Margo Bond Collins's Blog, page 106
July 11, 2014
Spotlight On: Dreams of Perfection by Rebecca Heflin
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rebecca will be awarding an author-graphed ebook to two randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter. Click the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
What if perfection isn’t truly perfect?
Best-selling romance writer, Darcy Butler, is holding out for perfection in the form of her own carefully-crafted heroes. Once blissfully engaged to be married, Darcy’s post-traumatic commitment phobia is depriving her of the very thing she wants most: her very own happily-ever-after. Now, here she is just six months shy of her thirtieth birthday, and not a Prince Charming in sight.
Successful lawyer, Josh Ryan, is the boy-next-door with a soft spot for the less fortunate, and Darcy’s best friend without benefits. Darcy often comes to him lamenting her love-life, or the lack thereof, whereupon Josh patiently doles out his sage advice. Problem is Josh is in love with Darcy.
But when Darcy finds herself looking into the handsome face of the man who graces the cover of her soon-to-be-released novel, she’s convinced her dreams of perfection have come true. Or have they?
About the Author:
Rebecca Heflin is an award-winning author who has dreamed of writing romantic fiction since she was fifteen and her older sister snuck a copy of Kathleen Woodiwiss’ Shanna to her and told her to read it. Rebecca writes women’s fiction and contemporary romance. When not passionately pursuing her dream, Rebecca is busy with her day-job as a practicing attorney.
Rebecca is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), Florida Romance Writers, RWA Contemporary Romance, and Florida Writers Association. She and her mountain-climbing husband live at sea level in sunny Florida.
Awards:
2013 Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award Finalist (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence Winner (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Virginia Romance Writers Holt Medallion Award of Merit (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Georgia Romance Writers Published Maggie Finalist (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Shooting Star Award (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Finalist (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers’ Awards Finalist (The Promise of Change)
2011 Royal Palm Literary Awards Finalist (The Promise of Change)
Website: http://www.rebeccaheflin.com/wordpress/
Blog: http://www.rebeccaheflin.com/wordpress/blog/
Twitter: @RebeccaHeflin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaHeflinBooks
Spotlight On: Never Upon A Time by Meredith Jade
Book Description
You ’ ve always hated her, but you might not know the whole story. . .
Edith may not be brazen and enchanted like her twin sister, Ember, but in a world of dying magic, perhaps her simple desires are enough.
After a Selection Banquet gone awry, Edith is left without a suitor or a plan. Befriending a little white fox and occupying herself with a philanthropic project outside castle walls, Edith soon rebuilds morale and musters enough courage to reach out to her estranged twin sister.
But Ember’s been harboring an evil secret – and thwarted love and jealous can turn acts of merit into classic tales of wickedness in this new twist on an old tale.
Book Excerpt
The twins were ushered to their places alongside their father at the head of the table. Suspicion and unease distracted Edith as she watched her sister’s boisterous entrance, and she completely forgot to tidy herself. She had gotten ready and gone down to the kitchens at sunrise, so whatever primping she had done was most likely melted away, brushed off or wrinkled up. As was life sometimes. Her appearance may have been untended, but every meringue was torched, every cake iced and all glasses and hearts brimming. Regardless of how prepared the dinner was, though, being prepared for blind marriage at a moment’s notice was mortifying, especially for a quiet girl. Because, for pity’s sake, who wouldn’t be a little unnerved by such an orchestrated union as was about to happen? Edith was beginning to be glad she wasn’t a sorceress or soothsayer. Who could possibly face each sunrise with any amount of morale when they knew the exact affliction awaiting them?
The dinner was a whirling blur of meaningless, superficial conversation. Then, unexpectedly in a most expectant of times, three resounding knocks echoed through the hall. It was the deep, guttural sound that makes a heart quiver behind its cage. The guests, having dropped their utensils and ceased their chewing, slid to the edges of their seats.
