Suzanne Schultz Pick's Blog: bookblogarama, page 13

Book Blitz for Rain on Neptune By Lisa Jade

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Rain on Neptune

By Lisa Jade

Genre: Sci Fi, Dystopian

In the city of Pyre, only those with excellent genetics can visit Earth’s colony planets, including the legendary Orithyia. Those without this advantage live in relative poverty, under the forceful control of the Council.

Quinn isn’t one of Pyre’s elite, though she’s desperate to see the stars. After an incident with the Council’s thugs, she stows away on the latest ship to launch, the Neptune.

But when a series of deadly ‘accidents’ occur on board, Quinn and her new friends must figure out who’s orchestrating the attacks – and why.

About the Author

Lisa Jade is a fiction writer based in the UK. She lives in Shropshire with her husband and mostly writes Science Fiction, Dystopian and Post-apocalyptic fiction. With two novels already available, she is currently working on a number of new projects.

Having joined her local writer’s group, Lisa has been involved with the creation of annual anthologies, as well as attending and hosting writing workshops. She also regularly takes part in flash fiction competitions and has had a number of pieces of short fiction published.

https://www.facebook.com/LisaJadeBooks/

https://lisajade.net

Amazon UK – https://amzn.to/2meayNv

Amazon US – https://amzn.to/2N8RVWA

Goodreads – https://bit.ly/2mehn1x

Excerpt

I wait until the early hours before sneaking out. I creep down the stairs and past Dad’s room, reassured by his squeaky snoring, and pull my rucksack from the cupboard. I try to be even quieter than normal tonight – Alice decided to stay over for once, dozing in the box room that sits upstairs, next to mine. Perhaps she sensed some tension between the two of us and took it on herself to provide a barrier to keep us from clashing. I’ll never call her out on it, but secretly I’m immensely grateful.

Even so, I don’t want her to know where I’m going. If they wake in the night, they’ll know exactly where to find me; but they have no clue how often I’m out here. How often I slip away.

There’s an absolute silence over Level Four as I make my way towards the edge. Despite the warm day, the night is bitterly cold. I tug my jacket a little tighter around myself.

Eventually, I reach a rusted sign. DANGER – KEEP OUT is scrawled across it in what looks like spray paint. A half-hearted, last-ditch effort to keep people like me away from the Drop-off.

None of the Levels have external fences. The floor simply drops away into the darkness, meaning that a drunken stumble or accidental misstep can spell disaster. It’s not quite so bad on the upper Levels – they’re smaller, so falling just means you hit the next floor down. It’s still certain death of course, but here? When there’s nothing but miles of ocean below and no way of being found?

Only a lunatic would come out here.

I nudge past the sign and keep walking.

The Drop-off.

Here, the lights of Pyre fall away. The cobbles underfoot sink down into a smooth, white tile. This tile is always underfoot in Pyre, though it’s usually disguised by concrete or shrubbery. Sometimes, it’s bizarre to think about it. Pyre is just a massive airship floating over the Atlantic – and yet, somehow, it’s become a country in its own right.

But I don’t care about that – not right now.

Because as the lights fade, and the chaos of the day sinks back into the folds of my memory, I’m captivated by the stars.

The sky overhead is inky blackness decorated with a tapestry of stars. Swathes of deep blue and indigo swirl above me, highlighted every so often by a splash of pink. The lonely moon resembles a silver disc that sinks into the glittering canvas. And the stars themselves – a million tiny, indifferent specks, images created a billion years ago. Many are already dead, burnt out millions of years ago. In their place are millions of others, stars I’ll never see, patterns that will cascade through the sky like brushstrokes on a scorched, blackened wall.

I can’t help it. When I think about the beauty that must be out there, how long a simple thing might take, how impossible it all seems – I’m filled with strange emotions.

Excitement. Ambition. Hope. And a wonderful, indescribable, near-painful sense of joy.

Blog Tour for Clandestine (Ascension #2) by Hannah Rials

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Clandestine (Ascension #2)
by Hannah Rials
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: July 2018
Aletha Press

Summary:

    Cheyenne Lane never believed it could come to this—imprisoned by her own family, who are plotting to overthrow the Vampire Council. Ripped away from the happiness of her summer romance and friendship in New Orleans, Cheyenne is forced to begin her education at Clandestine, the secret Deuxsang University, one year early.
    She is guarded constantly, separated from her best friend Anne, and desperate for any word from Eli and the witches. Meanwhile, her cousin Lilith has discovered that Cheyenne possesses all four vampiric abilities—unheard of for a Deuxsang—and intends to use her in the Ascending’s rebellious scheme.

