It Happened on Thunder Road by Susan Antony

 

Welcome to the book tour for It Happened on Thunder Road by Susan Antony! You can check out an excerpt here today before downloading your own copy. I also have another excerpt and an interview with the author over at Candrel's Crafts, Cooks, and Characters. Leave more questions in the comments section. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

It Happened on Thunder Road
Susan Antony

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance, Suspense, Paranormal Elements
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: 04-24-21
ISBN: 1509235329
ASIN: B08YY7BTJB
Number of pages: 292
Word Count: 72000
Cover Artist: Kim Mendoza

Tagline: Hang on, baby, for the ride of your life.

Book Description:

When Emmy Russo returns to high school in Moncks Corner, South Carolina after summer break, she discovers some changes. First: Mom has a boyfriend. Second: the cute new student, Charlie Fields, is a Rockabilly greaser with a gang who obeys his every command. Third: attractive Keir Harper wants to be more than just her best friend. And fourth: a perplexed Emmy soon finds herself drawn to two extremely different boys. How do you choose between sweet and smoldering?

Then tragedy strikes on desolate Thunder Road. Strange things start happening, with Emmy in the middle of it all. Intent on finding the truth, she must fight for her heart, her life, maybe even her soul. Because someone wants to possess all of Emmy. And they will be together, no matter what the cost. For eternity.

Read an excerpt:

We faced each other for a beat or two. Then he placed his arm around my shoulder and took my hand in his, positioning his body a respectable distance away. We danced, slow and reserved at first, but as the singer’s wails intensified, so did Charlie’s moves. His hips swayed from side to side, and he inched closer to me, smidgen by smidgen, until his pelvis ground against my hipbones.

Our bodies melded, moving together in perfect synchronicity. Side to side. Back and forth. He moved his hand to my lower back and pulled me closer. I took in a quick, sharp breath. He

“You know, baby,” he murmured, “You and me have more than chemistry. We have fire. Not the easy kind of fire you can make from a box of matches, but the kind of fire you get when you rub two sticks together. I’m all yours if you want me.”

The world around me blurred as if I were watching it through thick lenses. I imagined Charlie’s lips against mine. I imagined him shirtless, propped above me, his triceps bulging as he slowly lowered his chest—mine rising toward his, beckoning him closer. He groaned a low animal-like sound. It drew me to him.

And I wanted him bad.

I wanted our bodies to burn in Hell together for all eternity.

What was happening? Had I lost my mind? I wasn’t ready. Was I?

No.

Spasms of panic surged from my loins to the deepest recesses in my brain. In a sharp snap, the imaginary lenses cracked, and through the broken glass was a clear image of a boy with kind eyes and a halo of yellow hair.

Keir was my angel, and I was dancing with the devil. A devil who would betray his brother. A devil who would convince me to betray him as well.

I shuddered and pressed my free hand, fiercely against his shoulder. He clutched me tighter.

“Charlie, please. We can’t do this.”

“Why not?” he demanded.

I took in a long, ragged breath. “Because I don’t want to hurt Keir. He likes me.”

He forced a laugh and loosened his grip. My hand slipped from his, and he leaned toward me. His chin brushed against my cheek, and flesh bumps shimmied down my spine.

“That was the right answer, New Jersey,” he whispered in a throaty voice. “Welcome to the gang.”

Amazon * BN * Bookbub * Target * Kobo

(affiliate link included)

Susan Antony, an aspiring Renaissance woman, never shies from a challenge. Not only does she have a degree in the Liberal Arts, she has a degree in Automotive Technology. She currently works in the IT department at a local Charleston hospital. Susan lives with her teenaged son and two behaviorally-challenged Cairn Terriers. To maintain her sanity, she cherishes her Friday evenings dancing the night away!

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@susanantony1

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusanAntonyCS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanantonyauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57309229-it-happened-on-thunder-road

Enter to win a $15 Amazon gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mirror Bound (The Witchling Academy #2) by Monica Sanz

Review of Ava (A Hart Twins Novel) by Charyse Allan

Welcome to the blog tour for Ava: A Hart Twins Novel by Charyse Allan! This twisting and turning YA novel is one you won't want to miss. Keep on reading to see an excerpt as well as my thoughts about this book. You can also follow the tour for even more fun. 

Ava: A Hart Twins Novel

by Charyse Allan

Genre: YA Romance/Suspense
Release Date: January 29th 2019

Summary:

Ava has everything planned, as usual. Finish senior year at the top of her class, perform her best dance routine at the dance concert, and have the greatest prom ever. But her best friend, Cade, has other ideas. He convinces Ava to abandon her rigid schedule and enjoy her last year of high school. After letting her hair down for one amazing night and exchanging a steamy kiss with Cade, she's ready to explore this carefree side of herself, until someone plays a cruel joke on her.

Humiliated and hurt, Ava retreats into her carefully constructed box, hoping everything will go back to normal. But it doesn't. What she thought was a prank has turned out to be so much more, and she doesn't even know the half of it. Determined to handle the situation herself, Ava hides her true feelings from her friends and her new love interest, but is quickly pushed past her breaking point.

The survival of a sickening betrayal, a broken heart, and a perilous attack mean very little when lost in a game you don’t even know you’re playing.

Add to Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

Prologue 

Before this moment—on the verge of nothingness, at the hands of someone I should have suspected—I had it all figured out… at least, for the most part. There was a perfect-sized box for everything in my life. The details fit nicely in their own little containers, and I could sort them and stack them as I pleased, so long as no one messed with my system. 

Chaos wasn’t even an option—it wasn’t tolerated. 

With his hands wrapped around my throat—his sweat dripping on my face, my nails digging into his knuckles—he told me why, he told me who was to blame, but it made no sense. Until the darkness came and choked me with guilt, with regret, with self-loathing. 

