Inside a Young Soul by Nicole A. Schmidt

Inside a Young Soul

A heart-warming, bold and truly relatable poem anthology and workbook for young girls to truly explore and celebrate their beautiful nature.

Sample passages from the anthology:

"Why do I write if no one will read? 

Why do I share if no one will listen?"

"Part of me doesn’t want to share anymore, but that would make 

satan the victor 

I know that this is God’s gift and this is only a rift in my journey… 

So I’ll leave you with this "

"But this time I realize… 

We never had a chance 

Just small intervals of romance 

A steady rhythm, but an awkward dance"

"I fell aight 

Only my blood wasn’t red, it was clear 

It fell from my eyes in the form of endless tears "

"Now I’m stronger and it will definitely take me longer… 

to fall again"

"Love ain't enough 

Commitment is strong stuff 

But not worthy of this diamond in the rough"

"But let’s discuss the most important part of this matter 

My baby will not suffer ‘cuz of your selfishness and my insecurities 

We could try to work on the relationship we have now 

But since it’s obviously not workin’, let’s just stop milkin’ the cow 

You go your way and I’ll go mine 

And even if you decide to stay at least be fair… 

Change your mind and spare…the life of an unborn child"

"“Alone”ness is bliss 

I can’t prove it, but I know it’s better than this 

I’m drowning in an emotional abyss 

I actually felt happiness before that first kiss"

"A New Approach to Satisfaction, 

Never settling for just a fraction 

Of what I deserve, what I yearn, 

WHAT (as the descendant of some illustrious queen) I have earned 

God’s child 

A descendant of the Nile 

My positive energy runs wild – 

Like my hair…don’t stare, just be aware 

That a new creature is born – still a little scorned 

But satisfied"

Buy links

About Nicole A. Schmidt

Hailing from Long Island, New York, Nicole A. Schmidt moved to Maryland to attend the University of Maryland-College Park. She received subsequent degrees and certifications from Notre Dame of Maryland University and Bowie State University respectively. 

Schmidt (Schmidtty to her mentees) has taught high school English for the past seven years. She has always seen teaching as more than a job, more than a career; she views teaching as a divine calling. With that in mind, she became a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. whose core mission is to empower the community through education. 

Her passion for education and travel has taken her South America, Europe and as of February 2016, to Asia. Nicole currently resides in Shenzhen, China, teaching English. 

Additional info from the author: 

"I wrote these poems as a teenager to vent about the experiences I was having, how life was unfolding, but I published it as an adult to encourage and inspire teens to realize their own dreams." 

"I always wanted my students to have options, to live the life they chose as opposed to the one chosen for them. I wanted to be the example of such a life." 

Author info: 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13889591.Nicole_A_Schmidt 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NASwrites 

Website http://naswrites.wix.com/naswrites 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsideAYoungSoul 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/NASwrites 

Periscope: NAScreates 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4GUB1emKwWJtNKJSQONEdg

Shadow Bloodlines (Book 1) by A.R. Cooper

Shadow Bloodlines

I didn’t know I was a shifter until the hunters found me…

When eighteen-year-old Beth receives a mysterious text from her deadbeat father not to go to school, why should she listen to him now? But when strangers show up in one of her classes hunting her and wanting her dead, she must uncover the truth about why and what exactly she is.

Amar has been entombed in stone for centuries. He longs for freedom and only the blood of a shifter will set him free. After centuries frozen as a gargoyle, he doubts there are many of his kind left. Yet, Beth rescues him and more than his responsibility to protect her fills him.

Before the race of hunters capture her, Beth and Amar must find her shifter dad in order to save all their lives.


Read an excerpt:

As I reached for the door handle, Jacqui returned with a jacket and a baseball hat.

“Where’d you get those?” 

“Stole them.” She tossed me the black sports jacket and I donned it. Then she helped me stuff my hair up into the cap.

The jacket hung to my knees and swallowed me. My stomach clawed into my throat.
“It’s the best I can do on short notice.” 

“And my skirt?” I tugged the sides of the black dress. “They’ll never buy that I’m a boy if they notice it.” 

“Keep your head down and keep moving.” 

Uneasiness crawled into my gut and my heart slammed against my sternum before my fingers even brushed the door. Jacqui pushed past me and straight to one of the muscled guys who barely gave her a glance. 