Ember, confidently unruffled, continued cutting her elk steak into dainty, bite-sized pieces. Edith, on the other hand, could have vomited at the sound. An overwhelming feeling of dread suddenly overcame her, its tidal wave effect nearly driving her to run away from the ridiculous scene to the refuge of her garden or her mixing bowls.
Buy Links
Formal: Amazon Paperback
Format: Kindle
About the Author
Meredith Jade was raised in a small town by parents who taught her to love reading. From the moment she could hold pencil to paper, she wrote. After graduating college and traveling abroad teaching English in Uttaradit, Thailand for a year, she came home. Writing was that home. Her writing has a range of inspirations, all a result of her voracious reading as a child and young adult. Anything from Victorian Literature to bird watching guides to NY Times best sellers have served as an agent for her imagination. Never Upon a Time is her first novel.
Connect with Meredith
Email: meredith.jade7@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meredith-Jade/648465681892404?ref_type=bookmark
Blog: http://thereaderproject.wordpress.com
Twitter: @meredithjade
Fabulosity Reads Book Promotions is a book touring website that promotes authors and their precious works to an extensive audience using blogs, twitter, Facebook and other Social Media, with the aim of introducing them to an appreciative readership.
They offer a diverse range of both complimentary and affordable products to help the reach of your book go that much further.
July 10, 2014
Cover Reveal: The Shadow Aspect by Melanie Karsak
When Layla took the final step through the labyrinth, she thought she was saving the ones she loved.
She couldn’t have been more wrong.
The unwitting victims of a grudge seething for eons, Layla and the other survivors now find themselves in a war for our world. With vampires lurking and shapechangers plotting vengeance, if mankind has any hope of survival, Layla must decide whom to trust: the carnie girl? The quiet doctor? The tarot reader? The stranger with alluring gold eyes? Or the man she loves? And then there are the voices. What does it forewarn if the dead can speak?
When the world burns, mankind’s shadow side rises. Do we deserve to survive?
___________________________
About the Author:
Melanie Karsak is the author of the Amazon best-selling steampunk series The Airship Racing Chronicles and the award-winning The Harvesting Series. Melanie grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania and earned a Master’s degree in English from Gannon University. A steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, and zombie whisperer, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.
___________________________
Excerpt
Vasilisa had walked down same path from her family’s farm to town every day for as long as she could remember. She was barely strong enough to carry the packs of freshly harvested roots and herbs when her mother had tasked her with the job. But Vasilisa had never complained. What was the use? Now that she was a young woman, her daily routine seemed as automated as breathing: wake, wash her face, dress, feed her younger siblings, comb out the tattered mess her restless sleep had made out of her wheat colored tresses, then harvest herbs to take to the distillery. Only now she could carry more. Only now her mother was dead.
Vasilisa walked eyes on the pebbly path below her feet, from her farm, through the field, and into the woods. In ten minutes, she would meet the modern road. If she was lucky, someone would give her a ride to town. If she wasn’t, it would take thirty minutes to walk there. If she was really lucky, Sasha Petrovich would drive by in his rusted truck and give her a ride. Vasilisa’s heart picked up a pace when she thought of it.
In the forest, the sunlight shining through the canopy of green, Vasilisa stopped beside the old spring and took off her packs. Long ago someone had shifted the rocks to make a natural basin. She dipped her hands in the water and took a drink. The fresh spring water had a sharp, metallic taste. Vasilisa splashed water onto her face. That year the Soviets had sent a satellite into space, yet Vasilisa walked the same path her ancestors had followed for hundreds of years. She performed the same work they did in the exact same way. She knew this because they told her so. The spirits, sometimes clustered around her so closely in the family home that she felt claustrophobic, were a noisy bunch. Vasilisa’s grandmother, the stubborn matriarch who’d passed on her psychic gift to Vasilisa, was always the loudest. Sometimes Vasilisa felt like she was lost in time. And as she dug in her pack to leave three cubes of sugar at the side of the spring, a gift for the forest spirits, she felt the crush of the her discordant world: ancient and modern in one jumbled mess.
