Listen to an exclusive excerpt from Scorn of Secrets by B. Truly

 

I read and greatly enjoyed Scorn of Secrets back when it first came out. And now you can listen to it on audio! Today I'm bringing you an exclusive audio excerpt. You can hear even more if you follow the tour. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Chasing Harmony by Melanie Bell

 

New from author Melanie Bell is this timely coming of age story. Read an excerpt from Chasing Harmony and then download your own copy! Read about her writing routine and then follow the tour for even more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Theo & Sprout by Joseph Gergen

 

Welcome to the tour for Theo & Sprout by Joseph Gergen! Read an excerpt and then download your copy so that you can see why reviewers keep giving this one five stars. The author also shares his thoughts on introversion and dialogue. Enjoy the read and follow the tour for even more! Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Angelbound by Christina Bauer

 Today we are celebrating the anniversary of Angelbound by Christina Bauer! There's even a bonus story! Check out an excerpt and then follow the tour for more of this YA paranormal romance! Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Imaginary Friends by Chad Musick

 

Magical realism naturally goes hand-in-hand with YA lit. Today you can check out an excerpt from Imaginary Friends by Chad Musick and then read about his journey to becoming a writer. Follow the tour for more and be sure to enter the great giveaway!

The Love That Binds Us by Phoenix Blackwood

 

Today you can get to know author Phoenix Blackwood better in this interview and then read an excerpt from The Love That Binds Us. Be sure to follow the tour for even more fun and then check out the giveaway at the end of the post!

Meet Rana from The Chasm by Branwen O'Shea

 

Branwen O'Shea is back! And today in addition to an excerpt from her book The Chasm, we get to meet Rana of Peleguin Rookery, one of the characters. And if you follow my blogs at all, you know how excited I get when the characters come to visit! (Authors, I do love you as well. These characters visits are just much rarer!) So please enjoy and ask both Rana and Branwen more questions in the comments section. Follow the tour to see what else is going on. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P. Roman

 

Calling all superhero fans! There's adventure to be had in Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex. Read an excerpt and then get to know author Carole P. Roman in a quick Q&A. Ask her more questions in the comments section before you download your own copy. Be sure to follow the tour for even more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

The After Times (The Bean Books) by Christine Potter

 Author Christine Potter is here to tell us all about her YA fantasy Bean series! You can read an excerpt from The After Times, as well! Be sure to let her know what you think in the comments section and then follow the tour for more. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Locksmith's War (The Locksmith Trilogy #3) by Paul Briggs

 

Locksmith's War is the third installment of Paul Briggs' Locksmith Trilogy. Today he's bringing you an excerpt plus letting us get to know him a little better in this Q&A. Enjoy both and then ask him more questions in the comments section. Follow the tour for even more. Best of luck to you in the giveaway!

The Signs We Missed by Lena S. May with Playlist

 

Here's another contemporary YA to get your brain working and to really get you in the feels. Read an excerpt from The Signs We Missed by Lena S. May and then download your own copy. Be sure to leave questions and comments as you follow the tour. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Review of Ugly by Kelly Vincent

 

Kelly Vincent is back on the blog today! We have an excerpt and review of Ugly. Be sure to get more opinions as you follow the tour and then leave your own thoughts along the way! Best of luck entering the great giveaway.

Potion by Dorlana Vann

 

This one is for those of you who love fairy tales! Check out an excerpt from Potion by Dorlana Vann. Leave questions and comments as you follow the tour. Best of luck entering the giveaway.

Review of Always the New Girl by Kelly Vincent

 

Welcome to the review tour for Always the New Girl by Kelly Vincent. Today you get to read an excerpt and my thoughts on this coming of age YA novel. Be sure to follow the tour for even more after you download your own copy to read. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Juche Box Set (Books 1-4) by Adria Carmichael

 

Fans of YA dystopian will want to get their hands on this box set. Check out Juche from Adria Carmichael. I love box sets because you don't have to wait in between books! And this series is dystopian with a twist. Read an excerpt and then explore the setting with the author. Be sure to let her know what you think in the comments as you follow the tour for more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Chasm by Branwen O'Shea

 

YA readers love sci-fi and fantasy. Here's a new book for you to check out! Read an excerpt from The Chasm by Branwen O'Shea and then download your own copy. Follow the tour and let her know your thoughts in the comments section. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Review of Bad Boys Don't Date Clumsy Girls by KE Strand

 

I really enjoyed Bad Boys Don't Date Clumsy Girls by Ke Strand and will give you more details in my review. You can also check out an excerpt and enter the great giveaway! Follow the tour for even more!

The Virus of Beauty Series by C.B. Lyall

 

Today we welcome C.B. Lyall back to the blog with further installments of her Virus of Beauty series. Read about all of the books and get a peek inside. Then get to know the author better in a new interview. Be sure to download your own copies and then follow the tour for more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

The Story Behind The Undine's Tear by Talena Winters

 

The Undine's Tear is the first installment of Talena Winters' new YA epic historical fantasy series, Rise of the Grigori. Find out how the title came to be and take a sneak peek inside. Download your copy and then follow the tour for more as well as bonus chances to enter the giveaway!

