Katie Hamstead's Blog, page 4

The Glass Mermaid by Poppy Lawless

From Goodreads:
Kate 
I'm the last mermaid. I'm back on shores of Lake Erie, but the cold waters are silent. There is nothing here for me but ghosts and the beach glass that litters the rocky shore. Long ago, I lived below the waves. Now, I am the sole survivor, and at long last, my mermaid glamour is leaving me. Every day, I walk the beach. Every day, I wonder what happened to my people. The little pieces of colored glass that wash ashore give me simple pleasure. They are gifts from the lake, reminders of home. I fashion them into trinkets: necklaces, earrings, bracelets. They are beautiful things. The humans seem love them. Every day, I walk the beach. Nothing ever changes, until the day he says hello. 

Cooper 
I'm dying. It's not a question, it's a fact. The cancer is eating me alive. They told me I have six months to live, maybe less. I came home, back to Chancellor on Lake Erie, to die. The sunsets are vivid there, and I will relish every one. I've never seen anything more beautiful than a Lake Erie sunset until I see her. All life is as fragile as glass. What would you sacrifice to save the one you love?



My Thoughts:
This is a sweet, feel-good story. I played it on audio book while cleaning, and the shorter length of the novella really helped pass the time. In the town of Chancellor, old myths and legends still exist, hidden away. This story follows Kate, the last mermaid of Lake Erie, as she comes to terms with how long she has outlived her kind and her dealing with her grief to do with her part in their demise.
Cooper returns home to live the last of his life in his childhood home, but when he meets Kate, he finds a reason to fight.
I love how each character strengthened and uplifted the other, even when they didn't know the pain the other was going through. I very much enjoyed this book.

Blog Tour: The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder by Cookie O'Gorman

The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilderby Cookie O'GormanGenre: YA Romance/Murder MysteryRelease Date: April 5th 2018                Summary:
In the south, everyone has a secret--and murder is served with sweet tea.

The word's out: Ethan Wilder’s coming back to town, and the people of Bowie, Georgia are in a southern tizzy. Everyone knows the story. He shot and killed his sister four years ago, and people say his father, Jim Wilder, the biggest holy roller this side of the Mississippi, sent him packing for just that reason. Even if her death was unofficially ruled a suicide, Ethan’s return has everybody talking.

Seventeen-year-old Delilah Doherty can’t go anywhere without hearing his name. Born and raised in Bowie, Delilah knows firsthand about the gossipmongers and how they love a good scandal. The daughter of a wild child and niece of the local psychic, she’s also the only one who doubts Ethan’s guilt.