She picked up her packs and headed back toward the road. To her luck, a truck was passing just as she emerged from the woods. But it was not Sasha. Vasilisa waved, and the truck slowed. With a nod to the driver, she crawled into the back of the pick-up and sat with the family dog. She dangled her feet off the back of the truck, smelling the exhaust, as the truck rumbled toward town. It didn’t take long to get to get there.
Vasilisa hopped off the back of the truck as the driver slowed to let her out. She waved in thanks as the truck sped away. Vasilisa turned toward town square but first stopped, dug into her pocket, and pulled out the only tube of lipstick she owned; it was cherry red. She twisted the gold casing, carefully applied the lipstick, then trudged to the distillery.
The distillery was on the far end of the market square. The square was bustling in its grim, drab way. There were no longer any breadlines, that was a thing of the past, but the townspeople still looked miserable. They carried their baskets and sacks of produce, their faces blank, their feet scurrying.
The sign above the distillery door squeaked as it rocked in the wind. Its sound carried on the wind. Vasilisa pushed the door open. As usual, Yuri was in the front office laboring hard over heaps of papers, the room a blue haze of cigarette smoke. Crates of vodka bottles were stacked to the ceiling. The clear glass bottles twinkled in the morning light.
“Good morning,” Vasilisa said.
“Good morning,” Yuri replied absently. He didn’t even look up. Why would he? The routine had become mundane.
Vasilisa took her packs to the scale on the other side of the room. She set the packs down, noted the weight, and picked up the empty bags from yesterday’s delivery. The unbleached cotton bags still smelled like the anise, mint, lavender, and basil they’d carried.
“Five and a half kilos,” she told Yuri.
Yuri never looked at Vasilisa but turned to the till and started counting bills.
As he worked, Vasilisa noticed she was there again. She stood beside Yuri, watching him work. The spirit of Yuri’s sister often came around him, but she rarely spoke. Vasilisa saw her and saw through her all at once. It seemed to Vasilisa her shade seemed cloudier today, her facial figures less distinct than they had been on other days.
The shade turned at looked at Vasilisa. “Tell him to stop smoking,” she said then began to dissipate back into the ether, her cloudy, spiritual form slowly fading until she was there no more.
With a nod, Yuri handed Vasilisa her pay. He was about to go back to his work when Vasilisa asked, “Can I have a cigarette?”
He shrugged. “Sure,” he said, and quickly rolled a cigarette for her. His tin and papers had been sitting open on his desk.
“I think you smoke too much,” Vasilisa told him as she set the cigarette between her lips.
Yuri leaned in and lit the cigarette for her.
“You’re probably right,” he replied with a nod. “Drink?” he asked then, looking Vasilisa over as he was sometimes did when he stopped long enough to pay attention to her.
Vasilisa waved her hand. “Tu-tu-tu, it’s early.”
“It’s never too early.”
She shrugged. “See you tomorrow.”
Yuri nodded and turned back to his work.
Vasilisa crossed the street to the grocer. In the small, cramped shop, she went to the metal cooler and pulled out a chilled Coca-Cola. The cold glass bottle made her hands throb with chill. She popped the metal lid off the bottle, dropped some coins on the counter, then headed outside. She leaned against the building. Tapping her heal into the ground, she smoked and waited. After thirty minutes, Sasha still had not come. Maybe he had gone to the city. Vasilisa sighed. It was time to go back. She knew the little ones would be waiting; her father would already be working in the field. She left the town center and headed back to the road.
She’d been walking for ten minutes when she heard the familiar purr of Sasha’s truck. She grinned involuntarily. As the truck pulled alongside her, she dropped her smile and tried to look serious.
“I’m late. I know,” Sasha said as he leaned across the truck’s cab and opened the door.
Vasilisa gave him a serious look.