She's destined to save the world . . . if she doesn't destroy it first.

Calandra’s destiny is also her doom. As the most powerful healer since the woman who sank Atlantis, she’s been raised to restore the Heartstone that protects her island from humans . . . before she goes Mad like her mother and all the powerful undine healers before her. When she learns she needs both male and female magic to succeed, she becomes desperate—there hasn't been an undine male born for over three thousand years. Instead, she's being pressured to use the siren mind-bond to enslave her childhood friend, the one man she's sworn to risk a death sentence to free.

When Calandra discovers a cryptic message that shows her exiled mother was not only sane but pregnant with a boy, she questions everything she’s been taught to believe. But revealing the horrifying truth of the bonds could tear her island apart—and concealing it could unleash the Earth’s oldest, most destructive enemy. With insanity looming, can Calandra find her brother and save the Heartstone, the man she loves, her people, and the world . . . before she loses control and destroys them all?

The Undine's Tear is the first book in the mind-blowing young adult epic historical fantasy series Rise of the Grigori. Packed with complex characters, lush world-building, gritty action, and impossible odds, this intricately woven tale presents mermaids like you’ve never seen them before. Join Calandra in a search for redemption that will threaten the very fabric of the universe. Dive into the adventure today!

Read an excerpt:

Osaze looked between them with fear in his eyes, then turned back to Calandra.

“Redeemed. That’s what the queen did to me before, right? Is that what you mean by ‘help’?” He clutched Calandra’s arm. “Please don’t do it again, Calandra. I—I think I would rather die than have that happen again.”

As soon as Osaze touched her, a wave of desperation and fear crashed through her. She put her hands to her ears as though she could physically block out the sudden onslaught of emotion. Is it happening already? Is this the Madness?

When Osaze’s hand fell from her arm, the emotions subsided. She slowly lowered her hands, staring at the boy. Those feelings . . . they had all come from him? Why had she felt them so strongly? Did it have something to do with the Heartstone?

“It’s okay, Osaze. It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

He shook his head and buried it in his hands. “That would be better. It’s worse than anything you can imagine.”

Calandra stared at him, stricken. As a rule, undines treated every living thing with respect. She had always been told that Redemption meant saving the men from themselves, cleansing them of impurities they could not purge on their own. But how could it be right to do something to these men that they hated so much?

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The Story Behind the Title of The Undine’s Tear

Have you heard of mermaid tears?

Growing up far inland with not many trips to an ocean, I hadn’t—not until I started doing the research for the book that became The Undine’s Tear.

In lore and fantasy, a mermaid’s tears often have unique magical properties—such as the mermaid tear Blackbeard was after in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which was a key element in his pursuit of the Fountain of Youth. Perhaps this mythological meaning is why sea glass, which is often green, blue, or aquamarine in colour and has been worn smooth by time and tide, was given the name of mermaid tears. These mermaid tears are often treasured collectibles of beachcombers and look very pretty displayed on a shelf.

Before publishing my book, I had intended to call it The Mermaid’s Tear, but a poll of my readers suggested the word mermaid would deter the boys in the room from picking it up. That wouldn’t do, since this is not your typical mermaid book—and, to date, has been enjoyed by many of the male persuasion!

Besides, I had long since decided an entire race of sea creatures wouldn’t be named only for the females. So, much like people are known as humans, I opted to call my merfolk undines (UN-deens), a word referring to the Greek water elemental creature. Since elemental magic is the undines’ inheritance, this seemed kind of perfect.

As for the tear the story is named after—it’s not a drop of saltwater, nor a bit of sea glass, but instead a teardrop-shaped dark green (black) opal that, in the culture of the undines, works like a flash drive to store messages and data, as well as serving as a beautiful piece of jewelry.

And the message that Tear contains is going to change the way the undines look at the world forever—in fact, it could affect the very future of the cosmos.

But that’s a story that would take a whole series to tell…

Talena Winters is addicted to stories, tea, chocolate, yarn, and silver linings. She writes page-turning fiction for teens and adults in multiple genres, coaches other writers, has written several award-winning songs, and designs knitting patterns under her label My Secret Wish. Master of the ironic GIF response. She currently resides on an acreage in the Peace Country of northern Alberta, Canada, with her husband, three surviving boys, two dogs, and an assortment of farm cats. She would love to be a mermaid when she grows up.

https://www.talenawinters.com/

https://www.instagram.com/talenawinters

https://www.twitter.com/talenawinters

https://www.goodreads.com/talenawinters

https://facebook.com/talenawinters.artist

https://facebook.com/mysecretwishbyTalena

http://pinterest.com/talenawinters

Talena Winters will be awarding a hardback copy of The Undine's Tear (Rise of the Grigori Book 1) and also The Sphinx's Heart (Rise of the Grigori Book 2) to a randomly drawn winner (International Giveaway) via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Shadow and Sword by N.K. Carlson

 

NK Carlson has a new YA fantasy out now and you get a sneak peek inside! Plus he tells us about his journey to becoming a writer. Download your own copy and then follow the tour for even more plus bonus chances to enter the giveaway!