After Ethan saves her life, the two start a slow and steady burn neither can deny. But when Bowie's spiritual leader is nearly murdered, it rocks the small southern town to its core. Delilah and Ethan are caught in the crossfire, their relationship threatened before it's even begun. Someone has it out for Ethan's family. With everyone convinced of Ethan's guilt, it's up to Delilah to unravel the mystery before someone else gets hurt or worse...dead.
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Excerpt:“So,” Wilder said, “how much for the ride?”I eyed him wearily. Seconds ago he’d looked like he was going to be sick. Now, he was teasing?“Free?” He feigned surprise. “Wow Doherty, I didn’t know you cared.”Alright, if he wanted to play, I wasn’t above a little teasing.“Information,” I said, crossing my arms. Despite myself, I was still interested. “You like the truth so much, tell me something I don’t know, something about you. The real Ethan Wilder.”“You mean, besides the fact that I killed my sister?”His delivery was inspired, but I rolled my eyes.“You did not,” I said.“Oh?” His gaze narrowed. “You don’t believe me?”“Not a chance.” I shook my head; no way did I believe that. “The truth, Wilder.”Crossing his own arms, he said, “I’m gay.”“You’re what?!” I nearly swallowed my tongue.Ignoring my outburst, he went on.“I’ve loved you, Delilah, half my life.”At that, my heart skipped a beat. How could he say something like that so easily?“I killed my sister.” He waited for his words to sink in. “If I told you only one of those statements is true,” he said, stare fastened to my face, “which would you believe?”I thought it over. The first had to be a lie. I’d seen him with too many girls. No way Wilder was batting for the same team. I automatically discarded the second statement. It couldn’t be true either. I hadn’t met Wilder before this year, so his being in love with me for any extended period of time was simply impossible. His being in love with me at all was inconceivable. That left what he’d said about his sister. The idea flitted through my brain, in and out in less than a breath. The more I knew of Wilder, the more convinced I became that some terrible, terrible mistake had been made four years ago. I didn’t believe for a second he’d killed his sister, not even when he said it so convincingly. To think, the same person who’d jumped into that lake could be capable of such an unspeakable offense. No, whatever else he was, Ethan Wilder was not a murderer. He just couldn’t be.Considering my options, I settled on the only possibility.“So, you’re gay.” I shrugged. “No big deal. Next time I see Ronnie, I’ll let him know you’re fair game.”Wilder laughed. The sound was real, filled with complete abandon. Hearing him laugh like that, knowing I’d caused that break in his cool façade, made a strange ache bloom in my chest. I wanted to hear that laugh again and again.“You do that,” he said, stepping outside. “I’ll see you, Doherty.”Unable to resist, I said, “Should I tell Ronnie to get your coffee from now on? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, seeing as how you love it so much.”Wilder peered through the open door.“I hate coffee,” he said seriously.“You do?” I asked confused.He nodded. “Always have.”“Then why—?”“I’ll see you.”
Shutting the door, he took his time walking up the stone pathway.
About the AuthorCookie O'Gorman writes YA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her debut novel ADORKABLE is out now! Her second book NINJA GIRL was released March 30,2017!Author Links:Website│Twitter│Facebook│Goodreads

Blog Tour Organized by:YA Bound Book Tours
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Blog Tour: Crossing the Line by Ellen Wolfson Valladares

Crossing the Line
by Ellen Wolfson Valladares
Genre: YA Magical Realism
Release Date: March 6th 2018
WiDo Publishing

Summary:

Laura, who died thirty years ago, enlists the help of a tenacious high school reporter named Rebecca, who is very much alive. Rebecca, although skeptical and conflicted by her supposed encounters with a spirit, determines to learn the truth about Laura’s tragic death. As the clues unravel and their worlds collide, Rebecca finds herself at a dangerous crossroads.

Laura, now pulled back into everything she left behind when she died – her old high school and memories of her life and death—has been in training for this exact moment. And nothing means more to her than succeeding at her assignment.

It is her one chance to make sure that what happened her does not happen to anyone else, and especially not to her new friend, Rebecca.