I thought there would be nothing when I finally passed out, but her face was there, tears running down her cheeks, smack in the middle of the black. She told me I should have been there, should have paid closer attention, should have helped her, even when she pushed everyone away. 

She wasn’t to blame. No. The rest of us were. But I was too focused on the chaos my life had become, too busy trying to shove everything back in its box, while ignoring those who mattered most. 

If I ever woke again, would she be there? Would she be okay? Was there still time to help her? 

There had to be.

Available on Amazon

Yes, this is my affiliate link. This just means I'll earn a couple of pennies should you make a purchase through it, but it won't cost you anything extra. This helps support all of my sites. Thanks!

**My thoughts**

I need book 2!

First I have to say that reading this seriously made me not miss high school in any way, shape, or form. I hate the catty, petty drama that goes on. And it definitely seems to be more intense these days. (Yes, I know this is just a book, but still. It's a whole new world out there.)

I love Ava. She is strong, determined, and knows what she wants. She doesn't take crap from anyone, which is going to serve her well in life. But she also has a soft and vulnerable side. Usually she uses that for good, but it can get her into trouble, as it pretty much does in this book. She is one of those Type A personalities who likes to be in control of a lot, and somehow seems to manage being involved in dozens of activities while also maintaining an excellent GPA to get her into her chosen college.

And then there is Mia. She is Ava's identical twin sister, who comes off as being a really nasty person that you don't want to have anything to do with. She is clearly having severe problems of some kind, altering her appearance, going out and getting drunk, withdrawing from her friends and family. Red flags are flying all over the place. And considering some recent events with teenagers in my own life, I just want to shake both of her parents for not paying close enough attention or pushing a little harder to find out what is going on. I am also sad that Ava and Mia, who are identical twins, just don't seem to have that strong connection you would expect them to have. But there is a good reason why. It starts in this book and is why I need to read the second book.

Cade is one of Ava's best friends. He is also an ex from two years ago, and the two of them clearly still have feelings for each other. He has a bit of a checkered past from when he previously lived in Seattle with his mom. I cannot stand his temper. I don't like it when guys fly off the handle so easily and personally would remain extremely cautious, if not holding such a guy at arm's length if I saw him demonstrate his anger so rapidly. His saving graces are that he is never physical with Ava or any other female. He is also aware that he has anger issues and wants to do something about them. I also realize that he is under a lot of pressure with school and craziness with his parents, etc.

Kai is Ava and Mia's older brother who is across the world in the service. He also seems to get angry quite easily, but is fiercely protective of his younger siblings. He definitely seems to be closer to Ava than Mia. But because this story is told from Ava's point of view (alternating with Cade), we really cannot know the extent of his relationship with the other twin. I do like seeing a tight family that loves each other, though I feel like the parents are somewhat burying their heads in the sand.When they're aware of something, they are also like alpha dogs hunting down the enemy and trying to make things right. I just want them to act a little sooner. Then again, I have the advantage of omniscience. 

Ava and Cade have some amazing friends in their lives. And then there are the nasty, manipulative people who hate them. And then weird things start to happen to Ava. Because she is so determined and strong-willed, it is easy for her to piss off people. And she certainly manages to do so with a few people. So those people are retaliating and it is pretty scary. They are not sure who is behind the attacks and vandalism, but I pretty much had it figured out from the get-go.

I have to jump on my educator soap box for a moment and implore teens who are reading this to PLEASE find a trusted adult should you ever find yourself or a friend in any of these situations. These teens don't want to tell anyone what is going on, because they don't want to upset any adults or make matters worse. But that's what we are here for.

I actually really enjoyed this book. There's enough suspense and roller coaster action to keep you engaged. I actually read it all in one evening. And like I keep saying, I really need to read the next book, which is from Mia's point of view, to find out what is really going on with her. 

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

About Charyse Allan

Charyse Allan grew up in Arizona dancing and riding horses. She is an avid reader, but didn’t become one until high school. This is also when she realized her passion for writing, however it wasn’t until a couple years into her marriage that she tried her hand at writing a novel.

When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found in Northern Arizona, tending her garden with her husband and best friend, while their two kids and two crazy dogs run around the yard. Charyse is also a big fan of Holy yoga, juicing and being a vegetarian—she misses bacon like nobody’s business.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read an excerpt from Beneath the Earth by H.S. Stone with Giveaway

Welcome to the blitz for Beneath the Earth by H.S. Stone! This YA suspense novel looks really good, and I have an excerpt here to share with you. Be sure to check it out and then download your copy on Amazon. And then, there is a giveaway at the end. Thanks for stopping by!

Cloak of Silence (Jake Harding Series #1) by Tom Merchant

Cloak of Silence

Idyllic holiday becomes life-or-death quest

Jake likes boarding school, but he just loves going home at the end of term. His parents live on a Greek island where they own an adventure school which provides a warm welcome and awesome challenges to groups of teenagers. Jake’s passion is windsurfing and the blue waters and the warm breezes of the bay are a perfect combination.

His older sister, Zoë, is home for two weeks from university. She is dismayed when her good friend Selena is abruptly sent away to stay with her aunt in Athens. Further stressed by Jake winding her up, Zoë goes for a walk along the beach at dusk. She doesn’t return.

A thorough search that night fails to find her and Jake, feeling guilty and responsible for Zoë’s disappearance, vows to find her.

Under intense pressure to solve the biggest challenge of his life, Jake leaves no stone unturned in the search for his sister. He enlists a group of kids from the course to help him in a desperate race against time to reach a mysterious place called Syntagma. Will the adventure school kids hinder Jake or help him in his quest?

Read an excerpt:

‘You’re keeping her locked up somewhere.’ Jake nearly said ‘at Syntagma’ but stopped himself in time. He would have to explain how he knew and the least said the better.

‘Smart,’ Scorpion commented, taking another drag on the cigarette. ‘What now?’ 

‘I don’t know what now,’ Jake said honestly. 

