C.D. Hersh's Blog, page 135
March 21, 2017
Wednesday Special Spotlight Disenchanted
Visits with
The talented author Leigh Goff who is here today to introduce you to Sophie Goodchild, the heroine from Disenchanted, a wonderful fantasy which Leigh has written.
Thank you for coming out today, Sophie. I won’t take much of your time. Please tell us how old are you?
I just turned sixteen and what a crazy ride it has been since my birthday. My magic was always less than expected and hard to control. My Aunt Janie thought my ordinary half was affecting my spellcasting witch half, but I recently learned that my diamond bloodcharm, a gemstone pendant from my mom, enhances my magic, and it has really made a difference in my spellcasting, but don’t tell anyone! I have a surprise in store for my coven.
Are your parents alive? Are they married? Are they divorced?
Sadly, my parents passed away when I was a small child. I have some memories of them, especially sitting on my mother’s lap and the warmth of her embrace. Their deaths haunt me because I have a feeling the mystery surrounding what happened has something to do with black-hearted Judge Mather. He is the father of the guy I’m falling hard for, but he is an unethical man who stops at nothing to get what he wants. He’s locked up half of my coven’s witches for magical slip-ups, and I fear he had something to do with my parents’ deaths.
If you were sent to a deserted island what three things would you take?
My godmother Phoebe’s sugared pansy petals because they are delicious and they melt in your mouth. I would bring my red diamond bloodcharm for sentimental and practical reasons. It belonged to my mother and it enhances my magic, which would come in handy on a deserted island. I would also include my hot boyfriend because he’s fearless when danger is near and that’s been a lot lately.
Do you have a hidden talent?
I can make a mean purple spaghetti sauce. It requires purple tomatoes and pink Parisian garlic along with a few special herbs from my Aunt Janie’s enchanted garden. I cast a simple puree spell on it to blend the ingredients together and it’s delicious.
Do you consider yourself and introvert or extrovert?
I’m an introvert. I’m not sure if being an introvert is my true nature or from a habit of keeping secrets and trying to blend in. The ordinaries in Wethersfield, a small Connecticut town steeped in Puritanical history, just can’t handle witch magic, so it’s best for everyone involved if we keep our talents hidden and being an introvert helps.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
A perfect day would be a day full of swoony kissing with my forbidden boyfriend, Alexavier. He’s an ordinary and a Mather. In case you don’t know your American history, the Mathers played a big role in condemning witches to hang in New England. Alexavier is a descendant of the man who condemned my ancestor, Rebecca Greensmith to hang at Gallows Hill so I get that he’s forbidden, but his bad boy ways and his hot British accent are so irresistible. Plus he’s hiding a secret that I just have to know. Did I mention he’s tall, dark-haired, and has lips that taste like sun-ripened peaches?
If I asked you to write an entry in your journal what would it be about?
A journal? I’ve been trying to unlock entries from my ancestor’s enchanted journal from three hundred and fifty years ago. So if I had a journal of my own, I might want to repay the favor and write something down that would help my descendant sometime in the future.
Tell me something no one else knows about you?
I love living in Wethersfield. It’s a small town, but I think in time, the people here will come to embrace the witches living among them. Fingers crossed!
Here’s a brief intro to Disenchanted where you can learn a little more about Sophie Goodchild.
Sophie Goodchild is a sixteen-year-old witch living with her eccentric aunt in the small town of Wethersfield, Connecticut—the sight of the first American Witch Trials. She is descended from a powerful black witch, but struggles with her erratic white magic while dealing with a mean girl witch clique known as the Glitterati, who love to make Sophie feel like she is less than they are.
Sophie is beautiful with wild waves of sable-colored hair, eyes the color of dark blue sapphires, and heart-shaped pillowy lips. More importantly, she is beautiful on the inside, although she hides it well behind her impatience and impetuousness, which makes her very relatable.
It is those heart-strong characteristics that lead her into trouble, and since she is ruled by her heart, she’s all in once she finds trouble. She is fiercely loyal, determined, and fearless and there is nothing she wouldn’t do or sacrifice for the ones she loves, especially when she learns of the true love curse her ancestor cast on the Mather family.