Buy Links: Amazon.”
Fun Facts: “Behind the Scenes” of Writing Crossing the LineBy Ellen Wolfson Valladares
1.      Novel Setting – The story takes place in St. Petersburg, Florida. That’s because that’s where I grew up and went to high school. I still have a lot of family there and visit fairly often.2.      Novel Length – The original manuscript was over 113,000 words and had to be pared down to 90,000-ish during the editing process. Ouch! But it all turned out okay and maybe even better in the end. The editor was terrific in allowing me to choose what I would take out, so I was able to maintain the integrity of the story.3.      Remembering the 80s – As I started to write Crossing the Line, I wanted to look in my old yearbooks for inspiration since I graduated high school in 1983 like the character Laura did. I could not find the yearbooks though. A big thanks to my cousin – whose name just also happens to be Laura – for letting me borrow her yearbooks for a couple of years until mine finally showed up. 4.      Speaking of names -- The character Laura is not based on cousin Laura. I just borrowed the beautiful name. The name Rebecca also happens to be my niece’s name, but the character again is not based on her. I really do give a lot of thought to the names I use in my book, so my cousin and niece should take it as a compliment that I chose their namesakes for my two main characters, who I’ve grown to love. I also love to throw in names sometimes just for fun as “Easter Eggs” for my friends or family.5.      High School Reunion – In the book, I write about Laura’s 30th high school reunion. It so happens that just as I was wrapping up my first draft of the book, I attended my own 30th reunion in St. Pete. That was great inspiration for more details in the book. 6.      An example that made it to the book – At the reunion, one of my friends was reminiscing about a guy coming to her house with roses covering the hood of his car. That inspired a scene with Rebecca’s love interest, Tyler. 7.      The Ouija Board – I know the Ouija board freaks a lot of people out, but it was a scene that came to me with the original inspiration of the book, so I knew it belonged there. Meanwhile, much like the yearbooks, I went hunting for the original Ouija board I had as a kid, so I could describe it accurately. I did find it buried in my parents’ garage and brought it home for inspiration. It only came out for observation – I never played with it! And another fun fact -- it’s now with my son Michael in Boston, who is using it as a prop in the amazing trailer he’s filming for Crossing the Line. 
About the AuthorEllen Wolfson Valladares is an award-winning writer/author, workshop facilitator, community volunteer, and mother. A native Floridian, she grew up in St. Petersburg and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Florida. She has worked as an editor, public relations professional, and freelance writer. Her newest release, Crossing the Line from WiDo Publishing, is a young adult novel about a teenage spirit from the 1980’s who befriends a current-day high school girl in the hopes of preventing a similar tragedy from occurring again.Her first book, a middle grade novel entitled Jonathan's Journey to Mount Miapu, received several awards, including a Mom’s Choice Gold Award and the 2009 Coalition of Visionary Resources Visionary Awards Book of the Year award. She also has a meditation CD, entitled “Healing and Manifestation with the Archangels.”After her first child was stillborn in 1995, Valladares became dedicated to helping families suffering a similar loss. She volunteered as a peer counselor to help bereaved moms, ran a support group called “Surviving Pregnancy After a Loss,” and helped create and run an annual event for grieving families. In addition, she is a past president of the Board of Directors of Healthy Mothers-Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward County, Inc.Valladares has also taught numerous workshops in the South Florida area on a variety of metaphysical topics, including angels, intuition, meditation, and life purpose.Today, Valladares continues to work as a freelance writer. Currently, she writes for several alumni magazines at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and a member and former Board member of the Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA). She also enjoys working as a college essay coach for high school students and helping other writers realize their dreams.
She has been married to her husband, Manny, for close to 30 years (May 2018) and they have two sons, Gabriel and Michael, two dogs, Flash and Chili Pepper, and a crazy cat named Zelda. They live in Weston, Fla.
Author Links:
     

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Blog Tour: Songlines by Carolyn Denman

Songlines
by Carolyn Denman
Genre: Clean YA Fantasy
Release Date: August 20th 2016

Summary:


We belong to the Earth, Lainie-Bug. We were sent here in human form for a reason. If you don’t know what to do, then just be human. Right. Like that was ever a simple thing to do.In the heart of the Wimmera region of Australia, an ancient gateway is kept hidden and safe by a creature so powerful that even the moon would obey her commands – at least it would if she had any idea that she wasn’t just a normal girl about to finish high school.When a mining company begins some exploratory sampling near Lainie’s sheep farm, a family secret is revealed that makes her regret not having learned more about her heritage. What she’s told by their farm hand, Harry, can’t possibly be true, but then the most irritating guy in class, Bane, begins to act even more insane than ever, until she can no longer deny that something very unusual is going on.When Harry doesn’t return from his quest to seek help to protect the area from the miners, Lainie sets out to discover the truth of her heritage, and of the secret she’s been born to protect.
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Excerpt:
The barking from the aged blue heeler echoed off the tin machinery shed as the sedan crunched to a halt on the loose gravel. Ruby rubbed her elbows to sooth a prickle of apprehension. Geoff was in the shed, searching the dusty shelves for the right sized ratchet-head she’d asked for so she could fix the hot water service. Harry was in the kitchen, doing what all nine-year-old boys do an hour before lunch – hunting for snacks.A stocky man in a business suit emerged from the sedan, tossing his sunglasses on the driver’s seat. He appeared to be in his thirties, with dark hair, thick eyebrows, and a strong jawline that spoke of Italian descent. The man gave the yard a quick appraisal, and then checked his watch, a gaudy thing designed to impress clients.Ruby met him at the front door.‘Mrs Doolan? My name is Paul Dashner. I’ve been asked to make some enquiries on behalf of Celarsi Holdings about an item you recently sold to them. May I come in?’Guardian instincts barred the doorway. The man wasn’t a threat, and yet he made her very uncomfortable. Whatever he had to say, he could say it where he was.She crossed her arms. ‘My husband tried to call the company. Couldn’t even get a call back, and yet you’ve driven all the way up here from, where, Melbourne? What is it you want to know, Mr Dashner?’The man licked his lips as if assessing her attitude before framing a reply. ‘We were advised that the ruby had been in your family for a long time. The new owner is curious about its origins. Can you tell me its history?’A tug at her instincts told her that Geoff had emerged from the shed and was heading towards them. ‘The history of my ruby? It has no history to speak of.’The man waited for more. His expression almost stern.‘What am I supposed to tell you? Geoff’s father gave it to him. I don’t know exactly where it came from originally.’Paul Dashner gave a cool smile. ‘Perhaps Geoff knows more.’‘More about what?’ her husband asked as he stepped up onto the porch with his arms laden with tools. He dumped them at her feet like an offering to the Goddess of Broken Things. ‘Nothing. He was just leaving,’ Ruby said, stepping forward over the tools and closing the door behind her. She gestured for the man to start moving back to his car, but he ignored her.‘Geoff Doolan? My apologies for not returning your calls. My employer is curious about the ruby you sold us. Was it mined locally?’Geoff’s face paled and Ruby’s heart sank. This was exactly what she had repeatedly assured him wouldn’t happen. Why would they care about the origins of one ruby? It had great clarity, and excellent colour, but it wasn’t exactly a museum piece. Her husband’s voice held no trace of the swallowed-tongue guilt she knew he felt. ‘Not locally, no.’‘Can you tell me anything about its history? For insurance purposes, you understand. If the owner ever needs to replace it, he would like to get as close a match as possible. Even just the country it came from would be helpful information.’‘I’m sorry, but I never asked.’ Geoff started walking to the man’s car, and Ruby followed, hoping the man would take the hint.‘Do you have any more?’ And with those words, the air became still. Ruby stared at her husband. Geoff stopped walking, closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. His hands were clenched into fists and Ruby’s Guardian heartbeat raced to catch up to his. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the kitchen curtain twitch as her son’s concerned face looked out to see what was happening.Everything waited. The breeze paused. The birds watched on, silent. The old dog stood, tongue hanging and eyes more alert than they had been in years, as if waiting for a command. She waited for it too. She could feel the authority in the space between air particles. The whole world was frozen in anticipation of a spoken word, a decree to tell it what to do, how it could serve.Geoff turned, stepped up to Paul Dashner and looked him right in the eye. ‘There are no more gems. You will tell your employer not to enquire further, and you need not be afraid of his reply. There is nothing to be afraid of.’Instead of the confusion Ruby expected in response to Geoff’s words, the business man’s shoulders relaxed, and he smiled. ‘That is good news,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell him there are no more gems.’Ruby looked on, astounded, as the man got back into his car and drove away. How long before Geoff’s influence wore off and he began to question what had just happened? Would he come back, demanding an explanation?‘Geoff. Why would you say that? “Tell your employer not to enquire further?” You know that will only make them think we have something to hide.’Her bonded charge turned to her and held out his right hand, still clenched into a fist. His eyes were haunted, shining with a sacred light that held both terror and beauty.‘We do have something to hide, and I don’t know that I did the right thing,’ he whispered.‘Well, I understand exactly how that feels,’ she said, ready to comfort him, but just as she was about to take his hand, he opened it, and she gasped.There, resting on his palm was a ruby cradled by angel’s wings. Its light pulsed in resonance with Geoff’s heartbeat – the rhythm of his life-blood that she always felt more clearly than her own. Sunlight sparkled from the jewel like tiny secrets escaping from its core.Yet more heavy secrets that they now had to guard with their lives.