     At 17, Cheyenne finds herself the center of a centuries-old conspiracy involving the vampires, Deuxsang, and witches, and everyone is telling her who she should trust and what she should do. Her head is too full of voices and opinions, and it’s time for Cheyenne to make up her own mind.

     Is she ready to step into the role she was made for? Who can she trust? Who is her friend and who is her enemy? Is she really a born leader? All questions that only she can answer. As the information and scenario gets more confusing, she knows she must listen to her intuition if she is going to shift the truth from all the lies.

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Add Ascension to Goodreads

Ascension Testimonials

“Their love story anchors the novel, the first installment of a series, and sets the stage for the cliffhanger ending. An entertaining and promising series opener about an appealing human and vampire hybrid. “-Kirkus Reviews


What an extraordinary debut novel with new and intriguing twists on vampires—a strong female protagonist as one. I already can’t wait for book two.-Jill Murphy Long, author of The Conduit

This book is by the far the BEST YA/Adult fiction that I’ve read in a very long while. So exciting!-Rebecca F

The wait is over-Ascension is here! Thrilling and entertaining, like the experience on a crazy roller coaster. Hannah has grown into the most amazing writer. Watching her journey has been as much fun as holding the book in my hands. A “must read” for YA and thriller fans!-Valarie B.

Rials has created a complex, fascinating, hidden world within our world. And I think we’re just beginning to scratch the surface.”-Kris Whorton


About the Author
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As Maryville native and a senior in college at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Hannah Rials began writing her first novel, Ascension, at age twelve. Her first YA novel Ascension is a modern day teenage romance filled with “double-blooded” vampires and revengeseeking witches. Published by Aletha Press of Maryville, TN is the second book in the trilogy, Clandestine, was written and editing while she was a full-time college student. After graduating from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a BA in Creative Writing, she will be attending college at Bath Spa University’s MA (England): Creative Writing for Young People; a yearlong master’s degree.

Hannah is a vampire fanatic, a New Orleans lover, and a dog obsessor. She loves her friends, family, and finding new adventures. To keep up with Hannah, you can find plenty of pictures of her corgi Buddy and her travels on Instagram @herials because who doesn’t love a cute corgi picture? Connect with Hannah on Facebook, Twitter and via her website.

“I feel like I am living proof that dreams do come true.”- Hannah Rials

Author Links:
Website │ Goodreads │ Twitter │ Facebook


Blog Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

Book Tour and Author Interview for Superhero High by T.H. Hernandez

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Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36612938-superhero-high

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Link to Tour Schedule:

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-superhero-high-by-t-h-hernandez/

 Giveaway Details:

Superhero High Prize Pack

Includes $30 Amazon Gift Card and Superhero High Swag by T.H. Hernandez

Link to Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c08c9e8e703/?

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Superhero High by T.H. Hernandez

Publication Date:  July 5, 2018

Publisher:  Soul Mate Publishing

Sixteen-year-old Annarenee Stevens is the sole member of her family without a super power. The only time she feels powerful is in the pool. With her sights set on swimming for U.C. Berkeley, she’s ready to win it all at the State championship and secure her future.

When the government unexpectedly ends the secret Genetically Enhanced Asset (GEA) program, Annarenee is uprooted from Dayton, the only home she’s ever known, and relocated to San Diego with all of the other GEA families. Queen of her public school, Annarenee is just another zero at Superhero High, a school without any sports teams.

With the end of the program, her hero older brother now needs a college education, too, meaning the only way Annarenee is getting into Berkeley is on a scholarship. Her dream is slipping through her fingers, no matter how tightly she clings to it. To make matters worse, super hot superhero, Ren Gonzalez, is paying too much attention to her. The kind of attention that has Ren’s ex-girlfriend intent on making Annarenee’s life even more miserable.

But when heroes begin disappearing, zeros and heroes will be forced to team up in order to solve the mystery. If they don’t kill each other first.

Author Interview

1. What is your writing process? Do you aim for a word count daily or maybe just a scene?

I have ADD, so I can never have just one project going at a time. I usually have one in draft, one in edits, and one in the planning stages. I try to accomplish at least something on all three WIPs each day. When it comes to writing, my goals is to sit my butt in front of my computer and write at least 500 words before I let myself get up for any reason. Sometimes those 500 words are awful, but sometimes they end up in the final draft. If I can do at least three 500-word sprints a day, I’m happy. However, there are days where I’ll write several chapters. I learned a long time ago to take advantage of my moments of inspiration. That doesn’t mean I let myself slack off the next day, though; I still force myself to write at least 1,500 words.

