Title- Brightly
Series- Flicker Series # 2
By- Kaye Thornbrugh
Publication Date- Fall 2013
Genre- YA
Friday, August 30, 2013
Cover Reveal! 'Brightly (Flicker Series #2)' by Kaye Thornbrugh
Title- Brightly
Series- Flicker Series # 2
By- Kaye Thornbrugh
Publication Date- Fall 2013
Genre- YA
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
'Forty Days Off Facebook' by Ryan G. Beale
#1 Amazon Hot New Release in Happiness and Mental and Spiritual Healing, "Forty Days Off Facebook" Author is committed to opening minds and saving lives following his brothers suicide.
'The Cadence of Gypsies' by Barbara Casey
By
Barbara Casey
Three high-spirited 17 year olds, with intelligent quotients in the genius range, accompany their teacher and mentor, Carolina Lovel, to Frascati, Italy, a few weeks before they are to graduate from Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women. Carolina's purpose in planning the trip is to remove her gifted, creative students from the Wood Rose campus located in Raleigh, North Carolina, so they can't cause any more problems ("expressions of creativity") for the headmaster, faculty, and other students – which they do with regularity. Carolina also wants to visit the Villa Mondragone where the Voynich Manuscript, the most mysterious document in the world, was first discovered and search how it is related to a paper written in the same script she received on her 18th birthday when she was told that she was adopted – a search that will take them into the mystical world of gypsy tradition and magic, more exciting and dangerous than any of them could have imagined.
Read an excerpt
It was always the older ones who felt the need to challenge the ancient gypsy traditions. The children who weren't yet adults, but who felt they were old enough to thwart authority and desire independence.
"I want lots of gold," said Milosh who had recently turned 17 years old--a man in his opinion. The oldest in the group, soon he would join the adults. "Teach me the spell to make me wealthy."
"You must be careful for what you wish, Milosh." As always, the choovihni was patient with her young pupils. "But I shall teach you the spell for attracting material goods." She sat in the shade of the tall elm with her full skirt spread out around her and waited until everyone was quiet and settled before continuing. "First, write down whatever it is you desire on a clean sheet of paper, then place the paper on a small square of green cloth. You must concentrate on it for a few minutes. That might be hard for you, Milosh," she teased. The other students laughed. They liked for Milosh to be put in his place. Just because he was the son of the Bandoleer, it didn't make him better than everyone else--even though he acted like it. And he played mean tricks on the younger ones who were too timid and afraid to say anything. "Try to visualize the object before you--the shape, texture, color. Feel pride in owning it, the pleasure you hope it will bring, what you will do with it." She looked at each of her students, making sure they understood. "Then hold the paper to your forehead and say three times: 'I have you, I hold you, I keep you.'
"Fold the paper into the green cloth and tie it with a length of red wool. Tie seven knots into the wool and as you tie each knot, say, 'You are mine, I own you.' Put the green cloth with the paper in a small box, and each day, for seven days, hold the box to your forehead and say three times, 'You are mine, I own you.' After you have done this, put the box away in the back of a drawer."
"Will I have lots of gold if I do that?" Milosh asked.
"It will bring success to those who are patient and deserving," Lyuba answered.
For the next several hours, Lyuba taught the children other spells: the spell using the power of trees, a ritual to cleanse the aura of their individual spaces, the spell for strength. When they got older, she would teach them the spells for attracting romance and for keeping a loyal lover. For now, however, she would teach only those things that were appropriate and what they could understand.
When the day's lessons were complete, and the elm's shadow once again lengthened, the parents came for their children. Concerned, Lyuba watched Milosh return to his hut alone. His chakra, that point of light indicating the heart, was dark and brown rather than green as it should be.
Much was expected of the only son of the Bandoleer. He held promise, but he had much to learn. Unlike his father, he was impatient and quick to judge others. His focus was on material things, and he ignored what was important. There was also a darkness in his spirit; something that could be dangerous if not corrected.