Purchase links:
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31364316-songlines

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/nz/en/ebook/songlines-the-sentinels-of-eden-book-one

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Songlines-Sentinels-Eden-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01KPT0L7M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508220508&sr=8-1&keywords=carolyn+denman

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/songlines-carolyn-denman/1124385855?ean=9781922200600

Odyssey: http://odysseybooks.com.au/bookstore/#!/Songlines/p/69548963/category=0
About the Author
Carolyn Denman writes speculative fiction for adults and young adults. She has written short stories for Aurealis and Andromeda Spaceways magazines. The third novel in her Sentinels of Eden series is due for release by Odyssey Books in 2018.  Carolyn lives on a hobby farm on the outskirts of Melbourne with her husband, two daughters, her parents and far too many pets. Co-housing is the future though, right?Somehow, her science degree and work in the finance industry have equipped her to write great science-fiction while still making sure her protagonists can always meet their mortgage repayments.
Author Links:Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Blog Tour Organized by:YA Bound Book Tours

Guest Post: The Accidental Turn Series by J.M. Frey

BLURB:
The Accidental Turn Series  follows Pip, who is pulled against her will into the epic fantasy novel series she’s loved since she was a teenager. However, the world is darker, and far more dangerous than she could have ever predicted, especially when it turns out the hero is a much bigger misogynistic ass than she knew.  Pip knows how to circumnavigate the Hero’s Journey and the pitfalls and loopholes of this particular world – but what will happen to her beloved characters outside of the comfort of the fantasy they were written for? And what happens when it’s not the male-power-fantasy hero, but the hero’s overlooked and bullied little brother who proves to be her biggest champion?
LINK:http://jmfrey.net/the-accidental-turn-series/
POST:

What is it like to finish an epic fantasy series? Mostly, it’s exhausting. Sure, thrilling, triumphant, terrifying, all of those things, but mostly exhausting. I handed in the draft of the forth and final book of The Accidental Turn Series in December of 2017 and I swear, all I’ve done since is sleep. (Or rather, wish I could sleep, as I’ve been editing two other novels, which are being published this year.)
It takes a lot out of a gal to write a trilogy. What a lot of people don’t realize is that writers aren’t only just writing while they’ve got the pen in their hands, or their fingers on their keys. They are thinking about their stories constantly, playing mental jenga with scenes as they do the dishes, and composing the perfect opening line in a boring office meeting, and brainstorming how on Earth they’re going to get themselves out of that corner they wrote a character into while doing the bedtime routine with the kiddos. They are making notes everywhere – scrap paper, receipts, notebooks in purses, on whiteboards and chalk walls, and sticky notes bristling from the edge of their computer screens like a lion’s mane.
And the moment when you hand that final manuscript in, that moment when it stops being your burden is… wonderful. Scary, because you don’t know if your editor, agent, publisher, secondary/beta reader, friends, mom, or postman will love it. But at the same, such a relief. Because you know that you’ve done the best that you can, and that you can stop carrying your little book baby all over the place. It has its own legs now, it can start to learn to walk. It’ll be running, soon enough, and then, if you’re lucky, flying off the shelves.
Authors like to write stories about writing. Stephen King did it. John Scalzi did it. Jodi Picoult did it. Jim C. Hines did it. Cornelia Funke did it. Jane Austen did it. When I started The Untold Tale, I knew it would be about fans, and community, and cosplay, and Mary Sues, and all the things I loved about fanfiction and conventions. But I didn’t realize so much of the books would be about writing, and writers, and the burden/joy of creating a novel.
Through the writer character in this series, I had the unique pleasure to be able to not only talk about writing, but show my audience what it meant to be a creator. I hope you like Elgar Reed, and his creations Kintyre and Forsyth Turn, Sir Bevel Dom, and the world he envisioned. And when you read a book – not just my books, but every book – you have a better understanding of just how much of each of us goes into the work we write.
Yeah, it’s exhausting. But it’s thrilling. It’s wonderfully challenging.  It’s amazing. It’s magic.