‘My boss told me to kill your sister,’ Scorpion said conversationally, dropping the cigarette butt onto the floor and stubbing it out viciously with his heel.

The air was suddenly still as Jake looked incredulously at the man in front of him. 

‘You didn’t,’ he said slowly. ‘You couldn’t… could you?’

Available on Amazon

US / UK

About Tom Merchant

Tom grew up in Mossel Bay, a fishing and surfing town on the Garden Route coast of South Africa. He has lived and worked all over the world including Cape Town, London, Liverpool, Kuwait, Dubai and Sydney. He has an abiding love of the sea and has photographed it, surfed in it, sailed dinghies and windsurfed on it, and helped rescue people from it. So it is not surprising that his first novel should be set on an island where the hero is a youngster passionate about windsurfing.

Tom now lives in Sussex with his wife, Suzanne, three Spaniels and their daughter's miniature dachshund.

Author’s website:

http://tommerchant.weebly.com/

The Cresecren Chronicles: Novus by Crystal Marcos

Ideal for Hunger Games and Divergent fans, Crystal Marcos delivers Novus, a riveting novel set in a dystopian future of action-adventure, suspense, and romance. Intriguing characters and a gripping storyline keep the reader turning page after page.

Being a teenager is hard enough. And what if your life's path is predetermined? On top of that, you aren't even Human?

Cayden was given life as a Cresecren. He expected to live out his days with the dysfunctional Human family he was assigned to serve. One fateful night, however, landed him in Gavaron, the home of maimed, elderly, or defiant Cresecren.

Beyond its borders is the Den, an area much more dangerous than he ever imagined. Now seventeen, Cayden unwittingly becomes involved in a conspiracy and is one of a handful of survivors fleeing a deadly attack. They set off on a perilous journey in search of refuge and the truth. Along the way, Cayden begins to comprehend the difference between fully living and merely surviving, while trying to balance his emotions and a forbidden love.

Read an excerpt:

I slid the door open to find Kayella standing wide-eyed. She looked shaken, beads of sweat covering her forehead. Her arms were crossed in a protective position, and one finger twisted a lock of her auburn hair.

“Kayella? What happened? Are you hurt?” I asked as I pulled her inside and glanced both ways down the seemingly deserted corridors. I slid the door shut. 

“What is it, Kayella? Did Dahsie do something to you?” 

“No!” 

I waited patiently and offered her my rest pod. She remained standing, staring ahead. 

She swallowed. “You have no reason to believe me. None at all. Ever since I can remember, my dreams have reflected reality. They are jumbled and I never remember the entire dream but something always stands out and I see it come true.” 

“Why has this brought you here?” 

“You can’t go into the Den to the Supply Depot. At least, I feel you shouldn’t go.” Kayella rubbed her forehead with the sleeve of her blouse. 

“Let me get you a drink.” I pulled down a metal can and filled it with water. 

Before I turned around, Kayella’s hand was on my arm. Her footsteps were so silent that she startled me. I pivoted to look at her as she spoke a single word hauntingly. “Death.” Kayella looked so serious that I did not speak my initial thought of “nonsense.” Instead, I handed her the can and asked her to tell me about her dream. 

“It won’t make any sense to you. How can I explain something I don’t understand? They are bits and pieces of a puzzle.” Kayella became flustered, her hand began to tremble, and water sloshed to the floor. “I came because I felt I needed to warn you not to go tomorrow.” She grabbed my arm tightly. “Have someone go in your place. I have to go and warn Alecander.” She dropped the can into the sink, splashing water along the wall. Before I could stop her, she ran out the door and down the corridor. I stood there, taken aback. The Kayella I knew was timid and sweet. I knew nothing of this Kayella. 

Death. Such an ominous word. Is it that I might die? Or Alecander? What exactly had Kayella seen? Did it even matter?

 Buy links

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / iTunes / Kobo

NOVUS (The Cresecren Chronicles, Book 1) has recently received two book awards and a revamped cover! To celebrate the eBook will be on SALE for $1.99 from 4/30/2016- 5/15/2016

~"Official Selection" Winner in the E-Book Young Adult category, 2015 New Apple Book Awards!~

~Winner Best Books in the Young Adult category, 2016 Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards!~

Reviewed by Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite- 5 STARS

“Novus by Crystal Marcos is one of those gems that make you care about the characters within the story, and while you definitely want to know what happens to them, you can't help but also not want to get to the end of the book. It's the kind of book whose characters you miss when you finish the book.”

About Crystal Marcos

Award-winning author Crystal Marcos has been a storyteller her entire life. As the oldest of five children, she had to do a lot of entertaining. She lives on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State with her husband, daughter Kaylee, and infant son Jaxon. Crystal is the author of BELLYACHE: A Delicious Tale and HEADACHE: The Hair-Raising Sequel to BELLYACHE. Novus, her third book and first Young Adult novel, is Book One of The Cresecren Chronicles.


Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.crystalmarcos.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrystalMarcos

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/crystalmarcos/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/crystal-marcos/2a/979/b9b

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/CrystalMarcos

IAN: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/crystal-marcos.html

Amazon Author: http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Marcos/e/B003TGP4EO/

'Maia and the Secrets of Zagran (Lightbound Saga #2)' by S.G. Basu

Maia and the Secrets of Zagran

by S. G. Basu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Thirteen year old Maia thinks she has seen it all.

She has survived an assassination attempt, she has been threatened by the chancellor, and she has faced off with saboteurs trying to bring down a nation. She lets nothing get to her anymore-not the ominous nightmares she has been having lately, not the fear of being targeted for another soul extraction, not even the memories of her dead mother's terrifying communique.

More than ever, Maia wants the Initiative to resume. She longs to visit Zagran-the undersea capital of the Jjord. She wants to ride the underwater transport lines, learn about the Jjordic energy farms and most of all-she wants to goof off with her friends.