2. What sort of research did you do for this book?

Most of my research was around competitive swimming. I interviewed high school and college athletes, read a lot, and watched numerous swim meets on YouTube. Even though the swimming isn’t the main plot, I wanted it to ring true as much as possible. I also did a fair amount of research on superheroes. I wanted to know what other writers had come up with previously to make sure my book had the right feel, but also was unique enough to stand out.

3. What are you working on now? Any chance of a sequel?

I have a sequel in early draft and hope my publisher will be interested in it. I guess a lot will depend on how well SUPERHERO HIGH does. I also have a book coming out with Entangled Publishing next year about a high school prom going horribly, hilarious wrong, that I co-wrote with the fabulous Jen DiGiovanni. We’re currently collaborating on another project. And finally, I’m drafting the fifth book in The Union series, titled THE RESISTANCE.

4. How did you come up for the idea of your book?

I saw Sky High, a Disney movie about teenage superheroes, with my kids and fell in love with the concept. I kept taking that idea and twisting it around, turning it upside down and inside out, until I came up with my plot for SUPERHERO HIGH.

5. Just for fun — what TV shows or movies have you really enjoyed (or disliked?) recently?

I’m currently binge-watching the final season on Breaking Bad on Neftlix. I have a love-hate relationship with it now. The writing is brilliant and the acting is among the best I’ve ever seen, but I’ve come to loathe nearly every character on the show. Also, my daughter got me hooked on Wynonna Earp. The special effects are cheesy but the dialogue is outstanding and the acting is superb!

About the Author

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T.H. Hernandez is a published author of young adult novels. THE UNION, a futuristic dystopian adventure, was a finalist in the 2015 San Diego book awards in the Young Adult Fiction category. SUPERHERO HIGH, an urban scifi teenage romance, is releasing July 5, 2018.

She thrives on coffee of any kind, though pumpkin spice lattes are her favorite. Her free time is spent hiking, reading, painting, and binge-watching Game of Thrones and Stranger Things. She adores Star Wars, Comic-Con, Doctor Who, Bad Lip Reading videos, and all things young adult, especially the three who share her home.

When She’s not visiting the imaginary worlds inside her head, you can find her in usually sunny San Diego, California with her husband, three teenagers, who are far too tall to be considered children, a bearded dragon, a couple of cats, and a dog who thinks he’s a cat, lovingly referred to as the puppycat.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

Blog Tour for Stricken by C.K. Kelly Martin

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Stricken by C.K. Kelly Martin

Publication Date: November 4, 2017

Genre: Middle Grade

Publisher: Dancing Cat Books

Purchase Links:

BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

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Add to Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link to Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c08c9e8e702/?

Naomi doesn’t expect anything unusual from her annual family trip to visit her grandparents in Ireland. What she expects is to celebrate her thirteenth birthday, hang out with her friends Ciara and Shehan, and deal with her gran’s Alzheimer’s. What she finds is a country hit by an unexpected virus that rapidly infects the majority of the Irish population over the age of twenty-one.

Amnestic-Delirium Syndrome (ADS) starts off with memory loss, but the virus soon turns its victims aggravated, blank, or violent. Naomi and her friends must survive on their own, without lucid adults, cut off from the rest of the world, until a cure is found.

But there are whispers that ADS is not terrestrial, and soon Naomi and her friends learn the frightening truth: we are not alone.

Author Interview

What is your writing routine? Do you aim for a word count, to tackle a certain number of pages at a time, or do you go scene by scene? (Something else?)

I do some preparation (research, emails, sometimes a bit of social networking stuff) in the morning. I find I can’t get into a good creative groove before about eleven a.m. so that’s when I start writing in earnest.  Usually, I’m working from some kind of rough outline but the further I get into the book the more it tends to diverge from what I anticipated might happen. That’s cool because it means I’m usually surprised rather than knowing exactly the way a book will unfold. It takes on a life of its own.

I used to have a word count I tried to reach each day but four years ago I developed health issues and was diagnosed with polyneuropathy. Now it’s very uncomfortable to sit still for long periods (or stand or walk for long periods!) so I have to keep getting up, moving and shift positions and stuff. Overall this has shortened my daily writing period so I don’t have a word count or set number of pages I try to reach; I just do what I can, all the better if I can get a scene finished.  

2. What was your inspiration for your book? What was the most fun and the most difficult part of getting the story just right?

I love zombie movies and also plague outbreak movies in general so with Stricken I kind of married the two. The infected in this book aren’t zombies but they’re certainly not themselves and some of them are dangerous (others aren’t at all). On a deeper level, at the time I was writing Stricken I didn’t know my mother had Alzheimer’s but I’d known for years that something wasn’t right. I think that was very much in my consciousness and that it shaped aspects of the book.  Stricken is my first middle grade and writing from a younger point of view was so refreshing. But it was my editor’s idea to include lists, which became the most fun part for me. Who doesn’t love lists! On the other hand, the most difficult part was finding a good point to end the book while still leaving room for more in the future because I knew the story in its entirety was too long for one book.  