When Judge Mather, a descendant of the reverend who condemned Sophie’s witch ancestor to hang, finds out his handsome son (who has recently returned to Wethersfield with a sexy British accent and a face that could melt a black witch’s heart) has fallen hard for Sophie, things get even more dangerous for her. Dark secrets come to light and impossible choices are made as Sophie sacrifices everything, including her soul to save her forbidden true love.
Leigh’s next enchanting ever-after, Bewitching Hannah, will release this September.
Buy Links:
Mirror World Publishing – Amazon
Leigh Goff loves writing young adult fiction with elements of magic and romance because it’s also what she liked to read. Born and raised on the East Coast, she now lives in Maryland where she enjoys the area’s great history and culture.
Leigh is a graduate of the University of Maryland, University College and a member of the Maryland Writers’ Association and Romance Writers of America. She is also an approved artist with the Maryland State Arts Council. Her debut novel, Disenchanted, was inspired by the Wethersfield witches of Connecticut and was released by Mirror World Publishing. Leigh is currently working on her next novel, The Witch’s Ring which is set in Annapolis.
Learn more about Leigh Goff on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
March 20, 2017
Tell Again Tuesday Author Assistants
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
Author Assistants – What Are They and Can I Have One, Please?
Several months ago, I realized that with a day job, a non-profit foundation to run, and two books under contract, I needed some help. The book review submissions, the book tours, the social media posts, the contest submissions, and all the other PR and marketing that comes with being an author today left me with little to no time to write. What’s a poor, overworked author to do?
I turned to an author assistant. And before you think . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:
March 16, 2017
Friday Features FLY LIKE AN EAGLE
Special Guest
S.B.K. Burns
Today we turn the blog over to S.B.K. Burns, (Susan) to talk about her Sci-fi, time-travel, steampunk romance entitled FLY LIKE AN EAGLE. Take it away Susan.
My Theme today: Spirituality vs. Science
Many think that science and religion should be adversarial, but they’re really two different perspectives on reality. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase: Religion requires faith, and science requires proof. For writers these different perspectives can fuel conflicts in our stories. Especially when lovers exist on opposite sides of the fence.
In FLY LIKE AN EAGLE, Samantha as a tomboy does connect with nature, but is also aware of science and mathematical descriptions of it. Half-Native American, Eagle, designs hang gliders—kind of an applied scientist—but he is also immersed in his people’s flow, a blissful state of nature that allows all sorts of supernatural things to happen. So the world view of this novel is something like man against nature.
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BLURB:
It’s 1824 Philadelphia at the opening of the Franklin Institute of Science, and one of its founders, Samantha’s father, wants her to marry his business partner, a much older man, to keep their war industry dealings secret.
Looking for a way out of the arranged marriage, tomboy Sam finds it in Eagle, the half Native American son of the man she is to marry.
Eagle brings Samantha into his spiritual world, his bimijiwan, in order that she might stop their father’s preparations for an ironclad Civil War at sea. To do this, Sam might have to convince Benjamin Franklin to abandon his kite experiment.
EXCERPT: Tomboy Samantha investigates her father’s factory to discover secrets about the dirigibles he seems to be building there.
She examined the images along the wall more closely, making her way to the door, then slipped out.
The thumping and screeching of machinery, metal against metal, overwhelmed her hearing and rang out, vibrating the narrow bridge on which she stood. Below her, workers intent at their duties hadn’t looked up.
Too much noise. The factory workers down below didn’t notice a young woman holding her skirts up and exposing the bottoms of her frilly silk drawers as she did from time to time in performing her clandestine research. She should get an award for how deftly she descended ladder after ladder, floor-to-floor, unseen, until reaching the bottom.
Oh, my. A mild sulfur smell accosted her, and blackened oil from the bridge railings smudged her hands, petticoats, and gown.
Without thinking, she entered a room at the base of the ladder and saw something that reminded her of Vaughan’s painting—Migizi, naked to the waist, and shoveling coal into a small steam mechanism—a locomotive engine.