“Come on, beauty. I’m sorry. The truck would not start.”
Vasilisa sighed and got in, pulling the truck door behind her with a heave. She slid across the seat and nestled under Sasha’s arm.
“I thought maybe your mother had you visiting Irina again.”
“My mother knows I only have eyes for Vasilisa.”
“That doesn’t mean she cares.”
Sasha shrugged. They road in silence, soaking in each other’s presence, until Sasha pulled the truck into the small alcove at the forest path leading back to Vasilisa’s farm.
“Your father should clear a road. I could drive you all the way to the house.”
Vasilisa shrugged. “We prefer it like this.”
“We?”
Sasha looked closely at Vasilisa. He reached out and touched her pouty lips, the lipstick now faded. He stared deeply into her green eyes. “Well, it does provide privacy, doesn’t it?”
Vasilisa smiled knowingly then turned and slid onto Sasha’s lap. They kissed with desperation. Their time together could only be brief. Most of their moments were stolen. Vasilisa slid her hands around Sasha’s neck and kissed him desperately. His lips were warm and his mouth tasted like raw sugar. The sharp scent of milled soap perfumed his freshly washed skin. She nestled her head into the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply, then sighed.
“I won’t be late tomorrow, my love,” he whispered in her ear.
“Good. Don’t be,” she said with mock firmness then kissed him quickly. She slid off his lap into the seat. She smoothed her hair and checked her reflection. Wordlessly, Vasilisa kissed Sasha one more time then got out of the truck.
Sasha sighed heavily. “Be careful,” he called, gazing back toward the forest.
Vasilisa laughed, waved, then turned toward home. As she receded into the forest, she heard Sasha’s truck maneuver onto the road. She listened for the truck until she couldn’t hear it anymore. She was left alone with only the sound of the forest and the taste of her lover’s mouth still ripe on her lips.
Vasilisa walked happily through the woods, planning her chores for the day, savoring her memories of Sasha. She stopped once more at the spring. She took her time, washing her face, drinking the clear water. Vasilisa was so lost in her thoughts that when hear ears started to buzz, her head ring, she felt surprised. Usually she was more aware of her surroundings. Usually she was more aware of the others who might be watching, especially in the forest. Dreaming of Sasha, she had not even heard the other person join her at the spring, not as if they ever made any noise. Vasilisa stiffened and looked up. An old woman stood at one side of the spring and was looking intently at Vasilisa. Her clothing, no more than tattered black rags, brushed the ground. Her hair was long, gray, and matted. Her face, however, hinted that she had once been beautiful, even though she was now very old. Her sharp, dark blue eyes studied Vasilisa.
Vasilisa knew she was in trouble. This was not one of the departed. She was one of those from the otherworld. The woman had crossed the planes to join Vasilisa. Cautiously, Vasilisa leaned toward the spring and lifted the copper cup that dangled there. She dipped the cup into the water and offered the drink to the stranger.
“This spring is older than your town,” the woman commented wryly, taking the cup from Vasilisa’s hand. “But the water is still fresh—unlike the rest of your world.”
Using her peripheral vision, Vasilisa eyed the old woman over. This was no common forest spirit, rusalka, leshi, or vodiovoi. Though she wore the clothes of a beggar, the woman’s stern authority, power, and presence made her identity obvious. There was not one child in Russia who didn’t know the name of the wise woman of the forest, the name of the powerful and terrible Baba Yaga. And Vasilisa knew, without a doubt, that it was this ancient matriarch who was staring at her. At once, Vasilisa was both feared and awed. What would the ancient one want from her? How many lusty leshi men had Vasilisa turned aside since her grandmother had taught her to recognize the others in our world. But Baba Yaga was something different, something rare and powerful.
The old woman took a sip then handed the cup back to Vasilisa.
“You must leave Mother Russia and go to America,” Baba Yaga said then.