But, around the charming city of Zagran, evil is gathering. Maia and her friends do not know it yet, the countdown to their planned extinction has already begun.

Read an excerpt:

Through the darkness and the fog, Maia fell. Faster and faster, lower and lower, she plummeted into the bottomless pit until her heart went numb, until she had stopped feeling the rush. It was a murky blur of senses when she hit the surface. The water, surprisingly warm and soft as it engulfed her, spilled over the top of her head, swirling around her face and her neck, suffocating her.

Maia screamed.

She bolted upright in her bed like an uncoiled spring. The heaviness dropped away from her head forming a dappled white, black, and amber shape of Dusty the cat. Struggling with the lingering feeling of weight that crept along the fringes of her heart, Maia realized it had been a nightmare. There had been too many of them lately.

Over a week had passed since thirteen-year-old Maia had returned home to Appian after a successful run at the Alliance Initiative on Xif. Her team, Core 21, had topped the first phase. They were one of the twenty teams selected for the second phase in the undersea Jjordic capital of Zagran. Maia had intended to enjoy every moment of this brief break between the phases, and she mostly did. Except for the nights. Every night was a battle against the inevitable, and every day started in a haze of outlandish dreams from the night before. There were scores of them, but one nightmare kept coming back—the one with the fires. Time after time, Maia woke up screaming inside as the raging inferno engulfed her.

Available on Amazon

About S.G. Basu

S. G. Basu is a telecommunications engineer by profession, but she likes to call herself a dreamer. Imagination, fueled by a voracious appetite for books, has been her steady friend since childhood. She discovered her passion for writing quite by chance and there has been no stopping her since then.

Find out more about the futuristic worlds she creates, the characters that are real with their emotions and ambitions, successes and failures, at www.sgbasu.com.

Website/blog - www.sgbasu.com

Twitter- @fromsgbasu

Facebook - www.facebook.com/thelightboundsaga

S. G. Basu will be awarding a signed copy of the book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Follow along for more chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of 'Feedback' by DL Richardson

Feedback

by DL Richardson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Ethan James, Florida Bowman, and Jake Inala are three teenagers who need organ transplants. When they receive the organs of deceased CIA agent, Dylan Black, they inadvertently take on the task of completing the mission Dylan died midway through, that of deactivating bacteria bombs threatening millions of lives. The teenagers are kidnapped by a man who believes in the theory of feedback, that information is retained in the memory of organs, in this case those of the dead CIA agent. And their captor will stop at nothing to get the information retained inside their bodies. With their lives under threat, the memories stored in the CIA agent’s mind begin to awaken within each of them, except the one piece of information they are abducted for - the location of the bombs.

**My thoughts**

The concept of feedback, or muscle memory, is one that I heard about many years ago. I am sure that it has been done in other books, but this is the first one I have read about it. The concept is fascinating, scary, and almost unbelievable, all at once. It is usually presented as something simple, such as a vegetarian suddenly craving meat, because the person who donated the organ loved his steak. I never dreamed of taking it to the extreme that Richardson does. These kids get to experience full-blown memories, almost as if Dylan is a second voice in their own heads. 

Each one of them seems to remember different pieces from Dylan's memory. How those three pieces end up fitting together and working together is beyond me. It is as if the three of them are spiritually joined as one person [Dylan] and can easily work together. It also felt like the three of them are destined to work together in possible future installments of a series. It is one I would read.

Richardson spends a lot of time developing her characters. In fact, the entire first half of the book is dedicated to their stories, explaining their path to getting Dylan's organs. We also get Dylan's story from his point of view. That seems like such a long time for introductions, and is, but I appreciated getting to know all of them. I just got a little confused from chapter to chapter, needing to pay close attention to the title to know who was telling the story. As for the action, you are drawn in from the very first page. It plateaus a bit while the backstories are developing. Then, the action picks right back up again as the three teens race against the clock to try to locate and diffuse the bombs. I read it in two separate sittings and really enjoyed it.

Buy links

Amazon / Smashwords

Read about how the author researched her book here.
(Plus you can enter a giveaway that ends on 4/24/15!)

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

D L Richardson writes speculative fiction. She currently has three young adult teen novels published and one short story anthology. Her first two YA novels The Bird With The Broken Wing and Feedback were best sellers and highest ranked YA fiction at OmniLit. Her third YA novel Little Red Gem was runner up on Paranormal Books Best Standalone YA book of 2013 and the book trailer was featured on USA Today website.

Upcoming works include Curious, a limited edition bundling of three YA novels, a serialized science fiction novel, Fear of Falling Further the second anthology of short stories, and Poison in the Pond, a novella adapted from of an unpublished novel written in 1996.

She lives in Australia on the south coast with her husband and dog.

Author contacts

Email: dlrichardsonbooks@bigpond.com
Blog: dlrichardsonwrites.blogspot.com
Website: www.dlrichardson.com
Facebook: facebook.com/dlrichardsonbooks
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/DLRichardson1

Researching 'Feedback' by author D.L. Richardson

How to research 'Feedback' or spies for a novel

There was a mixture of research strategies taken to write the spy adventure novel Feedback.

Number one - The story idea came from watching television:

I came up with story idea while watching a documentary about people who had received organ transplants and how they suddenly liked classical music or Mexican food. I had a ‘lightbulb’ moment and then began the ‘what if’ process. What if good guys got the organs of a spy or a secret service agent, and what if bad guys wanted top secret information? I conjured up scenarios of secret government facilities creating a program where military personnel and spies were not allowed to be buried, instead their organs harvested and put into other soldiers. Because I was writing young adult fiction at the time, I chose to tell the story of three teens who get the organs of a spy and how they deal with having to save the world when they just want to get on with their lives.