He would go and prepare the paper, wrapped in green cloth and tied with a thread of red wool, and wish for much gold. He had not understood.
Her two middle-grade/young adult novels, LEILANI ZAN and GRANDMA JOCK AND CHRISTABELLE (James C. Winston Publishing Co.) were nominated for awards of excellence by the SCBWI Golden Kite Award, the National Association of University Women Literary Award and the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary Award. SHYLA'S INITIATIVE (Crossquarter Publishing Group, 2002), a contemporary adult novel of fiction, received the 2003 Independent Publisher Book Award and received special recognition for literary merit by the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. Ms. Casey’s novel THE COACH’S WIFE (ArcheBooks Publishing), a contemporary mystery, was listed as a Publisher’s Best Seller and was semifinalist of the Dana Award for Outstanding Novel. In 2007 her novel, THE HOUSE OF KANE (ArcheBooks Publishing), also a contemporary mystery, was considered for a Pulitzer nomination, and in December 2009 her novel, JUST LIKE FAMILY (Wandering Sage Publications), was launched by the 7-Eleven stores in St. Louis, Missouri. Her young adult novel, THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES (Gauthier Publications), was released in March 2011 and considered for the Smithsonian’s Most Notable 2011 Books. It has also been selected by Amazon for its 2013 List of Best Books. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY (Strategic Media Books), a novel for adults, was released in March 2013 and received an IPPY Award for Best Regional Fiction. It has also been listed as a “2013 Best Summer Read” by Conversations Live Radio and has been placed in nomination for a Pulitzer Award.
Ms. Casey is a frequent guest speaker at writers’ conferences and universities throughout the United States. She is former director, guest author, and panelist of BookFest of the Palm Beaches, Florida; and for thirteen years she served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Florida. She held the position of Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 to 2003.
Ms. Casey is president of the Barbara Casey Agency. She represents clients nationally and internationally in fiction and nonfiction for adults. Her past and present professional associations are numerous and include being editorial consultant for The Jamaican Writers Circle in affiliation with the University of West Indies and Mico Teachers College in Kingston. She also received special recognition for her editorial work on the English translations of Albanian children’s stories.
LINKS
www.barbaracaseyagency.com
Barbara will be awarding a $25 Amazon or BN.com gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!
'American Girl on Saturn' by Nikki Godwin
Book Info-
Title- American Girl on Saturn
By- Nikki Godwin
Publication Date- August 28, 2013
Blurb-
The summer after graduation is supposed to be that first real taste of freedom - but not for eighteen-year-old Chloe Branson. Just as that breeze of freedom is making its way into her galaxy, her secret-service-agent dad drops a meteor-sized bomb of bad news on her and her sisters. An attempt has been made on the lives of Canadian boyband, Spaceships Around Saturn, during their USA tour, and the guys have to go into hiding ASAP. The only problem? In the midst of the crisis and media frenzy, their dad volunteered to hide the guys...in their house.
Six-year-old Emery is as ecstatic as any self-proclaimed Saturnite would be, but Chloe and her seventeen-year-old sister Aralie watch their summer plans crash and burn like a falling star. The SAS guys aren't happy with the situation, either. Bad boy Jules picks fights with Aralie about everything from his Twitter followers to his laundry, and heart-throb Benji can't escape Emery's fangirlisms for more than three minutes.
But after the super-cute Milo kisses Chloe during a game of hide-and-seek, she finally understands what Emery means when she talks about SAS being "out of this world." If this is what Saturn feels like, Chloe doesn't want to come back to Earth.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Read an exclusive excerpt from 'Keeper of Reign' by Emma Right
Keeper of Reign
by Emma Right
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Sixteen-year-old Jules Blaze is an Elfie - half elf, half fairy, living in a cursed Kingdom. The Keepers, entrusted to protect sacred Books written in blood, have long forgotten their purpose and struggle with the effects of the curse.