I snuck out of the bathroom, thankful for the throng of people. In the corner, Jacqui flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder to distract the suited guy. 

Across the dance floor, I spotted another of Ms. Moor’s minions and ducked under a table. The couple gave a gasp and I shushed them.

“Sorry, it’s my ex. He’s crazy.” I crossed my fingers that they’d believe me. 

“Don’t need to tell us about crazy exes,” the girl answered.

Peeking out, I realized I’d lost sight of Jacqui. Had they figured out what she was up to?

There. She stood a few tables from the dance floor waving her hands like she was flagging a street race and I dashed to the other side of the bar. My heart thumped in my chest like I’d swam a hundred relays. How could five feet from the door seem so far? 

When the guy talking with Jacqui suddenly turned to see what she was staring at, which was me, I tucked my hat down and shook my shoulders as though laughing with the others near me.

The goon stared at me and his eyes narrowed. Then he spun and careened through the crowd, barreling right for me. God! He’d spotted me. 

I jerked away from the bar to run. Muttering an apology, I pushed around people while constantly looking back at the guy, who was now shoving dancers out of his way. Acid rose in my throat. His flicked out his cell and yelled something into it.

My breath came out in short huffs. Could I make it outside? I sprinted through an opening in the crowd. 

Nearly to the door, a brawny guy grabbed my arm and I screamed. The music drowned out my protest.

My assailant gave the bouncer a wink and a fist full of cash, which he shoved into his pocket and looked away.

“Let’s go, freak,” he seethed into my ear.

Available on Amazon

About A. R. Cooper

A.R. Cooper loves reading YA Fantasy, adult fantasy, paranormal and historical romance. She writes adult novels under Andrea R. Cooper.

When not writing or reading, she enjoys her husband and family, friends, Zumba, Martial Arts, and video games.

Enchanted: The Fairy Revels Collection with Giveaway

Enchanted: The Fairy Revels Collection

9 Faerie Romance & Fantasy Fairy Tales; Urban Fantasy, YA Fairies, Fractured Fairy Tales, Sweet Fae Romance, and Paranormal Boxed Set

One spellbound night, nine award-winning and Amazon best-selling authors joined together to bring you an enchanting collection of tales featuring our favorite otherworldly creatures, fairies.

Enchanted: The Fairy Revels Collection will seduce you into the wondrous world of the fae with magic, romance, fantasy, adventure, fairy tales, and folklore. Get ready to be beguiled by a unique boxed set with fractured fairy tales, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, sci-fi adventure, and more. This captivating collection is certain to please anyone who loves magical realism and fairy stories.  

Books & Authors

THE BEE CHARMER by Poppy Lawless
Rayne moved to Chancellor on a mission to help Alice find true love. That is, after all, his job as her fairy godfather. What Rayne didn’t expect was to find a love of his own. All Viola wants is to pursue her dream of becoming a perfumer. She doesn’t have time to fall in love. Viola and Rayne will soon find that when your heart makes a wish, even impossible dreams can come true.

I DO BELIEVE IN FAERIES by Erin Hayes
Even though she grew up in a family of witches, Abby is normal. When faeries offer her a wish, she wishes for magick of her own, without realizing the consequences. Now she has to travel to the land of faeries to save her friend's baby and undo the wish, even if it means losing her magick forever.

WOE FOR A FAERIE by B. Brumley
When I chose retribution, it got me got kicked out of the spiritual realm and banished to mortality. Now I've got to choose between Jason, the priest who’s hiding something, and Arún, the handsome off-world Fae that believes I’m his prophesied queen... But first, I've got to survive New York City.

FLIGHTLESS by Margo Bond Collins
Josh Bevington doesn't know how to survive living in Fairy, Texas without his wings; Laney Harris doesn’t know how to survive without Josh. When Laney's biological father shows up in Fairy, determined to steal his daughter's newfound powers, Josh and Laney will have to overcome work together—or risk losing everything they care about.

ROSE PETAL GRAVES by Olivia Wildenstein
I thought losing my mother would be the greatest shock of my life, but the real surprise came after her death. Dad said she suffered a stroke after she dug up one of the ancient graves in our backyard, which happens to be the town cemetery. Creepy, I know. Creepier still, there was no corpse inside the old coffin, only fresh rose petals.