Because of the noise, he’d been unaware she stood behind him. And, God help her, she took in the magnificent sight—his skin much darker than hers, and his sizable muscles tensing as he lifted the shovel to deposit coal into the engine’s hopper. It would be hard to think of him as an intellectual after that.
He stopped to wipe his brow with a cloth and turned to see her.
She caught herself sliding her hand across her sweaty neck.
Moving toward her, reaching out, he handed her the cloth. He seemed mesmerized watching her wipe her hands, her neck, then dipping down below into the depths of her bodice. It was like an oven inside the room—her whole body damp, her pulse quickening.
“Come.” Migizi raised his voice against the noise filtering in from the plant as he closed the door to the outer factory, then the heavy black iron door to the furnace.
From his stare returning to her person, he was anything but unaware of her state of disarray.
Migizi motioned toward the other end of the room, where sheets of newsprint, some rolled into cylinders, rested on a table.
Getting a nod from him, she unrolled one, recognizing it as a diagram of what could have been the wings of the monster she’d seen out back of her manor house.
“Another form of art,” she said aloud, realizing she wasn’t just speaking of his drawings, but of his muscular torso. When finally she looked up, he’d moved too close to her and was breathing a bit strangely. Was it the hot and humid conditions of the room or something else?
With every muscle she’d seen illustrated in her anatomy books gloriously evident on his smooth chest, he didn’t seem embarrassed or aware of his level of disrobement. No, not in the least.
About the Author:
RWA Award winning author of sci-fi romance, S.B.K. Burns (Susan), led a first career life as a science teacher in junior high school, then as an aerospace forensics expert on the F-16 assembly line. She went on to publishing her work on two-dimensional, low energy instabilities in an expanding universe. Her last position before developing her philosophy website and storytelling, was as an applied mathematician developing computer models of irrigation emitters from crops planted on sloping land that needed differential watering amounts.
My work in progress, now in editing:
STAND ALONE WIP: FLAT SPIN, a space opera romance, in which a kidnapped alien girl is to be returned to her people by an American aerospace-plane test pilot. Much of the aerospace forensics that make up this world is based on my own experiences at the F-16 Materials Lab of General Dynamics at Carswell AFB.
Other stories on the backburner:
LEGENDS OF THE GOLDENS SERIES: in LOVE ME, BITE ME, we meet Chastity, the most powerful Golden/Human hybrid who falls for a vampire, Drake, from the Dacon clan of vampire baddies. The next book in the series, a space opera (VAMPIRES IN SPACE?), Drake and Chastity’s combative love story will be front and center. All the posturing, arguing, and sexual tension is part of their foreplay.
AGES OF INVENTION SERIES: The third book in this series will feature a romance between Naomi, the quantum, time-traveling machine pilot and her “schizophrenic” fiance, Maxwell. Scientifically it will cover the scientific history of electrical flow (coming out of Franklin’s Kite Experiment) and leading to Einstein’s theories.
CONTACTS:
March 14, 2017
Wednesday Special Spotlight BETWEEN VENUS AND MARS
Shines On
The talented S. C. Mitchell who brings us his latest entrancing, steamy novella that makes you smile. Be sure to get your copy today!
THE SOUL MATE TREE, BOOK THREE:
BETWEEN VENUS AND MARS
An ancient legend spanning eras, continents, and worlds. To some, it’s nothing more than a dream. To others, a pretty fairy tale handed down through the generations.
For those in critical need of their own happy ending, a gift.
Once Upon a Galaxy . . .
Zana Starchild is on a mission to restore her tribe’s livestock and save herself from one more meal of kelp. Sure, it’s technically illegal to visit Old Earth, but to a rim rat like Zana, galactic laws are really just guidelines. Her wrecked starship just means she’ll need to use her backup plan to get off the abandoned world, an old Earth legend her uncle passed down to her.
Pulled from a relaxing shower, across the galaxy to Old Earth, Galactic Marshall Kyle Kepler finds himself naked and marooned with a quirky rim rat. Zana’s broken more laws than Kyle can count, and he plans to arrest her, just as soon as he can find transport off the planet and a pair of pants.