Jules finds himself in the crosshairs of an evil lord bent on destroying Keepers and their Books. His mother is a Keeper and she has disappeared, along with his grandparents. His father is nowhere to be found, and Jules now finds himself alone with four siblings to protect and a house ravaged by the enemies.
War rages on all sides of his homeland. Agents and assassins sent by the evil Gehzurolle are determined to kill him. Jules must find an ancient book whose secrets are the only thing that could give him answers and save him, his family and his homeland.
Read an exclusive excerpt:
The others stood by the doorway and gaped.
“Why didn’t Grandpa tell us of this—this library?” Tst Tst’s eyes stared accusingly at Jules.
He shrugged. “Maybe you were too young—I don’t know. We shouldn’t argue about this, we don’t even know where Mom is.”
On hearing this, Tst Tst and Bitha cried, “They took her!” Tst Tst whimpered between sobs.
“Do you think the intruders are inside our living room, now?”
Ralston’s voice quaked.
Miranda said, “These books are made for giants! There’s no way a normal Elfie can handle them.”
Jules had never heard her so surprised. “They were for normal people.
Once. Elfies were normal, once.” She took the lantern from Bitha and moved toward the nearest book-case. “Where did your grandpa get all these books?”
“It’s a family thing. An inheritance. You wouldn’t find it interesting.”
“Like jipsy I wouldn’t? How’d they even bring these giant books through your tiny doors?” She faced Jules squarely, her blue eyes burning like emeralds. “Tell me your secrets.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Emma Right is a happy wife and homeschooling mother of five. Besides running a busy home, she regularly reads and writes stories for children. An avid Christian, she enjoys writing stories with themes involving family-life, friendship, faithfulness, and seeking wisdom, all in an imaginary fantastical world. She has written several young adult novels and plans on writing many more. Right worked for two advertising agencies and has won several major awards, including the prestigious Clio Award. She currently resides in California where she takes care of her children and her many pets.
Keeper of Reign is a finalist in the reader's Choice Award 2013
FaceBook, Twitter & author website links
Website: www.emmaright.com
Blog url: http://www.emmaright.com/Blog.aspx
Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmbeliever
Fan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeeperOfReign
Librarything: http://www.librarything.com/work/book/98432219
Emma will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Cover Reveal! 'Twisted' by N.L. Greene
Twisted
By: N.L. Greene
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Expected Release Date: September 13th, 2013
Growing up isn’t always easy. But for most teenage girls, they can rely on their best friend to help them get through the process. A BFF is something that is truly treasured and completely irreplaceable. You share all of your secrets, and are loyal and honest with each other, even when you’re acting just a little bit crazy. You have each other’s backs no matter what and you form a bond that is virtually unbreakable.
At least that’s what normal teenage girls experience.
Nat and Mel have been bestie’s since childhood and Nat has followed her blindly ever since. But as Nat’s friendship with Mel begins to lead her down the wrong path, she starts to question the sincerity of their relationship. Nat starts to see Mel’s manipulative, deceitful ways become more focused on her. Will Natalie hold on tight to the friendship she’s had her entire life, no matter what it cost her? Or will she let her heart lead her to a relationship that’s not so twisted.
Friday, August 23, 2013
'The Reborn' by Casse NaRome
Title-The Reborn: The Book of Dain
by Casse Narome
Genre -YA Paranormal Romance
Release date 3/21/13 from Bayou Brew Publishing
Blurb-
Dain has lived a total of ninety-nine different lifetimes and in every single one, he has loved the same girl.
Their past is marred by ill-fated romance and almost encounters.
Evil forces have conspired to keep the two of them a part and it seems to have succeeded ...
Tara is gone, and in her place stands Bonnie, the complete opposite of Tara.
Is Dain's shot at love over or has he lived all these lives because he has loved the wrong girl all along?