3. What are your favorite books? What authors inspire you the most?

There are so many authors and books I love. In the past year I discovered Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friends Exorcism and Horrorstor and ate them both up. Recently I was also delighted by graphic novel Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me by Lorina Mapa.  I’m always finding new inspiration. I’m usually more excited to read something new or an author I haven’t read before than to revisit books or familiar authors.  I’ve been writing speculative and horror-leaning stuff lately so I’ve been reading more in those areas, but one of my forever favourites remains The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. I’m also an enormous fan of Judy Blume who showed me, as a young person, what it looks to be unflinchingly truthful about young people’s lives.

4. Odd question – what TV shows do you like?

This is a great question because I just finished watching the Americans finale and it’s one of my favourite shows of all time. It’s incredibly character driven for a show about spies. All the relationships are so nuanced and intricate. There are multiple levels to every conversation and action and you feel you know and cared about the main characters so much (even when they do horrible things) that it makes every single thing that happens all the more gripping. But I like a lot of different kinds of shows: Wilderness survival show Alone, makeup artist contest Face Off, Stranger Things, The Crown, This is Us, The Handmaid’s Tale. I’m sad that this is the final season of Nashville; I’m really going to miss it. I’m also a big fan of Star Trek Discovery and Doctor Who (I can’t wait to see Jodie Whittaker as the doctor!).  

5. Lastly, is there anything else we should know about you? Do you like to listen to music when writing? What book projects are on the horizon for you?

I need quiet to be able to put myself in the world of my characters. Sometimes I’ll actually listen to white noise to block out noise from neighbouring apartments. I do like listening to music beforehand though, to help put me in a certain frame of mind that matches up with whatever I’m working on.  In the past, I wrote a lot of contemporary young adult books and while I might return to that at some point these days I feel a strong pull to horror, sci-fi, and storylines with fantastical elements. I have a speculative YA, horror YA and a sci-fi MG that I’ve been working on but I’m not sure which will see the light of day first.

Thanks so much for having me over to bookblogarama to talk bookish things!

About the Author

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Long before I was an author I was a fan of books about Winnie the Pooh, Babar, Madeline, Anne Shirley and anything by Judy Blume. Throughout high school my favourite class was English. No surprise, then, that most of my time spent at York University in Toronto was as an English major—not the traditional way to graduate with a B.A. (Hons) in film studies but a fine way to get a general arts education.

After getting my film studies degree I headed for Dublin, Ireland and spent the majority of the nineties there in forgettable jobs meeting unforgettable people and enjoying the buzz. I always believed I’d get around to writing in earnest eventually, and I began writing my first novel in a flat in Dublin and finished it in a Toronto suburb. By then I’d discovered that fiction about young people felt the freshest and most exciting to me. You have most of your life to be an adult but you only grow up once.

Currently residing near Toronto with my Dub husband, I’m an aunt to twenty-one nieces and nephews, and a great-aunt to two great-nephews. I became an Irish citizen in 2001 and continue to visit Dublin as often as I can while working on novels about young people.

My first young adult book, I Know It’s Over, came out with Random House in September 2008, and was followed by One Lonely Degree, The Lighter Side of Life and Death, My Beating Teenage Heart and sci-fi thriller Yesterday. I released Yesterday’s sequel, Tomorrow, in 2013 and put out my first adult novel, Come See About Me, as an ebook in June 2012. My most recent contemporary YA books, The Sweetest Thing You Can Sing and Delicate, were published by Cormorant Books’ Dancing Cat Books imprint in 2014 and 2015.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

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Blog Tour for Playing Her Crush by Casey Griffin

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Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35890154-playing-her-secret-crush?

Purchase Links:

| | | | | |

Link to Tour Schedule:

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-playing-her-secret-crush-by-casey-griffin/

Giveaway Details:

$15 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link to Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c08c9e8e701/?

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All her life, Katie has been chosen last for everything: the last picked on the playground, the last picked by her absent father, and definitely the last picked by boys—even her secret crush, Alex, friend-zoned her. This senior year, Katie is determined to come first.

But then Alex asks her to help him find a date?!

Alex has been living life in the fast lane, but he’s ready to slow down—with a girlfriend. The last person on earth he’d consider? The girl his brother developed serious feelings for before he died: Katie. The only way Alex is going to get over Katie is by falling for someone new. And who better to help him find his new crush than the girl he can’t stop thinking about?

What can possibly go wrong?

