Cherokee Summer by Susan Antony

Welcome to the blurb blitz tour for Cherokee Summer, a YA romance from Susan Antony! I have an excerpt for you to check out before you download your own copy. And guess what? It's only 99 cents right now, so you can't lose! Please enjoy and let the author know what you think. You can follow the tour for even more excerpts and a few reviews. Plus you can enter the giveaway for a copy!

Cherokee Summer

When Ace leaves home to spend the summer in Cherokee, North Carolina the last thing she expects to find is a boyfriend—until she meets Cherokee Tribe member John Spears. As Ace and John's friendship blossoms, they find their life experiences mirror each other and they fall in love. Despite hurdles thrown by well-meaning family members and jealous frenemies, the star-crossed lovers remain committed to their mutual belief that the universe has drawn them together. However, when Ace sends John a strange text and then suddenly disappears, the two must rely on their trust in each other to save both their lives and their love.

Read an excerpt:

Why does this have to happen when I’ve finally found love? There has to be another ending to our fairy tale. I imagine it’s the old days when eighteen wasn’t too young to take a wife. Ace is standing in an open field, and I’m in the distance riding Billy. I gallop toward her and swoop her up behind me. She wraps her arms around my middle, squeezing until our bodies are spooned together. We ride bareback into the hills to the house of wood, vines, and plaster I built myself. We live off the land, just the two of us, and we’re happy.

But it’s not the old days, and the world has changed. I have no way to provide for her, not yet, and this girl deserves the best. My best.

I have to let her go.

The large black car pulls off, and I watch it drive from view. She’s gone. Ace is gone.

My heart rips in two.

Book Links

Barnes and Noble * Amazon * Amazon Author * Itunes * Kobo * Google Play * Scribd * Hoopla * Walmart * Goodreads * Bookbub 

About Susan Antony

I am an IT by day, hip-shaker and writer by night, artist whenever possible, and an internet addict. I live in the sunny south with my teenage son and two Cairn Terriers.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18714788.Susan_Antony

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanantonycs

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

Website: http://susanantony.com

Susan Antony will be awarding a free ebook copy of Cherokee Summer to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Coliseum Arcanist by Shami Stovall

If you love fantasy and adventure, you need to check out this excerpt from Coliseum Arcanist by Shami Stovall! Follow the tour for even more and let the author know what you're thinking along the way. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Adventure. Competition. A duel to the death.

While on a journey to the famous city of Thronehold, Volke Savan learns of the Sovereign Dragon Tournament. The massive celebration involves hundreds of arcanists competing for fame and glory, and Volke is determined to win.

Dark forces dwell in the city, however, and rumors of the legendary world serpent spread amongst the shadows. Whoever bonds with a god-like mystical creature will gain magic beyond compare, and the queen’s guards suspect cutthroats will use the chaos of the tournament to hide their plotting.

Unsure of who to trust, Volke investigates the terrible rumors while advancing in the ranks of the tournament. Unfortunately, the true villain may be closer than he realizes…

Continue the Frith Chronicles with the third book, Coliseum Arcanist!

Praise for the Frith Chronicles!

"Absolutely brilliant."
- Archaeolibrarian for Knightmare Arcanist (Frith Chronicles, Book 1)

"With a thoroughly satisfying ending that hints at an incredible future for the series, Dread Pirate Arcanist is an unequivocal triumph."
- ManyBooks for Dread Pirate Arcanist (Frith Chronicles, Book 2)

Read an excerpt:

Once Zaxis had dressed, we descended the long staircase to the ground floor. Forsythe flew ahead of us, since he hated walking and Zaxis said he was too big to carry. He made it to the library long before we reached the halfway point. I wore my long coat, leather boots, and thick belt—a buccaneer’s outfit, like most individuals who traveled long distances on a ship—but Zaxis had gone a strange route.

He wore no coat and instead pulled at the edges of the shirt I had given him. It was too small, even though I was a few inches taller. The shirt technically fit, though it stretched tight across his chest and biceps, strained by the new muscle. Zaxis tried to adjust the fabric, but nothing worked.

And instead of one belt, he had two—one to hold his trousers, and the other to hold a leather pouch and his new gloves.