A hundred chances at love…and it comes down to only one.
Read an excerpt
“It is no orphanage. Dylan, we have to get her out.”
The weight of his conviction and terror hung heavy in the air and pressed down on me.“Let’s go.” I turned to toss my dinner bag on the porch.
Suddenly the front door swung open and my dad’s glazed, and blood shot eyes glowered down at me. His fists clenched and his jaw tightened. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
I felt Marco stiffen at my side. “Your dad?”
I nodded. “Yup, my dad."
I sighed heavily. I did not have time for him to kick my butt tonight.
“Can we take him? I think we can take him.” Marco’s voice was tight as I saw his muscles coiling as his entire body tensed.
I shifted my gaze from Dad to look at Marco and glared at him like he was insane.
“Dude, he’s my dad.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, but it looks to me like you’re the only one who cares about that. He sure as hell doesn’t.”
And as if right on cue, I felt my dad’s fist hit the side of my face closest to him. I stumbled back, off balance from the blow.
“I so don’t have time for this tonight,” I mumbled.
“Agreed.” Marco took a step toward my dad, and for the first time, Dad seemed to notice that there was another guy with me. His eyes widened with obvious fear.
I regained my footing and raced toward them before I threw myself into Dad. My body weight and the fact that he was drunk caused him to lose his balance and both of us fell to the ground. I pushed away from him quickly and got to my feet. Standing over him, but well out of his reach, I waited to see if he was going to get up.
He mumbled and flailed in a drunken rage.
When it was obvious he was too drunk to recover, much less do any more damage, I glanced at Marco. “Are you ready?”
He grinned. “I’m somewhat impressed. Maybe Bonnie didn’t do such a bad job.”
“Shut up and come on.”
Get FREE deleted scenes on Smashwords:
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Author Bio-
Casse Narome is the alter-ego of a self-proclaimed awesome weirdo who spent her childhood reading and daydreaming. As an adult that is also how she spends her time only now she writes her daydreams down for everyone to read. Casse is never serious, has been accused of wishing her life was a sitcom, laugh track and all, has a bad habit of talking out loud to herself and she is fine with being a little insane. She spends way too much time online, too much money buying books and laughing at her own jokes. You will find her on Twitter being very random and spewing her opinions. When you see her online, tell her to get back to her writing! Or just engage her in a hilarious random conversation. She blogs book reviews and the adventures of being a writer at www.CatholicKittie.blogspot.com & www.CasseNarome.blogspot.com She is an avid tweeter www.twitter.com/catholickittie She is also on Facebook www.facebook.com/CasseNarome
Links-
Facebook- www.facebook.com/CasseNarome
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6995499.Casse_NaRome Tuesday, August 20, 2013
'Envisioned (The Elemental Prophecy Book #1)' by Nikki Narvaez
Envisioned
Series- The Elemental Prophecy Book # 1
By- Nikki Narvaez
Genre-New Adult /Paranormal Romance
Brielle De Luca thought she was just an average girl, despite her nightly dreams of an impending apocalypse, along with a gorgeous man that pulls at her soul.
However, on the night of her 18th birthday, everything changes when she is thrown into the Elemental World, a world where she is supposedly the One that is spoken about in an ancient Prophecy; a Prophecy that states she is the key to preventing an apocalypse.
Now she must learn to control her power over the four elements, all while dealing with the love and intense passion of her bond to the man from her dreams, Jace Vasquez.
Piece of cake, right?
Monday, August 19, 2013
Read an exclusive excerpt from 'Rebel (Legend of the Spider Prince)' by Margo Ander
Legend of the Spider-Prince: REBEL Wyl is a young rebel whose life of dangerous lies and hidden truths has cost him his childhood and his ability to trust. He is fanatically loyal to the rebel leader, a woman embroiled in a blood-feud with Trascolm's ruling clan. When he’s not away spying, he’s her secret bodyguard—she needs protection from her army of renegades and outlaws as much as from bounty-hunters and assassins sent by her archenemy.