The randomness of the directive startled Vasilisa so much that she stared Baba Yaga in the face. The woman’s words shocked and confused her, but the ancient matriarch’s hard gaze told her that this was not a debate, it was a command.
“Why?” Vasilisa asked.
The old woman laughed.
Vasilisa’s cheeks reddened. The moment the word left her mouth she knew she should have taken a more respectful tone. But the United States? Sure, she and Sasha had talked about going to America, about starting a new life there, but to leave Soviet Russia was difficult and relations between the United States and the Soviets were not good. She also had her family to consider.
“Because you must,” Baba Yaga said seriously.
“Because you said so?”
“You question me?” Baba Yaga replied, her tone precariously balanced somewhere between warning and amusement.
Vasilisa tried to smile softly. “One should never follow blindly.”
Baba Yaga seemed to like this answer. “If you value life, if you value the heart that beats within you, the blood in your veins, then you will go. You will be needed, and you must go to America to fulfill your role.”
Every hair on the back of Vasilisa’s neck has risen, and her skin chilled. “But I have a life here . . . Sasha . . .”
Baba Yaga shrugged. “What matters is that you go to America.”
“For my important role,” Vasilisa replied smartly, but this time she saw that Baba Yaga was losing her patience.
The old woman’s lips curled. “No more questions. If you can really see, you will know I am right.”
Behind them, a group of crow’s cawed, fighting one another over the remains of an animal carcass lying on the forest floor. Vasilisa turned to look. When she turned back, Baba Yaga was gone.
Vasilisa sat down on the ground beside the spring. She rested her head on the cool stones. Her heart was beating wildly. Could she trust the word of the ancient matriarch? Could she trust the witch in the forest they had all grown up to fear? Surely Baba Yaga had taken pains to cross the border between the worlds, but why? And why Vasilisa? What could Vasilisa possibly do that would be so important?
She turned again to the cawing crows. They pecked and danced as they fought over the bloody corpse. Their battle looked more like ballet than argument, but their caws rung loud and long and filled the forest with their clarion call.
___________________________
The Harvesting is available at Amazon.com: Link:
___________________________
Connect with the Author:
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/OSPDH
Blog: http://melaniekarsak.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelanieKarsak
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelanieKarsak
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/melaniekarsak/
Email: karsakmelanie@gmail.com
Books available here:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Melanie-Karsak/e/B009DKGKQG
___________________
ENTER TO WIN
Direct link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/309ef135/
___________________________
Spotlight On: Collide by Christine Fonseca
Collide
by Christine
Fonseca
Release Date: 07/07/14
What if psychic warfare is real???
Christine Fonseca’s latest action-packed, heart-pounding
thriller COLLIDE, explores the world of psychic warfare with a new twist!
Summary from Goodreads:
The most dangerous
secrets are the ones that kill.
When a surprising mental breakdown draws too much attention from a secret
government group call the Order, 17-year-old Dakota discovers that her
so-called boring life isn’t so boring after all. Between the lies, secrets and
assassins out to kill her family, Dakota discovers there’s more to paranormal
activity than ghosts and cheap mind tricks. Now she must uncover the truth
before a new breed of terrorism takes everything away – including her life.
________________
Excerpt
An introduction into the Solomon Experiments and Dr. LeMercier:
Project Stargate 2.0
The Solomon Experiments
Dr. LeMercier’s Personal Journal –
June 29, 2002
Day 1:
The children are assembled, selected from a pool of more than a thousand recruits. It’s exciting to have so many of the former participants’ offspring in this group. I expect Jennings and Harrison to provide strong recruits. We agreed it best if I didn’t know their identities to avoid tainting the experiments in any way. Avoid favoritism. I expect them to pass the weeding, especially with their genetics.
Training begins in the morning. Dr. Tate and I have redesigned the protocols. They are more grueling than the previous tests, designed to push not only the candidates’ physical and mental stamina but also their emotional development. The new program measures every aspect of their supernatural potential, from telekinesis to telepathy and more.