The lax style made him seem more like a thug than a professional, but his bronze pendant eliminated doubt. Pirates and cutthroats didn’t adhere to the guild system of identification.

Before we reached the library, he placed a hand on my shoulder. We stopped, and he stared at me with a half-serious, half-flustered expression, like he didn’t want to speak, but couldn’t stop himself.

“I’ve spent a few evenings with Illia,” Zaxis said, curt. “Just talking. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

I lifted an eyebrow, tenser than I had thought I would be. “Okay.”

“The problem is—she talks about you. A lot. It gets annoying.”

“We did grow up together. And none of the other kids associated with us much.”

Zaxis huffed and then pulled me close. “I thought you said you would help me get in her good graces.”

Available on Amazon

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About Shami Stovall

Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction, with several best-selling novels under her belt. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.

If you want to contact her, you can do so at the following locations:

Website: https://sastovallauthor.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GameOverStation/

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

Email: s.adelle.s@gmail.com

Shami Stovall will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Anne by Zarina Macha

YA Coming-of-age

Published: June 2019

Anne Mason has a storybook childhood.

A wealthy father, loving mother, and a beautiful home in Richmond.

But behind the polished windows, Anne’s father brutally terrorizes her mother.

Sent to live with her aunt and uncle, Anne enrolls in boarding school. Though she thrives, the traumas of her past gnaw at her insides.

Will hope and inner strength prevail?

Purchase Links

Amazon * B&N * Indiebound
(affiliate link included)

Excerpt

Picture this. A room with two cosy armchairs and a brown wooden table resting between them holding a small clock, tissues, and minuscule pieces of Celebrations chocolate. The temperature was not cold, and not hot, but that perfect warmth you get from adjusting both the window and radiator heating. In one of the armchairs sat a middle-aged man, bespectacled, foreign — German, perhaps — with a balding patch on his head and weight around his middle. A kind smile spread across his face, his head tilted, garnering the same curiosity as an inquisitive child. In the other chair sat a girl. Fourteen, black hair cane-rolled on top and pulled up into a tight bun. Black hands, black duffel coat, black shoes, black tights. All that shed a silver lining — or a blue one — were the sapphire-crystal earrings hanging from her ears.

The girl was me.

The foreign man peered at the clock. He and the girl had been sitting in the room for forty minutes, the slight utterance of monosyllabic dialogue passing between the two. The girl was staring at the floor, her face expressionless. With only twenty minutes left, the man took his cue to pick up the bowl holding the chocolate and offered one to her. She refused.

“I do like Celebrations,” said the man. “Always a succulent choice.” He was definitely German. “They really melt in the mouth. Maltesers are my personal favourite, though. They're the most popular, aren't they?”

I grunted in response. He sighed; not in exasperation, merely in concern. “I know this is only our second session, but it would be nice to hear a little bit from you.”

I uncrossed my legs. It was amazing how interesting your shoes became when you had nothing to say.

“I'm not trying to force you,” he said gently. “I know this has been difficult for you. You have had a lot to deal with recently, and in the past. But that is why I want you to know we are here for you. When somebody close to you dies, it’s the most horrible thing in the world. That’s why we want to help you get through this challenging time.”

I closed my eyes, raising my head to the ceiling.

“How are you feeling right now?” he asked.

I shrugged.

“Anne, you are more than welcome to take your time, but remember, in here, you are safe. No one can hurt you. What we say is confidential, and you can say whatever you like.”

He was right. And yet, the clenching in my stomach wouldn’t stop. It was a reminder that no matter how awful things became, you were still left with the scars.

I spent the remaining twenty minutes in silence. So much had happened in my fourteen years of existence, I was unsure of how to form the words.

That week, I mulled over my previous two sessions and decided I was tired of being a prisoner of my past. I no longer saw the point of keeping myself closed off. Help had been offered to me, so surely now was the time to take it. I could keep the ghosts chained to me, or I could let them be released, freeing myself in the process.

When I returned to Henry — he said I could call him by his first name — that following Tuesday, I was ready to begin telling him everything.