Author Guest Post – Interview

1. What is your writing process? Do you aim for a word count daily or maybe just a scene?

My writing process is sporadic and totally nonsensical. I have a weird day job schedule of ten days off and ten days at work (13-hour shifts), so I write whenever I can. That might mean writing on a plane, on a bus, in a lunch shack, or in the middle of the night when my family is sleeping. Sometimes I’ll write thousands of words in one sitting. Then I’ll get distracted by something else—maybe by another book I’m writing or a book launch. I’m generally getting pulled in a million different directions with both my writing and my life, so I have to be flexible and write wherever I can whenever I can.

2. What sort of research did you do for this book?

I’ve played more console video games than online ones, so I wanted to make sure I got those scenes right. I was always double checking things with the help of Google and gaming forums. I also watched a documentary on pro gamers and the e-sports industry. And finally, I had the help of my subject matter expert—my oldest nephew who is well versed in MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games)

3. What are you working on now? Any chance of a sequel?

I have a couple of projects on the go right now. I’m currently working on an adult romance and another YA, but nothing is set in stone, yet. As for a sequel to Secret Crush, I’ve toyed with the idea of writing a book that follows another character in the story: Barista Ben.

4. How did you come up for the idea of your book?

The story was definitely inspired by my time spent playing video games and knowing people who play a lot of online games. I wanted to tell a story about geeks like me. I also wanted a way to tell a contemporary story that can take place in both reality and a fantasy world.

5. Just for fun — what TV shows or movies have you really enjoyed (or disliked?) recently?

I was really behind in Game of Thrones, so I’ve been catching up on that, lately. I’m so obsessed! Next on the list to catch up on: Outlander, Shannara Chronicles, and Into the Badlands. And I’ve recently watched two movies that I thought were pretty cute: Set It Up and The Kissing Booth.

About the Author

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Casey Griffin can often be found at comic conventions on her days off from her day job, driving 400 ton dump trucks in Northern Alberta, Canada. As a jack of all trades with a resume boasting registered nurse, English teacher, and photographer, books are her true passion, and she is currently busy writing every moment she can.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

Book Blitz for Cardboard Castles by K.L. Young

Cardboard Castles

by K.L. Young

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release date: May 17th 2018

Graye Castle Press

Summary:

When seventeen-year-old Josilyn begins to see the fantastical world of her father’s imagination, she can’t help but wonder if he isn’t insane at after all, or that she might be.Living in a crumbling cardboard castle under the park bridge and struggling to care for her mentally ill father, Josilyn’s life has been anything but regal since her mother’s death. But when a former friend discovers Josilyn’s secret and leads Child Protective Services directly to her, her father’s visions of grand feathered dragons and treacherous dark knights become the least of Josilyn’s problems.

Now separated from her father and terrified for his safety, Josilyn sees his imaginary world, forcing her to consider the possibility that someone may be desperate to see her father dead–and her in chains.

In a stunning twist of reality, survival may not be a matter of sanity, but who to trust, and who to kill.

 
ON SALE for only $2.99 (FREE on Kindle Unlimited) through July!
Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BTQKQ3G
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cardboard-castles-kl-young/1128693473
Books-a-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Cardboard-Castles/K-L-Young/9780692118658

**A portion of all sales from the book are being donated to Chattanooga’s Community Kitchen, which serves the author’s city homeless population (https://www.homelesschattanooga.org/).** 


Download the first five chapters of Cardboard Castles for free! http://dragonflycorps.kendrayoung.com/ 
 


Advance Praise:

 

     “CARDBOARD CASTLES is by turns introspective, heart-wrenching, brilliant, and daring. Young’s prose seized me like a dragon’s talons, never letting go…” –Keith Willis, author of the Knights of Kilbourne series

 

     “CARDBOARD CASTLES is by turns introspective, heart-wrenching, brilliant, and daring. The world-building is outstandingly well done, and Young’s talent shows here especially. While both worlds Jos inhabits are intricate and complex, Young brings them each to vivid, sometimes painful reality. I’ll be honest—this is not a book for the faint of heart. Ms. Young explores some dark themes here—homelessness, mental illness, betrayal. And yet despite this, there is humor and hope and love abounding in Josilyn’s story.” –Keith Willis, author of the Knights of Kilbourne series

 

 

 

About the Author
K.L. Young’s fascination with all things fantastical comes out in her writing, whether it’s dragons, vampires, or ghosts – if it has wings, fangs, or goes bump in the night, she’s writing about it.She lives in beautiful Chattanooga, Tennessee with her husband, Tim, who’s responsible for making her believe all her writing dreams will come true. Together they have two daughters, Savannah and Tabitha, who both enjoy art and writing as well. By day, she teaches eighth grade in a suburban middle school where she shares her love of writing and dreaming “big dreams” with her students.