BIO:J.M. (@scifrey) is a SF/F author, fanthropologist,  and professional smartypants on AMI Radio’s Live From Studio 5. She’s appeared in podcasts, documentaries, and on television to discuss all things geeky through the lens of academia. Her debut novel TRIPTYCH was nominated for two Lambda Literary Awards,  nominated for a 2011 CBC Bookie, was named one of The Advocate’s Best Overlooked Books of 2011, and garnered both a starred review and a place among the Best Books of 2011 from Publishers Weekly. Her sophomore novel, an epic-length feminist meta-fantasy THE UNTOLD TALE (Accidental Turn Series #1), debuted to acclaim in 2015 and was followed by THE FORGOTTEN TALE (Accidental Turn Series #2) December 2016, and THE SILENCED TALE (Accidental Turn Series #3) December 2017. This spring will see the launch of the final book in the series, THE ACCIDENTAL COLLECTION, which will feature all of the short stories and novellas included in the series, as well as a brand-new never before published novella.
www.jmfrey.net | @scifrey

Release: Creature of the Night by Anne Stinnett

Blurb:
What promises to be the most sensational season yet of the hit reality competition Creature of the Night is set to premiere. The competition will be fierce, and the challenges will be bloody because the twelve contestants are competing for more than a check and a bit of fame. They are competing for immortality.

To earn it, they will vie for survival before an audience that lurks like a pack of fiends, ready to repay any sign of weakness with jeering applause. At the same time, they must impress a panel of vampire judges, the most approachable of whom is a nightmare out of history. But the real predators are the producers.

The contestants are bursting with bravado and anxiety. They have come to live, and to die. Their ranks include an intellectual desperate for more time, a vampire rights advocate on the verge of disillusionment, and a ballerina who thinks she has nothing to lose. Under scrutiny from the bickering vampires and bloodthirsty audience, the competitors must navigate potentially lethal challenges and, if they ever hope to become undead, stay alive.

Goodreads


About Anne Stinnett:

Anne Stinnett was born in Los Angeles where she spent most of her first decade reading books and playing in traffic. Eventually, she learned the foolishness of frolicking amongst moving vehicles, but she is still a voracious reader of multiple genres. After growing up in California, she moved around a bit, eventually landing in Albuquerque. She graduated from the University of New Mexico, with a major in English and a minor in Theater Arts. She now lives in Palm Springs, California with her freeloader canine friends Sirius (yes, Black) Midge, and Bueller, who occasionally allow her to get some writing done.

Book Blitz: Shadows of Asphodel Box Set: The Complete Trilogy Karen Kincy

Shadows of Asphodel Box Set: The Complete Trilogy
Karen Kincy
(Shadows of Asphodel #1-3)
Publication date: March 13th 2018
Genres: Dieselpunk, New Adult, Romance

She never asked for the undying loyalty of a necromancer. Discover a fantasy romance set in 1913, a world of dark magic on the brink of war. This box set includes Shadows of Asphodel, Storms of Lazarus, and Specters of Nemesis.
“Fans of alternate history will enjoy Kincy’s lively and sensuous steampunk-influenced tale of a magical WWI.” – Publishers Weekly BookLife
“Shadows of Asphodel is a great, rollicking adventure with plenty of steam! Kincy’s world-building is some of the best.” – Bec McMaster, author of Kiss of Steel
“A gripping alternate history of World War I, filled with magic and swordfighting, steamy romance, and general badassery–a daring adventure you don’t want to miss!” – Chelsea M. Campbell, author of The Rise of Renegade X