We anticipate better results this time. These children are younger, stronger than their predecessors. Their abilities, unmatched. But will it be enough? I can measure their ethics, but I can’t guarantee their willingness to do everything their country requires.
We’ve run out of time. Global terrorism has reached unfathomable heights. The attacks have increased since 9/11. It’s worse than before, worse than during the Cold War. I fear another Hitler. We should’ve acted swifter when we first discovered Hitler and Stalin’s early research into the supernatural. Instead, we let our fear supersede our responsibilities to keep our nation safe.
Never again.
There will be no safety until we find a better way to train our special forces. Our country will not be free from the terrorism that threatens us until we resume our goal of new, advanced weaponry. These experiments are the key. We cannot fail this time as we have before.
The younger recruits offer something we haven’t had in the past, a way to shape and train their morality. We will be able to push the experiments beyond the confines of humanity. We will bypass ethical concerns and find the recruits we can train to use their gifts in new ways.
We will teach them to kill.
________________
Buy Links:
“Collide
is a fast moving, suspenseful thriller full of twists and turns around every
bend. An action packed read that will have your heart slamming in your chest
and your mind racing until the end.”
- Brooke DelVecchio, the
Cover Contessa -
blogger/reviewer
About the Author
Critically acclaimed nonfiction and YA author Christine Fonseca is
dedicated to helping children of all ages find their voice in the world. In
fiction, she explores the darker aspects of humanity and delivers gothic
thrillers that take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
In addition to writing, Ms. Fonseca is a frequent presenter and trainer
on subjects ranging from writing to behavior and understanding the unique needs
of gifted children. She blogs regularly on many sites and participates in
events throughout the country. See the News/Events page for upcoming events.
When Christine isn’t crafting her next book and working with kids,
she can be found sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her favorite coffee
house or exploring the world with her family.
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
July 8, 2014
Vampiric Energy ~ MFRW Book Hooks ~ LEGALLY UNDEAD by Margo Bond Collins
Welcome to this week’s Book Hooks!
Be sure to read the excerpt below, then HOP to check out the rest of the entries! But before you go, tell me: what do you like best about vampire (or other paranormal) stories?
Legally Undead (Vampirarchy Book 1)
Final Stand by Rose Garcia ~ Book Trailer
Title: Final Stand
Author: Rose Garcia
Series: The Transhuman Chronicles #2
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
Published: March 24th, 2014
Dominique is still alive after killing Tavion, the Tainted who’s hunted her for lifetimes. Yet her protectors still fear for her life. They force her to flee Houston and abandon the friends she loves. But they can’t protect her from herself. When Dominique starts hearing Tavion’s voice in her head, she realizes that her personal connection to the Tainted still exists. And when her car is ambushed, she discovers another frightening truth—someone close to her is a traitor.
Desperate for answers, Dominique seeks the aid of first lifers Trent and Infiniti. With their help, she hopes to find her new enemy. But things get complicated with Trent because of her emotional pull toward Farrell, and even more complicated when the whispers in her head threaten her loved ones. Determined to live, Dominique decides to make a final stand against the forces that want to end her. For good.
Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Rose Garcia is a lawyer turned writer who’s always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy. From a very young age, she often had her nose buried in books about other-worlds, fantastical creatures, and life and death situations. More recently she’s been intrigued by a blend of science fiction and reality, and the idea that some supernatural events are, indeed, very real. Fueled by her imagination, she created The Transhuman Chronicles–a series of books about people who have overcome human limitations.
Rose lives in Houston with her husband and two kids. You can visit Rose at www.rosegarciabooks.com
Website | Pinterest | Twitter | Facebook
Instagram | YouTube | Amazon | Goodreads
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Giveaway
Spotlight On: This Summer by Katlyn Duncan
This Summer
by Katlyn Duncan
Release Date: 07/09/14
Carina UK
Summary from Goodreads:
Before college, before responsibilities, Hadley Beauman and best friend Lily are determined to have a summer to remember. There will be all the usual dramas – ex-boyfriends who don’t seem to know what ‘ex’ means, pesky younger brothers with unrequited crushes, but what Hadley didn’t anticipate was the out-of-the-blue return of the seriously hot boy-next-door, Will Carson. The boy who broke her heart when he skipped town two years ago.