The word was just below a whisper, yet in sixteen-year-old Reith's ears, it rang louder than he could have ever imagined. Reith had his life in order: apprentice under his mentor, Master Chronicler Vereinen, and follow in his footsteps. Until a shadowy figure appeared in his village, burning everything to the ground, including Reith's future. Now Reith's mentor is missing and Reith is on the run from the mysterious Shadow.

Reith adventures through magical forests, ancient ruins, and the lands of prejudiced elves to find his mentor, learn the secret of his sword, and unravel the mystery of the Shadow. Will Reith discover the truth or will the Shadow continue to fall over all of Terrashonen?

Read an excerpt:

Reith walked to the edge of the stairs and knelt to look at what was in this slot, reaching in and pulling out a long, shiny box. This box looked to be wood overlaid with gold, silver, and copper triangles, each alternating, coming together to form a pattern. The box was about five feet long, a foot wide, and three or four inches tall. On the side was a golden clasp, which he opened.

Reith was dazzled by the sunlight striking the metal inside. In the box sat a sword in a scabbard. Its hilt looked like it had been woven together from three different metals, just like the box. These three twisted together into a metallic braid. The cross guard was similarly woven together. A soft, leather grip covered part of the handle for ease of use. Diamonds adorned the hilt and the pommel. The scabbard was black leather with lines of the three metals inlaid upon the edges.

He lifted the sword out and held it in his hand. The grip was warm, as if someone had just set it down. It felt light, like it was part of his arm and not a foreign object. The strangest thing though was that it felt like it was vibrating in his hand, as if he had just clashed it against another warrior’s blade.

Reith lifted it to his face and saw that the edge was sharp, as if it had just been sharpened and shined the day before. He slashed the air in front of him experimentally, and the sword hummed through the air. Strange as it seemed, he felt like he was meant to have this sword.

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Your journey to becoming a writer

Blink… Blink… Blink…

The cursor materialized and disappeared over and over while the word counter remained at zero. I was in high school facing yet another essay that I had no motivation to write nor particular passion about the subject matter.

This scene happened several times in middle school and high school. Most writing assignments were big research papers or essays about uninteresting topics. I’ll be honest with you: I hated writing in middle school and high school. I would have rather sat a million tests that write papers.

But my loathing for writing was not always so. I had good experiences before then. In elementary school, the highlight of every year was receiving a blank white book to fill with a story or non-fiction work. We could choose the topic and write about anything we wanted. After writing a draft of the story, we workshopped it with our teacher and then we were given the greenlight to write and illustrate our blank white books. I loved those projects.

But then the freedom to be creative was taken away, replaced with boring drudgery of research papers and silly essays about trying to persuade the school board to not implement a uniform policy, which our teachers lied to us about to get us sufficiently angry to write our essays. How messed up is that?

And so I went to college. It was 2011 and blogging was all the rage. I had some friends start blogs, so I jumped in and started one. And I started writing about topics I cared about. In doing so, I found that I actually really liked writing. I enjoyed the process. I liked writing when I was writing about things I actually cared about.

Midway through college, I decided I wanted to try and write a novel. I started one, worked on it for a bit, but only got a few thousand words in before I got bored of it and gave up.

Then I had another idea, got really excited about it, and wrote a few thousand words, and gave it up after growing bored again.

I graduated and started grad school and had another idea for a novel, which I started, wrote a few thousand words, got bored, and abandoned.

Are you sensing a theme?

And then I had the idea for Shadow and Sword. I believed in this idea, but more importantly, I believed in myself. I would not let myself give up. If I was going to write a novel, it was now or never. So, over a period of four months, I wrote the first draft of Shadow and Sword. I finished it! And I knew from that moment that I had it in me to be a writer. Of course, it took a lot of work to rewrite and edit it, but I had the knowledge that I had started a novel and I had finished it. I was officially a writer.

N. K. Carlson is an author living in Texas. Originally from the Chicago area, he graduated from the University of Illinois before studying at Logsdon Seminary, where he graduated with a master of divinity degree. He has published two books.

The Things that Charm Us and the Smelly Gospel (which was co-written with Drew Doss) both came out in 2020.

His love of writing began in elementary school when each student was given a blank white book to fill with a story. In college, he took an interest in blogging and writing novels.

Website: https://www.nkcarlson.com/

https://medium.com/@nkcarlson

https://www.facebook.com/nkcarlson

https://twitter.com/N8Carlson

N. K. Carlson 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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