Blog Tour: The Midnight Society by Rhonda Sermon (Excerpt + Giveaway)

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Title: The Midnight Society
Author: Rhonda Sermon
Series: The Midnight Chronicles, #1
Publication Date: May 15, 2016

Synopsis: Witness protection has a protocol for dealing with every situation—except magic.

Fifteen-year-old Cate's life has been monitored since her new identity was created five years ago. She's spent countless hours learning how to deal with potential threats and dangerous situations. None of which is any use when everyone around her is suddenly frozen like statues at the bus stop.

As Cate attempts to make sense of the frightening scene, a mysterious group of teenagers appear out of thin air. They are intrigued she’s not affected, but focus on completing their deadly mission, using baffling powers before they vanish again.

When the group seeks her out the next day, Cate is drawn into a world filled with sorcery and time travel. After she accidentally brings a cheerleader back from the dead, her incredible powers are revealed. Cate is shocked to discover she has a pivotal role to play in a centuries-old battle between two mortal enemies which threatens to destroy her entire world.

With the distinction between good and evil blurred, she’s faced with the excruciating choice of which side to join. Cate can save her family or protect thousands of people from death. She can't do both. Will she risk destroying innocent lives to save the ones she loves?

The Midnight Society is the first book in The Midnight Chronicles series of young adult urban fantasy novels. If you like original butt-kicking heroines, fast-paced urban fantasy action, and unpredictable time travel twists, then you’ll love Rhonda Sermon’s refreshing, entertaining series starter.

About the Author: Rhonda Sermon lives in the mostly sunny Perth, Western Australia with her husband and two children. Her debut young adult urban fantasy novel Timesurfers was a finalist in the Young Adult category and overall runner up in the The Strongest Start 2012 Contest hosted by TheNextBigWriter.com. On the good days, she adores writing, on the challenging days, it's still awesome. Her two ragdoll cats can often be found helpfully walking over her keyboard, chasing her mouse or generally complaining loudly about the lack of priority their needs are being given. She's a big Harry Potter fan, loves everything the talented Cassie Clare writes and her fav Aussie author is Jessica Shirvington. Her 11 and 13 year old children read ALL the time so she is always on the lookout for new and exciting books.


Excerpt:

Cate traced the scars on her palms as she deliberated her next words. “I’m excellent at keeping secrets. I’m also fabulous at denial. We could pretend this never happened.” She blasted Rafe with an overly bright smile. Her ability to use sarcasm at such an inappropriate moment surprised even her.

Rafe let out a long breath. “We have three options. Take her with us or leave her here.”

“That’s only two.” Austin scrutinised the frozen crowd who now twitched as a blanket of shimmering air swirled through them.

“The third one is to kill her...obviously.” Rafe made his way to the motorbike he had arrived on.

Cate raised her hand out of habit. “I vote for leaving me here.”

Giveaway:

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-Kristen ♥

Blog Tour: Kisses on a Paper Airplane by Sarah Vance-Tompkins (Interview + Giveaway)

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Title: Kisses on a Paper Airplane
Author: Sarah Vance-Tompkins
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
Publication Date: May 14, 2016

Synopsis: Drama student Hannah Evans isn't kissing any frogs on her path to find Prince Charming. She's determined to share the perfect first kiss -- with the perfect boy -- in the perfect place -- or she's not kissing anyone at all. When Hannah meets a cute ginger-haired boy in first class lounge in the London airport, she knows he's 'The One.'

Pop star Theo Callahan is on the road to get as far away as possible from his back-stabbing best friend, and his supermodel girlfriend who broke his heart. Until one shy smile from Hannah has him rethinking all of his travel plans.

Theo is smitten, but he's worried she's just a groupie in search of the ultimate selfie. Can Theo learn to trust Hannah in time to share one perfect first kiss, or will Hannah be forced to kiss a frog?

About the Author: Sarah Vance-Tompkins was born in a small town in northern Michigan. She spent every summer exploring the sugar sand beaches near Sleeping Bear National Park. She left her heart behind when she moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California. She received an MFA in Film Production and went on to work in feature film development in Hollywood. She has worked as a reporter for a weekly entertainment trade publication, and been paid to write obituaries, press releases, the directions for use on personal lubricant bottles, and breathless descriptions of engagement rings for an online jewelry store. She lives in a small town north of Los Angeles with her husband and three cats.


Interview:

How did you get the idea for Kisses On A Paper Airplane? 

I had been working on a very complicated story for a long time. When I finally wrote the words "THE END" on that project, I wanted to do something short and simple. One morning I poured myself a cup of coffee and then I let my mind wander. That's when I thought about writing a story about a girl getting her first kiss. And what if... that perfect first got very, very kiss complicated.

How did you know what goes down in the first class lounge? 

My stepson was in London interviewing Chris Hemsworth on the set of the movie "Thor." We hadn't heard from him for a couple of days, and when we finally got a text from him he was in the first class lounge at Heathrow airport. He had just gotten a hot stone massage and the chef was making him a burger. Gave me food for thought.

What about 'speed dating'? Have you ever tried it? 

I have never been speed dating. Thank god! I think I'd panic and end up hiding out in the ladies room. But I thought it might be a great way for two people to find out how compatible they are in a really short period of time. And my bestie and I agree think you can tell a lot about a person by asking them if their spirit guide is Princess Leia or Marion Ravenwood.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

-Kristen ♥

Book Blitz: Fire and Shadow by Imogen Howson (Giveaway)

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Title: Fire and Shadow
Author: Imogen Howson
Publisher: Dragonwell Publishing
Publication Date: April 30, 2016

Synopsis: On Fern’s 18th birthday, she discovers she’s a fire-starter. To learn to control it, Fern travels to a place where other young people have gathered to learn how to manage their gifts. And that’s where she meets Nik, the enigmatic magician who seems to understand her and her gift better than she does herself. But can Nik be trusted? Or is he hiding dangerous secrets of his own?

From the award-winning author of “Linked” and “Unravel” comes this enchanting collection of stories and novellas, spanning centuries and cultures, from the underworld of the ancient Greece to the dystopian future.



About the Author: As a child, I loved reading so much that I not only read in bed, at the table and in the bath, but in the shower and – not so successfully – on my bicycle. I enjoyed books in a slightly unorthodox way, too – many of my childhood books have ragged edges where I tore paper from the margins in order to eat it. I wrote my first book at eight. It was entitled The Dragon in the Teapot and would probably have been a huge hit if I hadn’t lost the only copy on a family day out. Some years later, armed with several different types of backups, I’m busy writing romantic science fiction and fantasy for young adults and adults. I live with my partner, our two teenage daughters, three cats, two hamsters, and one tiny dog, near Sherwood Forest in England.  I’m a Christian, a feminist, and a lover of cheese, chocolate, stationery shops and eighties pop music. I still read in most places, but I no longer eat paper. I’m a member of The Romantic Novelists’ Association, the group blog The Lucky 13s, and the online writers’ community Romance Divas.  I’m represented by Mandy Hubbard of Emerald City Literary Agency.





-Kristen ♥

Book Blitz: The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse (Excerpt + Giveaway)

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Title: The Neverland Wars
Author: Audrey Greathouse
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication Date: May 9, 2016

Synopsis: Magic can do a lot—give you flight, show you mermaids, help you taste the stars, and… solve the budget crisis? That’s what the grown-ups will do with it if they ever make it to Neverland to steal its magic and bring their children home.

However, Gwen doesn’t know this. She’s just a sixteen-year-old girl with a place on the debate team and a powerful crush on Jay, the soon-to-be homecoming king. She doesn’t know her little sister could actually run away with Peter Pan, or that she might have to chase after her to bring her home safe. Gwen will find out though—and when she does, she’ll discover she’s in the middle of a looming war between Neverland and reality.

She’ll be out of place as a teenager in Neverland, but she won’t be the only one. Peter Pan’s constant treks back to the mainland have slowly aged him into adolescence as well. Soon, Gwen will have to decide whether she’s going to join impish, playful Peter in his fight for eternal youth… or if she’s going to scramble back to reality in time for the homecoming dance.

About the Author: Audrey Greathouse is a lost child in a perpetual and footloose quest for her own post-adolescent Neverland. Originally from Seattle, she earned her English B.A. from Southern New Hampshire University's online program while backpacking around the west coast and pretending to be a student at Stanford. A pianist, circus artist, fire-eater, street mime, swing dancer, and novelist, Audrey wears many hats wherever she is. She has grand hopes for the future which include publishing more books and owning a crockpot.


Excerpt:

A flash of lightning electrified the sky, shooting light through the forest with a jarring pang. The boom of thunder followed immediately after. The sky was grey and the clouds shifted like a swarm of dark fish in a pond. Gwen feared she would be caught in a storm, but not a drop of rain had fallen yet.
All at once, Gwen found herself in a meadow. She had never been here before; she knew that. Wildflowers cropped up in sporadic clumps, and the long, green grasses were uncut at her calves. The tree line had suddenly broken. One minute, she was racing through the forest, the next, she was floating here. Pausing to catch her breath, she ironically felt safer in this open area than in the claustrophobic security of the forest. She landed gently, unthinkingly. Turning her head to the sky, she saw the faint grey clouds blowing and rolling away. Darker clouds seemed to be coming to take their place.

On the other side of the meadow, Peter burst into the clearing. Bramble was leading him, guiding the boy to poor, lost Gwen. If Gwen had understood the fairy language, she would have already known that.

“Gwenny!”

“Peter?” Gwen shouted. She ran to him, and between her bounding strides and his quick flight, they met in the middle of the meadow, cornflowers and lilacs growing up around them. Perhaps if he had been on the ground initially, she would have hugged him. Peter lingered in the air for just a moment though, and by the time he landed, the impulse to hug each other had melted away into urgent discussion. “What are you doing out here?” His voice carried the sort of anger that only accompanied concern.

“I got lost in the woods; I was trying to come back. Is something wrong, Peter?”

Bramble flitted back and forth, pacing in the air, objecting to Peter and Gwen having this conversation now, rather than when they were safely underground.

“The opposition, they’ve launched an attack. We’ve got to get to cover.”

“What? No, it’s just a storm.” Gwen didn’t understand what Peter was telling her, but she had already made up her mind that she didn’t believe it.

“Gwen-dollie, we’ve got to go. There’s—”

The sky was suddenly drained of light. The thin, grey clouds that had blocked the sun were eclipsed by darker, brooding storm clouds, and as the daylight faded, small, grey flecks began to rain down. As they drifted softly, Gwen knew it wasn’t rain. Her attention was as captivated as Peter’s was, but she did not understand what it was the way he did. “Snow?” she asked quizzically, looking at the grey and dirty powder as it started to fall around her.

Peter held out his hand and caught a flake of it, crushing it in his hand. It left a smoky residue on his palm. “Ash.”

The winds picked up, and more of the ash furiously fluttered down. It became larger, and Gwen could hardly comprehend the charred flecks of paper that were plummeting down. Peter zipped up into the air, jumping more than flying, to grab a large square of it. He came back down immediately, a look of horror on his face.

“Peter, what is it?” Gwen pled, hoping that her fear was born of her unknowing, that if she only had answers she wouldn’t be afraid, but from the look on his face, she knew that answers would only bring more fear.

The invisible hand of the wind grabbed the paper from out of Peter’s hold. It blew straight to Gwen. Catching it, she realized it was a page from out of a newspaper; the title read—ISIS ATTACK ON ERBIL; HUNDREDS DEAD.

She had seen newspaper headlines before, but this news did not belong here. Not in Neverland. It was too dark, too terrifying of a thing to read amid the lilacs and cornflowers. Again, she begged, “What is this, Peter?”

The page was torn out of her hand by the vindictive wind. Peter answered her, with a word she had never feared so greatly. “Reality.”


-Kristen ♥

Cover Reveal: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

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Title: Carve the Mark
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Untitled Duology, #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: January 17, 2017

Synopsis: On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not — their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world? 

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power — something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.

Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuve, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive — no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive — or to destroy one another.

About the Author: Veronica Roth is from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011), INSURGENT (May 2012), ALLEGIANT (October 2013). The first book in her new duology titled Carve the Mark will come out on January 17, 2017. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)


AND NOW, for the awesome cover....


-Kristen ♥