, Shailene Woodley is pretty close. Just imagine a little darker hair and a bit more wavy, okay? Anyhow, meet Gabby. She gets a rough deal in SURRENDER, and finds herself in a situation where a whole lot of people suddenly know her most private secret, a secret that should cost her her immortality. Finding the strength to handle everything is the trick, but she's luck to have some amazing friends, and hot Sary to help her out!
This is Ashley Greene, AKA Bea from SURRENDER (also, Alice from Twilight...yeah, I know, that movie...). Anyhow, Bea has a seriously vivacious personality that this suits the roles that Ashley plays, and this picture of her in high school (can we pause for a moment here about how easy it was to find an image of her in high school? Yeesh!) suits what I see as Bea. Spunky, always ready with a way to ease tension, and otherwise help Gabby out, Bea has a whole lot of interesting fun in this book!
Zach Roerig (from The Vampire Diaries, tyvm!) would make a great Nathan. Nathan used to be Gabby's roommate, and they have a history together...of a whole lot of pranks. So when Nathan shows up after Gabby's accident, well, it makes for some interesting times. And then he ends up working with Bea, and well, let's just say things get complicated. And spicy. ^.^Okay, there are a few more I could show, but these are a few of the main characters for SURRENDER THE SKY. Hopefully I've peaked your interested a little :)Gabby lives by two unbreakable rules: don’t expose her kind, the Sary, and don’t fall in love. Too bad some rules are made to be broken.
When Gabby’s most difficult charge accidentally shoots her in front of a class full of students, the event exposes her carefully hidden identity. She shifts from looking like a normal teen to her secret Sary form, revealing her wings and the existence of her kind—immortals who try to keep people from committing suicide. Her incident attracts the attention of the next leader of the Sary, Jassen, who offers her an impossible bargain: She can keep her wings if she makes amends with those who know the truth. Things get more complicated when a rebel Sary, intent on exposing them to the world, starts interfering with Gabby’s work. And there’s no denying her attraction to Jassen, who is torn between his duties and his heart. With threats at every turn, and her immortality on the line, Gabby has to find a way to save the Sary or surrender the sky forever.
I almost forgot a song! Actually, A Thousand Years was my theme song for this book. Mainly because it suits Gabby and Jassen's relationship perfectly. It's annoying to me that it was taken for Twilight first, but that can't be helped...
February 26, 2014
Waiting on Wednesday: NO PLACE TO FALL by Jaye Robin Brown
Today's selection is from one of the critique buddies in a group that I belonged to previously and seriously loved the members. They are amazing! You can catch up with Jaye Robin Brown over on her blog, and learn more about her upcoming release!
Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, babysits her nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend Devon’s house. It’s only when Amber goes exploring in the woods near her home, singing camp songs with the hikers she meets on the Appalachian Trail, that she feels free—and when the bigger world feels just a little bit more in reach.When Amber learns about an audition at the North Carolina School of the Arts, she decides that her dream—to sing on bigger stages—could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon’s older (and unavailable) brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out for the hypercompetitive arts school. But the more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes . . . and Amber starts to wonder if she’s such a good girl, after all.Then, in an afternoon, the bottom drops out of her family’s world—and Amber is faced with an impossible choice between her promise as an artist and the people she loves. Amber always thought she knew what a good girl would do. But between “right” and “wrong,” there’s a whole world of possibilities. (Goodreads & now available for preorder on Amazon!)
I'm really stoked for this one! What books are you looking forward to?