 


 

 

Social Media Links:

 

Website: www.klyoung.net, www.kendrayoung.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/klyoung.author/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KendraLYoung
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.l.young_author/
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/721168.K_L_Young

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B07C35JLG2/

 

 

Excerpt

 

Every molecule of oxygen evaporates from the room. My mouth collapses in on itself, unable to form words to admit what she already knows. How could I be so stupid? The syllables claw at my throat, desperate for release, but years of practice clamp my mouth shut.
Livi reaches out to touch my hand, but I recoil and grip the arms of the chair tighter. My fingertips are numb. The room’s unbearably hot and my heart beats way too fast. I consider throwing up again, but this time it’s not because I want to.
“It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you.”
I glance up at the abominable officer, and I’m not so sure about that. What I wouldn’t give for him to be my father, here to take me away from this mess. He turns his head and rolls his shoulders back, his face contorting into a mask of contempt. The air in the room thickens and I squint my eyes shut. My face goes completely numb, like someone has punched me with a fistful of Novocain. 
“Can you hear me?” Livi asks.
I slide from the chair to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest. I blink again, and my back isn’t against the chair but an enormous boulder, cold and covered with dew. I arch my spine, fitting the curve of it against the stone, trying to ease the prickling sensation that makes me want to rip the clothes from my body.
Livi’s voice pulls me back again, but her sentences are broken. Maybe it’s because she’s so far away – still in the conference room, but I’m here. Wherever here is. A hyacinth-scented breeze tickles my cheek as I let my hands trail through the grass so that it sticks up through my fingers. I turn my face into the breeze to find a young girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, racing toward me from about thirty yards away. The girl screams, her fear raking against me.
“Princess!” she wails. Not once, but three times. She hikes up her long skirts, her hair tumbling free from the top of her head and spilling around her shoulders. Her arms pump at her sides as she digs harder into the run.
This can’t be real.        
Livi’s voice cuts through the distance again. She says things like “panic attack” and “shock.” The truth of it punches me in the gut and leaves me desperate to find my way back to her voice.
The girl looms over me. Her face fades in and out of focus, as if she’s made of oil on water.
“Princess. Please don’t leave us again. Knights march toward the castle. We are in danger. Your father—you must remain with us.” Her fingers dig into my shoulders, yanking me toward her. Another breath, and the grass slips from between my fingers; the edge of a chair pressing into the back of my head replaces the coolness of the stone.
I blink again, swallowing back my own puke, and the conference room snaps into focus. They’re both hovering over me, concern on Livi’s face and confusion on the officer’s. They lean back so I can sit up.
Nurse Anne hurries back into the room, pushing through the space they’ve made, and presses a cold towel to my head. “It’s okay, deep breaths.”
The kindness in her voice overwhelms me so much I start to cry, no matter how hard I try not to. At first, my tears are hardly noticeable, but soon they turn into horrible, choking sobs. My heart stutters at an alarming pace and sweat coats my palms, making my grip on the chair’s legs slick. I uncurl my fingers and press my hands into the carpet, pushing the tips of my fingers into individual loops in the pile.
The reality of what’s happening slams into me. My pulse quickens and the tingling sensation spreads from my face and down my arms into the tips of my fingers. Blackness closes in from the edges of my vision, creating an elongated tunnel of the central part of the room. Livi hovers over me, her face distorted by the shift in my vision.
I grapple for the seat, anything to ground me in reality. Father’s face flickers in my mind. I’m unable to even consider what might be happening to him at this same moment, not to mention the only plausible explanation for me believing, for even a second, I was sitting in a field of some sort with my back against an imaginary stone. And the girl, so lifelike.
I am my father’s daughter. And I am terrified of that fact. 
 

 

GIVEAWAY: 

 

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Cover Reveal for Butterfly Blood (Metamorphosis #2) by Rebecca Carpenter

Butterfly Blood (Metamorphosis #2)
by Rebecca L. Carpenter
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Release Date: August 2018
Lakewater Press

Summary:

A sixteen-year-old girl who cheated death continues her fight for survival as she goes up against real-life monsters, desperate for her unique blood, while risking everything to reunite with the love of her life, who is battling his own soul-sucking demons.




















 


Pre-order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DYLLVDX/

The first book in the Metamorphosis series, Butterfly Bones, has a redesign!