Will may have shot up a foot and filled out (oh yes), but inside he carries the weight of guilt – for leaving, for coming back… Now he’s just passing through to tie up loose ends but it’s clear the old chemistry still crackles between him and Hadley. Trouble is, it’s built on two years of lies…
This summer might just be the best time of their lives, but is Hadley ready for everything to change – again?
Available from:
Amazon * Amazon UK * iBooks * Kobo Books
___________
Excerpt
Will & Hadley’s reunion
I enter the hallway, making a point to relax my shoulders. Lily still knows how to push my buttons. I make my way to Mr. Beauman’s office and just before I knock, I hear Hadley’s voice. It’s wrong but I lean closer to the door, listening.
“A little warning would have been nice, Dad.”
Mr. Beauman says something, but I can’t make it out.
“Well,” Hadley continues, “don’t expect him to stick around longer than he chooses.”
Her form nears the door and I don’t have a chance to move just as the door flings open.
A version of the sixteen year old girl I left two years ago stands in front of me. I was right, her braces are gone.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hi,” she says with a shake of her head.
We stand frozen in place for a few seconds before Mr. Beauman speaks. “You all set?”
Hadley jolts and steps aside.
I brush past her. Her scent follows me. Strawberries. I place the application and waiver down on Mr. Beauman’s desk.
“Great,” he says. “I’ll see you in a few.”
I turn to the door and she’s still there, her lips parted. I open my hand, signaling for her to go down the hallway first. I struggle to keep my eyes on hers, fighting the urge to move across every inch of her body. She turns and scurries down the hall in front of me, granting my wish. She’s grown into her curves since I saw her last. Her long legs carry her quickly.
She stops at the double doors leading to the front part of the office and turns around. “Did you hear—I didn’t mean—”
“I heard you,” I say, watching her face crumble. “But you’re right. I need to get back.”
“To Texas?”
My teeth grind together. Aunt Mabel did give Mr. Beauman a version of the truth, but I can’t help but wonder what Hadley knows. “Yes.”
She nibbles on her lower lip. She nods twice before freeing her lip. My gaze drops to her mouth. She leans against the door and opens it. I hold it for her, my arm grazing her shoulder.
She offers a polite smile. “Then I guess we should make the best of it while you’re here.”
I lean closer. “Sounds good to me.”
She turns around, entering the room.
“Who left last minute to open up the position?” I ask, not wanting to stop talking to her.
“My—” She shakes her head, strands of her hair falling across her face. She pushes them back behind her ear. “Carter Daniels.”
I clench my jaw. “I just saw him.”
“He’s on the pool staff now apparently,” she mumbles.
People mull around the room, eating off paper plates. Hadley halts, staring at the back of the room. Carter and about a dozen people I don’t recognize have gathered around the table. My hands fist at my sides, looking for any excuse to knock him out.
“I’ll be right back.”
___________
About the Author
Katlyn Duncan was born and raised in a small town in western Massachusetts. Her overactive imagination involved invisible friends, wanting to be a Disney Princess and making up her own stories. Her bibliophile mom always encouraged her love of reading and that stayed with her since. Even though she works full time in the medical field Katlyn has always made time for books, whether she is reading or writing them.
Katlyn now lives in southern Connecticut with her husband and adorable Wheaten Terrier and she is thrilled to finally share her stories with the world.