About the Author

Zarina Macha is an author, blogger and musician born and raised in London, UK. She studied Songwriting and Creative Artistry at The Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford. She regularly writes a social comment blog titled 'The Zarina Macha Blog.' In her spare time she loves reading and fan-girling over "Game of Thrones".

In 2018 she began independently publishing her books through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing platform. "Every Last Psycho" and "Anne" are her young-adult fiction novels that deal with mental illness, drug abuse, domestic violence and coming-of-age. "Art is a Waste of Time" and "Single Broke Female" are her two poetry books.

"Around Midnight" is her fifth self-published work. It is a young-adult drama about jazz, ambition, and a toxic relationship.

Contact Links

Website

Twitter

Facebook

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Read an exclusive excerpt from Gouster Girl by David E. Gumpert

Welcome to the excerpt tour for Gouster Girl by David E. Gumpert! I have an exclusive excerpt for you to check out today. And then be sure to follow the rest of the tour to read even more of them and download your own copy! Leave questions and comments for the author along the way. And of course, best of luck entering the giveaway!

Gouster Girl is the coming of age, risky affair between Valerie Davis a cute black girl from the South Side of Chicago and nerdy white Jeffrey Stark.

While the two are somewhat smitten they are late to realize that falling in love on Chicago’s South Side in 1963 is a highly risky business for an interracial couple.

Opportunities arise for both of them to help one another out of tough fixes—he saves her from attack at an all-white amusement park and she saves him from injury in a racial brawl at their high school. But as their romance becomes more serious, so do the racial dangers. White police target Valerie as a prostitute and black gang members see Jeffrey as trying to sexually exploit a black girl. Seemingly inevitably, the blossoming romance collides head on with the realities of Northern-style racism one hot summer afternoon at one of Chicago’s most beautiful Lake Michigan beaches, when a racial protest turns ugly, confronting the couple with terrible choices.

Read an exclusive excerpt:

Not only had the seniors heard about the fight but they treated me like a hero. They spoke in soft tones so as not to stir up gousters who might be nearby. Like Mel Graham, a dark-haired broad-shouldered handsome senior who also happened to be captain of the swim team, president of the honor society, and had pretty Shirley James as his steady girlfriend.

“Way to stand up and fight, Jeff, I heard you gave it to that mother.” The admiration in his bright and glowing baby blue eyes was sincere. “Very groovy.”

“I don’t know about that,” I responded, feeling awkward, since he was one of the coolest white kids in school and I had never before had a real conversation with him. What was the cool thing to say, to do? I tried to be valiant despite my personal shakiness. “Who knows, maybe some of them will think twice before picking a fight.”

The swim team was the only varsity sport dominated by whites. I assumed that was because whites tended to gravitate toward water during the summer—parents sent their kids to summer camp, where they had swim lessons, or retreated to summer houses at the Indiana and Michigan Dunes on Lake Michigan. Nate, Lee, and I had gone together to a YMCA camp on a small lake in a tiny town in Michigan for month-long periods each of three summers beginning when we were ten. The Negro kids, meantime, spent most of their summers hanging around city basketball courts or baseball fields.

I had no idea if it was the cool thing to do, but so long as I had Mel’s attention, I decided to inquire about his college plans. I had heard he was headed to Brown University in the East after graduation.

“I hear you’re going to an Ivy League school next year,” I offered. I could see the surprise flash in his blue eyes that I had such inside information.

“Yeah, I’m going to Brown. They want me to be on their swim team.”

I don’t know what made me ask him my next question, except that it fit into my own worries about the disintegration of our neighborhood: “Is your family moving out of South Shore after you graduate?”

Now he was looking at me in a serious way, almost as if he was trying to look inside me. “Who told you that?” he asked.

“No one. I was just wondering. So many people are leaving South Shore, I just wondered if you were, since you are graduating.”

“Yeah. My parents want out. I’m the youngest in my family, last to graduate. So it’s a good time to be leaving. I can’t say I’ll be real sorry. Maybe if more people had stood up to all this crap, like you did today, we wouldn’t be running. But not many stood up, so here we go.”