BUTTERFLY BONES AMAZON US: https://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Bones-Coming-Age-METAMORPHOSIS-ebook/dp/B01M1E9854/
BUTTEFLY BONES B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/butterfly-bones-rebecca-carpenter/1124807692?ean=9780994451170
BUTTERFLY BONES GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30315620-butterfly-bones?ac=1&from_search=true

An excerpt from BUTTERFLY BLOOD:

Darkness consumes him.
Choking.
Suffocating.
His lungs burn as if they’ve been lit on fire.
He reaches out for something.
Anything.
But nothing is familiar.
The smells.
The sounds.
The voices.
And he can’t feel anything.
Except numbness.
Someone speaks.
But it’s a foreign language.
Foreign and muffled.
Light enters his brain, blinding and as painful as staring into the sun.
The brightness grows, with it the sharpness of a thousand needles.
He wants to scream.
He opens his mouth to scream.
But only a weak cry slips over his parched lips.
So dry.
So dry.
The light retracts.
Darkness slithers toward him, coiling up his leg …
Moving ever so slowly until it reaches his mouth and slips inside.
And all he wants to do is drink it up.
So thirsty.

So thirsty.

 

 

About the Author

 

Rebecca Carpenter is a native of western Colorado. She is married with two grown children and has been blessed with four amazing grandchildren. She owns and directs a large childcare center where she shares her love for books. In her spare time, she freelances as a copy editor, helping others attain their writing dreams. She finds solace and clarity while spending time with her husband exploring the beautiful mountains of Colorado.

 

 

 

Author Links:

   

 
Cover Reveal Organized By:

 

 

 

Blog Tour and Author Interview for Blood Oath by Amanda McCrina

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Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38503715-blood-oath   

Pre-order Link

Google Play | BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

Tour Schedule:

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-blood-oath-by-amanda-mccrina/

Giveaway Info:

One (1) winner will receive a $15 Starbucks gift card or B&N gift card, plus a digital copy of Blood Oath by Amanda McCrina upon its release.

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Blood Oath (Blood Oath #2)

by Amanda McCrina

Release Date: June 19, 2018

Publisher: Month9Books

The aftermath of what happened in the capital has shaken Torien to the core. Battling self-doubt and bitterness, he must find his resolve as he is sent back to Tasso to quell a violent uprising on the Road.

But Torien will need more than resolve to navigate the deadly path before him. His troops are inexperienced and his new adjutant untrustworthy. A series of murder attempts leaves the whole camp on edge. As the threat of mutiny builds, the mission seems doomed before they even reach Tasso—and Torien is beginning to suspect it was meant that way. He and his men are being set up to fail.

With his best friend in the hands of the rebels, his commanding officer refusing to negotiate a peace treaty, and his own men ready to turn on him at any moment, Torien must decide once and for all how much he’s willing to sacrifice for an empire he no longer believes in.

Author Interview

1. What is your writing process? Do you aim for a word count daily or maybe just a scene?

I usually aim for a certain word count (I like ending on exact thousands), but I try not to beat myself up if I don’t meet my goal. When I’m in the middle of a WIP, though, I do try to write at least something every day.

2. What sort of research did you do for this book?

As with Blood Road, the first book of the duology, I was able to use a lot of the research I’d done for my academic writing on the Roman army—very convenient. Specific things I researched for this book, though, included venomous snakes, poisons, and Roman wedding customs.

3. What are you working on now? What’s next for the series?

I have a YA historical, set in Poland during WWII, out on submission with my agent. For now, with the Blood Oath duology complete,I’m stepping away from fantasy and focusing on historical fiction—but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any ideas for further stories set in Torien’s world.

4. How did you come up for the idea of your book?

The world and some of the plot dynamics were obviously inspired by ancient Rome, but I also really wanted to write a story about friendship across class and culture divides. At its heart, that’s what Blood Oath is about.

5. Just for fun — what TV shows or movies have you really enjoyed (or disliked?) recently?

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but lately I’ve enjoyed rewatching Friends, and The Big Bang Theory is always my guilty pleasure. I also haven’t seen a lot of movies recently, but I disliked The Last Jedi and really enjoyed Black Panther.

About the Author

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Amanda McCrina has studied in Italy, taught English in Japan, and currently tutors Latin in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her BA in History from the University of West Georgia, and is now pursuing her MA. She writes stories that incorporate her love of history, languages, and world travel. She drinks far too much coffee and dreams of one day having a winning fantasy-hockey season.

Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link to Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c08c9e8e698/?

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Cover Reveal for Keeper of the Bees from Entangled Teen

Keeper of the Bees

by Meg Kassel
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: September 4th 2018
Entangled Teen
Summary:
“Beauty and the beast like you’ve never imagined!” —New York Times bestselling author Pintip Dunn
KEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways.
Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom. His face is a shifting montage of all the people who have died because of those stings. And he has been this way for centuries—since he was eighteen and magic flowed through his homeland, corrupting its people.
He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Dresden.
Essie is fascinated and delighted by his changing features. Risking his own life, he holds back his bees and spares her. What starts out as a simple act of mercy ends up unraveling Dresden’s solitary life and Essie’s tormented one. Their impossible romance might even be powerful enough to unravel a centuries-old curse.