A junk heap of a starship, a magical tree, and a roving gang of mutant kangaroos are just the beginning of rollicking intergalactic journey filled with laughs, love, and adventure.
Amazon Link
When series collide:
Between Venus and Mars is not only set the multi-dimensional worlds of the Soul Mate Tree legend, but also ties into my Hearts in Orbit series, a futuristic universe filled with starships, aliens, and new technologies. And, of course, romance. The Soul Mate Tree project offered me a great way to play with some new characters and further develop my universe, while partnering with some of the best authors in the business.
The Hearts in Orbit universe is a place where galactic marshals keep the peace in the cosmopolitan Core Worlds as well as the wild-west type rim world planets. While this book works as a standalone, and you don’t have to have read any of the others, I consider it Hearts in Orbit 2.5, fitting nicely between Pirates of the Dark Nebula and my soon-to-be-released Hearts in Orbit 3 novel Captives of the Kratzen.
Series Link
Hidden strengths, adventurous hearts.
S.C.Mitchell grew up an avid reader of comic books, science fiction and fantasy literature. He’s been writing stories for over thirty years. In 2010 he left his job as a computer desktop support specialist to pursue his passion for writing full time. He is a member of the Romance Writers of America as well as the Wisconsin chapter.
As a writer of paranormal and sci-fi romance, fantasy, and science fiction, Steve crafts unique and wondrous worlds where his characters explore, romp, and fall in love. Whether traveling through dark, demon filled dimensions, the edge of wild space, or ancient mythological heavens, his heroes and heroines, guided by their adventurous hearts, discover hidden strengths on their pathway to enduring love.
You’ll find Steve at:
Blog , Facebook, Twitter, Amazon Author Page.
Additional info:
Tag Line: An intergalactic adventure filled with laughs, love, and adventure.
Videos:
March 13, 2017
Tell Again Tuesday 10 Things My Friends Taught Me
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
2016 was the year I started listening to those around me. After spending the first part of the year dismissing advice and top tips from my creative friends (as I thought I knew best… sigh!) I thought I would do something different in the second half of last year.
So I listened, took advice and almost immediately started squeaking “oh my goodness you were right!”
As you can imagine . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:
March 9, 2017
Friday Feature Sara Daniel Butternut Squash Casserole
Guest talks about
Winter Comfort Food
by
Sara Daniel
Need something warm and a little sweet for these cold winter nights? How about butternut squash casserole. Preparing the squash is a bit of work, but the end result is so worth it.
Butternut Squash Casserole
1 butternut squash
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. flour
3 eggs
¼ cup margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Microwave squash for 5-7 minutes. Skin, cut in half, scoop out seeds and cut into big chunks. Cook in pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes, until tender. Drain and mash.
Combine all ingredients in 9 X 13 inch dish.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Topping
8 oz. vanilla wafers
½ cup margarine, melted
1 cup brown sugar
Crush vanilla wafers. Combine wafers, margarine, and brown sugar. Spread over cooked casserole and bake for 5 more minutes.
Here’s a little teaser from my contemporary romance for your reading pleasure.
Love is his enemy…and her answer.
A nationally televised bombshell revealing a secret son turns marriage therapist Caleb Paden’s life upside down. While others focus on the public relations disaster for his company, he can only think of rescuing his baby and providing the stable home dictated by his marriage theories—one devoid of love and emotions.
Olivia Wells might not be the baby’s biological mother, but she loves him as much as any parent could. Letting him go will break her heart. Letting him go to a man who doesn’t believe in love will tear her apart.
As she helps Caleb bond with his child, Olivia finds herself falling for the man behind the stuffy therapist persona. However, he wants nothing to do with her love and emotions, and those are the only things she has to give. If she can’t convince him love is the answer, not the enemy, she will lose both the baby she loves and her heart.
EXCERPT
“Scones?” He recoiled as if she’d announced the kitchen teemed with roaches.
“You don’t like them?” She set the tin on the side table and arranged the dishes of butter and strawberry preserves.
“No.”