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
July 7, 2014
Spotlight On: Against the Darkness
Against the Darkness (Cimmerian Moon
#1)
by A.M. Griffin
Release Date: 06/04/14
Summary from Goodreads:
This one time, at band camp…aliens
invaded earth. Sounds like a bad riff on an old joke, doesn’t it? Unfortunately
for me and my friends, it’s all too true. I thought a mess like this only
happened in the movies but, as I watch the alien ships hovering over the major
cities, I suddenly realize I’m a thousand miles away from my Mom. From home.
From safety.
Available from:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble
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Excerpt
He snaps his fingers, bringing my attention back to his face.
He mouths something that I can’t make out. I shake my head.
He creeps closer. I notice a few other things about him. Like the gun that he’s holding in one hand and some kind of knife in the other.
My eyes widen in understanding.
He’s here to save us.
I peer to my right and left. No one else is paying attention to him. I turn back to him.
“Where are they?” he mouths again.
I nod toward the cabin where Ms. Burgess is screaming.
“How many?” he mouths.
“Three,” I mouth back to him.
He nods and goes back into the woods.
No, I want to yell. Come back, don’t leave us here.
I’m about to do just that when he returns with another man, this one older, but similar looking. They creep closer to us, their eyes scanning everything around them. As they come closer I see the rifles strapped across their backs, the guns in shoulder holsters, the knives strapped around their legs and pistols in their hands. I want to cry.
If anybody can save us from the Tanners it’s them.
The tickle of a tear is on my cheek. I use a shoulder to wipe it away.
I don’t say a word as the younger one crouches behind me and uses his knife to cut through the ropes that bind my wrists. The other man goes behind MJ to do the same. I see him whispering something to MJ and MJ nodding in response. Once my hands are free, he moves down to my ankles and begins to saw away at the ropes there.
He glances up to me, his eyes focused squarely on mine. I have a hard time looking away and I think that’s his intention. “What’s your name?”
Instead of my name a cry escapes my lips.
“It’s going to be okay,” he says, still sawing away at the ropes. He takes a quick peek to his right, where the other man is working to free MJ’s feet. “My name is Jason, but all my fraternity brothers call me JC.” He attempts a smile. “You can call me JC.”
“I…I’m not your frat brother,” I say, in a stutter, as confusion clouds my mind. “I’m a girl.”
Why did I point that out?
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Huh?” I’m as confused as ever.
With my feet free, he crawls quickly up to my side.
“Are you still with me? You look like you’re about to freak out and bolt.”
I nod. Yes I’m okay and yes, I’m going to run.
“Stay with me sweetheart,” he says, in a rush. “I’m going to give you this knife and you’re going to free the other girls. After they’re free, I want you to take them where you first saw me, okay? Behind those trees are some backpacks, you wait there for us. Do you hear me?”
Yes.
“Answer me. Do you understand what I want you to do?”
“But what if you don’t make it. They can kill you,” I whisper. I can’t cover up the fear that is smothering me.
The smile he gives me this time is genuine, not at all forced, and all I notice are the deep dimples in his cheeks. “We got this.”
And for some reason I believe him. “Okay.”
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About the Author
A.M. Griffin is a wife who rarely cooks, mother of three, dog owner (and
sometimes dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She’s a hard worker
whose two favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys reading
everything from mystery novels to historical romances and of course fantasy
romance. She is a believer in the unbelievable, open to all possibilities from
mermaids in our oceans and seas, angels in the skies and intelligent life forms
in distant galaxies.
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
July 6, 2014
Just Couldn’t Put it Down Giveaway Hop ~ Chasing the Star Garden by Melanie Karsak
Welcome to my entry in the Just Couldn’t Put it Down Giveaway Hop! For this hop, I’m re-blogging a review of one of my favorite books from the last year: Melanie Karsak’s Chasing the Star Garden–and then I’m giving away a copy to one lucky reader!
So take a moment to read my review, check out Chasing the Star Garden, enter to win via the Rafflecopter form, then HOP to check out the other giveaways!
Chasing the Star Garden (The Airship Racing Chronicles Book 1)