Book Links

Goodreads * Books2Read

About David E. Gumpert

David E. Gumpert grew up on the South Side of Chicago, in South Shore and Hyde Park. In the years since graduating from the University of Chicago, he has attended Columbia Journalism School and worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and an editor for the Harvard Business Review and Inc. magazine. He has also authored ten nonfiction books on a variety of subjects—from entrepreneurship and small business management to food politics. His most prominent titles include How to Really Create a Successful Business Plan (from Inc. Publishing); How to Really Start Your Own Business (Inc. Publishing); Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Food Rights (Chelsea Green Publishing), and The Raw Milk Answer Book (Lauson Publishing).

He spent ten years in the 1990s and early 2000s researching his family's history during the Holocaust. The result was a book co-authored with his deceased aunt Inge Belier: Inge: A Girl’s Journey Through Nazi Europe (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing).

He spent much of the last half-dozen years going back to his own roots in Chicago to research and write the historical novel, Gouster Girl. While some of it stems from his own experiences growing up in South Shore and Hyde Park, he also conducted significant additional research to complete the book in late 2019.

Author website  http://www.goustergirl.com/

Twitter: @davidgumpert

David E. Gumpert will be awarding a $25 gift card to Garrett Popcorn, then a Water bottle with Chicago flag for a second winner, and a Mug with Chicago flag for a third winner, all randomly drawn via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Shadow and Stone by Melissa Wright Special Sale!

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

***SPECIAL SALE***

Go to Smashwords HERE and enter QU46N at checkout to grab the first three books for only 99¢!
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Shadow and Stone
(Frey Saga #5)
By Melissa Wright
New Adult, YA Fantasy
Paperback & ebook
February 4th 2020

No bargains unpaid.

After a perilous clash with the fey, the changeling who betrayed the paramount of their laws--and threatens the safety of both realms--has gone into hiding. As Frey and her Seven recover, concealed plans and furtive bargains begin to unravel, putting in danger their old guard and new.

They’re on unsteady ground.

Scattered and healing, those sworn to protect the North and its lord work to secure their footing. They are running out of time to cure the darkness poisoning the fey lands, before it overflows into the rest of the realm. But Ruby has gone missing, and this time it seems of her own accord.

They’re out of time.

If they don’t stop her, she’ll face the deadly changeling alone. But more forces are at play than it seems, and the fey lord confined on his lands by treachery and two half-human elves has made a bargain of his own.

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Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Guest Post: What You Need to Know About the Frey Saga

New to The Frey Saga? Check out what you need to know to jump into this world of magic, elves, and fey. (Warning: this post containers spoilers for the first three books.)

Types of magic

Magical energies are divided into light, dark, and that of the fey. These energies to do not play well together (and neither do their owners).

What makes Frey special?

Freya, Lord of the North and the Dark Elves’ Kingdom, is a halfbreed. She’s not only able to use the magic of both the light and dark energies, but she’s also half human--a weakness as far as any of the North are concerned. She’s managed to keep her throne despite that though, in no small part due to her rare ability to control animals. She’s been known to use birds of prey, wolves, and mountain cats, and readers can expect a few larger beasts as her talent grows.

Who’s the villain?

It depends on who you ask. Light elves oppose the methods of the dark and dark elves the light, but both hate the fey. The fey court is headed by the fey lord Veil, whose power is strong enough to shift the seasons. Veil—like all fey—engages in dangerous games and relies heavily on deceit and trickery.

Cast of characters

Frey’s high guard is known as the Seven, a once ragtag band of elves turned warriors including a halfblood fey, her horse trader brother, the strongarm, the wizards, the quick one, and the brooding hero/love interest: Chevelle.

The story so far

After meddling with powers and making deals with the fey, Frey’s predecessor was removed as Lord of the North. A great many lives were lost in the battles that followed, including Frey’s mother, and as heir to the throne Frey has much work ahead of her to set things to right. She’s finally settled into her place as ruler and her Seven and guard are loyal and true, but a darkness was set free during that meddling that threatens not only her people, but all elves and fey.

What’s next

In The Frey Saga Book V: Shadow and Stone, Frey faces her biggest challenge yet. A deadening of magic is spreading through the kingdoms and one of her Seven has gone missing. As fey treacheries and past secrets unravel, Frey’s duty as Lord might force her into a bargain that could destroy them all.