But when the rebellion meets with disaster, the rebel leader's strategy changes. Wyl is thrust into a hostile royal court of underage teens—mere children, to his mind. He’s expected to embrace this more civilized way of life, but his brutally-honed instincts betray him, and he makes enemies instead of friends. Wyl—a boy raised by outlaws—is in over his head and must somehow master the subtleties of court intrigue well enough to keep the rebel leader and her rebellion alive, despite the treacherous machinations of her enemies, and do it without getting himself killed.
About the Legend of the Spider-Prince series
Review of 'Temptation (Belonging #1)' by Karen Ann Hopkins
Temptation
Book 1 in the Temptation seriesYour heart misleads you.
That’s what my friends and family say.
But I love Noah.
And he loves me.
We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other’s arms.
It should be ROSE & NOAH forever, easy.
But it won’t be.
Because he’s Amish.
And I’m not.
**My thoughts**
I love Amish fiction. I especially love the romances involved in Amish fiction. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one, because the description is so intriguing!
I was thrown off in the beginning, because I am used to reading Beverly Lewis. Her way of presenting the Amish and their voice is quite different from how Karen Ann Hopkins portrayed them in this book. To me, Noah often seemed very much like any typical high school guy that Rose would run into at school or in the community. Hormones were raging, causing them to take actions that are considered highly inappropriate in the Amish community, such as a lot of making out. Sometimes, the words that he used were definitely very contemporary and not at all what you would expect form an Amish teen. I was also thrown off by the lack of Pennsylvania Dutch thrown into conversations among the Amish people. However, if I was new to reading Amish fiction, and especially at the YA level, this would have made him a little easier to relate to. Once I got used to his contemporary English way of speaking, I was able to better focus on the story.
I think that Karen hit on a lot of the ideals of the Amish community, their beliefs and customs. I loved the explanations of how this community worked and felt like I learned something new about some Amish customs. While fundamentally they are the same, different groups have slightly different beliefs and customs. This community was described as being closer to where I grew up, but not where most of the novels I have read take place.
Some of Noah's ideas were tough for me to swallow. I am a fiercely independent woman and would have a hard time with a man dictating to me what I can do and whom I can see. But that is a part of his culture. What seems old-fashioned to us is completely natural for them. I could appreciate Rose's struggle with many of these. I often found myself wondering what I would do if I were in her shoes. Could I ever love someone enough to succumb to those rules?
On the other hand, Rose's English world is a lot for Noah to swallow. Women are much more independent. People are educated longer and much freer with their thoughts and actions. It's overwhelming to someone who has been relatively sheltered his whole life. He isn't prepared for life with the Englischers.
The star-crossed love between the two reminded me a bit of Romeo and Juliet. Just like that famous couple, these two fall madly in love with each other at first sight, despite being so young. It's like they were meant to be together. They don't know how to live without each other, yet have a hard time being together. They come from two totally different worlds. Their parents, friends, and families do not approve. They are extremely young to have such intense feelings, but that does happen sometimes. Trying to be together is going to require a major sacrifice on their parts. But which way of living is the right way? They can't maintain a relationship with one foot firmly planted in each world. Someone is going to have to give up his or her way of living and adapt to something completely foreign. Can two people this young be able to make such dramatic life changes in order to make this relationship work?
I'm not sure which direction I want them to go. I don't know if the answer is for Noah to give up his Amish ways and try to make it as an Englishman. I don't know if it is right for Rose to give up her family and dancing and independence to become Amish. I'm not going to tell you which path these two end up taking. This is the first book in the series, so their roller coaster ride is only just getting started. They may have to backtrack and take a different route in the next book. I can't wait to read the next book to find out where they are going, and will want to finish the series, too!
Book links
About Karen Ann Hopkins
A native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel.Find Karen Ann Hopkins
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