FAIRLY NORMAL by Carrie L. Wells
Violet Abernathy has spent more than 20 years in the human realm, but this is the year that everything changes. Potentially her last stint among the humans, her "senior" year in high school teaches her more than she ever guessed it would about friendship, love, and support. Maybe what they say is true, change is the only thing that ever stays the same.

FAE CAME ON THE PLANE! by Elizabeth Watasin
At Jifk Spaceport, something every creature and person feared came in on a plane: faeries. When the spaceport goes down, it’s any survivor of the fae incursion on her or his own, and Nico’s not going to let Darqueworld’s most feared boogeymen, the faerie kind, stop her from getting to her lover’s arrival gate.

THE FAE AND THE FARMGIRL by Pauline Creeden
A Fae princess in jeans and paddock shoes--could any of this be real? Daisy Adams was an orphan raised on her uncle's farm, but a tractor accident suddenly forces her uncle to reveal the lie she's been living. Her mother's still alive and she's a queen of the Fae... and to make matters worse, Daisy is hunted and the center of a war that is just beginning.

THE FAIRY BARGAIN by Blaire Edens
When FayeLynn Roberts finds herself pregnant by Drake, The Folk’s most dangerous man, she relies on Alvin Fairchild, the exiled prince of The Folk to carry her back to The Realm in order to save her child. Alvin wants to protect the child and save The Realm, but can the two of them band together and defeat Drake without losing their hearts?

Get your copy on Amazon today!

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bdRtbD
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fallingindeepcollection/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29387416-enchanted

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#BookTour Finale & Giveaway Trix & the Faerie Queen by Alethea Knotis

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Review & Excerpt Tour Grand Finale for

Trix and the Faerie Queen

By Alethea Kontis

We hope you enjoyed hearing about Trix Woodcutter, who finally has his own adventure! If you missed any of the stops, go back and check them out now and read the first chapter of the book...

Launch - Welcome to Faerie

Trix Woodcutter and I invite you all to join us on this newest adventure. Trix and the Faerie Queen is filled with more talking animals than I ever thought I would write and a journey to a place from my dreams: Under the Hill, to the high seat of the Faerie Queen. There are so many characters in this story (Alastair is going to hurt me when he starts making notes for the audio)--I won’t tell you which one is my favorite. That is a choice you must make yourself.

Prism Book Tours - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 1

Most people with common sense would have remembered that gold did not float. Trix Woodcutter rarely qualified as “most people.”

“Trixie, you are a prize idiot,” he said to himself, because neither Peter nor Saturday were there to say it for him. He took a deep breath and dove hard.

Wishful Endings - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 2

“Perhaps our next attempt at swimming should be in a shallower pond,” she said when she caught her breath.

“Perhaps indeed. Thank you, friends!” Trix patted the heads of the turtles and bid them farewell before turning back to Lizinia. “I’m sorry. I did not think about the gold.”

Brooke Blogs - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 3

“What? Trix, you’re staring at me.”

“And here I thought the stars were amazing.”

“It’s not amazing. It’s just how I am.”

“Trust me,” said Trix. “To the rest of the world, you’re pretty amazing.”

Zerina Blossom's Books - Review

"Trix and the Faerie Queen, by Alethea Kontis, is just as awesome as the previous book, Trixter. I love these two of all the Books of Arriland most of all because they are so full of light and laughter, as opposed to the creepy dark magic in a few of the others. I also love how all the books tie together so perfectly."

deal sharing aunt - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 4

Trix held fast to Lizinia’s hand, but he did not move. The noise had happened, but he felt no vibrations beneath his feet. Not so much as a breath of wind stirred the leaves in the trees of the forest around them. He closed his eyes and searched inside himself for the Fear that Needa the spider had taught him about. There was a sort of…tingle…at the back of his neck and in his belly. This might have been the animal magic inside him telling him flee, but his instincts were still not strong enough to know where.

Goddess Librarian - Review

"Readers will enjoy the blossoming fairy tale friendship between Trix and his golden girl Lizinia. Their budding relationship is totally fairy tale--Lizinia is the perfect companion and Trix is completely appreciative of her talents. Fans of Arilland will be happy to see a couple of Trix's sisters and hear about more. Readers will be left clamoring for more at the end of the novel and eagerly await the next installment."

Becky on Books - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 5

“Have a care, Trix Woodcutter. It would not do to to have you falling to your death right when I need you most.”