Goodreads / Amazon—EXCERPT (Shadows of Asphodel):Wendel wasn’t in the cabin. After checking the dining car, Ardis ventured reluctantly into the lounge car. Judging by the forest green carpet, leather chairs, and lingering scent of cigars, the lounge was meant to be a bastion of masculinity. But this early in the morning, there were no gentlemen to request that she leave at once.
Discounting, of course, Wendel—though she wasn’t sure he was a gentleman.
The necromancer sprawled in a chair, a glass of green-gold liquid in his hand. He sipped his drink, then smiled languidly at Ardis.
“Please,” he said, “sit.”
She remained standing, and frowned.
“What are you drinking?” she said.
“Absinthe.”
“Why?”
Wendel lifted the bottle to his face to inspect its contents. The color of the liquor within resembled his eyes remarkably.
“You heard the medic,” he said. “Plenty of fluids.”
Ardis sighed. “Not those kind of fluids. Alcohol isn’t a good idea.”
“Why not?” He sipped his drink. “It helps to dull the pain.”
She reached across and took the bottle of absinthe from the side table, then helped herself to a glass. She kept the bottle. Clearly, he didn’t
need any more. The absinthe scorched her throat, and she winced at the burn of alcohol.
“Not bad,” she rasped, and she swallowed a cough.
“Brave of you.” He dipped his head. “I never drink absinthe straight.”
She glanced at his glass, and realized his drink was indeed paler than her own.
“May I recommend a little sugar to cut the bitterness?” he said.
Blushing, Ardis spotted a bowl of sugar cubes on the table, alongside a carafe of ice water and a slotted silver spoon. She remembered there was a ritual for drinking absinthe properly, though she didn’t know how.
“To tell you the truth,” she said, “this is my first time.”
Wendel arched one eyebrow. “An absinthe virgin?”
She grimaced at his choice of words. “Not anymore.”
“You don’t drink much, do you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t drink fancy booze.”
“Booze.” He smirked. “Absinthe is too upper crust to be booze.”
Ardis smiled tightly. “And I suppose you know a lot about the upper crust?”
He shrugged and swirled the absinthe in his glass.
“Perhaps the House of Hohenzollern?” she said.
Wendel looked at her over his glass. “Who told you that? Konstantin?”
“He did,” she said. “Is he wrong?”
“No.”
She drank more absinthe, and rolled its fire on her tongue.
“Do you want to tell me more?” she said.
A strange look passed over Wendel’s face like a shadow. He set down his glass too hard, and it wobbled before he steadied it with a finger. He mustered something resembling a smile, but she saw the darkness in his eyes.
“What does Konstantin think he knows?” he said.
“He said the Order of the Asphodel has been training a necromancer since he was a boy. But he didn’t say much more than that.”
“The archmages really should hire better spies.”
“What kind of training?” she said, testing him.
Wendel’s false smile vanished. He looked out of the window at the sunrise creeping between the clouds and the fog.
“One more day,” he said, “until Vienna.”
“Do you have family in Vienna?” she said.
He knocked back the last of his absinthe. “No.”
She held out the bottle to him, but he ignored it.
“I don’t exist, Ardis,” he said. “Not to them. You won’t find me on any of their family trees. I’m not a part of their lineage anymore. If I die, they will have an easier time erasing me from their reputations. An easier time forgetting.”
Ardis was distantly aware of her heartbeat thumping, and of a tightness in her throat.
“When a necromancer dies,” she said, “does he die like a normal man?”
Wendel’s eyes glittered with a molten emotion she couldn’t name. She found it hard to look at him, but she didn’t dare look away.
“God,” he said, “I hope so.”
She still held the bottle of absinthe out to him, and when he took it from her, the very tips of his fingers touched hers. A shiver of electricity skittered down her backbone, as if she could feel the latent necromancy in his skin.
For some strange reason, she wanted to touch him again.
Ardis fought the urge, until Wendel looked away and she glimpsed a split second of his face. He was struggling to hide his fear, and this made him look more vulnerable than she had ever seen him before. Deliberately, her muscles tense, she sat in the chair opposite him and touched the back of his hand.
Wendel’s stare snapped to her fingers. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to touch you,” she said.
He looked into her eyes, and his own were inscrutable. “Don’t.”

Author Bio:
Karen Kincy (Duvall, Washington) can be found lurking in her writing cave, though sunshine will lure her outside. When not writing, she stays busy gardening, tinkering with aquariums, or running just one more mile. Karen has a BA in Linguistics and Literature from The Evergreen State College and an MS in Computational Linguistics from the University of Washington. She is a member of RWA.
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Blog Tour: Patriots: Book One by Will Kane Thompson @PatriotsNovel

Patriots: Book One
by Will Kane Thompson
Genre: YA/NA
Release Date: October 18th 2017

Summary:

Whether they admit it or not, or even realize it, their whole lives have been altered by the events of September 11th, 2001, when they were just kids.

They came to this paradise of a college campus to find freedom, themselves, their future, sex, love, fun, God, intellectual discovery, their creative core … but instead find their world being torn apart again by political divisiveness, extremism, rage.

And now one of them will turn back to the terror of their youth in the hope of finding answers.

The rest will be victims.
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Author Links:Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Instagram

Blog Tour Organized by:YA Bound Book Tours

Sparrow Squadron by D.L. Jung

 

                                                        Sparrow Squadron
by D.L. Jung
Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Action-Adventure
Release Date: February 2018

Summary:
"There was a time when flying didn't mean looking over my shoulder for death coming at me."

World War II. June 1941. Hitler's war machine turns to the Soviet Union.

Escaping her hometown ahead of the Nazis, 16-year-old Aelya Makarova seizes a chance to live her dream. Obsessed with flying, she joins a women's fighter squadron to defend her homeland against the invaders. She'll go faster and higher than she's ever gone before.

But the harsh reality of Air Force life shatters her expectations and forces her to grow up fast. The squadron is split by petty rivalries, male pilots treat them like a joke, and the ideal country she thought she was fighting for doesn't really exist.

Finally given a chance to prove herself in battle, Aelya is pushed to breaking point. With all her talent, the help of her comrades, and a lot of luck, she might just make it through. But will there be anything left of her humanity?

With fast-paced action and a heart-rending mix of humour and tragedy, Sparrow Squadron is an adventure novel for young adults that brings an overlooked episode of history to life.

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About the Author
DL Jung has been an enthusiastic student of history since grade school, when he spent lazy afternoons flipping through an old Encyclopedia Britannica set. He enjoys blogging about history and writing historical fiction. He also writes fantasy and horror fiction as Darius Jung.

Jung is married, with two children, and lives in Toronto, Canada. They are lucky enough to spend part of the time in New Zealand. Outside of writing, he has tried stints as an industrial engineer, a film and TV script supervisor, an IT consultant, a professional game show contestant, and a grossly under-qualified business wear model. Sparrow Squadron is his debut novel.


Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Instagram│Amazon Page




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YA Bound Book Tours

Blog Tour: The Boat House by Jana D. Barrett

The Boat House
by Jana D. Barrett
Genre: Mystery/Romance
Release Date: October 2017

Summary:

Genevieve Vandermere-Anderson lives in an elite world carefully crafted by her stepfather.  While other girls her age revel in the freedom of their first summer break from college, Genevieve has no choice but to return to her childhood home in Hilton Head, South Carolina to play sidekick to her vindictive stepfather.  Forbidden from social media and isolated from her peers, she returns home disheartened and oppressed by the actions of her past, governed by secrets.    Though she is fearful of the repercussions, Genevieve decides it is time to start making her own choices.  She sneaks out of her fortified house to attend the annual beach bonfire.  There she meets a handsome stranger and follows him to an abandoned boathouse hidden in low country marshes.  Little does she know that this small act of rebellion will be the catalyst for unraveling the truth about her regretful past, and the layers of deception her stepfather has masterminded.
When she begins to investigate the boating accident that tragically killed her mother and two other people, she discovers that her stepfather's suspicious behavior and control tactics are all part of a greater agenda.

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