About the Author





Meg Kassel is an author of fantasy and speculative books for young adults. A graduate of Parson’s School of Design, she’s been creating stories, whether with visuals or words, since childhood. Meg is a New Jersey native who lives in a log house in the Maine woods with her husband and daughter. As a fan of ’80s cartoons, Netflix series, and ancient mythology, she has always been fascinated and inspired by the fantastic, the creepy, and the futuristic. She is the 2016 RWA Golden Heart® winner in YA and a double 2018 RITA® finalist for her debut novel, Black Bird of the Gallows.








Website: http://megkassel.com/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/megkassel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seemegwrite/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/megkasselauthor


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8353652.Meg_Kassel


Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Meg-Kassel/e/B0756Q8N2L/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1524085261&sr=1-1Cover Reveal Organized By:

Book Tour and Author Interview for Just One of the Royals by Leah and Kate Rooper

Just One of the Royals by Leah and Kate Rooper

Star hockey player Daniel Sacachelli wants only two things: 1) for the Falcons

to win next season, and 2) for his secret — the fact he’s actually the prince of Eldonia — to never make its way to Chicago. But if Daniel keeps avoiding his crown, their family will lose their kingdom forever.

Madison Myong can’t believe that her will-they-or-won’t-they best friend Daniel is really a prince! He’s always seemed more rebel than royal. But now, he needs to clean up his image, fast. Posing as his long-time girlfriend, Madison accompanies him back to Eldonia, intending to give Daniel a makeover fit for a king.

Only, the more royal Daniel becomes, the more Madison misses her best friend. And if she does her job right, she’ll lose him forever…

Author Interview

What is your writing process? Do you aim for a word count daily or maybe just a scene?

We always start by drafting the whole project out scene by scene. Our books usually have multiple POVs, so usually we’ll each choose a character to write. From there, our writing process changes depending on what project we’re working on. When we’re working on a book for a deadline, like JUST ONE OF THE ROYALS, we aim for a certain word count each day (usually around 2000 words). When we’re working on a project for ourselves, we usually divvy it up by scene instead!

What sort of research did you do for this book?

We had to do a lot of research on small European countries and monarchies to understand how the line of succession often works. We wanted Eldonia to feel authentic, so we looked up European architecture, climate, and agriculture. For the hockey portion, we didn’t need to do too much research! Thankfully we’ve been life-long hockey fans, so most of the rules and terms were already ingrained in our brains. We did have to research how junior hockey leagues work though!

What are you working on now? Any chance of a sequel?

Yes! There will be a third book in the Chicago Falcons series, coming out November 2018! This book will focus on Daniel’s little sister Eva and one of Daniel’s teammates. This will also be the last season that the whole gang — Alice, Hayden, Daniel, and Tyler — are playing hockey together, so readers will get a peek into what their futures beyond the Falcons look like

How did you come up for the idea of your book?

We came up with the idea for the first book in the series, JUST ONE OF THE BOYS, from playing NHL games on our PlayStation as kids. There was always a Create-A-Player mode, and we always wished we could make female players!  We always made one player named Alex and pretended she was a girl disguised as a boy so she could play on the team. As we played the video game, we would make up stories about her, especially ones about her falling for the star of the team, Ryan. As we got older, we decided we wanted to write their crazy story! Alex and Ryan turned into Alice and Hayden. When it came time to write the next book in the series, JUST ONE OF THE ROYALS, we knew we needed to do something big to top the whole disguised-as-a-boy thing! With the Royal Wedding just around the corner, we were inspired by the drama of ball rooms and royalty. And what is more dramatic than a secret prince?  

Just for fun — what TV shows or movies have you really enjoyed (or disliked?) recently?

We absolutely loved The Greatest Showman and have been listening to the soundtrack non-stop! We also have always loved the Marvel movies and really enjoyed both Black Panther and Infinity Wars. For television, we’re giant Disney fans so we’re finally watching Tangled: The Series, which is amazing!

About the Authors

Leah and Kate Rooper are sisters from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Growing up beside the Pacific Ocean and inside a temperate rainforest fed their sense of adventure as children, and nourished a curiosity for strange and distant lands. They fed this curiosity with books – lots and lots of books. After experiencing the magic of Middle-earth, they began creating their own worlds. When they’re not writing, Leah and Kate spend their time blogging and vlogging about their travel adventures and their writing journey.

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