Other Books in the Series

About the Author

Melissa is the author of the Frey Saga, Descendants Series, and Shattered Realms. She is currently working on the next book, but when not writing can be spotted collecting the things she loves at Goodreads and Pinterest. Contact her through the web at www.melissa-wright.com.

Website | Blog | Goodreads | BookBub | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Bookstagram Tour

Follow the tour here! Get extra entries in the giveaway
below when you follow and comment on each stop!

February 4th: @jhannabass
February 5th: @mythical_books
February 6th: @acmeteenbooks2019
February 7th: @canadianbookaddict
February 8th: @leslielmckee

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive an ebook box set of the first three books in the series (Frey, Pieces of Eight, and Rise of Seven) and a $20 Amazon eGift Card

Open internationally (as long as winner is eligible to receive prizes)

Ends February 10, 2020

ENTER HERE

Read an excerpt from Sentenced to Shakespeare by Iris Dorbian

Please welcome back Iris Dorbian and her book Sentenced to Shakespeare. You may have caught an excerpt a few months ago here. I have a new excerpt for you to check out today. And then you can download a copy if you haven't already done so. Follow the tour for even more fun and chat with the author as you do so! And be sure to enter the giveaway!

"Sentenced to Shakespeare" is a contemporary young adult novel set in suburban New Jersey. The story revolves around Leah, a smart and sensitive 15-year-old girl who is pushed too far by a bully and snaps. Arrested for assault and battery, Leah is sentenced to an unusual form of rehabilitation-she must take and complete a Shakespeare workshop or else risk incarceration. Ostracized by her classmates, abandoned by her only friend, Leah finds comfort and solidarity with the other juvenile offenders in this same program, with one offering her something she's never experienced before--love.

Read an excerpt:

With each insult, Leah felt like she was shrinking more into herself until there was nothing left but a shell of a person.

Then, there were the prank phone calls: the stupid breathing, the hang-ups, and the taunting texts, each a deeper stab in the heart.

“Hey, hottie! How many boyfriends do you have?”

“Don’t you vomit when you look at yourself in a mirror?”

“You really are a joke. I’d kill myself if I were you.”

It got to a point where Leah couldn’t cry anymore. Either her tear ducts were worn out from crying so much or she was numb. And, even if she did cry, that would only make Dede and her followers ridicule her even more.

Sometimes, if the weather was permitting, Leah would hide near the local VFW hall rather than go to school, which was within walking distance to her house. It was safe to play truant there as usually, no one was around on the weekdays. Within the bowels of a staircase that’d slope into the subterranean entrance of the building, she’d seek refuge. Her legs splayed out on the concrete, Leah would huddle in the corner, staring at her watch, waiting for each minute to pass into the oblivion of another minute until she knew her parents were out of the house and on their way to work. Then she’d return to the safety of her home, away from Dede and the harassment. Free and happy.

Book links

Sunbury Press * Amazon * B&N

(affiliate link included) 

About Iris Dorbian

Iris Dorbian is a professional business and arts journalist whose credits include Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Crain's New York Business, Venture Capital Journal, Buyouts, Investopedia, DMNews, Jerusalem Report, the Forward, Playbill, Backstage, Theatermania, Live Design, Media Industry Newsletter and PR News. She is the former editor-in-chief of Stage Directions magazine and author of "Great Producers: Visionaries of the American Theater," which was published by Allworth Press/Skyhorse Publishing in August 2008; and "Sentenced to Shakespeare," which was published by Milford House Press, an imprint of Sunbury Press. Her personal essays have been published in Blue Lyra Review, B O D Y, Embodied Effigies, Jewish Literary Journal, Diverse Voices Quarterly, Adanna Literary Journal, ThisSpace.org, Skirt! and Gothesque Magazine. A New Jersey native, Iris has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.


Website: www.irisdorbian.com

Linkedin Site: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/iris-dorbian/1/759/358

Twitter site: https://twitter.com/IrisDorbian

Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/iris.dorbian

Instagram site: https://www.instagram.com/irisdorbian/

Muckrack.com: http://www.muckrack.com/irisdorbian

Iris Dorbian will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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