She bit her tongue over the urge to tell him how much she detested his books. “I use a recipe my grandmother brought over from Scotland. I serve plain scones along with two other flavors of the day.”
“Coffee will suffice.” He picked up his cup. “Thank you, Olivia, for your hospitality. I’m in need of a room tonight for myself and my, uh, son. A suite would be best, if possible. I’ll pay the going rate, naturally.”
He had no idea what “going rate” she offered to misguided marriage therapists. Not that it mattered. Whether he paid for his stay or not, he had to sleep under her roof. The storm didn’t leave either of them a choice. And she had plenty of rooms. Her other scheduled guests for the week had cancelled due to the weather. “Of course you need to stay. But Liam already has his own room and he’s currently asleep there.”
“From now on, he’ll stay with me.”
Her heart fell to the pit of her stomach. “Dr. Paden, you’re chilled and must have had a terrible drive. Why don’t you relax and worry about yourself this evening. Liam is on a schedule where he goes to sleep before dinner and sleeps through to the early morning. I’ll introduce you to him then.”
He set down his coffee cup with an ominous clank. “I didn’t come here for coffee and scones. I came for my son. Take me to him now.”
She clasped her shaking hands behind her back. She had no legal claim to Liam. But how could she give up the child she loved to such an overbearing, pompous ass?
BUY LINKS:
Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – iBooks – GooglePlay
Sara Daniel writes what she loves to read—irresistible romance, from sweet to erotic and everything in between. She battles a serious NASCAR addiction, was once a landlord of two uninvited squirrels, and loses her car keys several times a day.
Learn more about Sara on her website and blog. Subscribe to Sara’s newsletter.
Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
March 7, 2017
Wednesday Special Spotlight Spinster #Victorian #YA
Shines On
Suzanne G. Rogers
With the right balance of dialogue and description Suzanne G. Rogers explores the fate of spinsters in 1800s Britain in her sweet Victorian romance Spinster. This delightful story is filled with clever twists so there’s never a dull moment. Spinster is a great book for YA fans and adults who enjoy a good read.
Staring down life as an old maid, newly jilted Clare flees to a country home she’s inherited from her grandmother. She doesn’t count on clashing with her handsome neighbor, whose gentlemanly manners and education are at odds with his workingman’s image. As their relationship unfolds, however, she discovers the mysterious Meriweather Holcroft is not what he appears to be.
EXCERPT
At the dinner table that evening, Clare decided to broach the topic of her future to her family.
“You’ve been walking on eggshells around me since I was jilted, and I feel dreadful for causing you such discomfort.”
“Nonsense.” Her father’s voice was gruff. “You’ve held up remarkably well, all things considered.”
Her sister’s response was far more dramatic. “If it had been me, I would have taken to my bed for weeks.”
Lady Ladd gave Clare a sympathetic glance. “We’ve just been worried about you, dearest.”
“I know, and I love you for it. But you needn’t worry about me any longer.” Clare cleared her throat. “On Monday, I’m going away.”
“I concur.” Sir Andrew glanced up from his cucumber soup. “A holiday might be just the thing to take your mind off your troubles.”
“Yes, indeed, that’s a wonderful idea.” Lady Ladd seemed relieved. “Perhaps a few days in London will pick up your spirits?”
“If you’re going to Brighton, do take me along.” Nell’s expression was hopeful. “I’d love to go sea bathing.”
“I’m not going on holiday.” Clare paused to let a sudden rush of emotion relax its grip on her throat. “Grandmama left me her cottage just outside of Stroud and a reasonable income. I’m going there to begin a new life on my own.”
Her pronouncement was met with a long moment of shocked silence.
“No.” Her father finally erupted in protest. “Are you out of your senses? It’s not proper for you to live alone and unchaperoned.”
“Unchaperoned?” Clare’s laugh sounded bitter, even to her own ears. “Papa, we must face the fact I’m no longer a debutante whose reputation must be carefully guarded. Forgive me for speaking plainly, but I’m on the shelf. Your eldest daughter is a spinster.”
Suzanne’s historical Victorian YA book is now available for your Kindle at Amazon.
Suzanne G. Rogers lives with her husband and son in romantic Savannah, Georgia, on an island populated by deer, exotic birds, and the occasional gator. She’s owned by two Sphynx cats, Houdini and Nikita. Movies, books, and writing are her passions.
Learn more about Suzanne G. Rogers on her historical romance blog and her fantasy blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.
March 6, 2017
Tell Again Tuesday Reader vs Character
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
Reader vs Character
Okay, not in a fight club, battle to the death with Original Star Trek fight music blaring in the background type of way–but still, a fight of sorts.
Writers need to always keep in mind what the reader probably knows from the real world. This can be a problem of focus: don’t step by step me on how to start a car unless there is something new or unique about it, or the car is going to blow up, fly, or vanish. Most people know how cars work. When an author focuses on a mundane, everyday thing, I’m waiting for something NON-mundane to happen. When it doesn’t, I become peeved. Peeved readers bad.
Another problem with reader knowledge is . . .
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March 2, 2017
Friday Feature The Last Timekeepers Series
Guest talks about
A TASTY MEMORY FROM HOME
by
Sharon Ledwith
When I began writing The Last Timekeepers Time Travel series, I wrote it with the intention of creating a nostalgic, good old days feeling to take tweens and teens (and hopefully many adults too) on an adventure in time that would keep them reading, smiling, and begging for more books. That said, I made sure that each book also included a scene involving food to allow my characters a chance to rest and mull over what has taken place so far during their Timekeeper mission—think family chats at the dinner table after a long day or those Sunday family get-togethers at supper. Call me sentimental, but there’s something about mixing food with a fun read!
This recipe is among one of my favorites my mother used to prepare for family get-togethers or the holidays. With a melt-in-your-mouth texture, this dish is sure to put a smile on any face—even those who cringe at the thought of broccoli or cauliflower on their plates. Easy to prepare with a prep time of fifteen minutes and cook time of approximately sixty minutes, this supreme cheesy feast serves around six of your famished family members or hungry guests.
Supreme Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Cheese Casserole
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms (pieces and stems)
1 tbsp. butter
Half and half cream
Head of Cauliflower
Bunch of Broccoli
Dash of paprika
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite size pieces. Drop into a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drain the vegetables well and set aside.
Fry mushrooms lightly in butter until browned.
Empty cans of soup into a saucepan and add one can of half and half cream. Stir until smooth. Set stove to medium heat. Stirring frequently, bring the mixture just to the boil.
Place vegetables in lightly greased casserole dish. Pour mushrooms and soup mixture over the vegetables. Garnish with paprika if desired.
Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil to brown, then cook for another 20-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Since you’ve got some wiggle room to relax, why not set your butt in the closest cozy chair, and crack open one of The Last Timekeepers books?
The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, Book #2 Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING – AMAZON – AMAZON.CA – BARNES & NOBLE
The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, Book #1 Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING – AMAZON – BARNES & NOBLE
Legend of the Timekeepers, prequel Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING – AMAZON – BARNES & NOBLE
BONUS: Download the free PDF short story The Terrible, Mighty Crystal HERE.
Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.
Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Smashwords. Look up her Amazon Author page for a list of current books. Be sure to check out THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS TIME TRAVEL SERIES Facebook page.
February 28, 2017
Wednesday Special Spotlight Peyton Garver
Shines On
Peyton Garver
SUBLIME KARMA
by Peyton Garver
Genre: YA Contemporary (older YA age group)
Content Warning: profanity and violence, contemporary adolescent themes are prevalent and confronted such as bullying, suicide, cutting
When Brie’s stepfather moves the family for what he calls a new beginning, it’s not the new beginning she would have hoped for. Brie is targeted by a group of popular girls at her new school, and the only available seat on her bus is next to the school’s star wide receiver, Jake, who for some reason, finds her offensive. After a humiliating article and picture of Brie is posted in the online school journal, a demon she thought she’d overcome resurfaces, and her life unravels. A newly compassionate Jake has finally taken an interest in her, but can Brie learn to trust her heart, or will she miss out on the best thing that ever happened to her?
Jake has his own secrets and has built his own walls, but eventually his curiosity about the new girl gets the best of him. Unfortunately, now there is competition: the captain of her cross-country team. Jake’s romantic histories with the girl next door and the school’s queen bee, adds tension to a simmering tempest when all he wants is Brie. Is he strong enough to help the one he loves weave sense into her crumbling new reality while overcoming his own tainted past?
The bus snaked its way through the country roads, and then to the lavish development that backed up to the woods behind his house. Upperclassmen from this neighborhood had their own cars. This bus collected the underclassmen: those few who weren’t chauffeured, as minions of the privileged.
Jake leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest, not looking at the kids coming down the aisle. None dared to ask if they could sit in the empty space next to him. They’d sit three to a seat rather than make that request. Just the way he wanted it.
The over-filled bus pulled to a stop midway down Belmont Circle. New stop? Jake looked out his window at the estate with a circular drive. Huh. It finally sold. He watched as a single figure headed toward the bus. What, so now they get door-to-door service? He rolled his eyes.
Seconds later, she stood in the aisle waiting. From his seat, his eyes skimmed up passed her faded jeans and plain, loose sweater, and his breath caught in his throat. Her long blond hair was pulled to the side in a loose braid. Her face? Ethereal. But then, his flustered gaze became an annoyed glare.
Her bleak gray eyes seemed to look right through him before they darted to the space next to him. Did she even register his indignation? She must have. Yet, she stood there in the aisle twisting the loose adjustment strap on her backpack tightly around her fingers.
“May I sit here?” her meek voice broke the silence that had fallen around them.
Noticing the hush of conversation, Jake’s eyes skimmed the crowded bus. There was no doubt he and this new girl had an audience. Not something he relished.
His eyes swept back to her. He could tell she was nervous. He heard it in her quavering voice and saw it in the way she avoided his eyes. He could just say no. But, as long as she was standing, the bus wouldn’t budge. Becca looked at him from her seat across the aisle then whipped her phone out and started her eager texting. He narrowed his eyes at her, and then with a smirk, he stood.
“Really?” he bit out at her under his breath, leaning close so only she could hear. He grabbed his backpack from the seat and football bag off the wheel well and then moved his six-foot-one frame into the aisle. With a jerk of his head, he directed her to the space by the window.
She slipped by him with lithesome poise, maneuvering in the small space without so much as brushing against him. He watched her settle into the seat with perfect posture, even though her feet were raised up on the wheel well. Her vacant eyes never returned to his. So, why was his heart suddenly beating faster? Was it because of his rudeness and the fact that she ignored it? Could it be remorse? She didn’t seem to have that presumptuous, stuck-up attitude that so annoyed him. She looked almost . . . empty.
Amazon ✯ Amazon Int’l ✯ Goodreads
As a child, Peyton called places like Livorno, Italy; Orléans, France; and Augsburg, Germany home. She has since settled in Maryland, where she earned her degree in education at Towson State University, married her sweetheart of two years, and became an instant mother to three spirited young boys before adding another son to the brood. And, with their yellow lab George, it’s no stretch to say she’s outnumbered.
When not writing, Peyton is a full time teacher. Inspired by the individual spirits, heartaches, and triumphs of her students, Peyton has developed characters who resemble real world teens dealing with real issues: relationships, jealousy, bullying, and depression. Her newest novel, Sublime Karma, is a contemporary story filled with emotion, depth, wit, and suspense.
When asked if she actually involves her students in her stories, Peyton answered that her stories are completely fictional, but then admitted to an activity in which she does involve them. “One quirky, fun thing I like to do with students who have read my book is develop a dream cast for my characters. That all started when a group of girls were arguing over which actor they thought best fit the character Four in Veronica Roth’s novel Divergent. They then turned their efforts to my manuscript. I’ve since added those dream casts to my website.”
When she’s not teaching or writing, Peyton enjoys traveling. The Caribbean Islands have become a favorite vacation getaway for Peyton and her husband. “Nothing is better than sitting on a beach, in front of the crystal clear sea, enveloped in the warmth of the tropical sun with a frosty piña colada and a good book that I just can’t put down.”
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