Power. The woman’s voice that filled his ears was powerful. It reminded him of someone—a member of his family?—but he could not place it.

Colorimetry - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 6

The moment Trix put all the pieces together, he was too shocked to reply. What in the world did the Faerie Queen want with him? If this even was the world…on this grassy mound, surrounded by a ring of mushrooms. Even the mushrooms bowed, bonnets to the queen.

Mel's Shelves - Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 7

“You are the Boy Who Talks to Animals,” she said. “And with the fey magic bound, anyone under the Hill with animal magic has been turned into a beast. They cannot talk to us, nor can they talk to each other. Soon there will be nothing but chaos, and such an imbalance can tear this world apart.” The Faerie Queen clasped her hands together as she made her plea. “I want to make you my Emissary, Trix Woodcutter. You must speak for the animals. Save Faerie. And save the world.”

A Backwards Story - Review of Trixter

"I'm really glad there's more than one book about Trix and his journey because the first book, TRIXTER, is novella-length and we don't spend nearly enough time with Trix or his new, gold-dipped friend Lizinia. . . . I love the way Trix is also at the center of an epic prophecy, as are many of the Woodcutters."

Amanda K Thompson - Review

Though not a long story, Trix & the Faerie Queen packs a powerful punch. It doesn't slow its pace for a moment as our lovable scamp Trix and his golden companion Lizinia fall into one scrape after another. We get the chance to reunite with some familiar faces, and to put faces with a few of the names we've heard about. And we finally get to go to Faerie. *squee!* . . . With the ending I am left with here, waiting even until fall for Alethea's next book seems far too long a wait.

Whatever - Special Author Interview

“TEHETHJO” is one heck of an acronym, but Alethea Kontis knows what it means, why it’s important, and how it relates to her new novel Trix and the Faerie Queen.

Thanks for visiting the fantasy world of Arriland! Don't forget to enter the giveaway below...

Trix and the Faerie Queen
(Books of Arriland #6)
by Alethea Kontis

YA Fantasy

Paperback & ebook, 210 Pages
March 28th 2016

Join Trix Woodcutter on an epic new animal-filled adventure!

Fey magic and animal magic: that troublemaking imp Trix Woodcutter has both, if not the ability to use them to their full potential. While traveling with his companion—the golden girl Lizinia—to see the King of Eagles, Trix is sent a vision of the Faerie Queen, who is in desperate need of his help. An evil sorceress has stormed Faerie and trapped all the fey magic under the Hill, leaving the Faerie Queen powerless! Trix’s talent for communicating with animals is desperately needed…but before he braves the wild world of Faerie he must arm himself, with nothing less than the bow and arrows of a god.

With the help of his gilded companion, her ghost-cat godfather, a blind brownie and a sister or two, the Boy Who Talks to Animals must befriend a mischievous leprechaun, best a wolf, and journey into the depths of Faerie to restore order and free the fey magic before the imbalance destroys the world.

Trix and the Faerie Queen is second in The Trix Adventures and sixth in the Books of Arilland.

Fans of the Woodcutter Sisters: Desperate to know what happened to Saturday and Peregrine after they found Trix at the end of HERO? Here’s your chance!

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble

Other Books in the Series

Alethea Kontis is a princess, author, fairy godmother, and geek. Her bestselling Books of Arilland fairytale series won two Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Awards (Enchanted and Tales of Arilland), and was twice nominated for the Andre Norton Award. Alethea also penned the AlphaOops picture books, The Wonderland Alphabet, Diary of a Mad Scientist Garden Gnome, Beauty & Dynamite, The Dark-Hunter Companion (w/Sherrilyn Kenyon), and a myriad of poems, essays, and short stories. Princess Alethea lives and writes on the Space Coast of Florida with her teddy bear, Charlie. You can find her on her YouTube channel, all the social media, and at www.aletheakontis.com.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│YouTube

Tour Giveaway

3 copies of Trixter and Trix and the Faerie Queen (signed copies if US, ebooks if INT)
Ends April 15th

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A few words from Mark Wakely, author of A Friend Like Filby, currently on Kindle Scout

A few days ago, we introduced you to A Friend Like Filby, the latest novel by Mark Wakely. He has it in the Kindle Scout program, where readers such as yourselves can preview it and vote for it to be published on Amazon. If it is chosen, you will get a free copy of it if you voted for it. Mark had a few words about his book that he wanted to share with you, before you go over to vote for the book:

A Friend like Filby is my second novel. My first is An Audience For Einstein, published by Mundania Press. A special 10th anniversary edition of the book was released last year. 