Number two - The heart and warmth came from a sports hero:

The process of organ transplants was researched from “To The Edge and Back” by Chris Klug. His story is about going from organ transplant survivor to Olympic snowboarder. I wanted to write an action story but I also wanted it to have real emotion. There was a lot of information that you can’t get through medical journals, such as how he and his family felt every time they turned up at hospital only to be told that the organ had been given to someone else, or how someone treats you like a drug addict if you have a liver disease, or how you couldn’t travel any further than a few hours from the hospital in case ‘the call’ comes in. Also the true emotion that someone has to die in order for someone to live, and that sort of detail wasn’t in the survival journals I read. I’m glad I read this book to be able to inject that sense of sweet regret into my characters.

Number three - They spy business information came from the internet:

Researching spies was fun and scary. Particularly because I was researching online where I was forever looking over my shoulder expecting men in black suits to take me and my computer away. I mean, I had to research what a suitcase bomb looked like and how it was made. And then information on submarines and biochemical warfare. It was fun, but as I said, scary that someone might take that information as anything other than research for a teen adventure novel.

Number 4 - The organ donation information came from medical journals:

I also read medical journeys about organ transplants so that I could be practical with what the kids could do after surgery. There was no point giving one of the kids a lung transplant for example. The recovery time is just too long. I had to find which organs patients recovered for the fastest and that turned out to be kidney and liver. And kids recovered faster according to the journals I read. It was my mother who read the preview copy of Feedback and suggested that I add in the mobile medical unit that greets the kids at their homes after they save the world. She thought that so much exertion after surgery would have busted their stitches, and she was right. It added a whole new level, and more research to find out names of instruments used in hospitals.

Number five - The descriptions came from a holiday:

Sometimes the detail comes from talking to actual people and visiting real places. Feedback is based in Los Angeles. I was fortunate enough to visit LA while on holidays, and I got talking to a man at the airport who was telling me about his theories about the highways. I can’t remember where I read that government buildings have three foot concrete curbs to prevent trucks from ramming into them, but sure enough I was walking through the streets and saw out front of a government building a three foot high curb. I have to admit that the field trip was the most exciting part of the research.

And one thing that couldn’t have made it into the book without actually being there to experience it is that I watched from the LA hotel a news report about the Santa Anna winds. The winds were just perfect for my story line as I needed a reason for the terrorist to want to locate the bombs, so I did more research on the time of year they struck, which way they swept across the country. If I hadn’t been in LA that day, the story would have a gaping plot that I couldn’t have fixed.

Feedback

by DL Richardson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Ethan James, Florida Bowman, and Jake Inala are three teenagers who need organ transplants. When they receive the organs of deceased CIA agent, Dylan Black, they inadvertently take on the task of completing the mission Dylan died midway through, that of deactivating bacteria bombs threatening millions of lives. The teenagers are kidnapped by a man who believes in the theory of feedback, that information is retained in the memory of organs, in this case those of the dead CIA agent. And their captor will stop at nothing to get the information retained inside their bodies. With their lives under threat, the memories stored in the CIA agent’s mind begin to awaken within each of them, except the one piece of information they are abducted for - the location of the bombs.

Read an excerpt:

I jumped in surprise when a car came up on my left and honked its horn, whizzing by in a blur of chrome. “I don’t think so, buddy.”

I accelerated. If the cops wanted to stop me, they’d have to use air support. Getting myself on TV only added to the thrill of the chase.

Concern over my reckless driving should have registered, but it didn’t. The speedometer now read 140 miles per hour. AC/DC screeched about “Hells Bells,” and the rain didn’t lessen. If I lost control now, I’d smash into the concrete barriers lining the highway. It’d be game over. No way I’d survive the impact. What a shame this last train of thought wasn’t on whether I’d survive or not, but on whether I’d care.

Lightning bolts exploded across the sky and lit up the windshield. In that brief flicker of visibility, I spotted the plane on fire, blocking the highway—and the spaceship blowing up a bridge with luminous green laser beams. I let go of the wheel, idly watching the Lamborghini plow into the concrete barrier. Metal fragments and orange flames danced in front of me. The sound of something exploding boomed through the speakers. The words GAME OVER flashed across the television screen.

The plane had been okay, but the spaceship insulted me. For sure, the makers of the game reckoned it’d be a hoot to throw unrealistic obstacles in my path.

I tossed the Xbox controller aside and scratched my numb backside. My life couldn’t get any worse…might as well go to school.

Buy links

Amazon / Smashwords

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

D L Richardson writes speculative fiction. She currently has three young adult teen novels published and one short story anthology. Her first two YA novels The Bird With The Broken Wing and Feedback were best sellers and highest ranked YA fiction at OmniLit. Her third YA novel Little Red Gem was runner up on Paranormal Books Best Standalone YA book of 2013 and the book trailer was featured on USA Today website.

Upcoming works include Curious, a limited edition bundling of three YA novels, a serialized science fiction novel, Fear of Falling Further the second anthology of short stories, and Poison in the Pond, a novella adapted from of an unpublished novel written in 1996.

She lives in Australia on the south coast with her husband and dog.

Author contacts

Email: dlrichardsonbooks@bigpond.com
Blog: dlrichardsonwrites.blogspot.com
Website: www.dlrichardson.com
Facebook: facebook.com/dlrichardsonbooks
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/DLRichardson1

The author would like to award one randomly drawn commenter via rafflecopter a $10 Amazon or B&N GC and a randomly drawn host a $10 Amazon or B&N GC. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

'Defcon Darcy (Darcy Walker Series #4)' by AJ Lape

Fisher Stanton, Valley High School’s Nantucket wannabe, has a cheating girlfriend. When he hires Darcy Walker to chase her to a local club, in true Darcy fashion she stumbles upon a dead body. Thing is, this body has secrets...and Darcy’s mysterious friend, Jaws, and the reporter, Tito Westbrook, have a vested interest. Both enlist Darcy to find the person responsible who has eluded them for years, but Darcy doesn’t solve crimes for free anymore, especially where Jaws is concerned. Knowing Darcy’s Achilles heel, Jaws blackmails Darcy into working for him.

In a true test of wills, Darcy and Jaws battle head-to-head to see who can outsmart the other—Jaws needs Darcy to help him end a bitter grudge war; Darcy needs Jaws to divulge the mystery surrounding her mother’s death. Haunted by a past that shaped her present, Darcy will stop at nothing to get answers. Even if it means breaking the law and being disloyal to her new boyfriend, Dylan Taylor, in the process.

DEFCON DARCY gives Darcy’s demons a name and ties up loose ends that made Darcy into the verb that she is. What she thinks she knows as truth, isn’t. What she wishes wasn’t true…is.

The problem is, when your life goes DEFCON 1, not everyone lives to tell about it.

Put Defcon Darcy on your TBR list! 

Goodreads

Buy on Amazon

About the author:

A. J. Lape is the Amazon bestselling author of the Darcy Walker Series. She lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two daughters, an ADD dog, a spoiled hamster, and an unapologetic and unrepentant addiction to Coca-Cola--and a lifelong love affair with bacon. If the FBI ever checks her computer, she'll be wearing prison orange due to the various "wiki" articles she looks up…all in the name of career research, of course.

Find out more about A. J. at http://www.ajlape.com

Find A.J on:

Twitter | Darcy's Twitter | FaceBook | Fan Club & Street Team | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of 'Too Close to Home' by Tressa Messenger

When the body of a beautiful and popular senior head cheerleader, Melissa Cooley, is found brutally stabbed to death at the local high school it sends the small coastal community in North Carolina into a frenzy. To make matters worse…another body is found.

A slacker boy by the name of Ronald Marks is found hanging from the field goal post on the football field only a day later. Pamlico County native Detective Carma Jones, and her partner Harold Green, set out on a search for this ruthless assailant who is wrecking havoc in a normally peaceful community. No one is safe and everyone is a suspect.

The twists and turns along the way lead them in a direction Carma would’ve never guessed. One filled with deep secrets that were meant to stay buried…

 

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

**My thoughts**

I think this series has some great potential. It was nice to read a mystery for a change. I had actually been craving one to take a break from all of the new adult romances I have been reviewing lately. The opening chapter grabs your attention, as it is told from the POV of the first victim. The final lines in that chapter actually haunted me a bit and stayed with me as I kept on reading. 

The rest of the book is told mainly from the point of view of Carma, the lead detective on the case. I felt at times like the author was rabbit-trailing as she would dive into elaborate descriptions of the scenery, or the history of a place or relationship. They would almost take too long and then suddenly return to the present action. I realized that we were deep in Carma's thoughts. Carma is a keen observer with a lot of history in the small town of Dawson's Creek. She is using it to her advantage. Plus, I recognized that I can also get lost in thought for a moment all throughout the day, being reminded of memories in a place or with a person. It just seems longer when written out on paper that those few seconds in which it actually happens. Once I wrapped my head around this, I was able to better appreciate those extra passages and better understood Carma as a person.

There are plenty of little twists and turns to keep you returning to the book. I read it in bits and pieces in between doing other things. Some of the twists I easily saw coming. Carma is likable enough. I am mixed on a couple of her coworkers and the other kids. 

I liked it enough to want to finish it and am interested in seeing how the series progresses. I know that a second book is coming. I think that the more that the author writes in this genre, the stronger the stories will become.

---

Tressa Messenger grew up in a very small town in Eastern North Carolina called Reelsboro in a coastal county called Pamlico. Being as it was such a small area Tressa developed an immense imagination at a young age. That is where she harnessed her love for writing.

To date Tressa lives in New Orleans Louisiana with her husband, daughter and an assortment of critters.

As of right now Tressa has nine books published, some self-published and some being published through Limitless Publishing.

As a young writer Tressa has overcome adversity of Dyslexia and continues to exceed expectations.

Read the REVIEWS http://forhimandmyfamily.com/
http://readingitall.blogspot.com/
http://andisyoungadult.blogspot.com
http://mamasgotflair.com/
http://nikita-mattes.blogspot.com/
http://www.amamascorneroftheworld.com

The Author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky reader. Please fill out the form below to enter. a Rafflecopter giveaway

'Finding My Escape' by Fran Veal

Blurb:

Hannah Jordan's life is shattered when she walks in on the double homicide of her parents. She wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of what transpired…until the nightmares begin. Hannah desperately seeks a way to escape the pain of remembering by running the beautiful mountain trails behind her aunt's home. When she meets seemingly perfect Josh during one of her runs, she believes she has finally found her safe haven. Or has she?

As Hannah's mind compels her to relive that night, she is disturbed by the idea that she is forgetting something important. Aided by her best friend, Matt, she begins to uncover clues indicating that what she had believed was a simple home invasion was actually something much more sinister. And the killer is still out there.

FINDING MY ESCAPE is a 55,000 word young adult novel mixing romance with suspense and a twist of the paranormal.

Read an excerpt:

A twig snapped behind me. Jerked out of my thoughts, I jumped up and spun around. My heart stopped. Before me hair gleaming in the sun, stood an angel. Okay, slight (and I do mean slight) exaggeration.

He was tall with muscles that rippled under his red T-shirt. His hair was blond and tousled, with one wave flipped just above his eyebrow. He stood there, staring at me with eyes as deep and blue as the sea. I forgot to breathe.

Then the angel frowned.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. Okay, so he was also self-absorbed, stern and nosy.

My chest started to hurt, and I realized I was holding my breath. It came out in a rush. Who did he think he was, anyway?

“What do you mean, ‘what are you doing here’? I was here first.” I stood, planning to have it out with Mr. Perfect.

“I’m sorry,” he said politely, “Let me rephrase that. What I meant to say is that I’ve never seen you here before.”

His sudden change in demeanor gave me whip-lash. I tried to hold my cool under his steady gaze. I struggled to think of something brilliant to say, but I was, at the moment, absolutely speechless.

The angel seemed to be studying me as if puzzled. Finally, he spoke. “You seem real enough.” He paused, brows furrowed, “I’m… Joshua, but you can call me Josh.”

The sound of his voice was soft, lyrical, mesmerizing. He looked straight into my eyes without flinching or glancing away. My anger melted away. I had to shake myself to clear my head.

I was torn between being captivated and scared out of my mind. He might look like he’d stepped off the pages of a magazine, but for all I knew, his looks were the only good thing about him. I stepped back cautiously, eyeing the trail to my left.

“And you are?” he asked, stepping toward me.

“Leaving,” I started to back up, but a strong hand grabbed my wrist. My heart was pounding as I struggled to break free.

“Hold up. What’s your hurry?”

He was so close, I could smell his cologne. Part of me just wanted to stand there and take it all in, but the part that had just experienced major trauma wanted to run away.

“Back off,” I warned.

“Okay, okay,” he dropped my arm and backed up a step, “I won’t hurt you, scout’s honor.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I just want to talk to you. Look, I’ll chain myself to that tree.”

“That won’t be necessary. Just back up another three feet, and we should be good.”

He deliberately took three steps back.

“Better?” he grinned.

“I guess,” I said rubbing my arm. I wasn’t completely convinced, but I felt more comfortable with the distance between us. At least I could breathe again.

We stood there for a moment, studying each other. I finally broke the silence. I was still a little annoyed, but my instincts were telling me that the guy was basically harmless.

“You know, you could try to come off as a little less menacing. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s rude to go around scaring people like that?”

“My apologies,” he said in a southern drawl, “I really didn’t think you would react like that.”

“Apology accepted.”

“It’s just that this is the place I usually come when I want to think. When I saw that there was someone else here, I was surprised, that’s all.”

“By the way, what did you mean when you said that I ‘seemed real enough’? That’s kind of a weird thing to say.”

Josh laughed and shook his head.

“I guess it must have seemed strange to a newcomer. It’s just hard to tell the physical entities apart from the spirit ones.”

Okay, so the guy was a head case.

“I don’t follow,” I said, inching toward the trail.

“You really don’t get where you are, do you?” He stepped closer.

“Let’s see,” I said, heart pounding, “I’m standing in the middle of a clearing, in Summer Cove.”

He laughed and shook his head.

“I’m not in Summer Cove?” I asked sarcastically.

“No,” he said, “You’re dreaming.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

“You’re crazy,” I said, opening my eyes.

I found myself lying on the grass in the clearing. Josh wasn’t there. Puzzled, I stood, walking cautiously toward the trail.

“Josh?”

Nothing.

“This isn’t funny.”

Had I really been dreaming?

Buy links

Also available on iTunes

Fran Veal fell in love with the book Little Women in the third grade, and that was the spark that ignited her desire to write. If Jo could write then she felt she could, too. Her first attempt at writing stories was in the fifth grade when she began writing and drawing a cartoon for her friends. The drawing, to be honest, was terrible, but the stories must have been pretty decent because a friend recently informed her she'd kept some of them because “she always knew Fran would be a writer someday. Fran graduated to writing romance in ninth grade, which was more interesting and, no, there were no pictures (much to the readers' relief).

It wasn’t until Fran had a teen daughter of her own that she actually began writing again. Finding My Escape was her debut novel. The sequel, Finding My Way Back was released August 23, 2013 with the third and final book in the series coming out in early 2014. She’s also working on a comedy geared more toward adults, Five Strikes, with fellow writer, Bryden Lloyd.

Fran currently resides in the beautiful city of Murfreesboro, TN with her husband of twenty-seven years, fifteen year old daughter, and one extremely snarky cat.

Links:

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Fran-Veal/e/B006VHF6N2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Wep page: http://franveal.com/how-to-join-the-street-team.html
FB: https://www.facebook.com/FranVealAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/franveal
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/franveal/

Review of 'Instinct' by Mattie Dunman

Young Adult Paranormal Suspense
Date Published: 5/27/2013

To tell the truth...it doesn’t really matter if you lie.

It’s impossible to lie to Derry MacKenna. For as long as she can remember, Derry has been plagued by the extraordinary ability to hear, see, and feel the truth. But when Derry and her erratic, self-centered mother move to historic Harpers Ferry, she discovers she is not the only one with hidden talents.

As the newest reporter on the school newspaper, Derry learns of a high school student’s unexpected suicide and recognizes that the truth behind her death may still be hidden. When tragedy strikes, Derry is drawn into a deadly battle of wits with the only person whom her abilities don’t affect.

Driven by guilt and an obsession with bringing the killer to justice, Derry finds herself in danger from a vindictive murderer, a sadistic deviant who preys on the weak, and trapped in the middle of a treacherous triangle of attraction between two brothers whose abilities rival her own. Derry must trust her instincts to guide her to the truth and bring her enemies to justice even as she fights for her own survival.

INSTINCT focuses on a gifted, intelligent, and loyal heroine who must contend not only with the inherent dangers of high school bullying and backstabbing, but with loss, grief, and guilt. Against issues of sexual abuse, teenage suicide, and destructive relationships, the heroine learns to cherish the strength of real friendship, understand accountability, and experiences the healing touch of first love.

"This is competently written and well-paced, and the author does an excellent job of exploring what a gift like Derry's would mean in real life...Most refreshing is the severing of several YA tropes in interesting and welcome ways." 

--- Publishers Weekly

Read an excerpt:

There are a few grumbles as everyone shifts to greet their partners. My pulse picks up and I put a pleasant smile on my face as I turn to meet a clear green gaze. I feel my smile widen as I take in the boy I’m paired with. With dusty blond hair that grazes his cheeks and falls into moss-colored eyes, high cheekbones and a strong jaw, he is the living, breathing embodiment of the high school hero I’ve read about and watched on TV. I wonder if he’s the captain of the football or basketball team.

“Hi, I’m Phillip Bennett. You’re new here, right?” the hero asks, his voice low and pleasant. But I don’t notice that.

I don’t hear the truth.

I stare at him for a moment, baffled, resisting an urge to touch my ears and make sure that they’re still attached. He watches me attentively and I struggle to find my way back to normalcy and answer.

“Um, hi. Yeah, today’s my first day,” I reply, absently clicking my jaw to try and pop my ears. “Oh, and my name is Derry.”

He smiles and I flinch slightly at the dazzling gleam of teeth. He could be in an ad for toothpaste with that grin.

“Derry, that’s an unusual name,” he says, tilting his head slightly and letting his eyes travel over me.

My heart is pounding furiously and my skin itches. What’s wrong with me?

I always hear the truth when someone first speaks to me, always. I try to focus, not wanting to seem weird.

“Yeah, it was my grandmother’s maiden name.” My fingers are clenching and unclenching at my side and my stomach twists uncomfortably.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Derry. Has anyone shown you around yet?”

I force myself to concentrate. I will figure out what’s wrong with me later. “I had a tour when I registered a couple weeks ago,” I answer.

Phillip gives me a pitying look. “With Mrs. Hayworth, right?” I nod. “Well, I’d be happy to give you a tour. One from a student’s perspective,” he offers, blinding me with that smile again.

My pulse picks up for an entirely different reason. “Yeah, that’d be great.” Up front Ms. Sullivan calls the class to attention again.

“I’ll show you to your next class,” he whispers and I give him a quick smile and turn around, not really sure how I feel about that. It’s odd. Earlier I would have been thrilled about a cute boy offering to walk me to class; it fits in perfectly with my daydreams. But I am completely off-balance. For as long as I can remember, the first thing anyone says to me is a hidden truth. I always have to ask people to repeat themselves, or guess at what they might have said. I’ve never heard just a regular introduction.

I rub my arms absently and then stop. The low-level buzz under my skin, like feathery wings beating against my veins, is fading, but it is unmistakable now that I’m paying attention. It’s the buzzing that warns me when someone is lying, and it was sounding alarms the entire time I was talking to Phillip.

I look over my shoulder at him. He is reading the syllabus, tapping his fingers on the desk in a light, repetitive drumming. Sensing my scrutiny, he glances up and the corners of his mouth turn up slightly, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. I turn around hurriedly and stare down at my hands. Something is wrong. First the boy outside the school looks at me and I feel like I’m dying and now I can’t hear Phillip’s truth, but my entire body screams that he’s lying. I take a deep breath and try to slow my pulse. After a moment the hum under my skin is gone and I can focus.

**My thoughts**

Many of us have wondered what it would be like to have the ability to hear the truth out of someone as soon as we met them. We rely on our instincts, but aren't necessarily good at following them. Hearing what a person is really hiding as soon as they open their mouths could prevent you from getting burned by a bad relationship later on down the road. However, it can also be quite a burden. How many secrets would you hear about horrors in someone's past? How would you go about helping those abused people, without freaking them out with your knowledge? How would you convince others of the truth, when you are the only one who heard it? While the situations in this book push that to somewhat of an extreme, they also demonstrate how horrible and difficult that gift could actually be.

One aspect of this book that I really liked is that it is a paranormal novel that doesn't fit the same cookie cutter mold as so many of the other ones out there right now. Derry isn't predestined for great things. No one is viciously plotting her demise or to obtain her, solely for her powers. She has been aware of her gift for as long as she can remember, and embraces it. Even while using it to her advantage, she still seeks some normalcy and has a desire to blend in as much as possible. It's a breath of fresh air.

I like Derry. She seems really down-to-earth, despite having this "gift" that allows her to always see the truth in people, no matter how much they try to hide it. She has been unable to lead a normal life, having been sheltered by being homeschooled. All she wants is the chance to have a normal high school experience before going on to college. She gets anything but that.

Her desire for friendship is genuine. She actually has an advantage by truly being able to see people for who they are. Her big heart helps her to find those who are need of a real friend, even if it gets her into some trouble. She usually uses her gift for the greater good and doesn't take advantage of it, like others may do or hope to do.

Her role as a school news reporter is the perfect cover for her ability. She is gifted in asking people questions to expose the truths that they have unknowingly revealed to her. She builds relationships with people, who end up being able to help her when she needs it the most. She also meets some unsavory characters through this job. For some of them, their stories come to a conclusion in this book. For others, it sounds like their stories are just beginning and may be explored in sequels.

This book also treads on the ground of typical high school experiences. You have your mean girls and the guys who think they are God's gift to women. You have the insecure kids who may have ridden high in the past, but one faux pas sent then crashing down to the pits of popularity. You have the loners and the bad boys. Readers are going to recognize a lot of these characters from their own high school experiences. I think Mattie has some good insight into the world of the teenager. 

On occasion, I admit that I got confused. Were the words actually being spoken or actually written, or was it just Derry's interpretation? Sometimes the true meaning and what was really said or written got a little mixed up. Of course, I can believe that isn't too far off from how Derry's life actually is - confusing the two.

I look forward to checking out more of her books in the future.

Book links

 

Read my interview with Mattie Dunman here.

Author Bio:

Mattie Dunman is a lifelong resident of "Wild & Wonderful" West Virginia, and has dreamed of being a writer since she first held a pen in hand.

Mattie has pursued several useless degrees to support this dream, and presently enjoys teaching (or tormenting, as the case may be) college students the dying art of public speaking. She spends most of her free time writing, but also indulges in reading and traveling.

She is the proud owner of an adorably insane American Eskimo named Finn, and a tyrant cat named Bella, who take up more of her attention than they probably should.

Please visit Mattie's website at www.mattiedunman.com and on Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/MattieDunman