A Friend Like Filby might best be described as The Catcher In The Rye meets Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. The story begins at the start of the three main characters' senior year at high school and concludes on their graduation day, with all the usual (and unusual) high school events and a parade of colorful classmates. I wanted to write both a funny yet poignant book, so the chapters nearly alternate between the two extremes. 

One of the secondary characters is George's younger brother Kenny, who's autistic. George is extremely loyal and protective of Kenny, especially after their mother died. George's unusual obsession with time travel begins not long after his mother's death, and is a kind of coping mechanism that masks his prolonged grief. Mostly, George is determined to find a perfect friend like Filby in the 1960 movie The Time Machine. His two closest friends, Dave and Nancy (AKA Onion) struggle to understand his obsession, as does George up until the very end.

A Friend Like Filby

True friends can make all the difference.

George has been fascinated with the idea of time travel ever since the shocking death of his mother when he was ten, and hopes someday to find a friend like Filby, the closest friend of the time traveler in the 1960 movie The Time Machine. George’s high school friends, Dave and Nancy (AKA Onion), struggle to understand his odd obsession. The story takes place during the three friend’s senior year, with a major revelation in store for George on graduation day.

Nominate it on Kindle Scout:

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/2ZO3MYRD9SAMW

Sign in to Amazon.com and nominate this great new young adult novel on Amazon Kindle Scout! A Friend Like Filby is a heartfelt, amusing story you won't soon forget. If enough readers nominate it, the novel will be published by Kindle Press and you'll receive a free copy of the eBook when the campaign ends! Read the first three chapters for free and nominate it for free today!

Vote for A Friend Like Filby by Mark Wakely on Kindle Scout

A Friend Like Filby

True friends can make all the difference.

George has been fascinated with the idea of time travel ever since the shocking death of his mother when he was ten, and hopes someday to find a friend like Filby, the closest friend of the time traveler in the 1960 movie The Time Machine. George’s high school friends, Dave and Nancy (AKA Onion), struggle to understand his odd obsession. The story takes place during the three friend’s senior year, with a major revelation in store for George on graduation day.

Nominate it on Kindle Scout:

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/2ZO3MYRD9SAMW

Sign in to Amazon.com and nominate this great new young adult novel on Amazon Kindle Scout! A Friend Like Filby is a heartfelt, amusing story you won't soon forget. If enough readers nominate it, the novel will be published by Kindle Press and you'll receive a free copy of the eBook when the campaign ends! Read the first three chapters for free and nominate it for free today!

Shroud by Marisa Mohdi

Shroud

In 1948, John Sable leaves England and a painful past to start afresh in the Southeast Asian country of Nusantara. He then disappears without a trace in the woods behind his new home.Twenty years later, John's shocked family receives a spine-chilling letter from him explaining what had really happened, and his role in the creation of something horrifying in the rainforest. 

Decades pass, and unsuspecting 15-year-old Gemma and her uncle Norm arrive in Nusantara for what’s supposed to be a short research expedition. They soon find themselves trapped in the ominous jungle, pursued and tormented by supernatural beings with a wicked agenda. When Norm falls ill, Gemma must face frightening events alone, and fight for their survival. Who is haunting them? How will their nightmare end? Find out in Shroud, a two-part dark fantasy that will intrigue you until the very end.

Available on Amazon

And at Amazon UK

About Marisa Mohdi

When I was five, I picked up a book by Enid Blyton and became addicted to reading. I loved spending rainy afternoons (I'm from Malaysia) getting lost in magical worlds, exciting adventures, and spooky situations. I used to write my own stories on pages torn from my older brothers' notebooks. I stapled those pages together, drew a cover with color pencils and proudly called myself an author.

I'm lots older now, but I become that excited little five-year-old each time I find a book I want to read, and each time I think about writing.

I've lived in five different countries and studied Psychology in the United States. I try to include elements from Malay/Malaysian culture and/or Psychology in my writing. I'm also a married mom of two, I spoil my cats rotten, and I still love rainy days.

Find her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarisaMohdi