Showing posts with label Young Adult. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Young Adult. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Interview With The Villain: Always Kiss Me Goodnight






Always Kiss Me Goodnight
MEGAN GAUDINO

Evernight Teen Publishing
YA Paranormal Romance, 67k words
Released: August 28


Sophia Destino is supposed to die. 

All seventeen-year-old Sophia wants is to coast through her junior year. But with her parents obsessed with her Olympic-swimming-hopeful brother, a psychic best friend with a penchant for reading tarot cards, and prophetic dreams that predict her death—that won’t be easy. As her nightmares begin to come true, Sophia finds herself dodging death and longing for the time when getting over her ex-boyfriend was her biggest problem. Until she meets Leo Knight. The mysterious stranger seems determined to keep her alive—and steal her heart. But Leo has a secret that is about to change everything and Sophia is about to learn that sometimes…your number is up.
14+ due to adult situations

Buy Links:   Evernight Teen    Amazon
       



Excerpt:

What a waste last night was. I would’ve laughed out loud about how tragically ironic it all was if I could have. My lungs started to twinge at the thought of laughing. They wanted to be filled with fresh air.

The finale of my life was playing out before me. I recalled the peaceful feeling from my dream. I was just waiting for it to happen. My lungs were screaming at me to breathe. This was it. Time was almost up and I was waiting for my life to flash before my eyes when movement out of the water caught my attention. Leo was standing on the edge of the pool. He was shirtless and surrounded by the light, making me question if I’d died and gone to heaven.

He dove into the pool an instant later and scooped me up in his arms, obelisk and all, just as he had the night before, then pushed up to the surface of the water in no time flat.

The extra couple hundred pounds of weight I and the obelisk—mostly the obelisk…I think—added did nothing to slow him down. We shot out of the water as if we had the help of a cannon, not just Leo’s legs.

I gasped for air as soon as my face was free of the water. The breath felt so good my lungs craved more and more. I kept inhaling the air as if it were being funneled down my throat.

Leo swam to the side of the pool, using only his legs to keep us afloat. With one hand, he threw the obelisk all the way in the bed of wildflowers and pulled us up out of the water.

We sat on the edge of the pool with his feet in the water and me on his lap, vowing to never again take air for granted and wondering what happened that made my dreams start coming true.

Using his thumbs to push the water out of my eyes, he laced his hands through my soaking wet hair and rested his palms on my cheeks.

“Sophia?” I coughed up some water and he turned my head to the side. “Sophia, are you okay?”

The air was flowing easily in and out of my lungs. They felt calmed; they knew they would be getting air on a regular basis.

“I’m okay.” I coughed one more time, then took another deep breath to clear my reeling mind and tried to speak again. “I’m fine.”

Physically I was fine but mentally I wasn’t. The world I lived in up until this point didn’t consist of anything supernatural or unexplainable happening except the occasional perfect hair day and the beauty of an aquamarine crystal.

Leo stood easily from his seated position with me still in his arms and crushed my chest to his. Of course I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around his bare torso but his skin felt so hot to the touch. Between the freezing cold of my body and the warm temperature of his I felt overwhelmed. Everywhere our bodies came in contact with each other little puffs of visible steam arose.

When we made it to the living room Hercules began lapping up the puddles of water we left behind us. Leo yanked the gray blanket off of the armchair and wrapped it around me because I was suddenly shaking.

He moved a salt stone lamp out of his way and sat on top of the coffee table, motionlessly taking in my expression. Before he even spoke I just knew he was reading me all wrong. I felt like I could read him already too.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Sophia,” he groaned.

“For what? My idiotic carelessness or that you saved my life once again? You shouldn’t be sorry about either of those things.”

“I shouldn’t have let that happen. I shouldn’t have been sleeping still. I promised you I’d protect you and look what happened. Do you have any idea how close you were to dying? Even closer than you were last night. If I was just one second later I would’ve been too late.”

“I know. I was there. But you weren’t too late. It’s all over now—I’m fine.” He put his head in his hands and scrunched his hair in his palms. “Leo.” I reached forward and placed my hand on his arm. He was still so hot to the touch. “Why’s your skin so hot again?”

He flinched away from my hand, stood up, folded his arms across his chest and turned his back to me. His reaction made me question my gesture.

“It’ll go away.”

“Yeah but why does it happen at all?”

He hesitated for just a moment before he answered. “Because I keep saving your life.”

“I thought angels are supposed to save lives.”

“I already told you. I’m not an angel. I’m not supposed to save lives.”

*   *   *   *   *


Interview With The Villain


Aiden Varner, thanks for sitting down with us today.
Well, I’m not really sure why I’m here but you’re welcome.        
                We just think the readers will want more insight into your life and thoughts about the events in Always Kiss Me Goodnight.
I’m always up for talking about myself so fire away.
                You did something pretty horrible to Sophia. How do you feel about being seen as a villain?
Wait. People think I’m the villain? Is that why I’m here today?
                If I’m being honest, yes.
I think that’s a huge exaggeration. Maybe I hurt Sophia’s feelings but let’s not forget someone is trying to kill her. And that person is out there. And that person isn’t me! You’ve got the wrong guy. I’m not the villain.
                To be fair that’s true. But, like you said Simeon is still out there somewhere so we couldn’t really get him in for an interview and that leaves us with you.
Great. So not only am I a villain I’m a second place villain. Let’s not forget that Simeon drugged me. I’m a victim.
                Aiden, we didn’t bring you here to talk about that. We wanted to sit down to discuss your relationship with Sophia. Can you tell us about you two as a couple?
Me and Soph go way back. We’ve been the cutest couple pretty much our whole lives. She’s basically a part of my family and sometimes I think my parents like her more than me. Sophia’s the kind of girl who will always be there for you and when her parents wanted her to move away she did everything she could to stay back. And she did it just for me. That’s the kind of girl Sophia is.
                You make it seem like you’re really fond of Sophia. So why did you cheat on her?
Whoa. Who told you about that?
                Everyone is talking about it
Okay, so I made one mistake. I’m only eighteen and sometimes things happen. I was DRUNK. Does that count for anything? I would never soberly hurt Soph but I make one little mistake and I’m the bad guy? It was all Lauren’s idea to get drunk and Lauren was the one who took her clothes off but no one here is questioning Lauren and calling her the villain.
                You’re getting really defensive, Aiden. I think that means you know what you did was wrong.
Yes, okay? I hurt Sophia’s feelings and that was wrong. But, I didn’t do it on purpose and I don’t think that’s something that should be over looked. I’m a good guy.
                Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap this up?
Yes! I play guitar at my grandma’s nursing home every week. Ask any old lady there and she’ll tell you I’m a real catch!



About the Author:

Megan Gaudino works in a high school library by day and on her own books by night. Always Kiss Me Goodnight his her debut novel and was first posted on Wattpad where it gained over two million reads. Megan lives in Pittsburgh where you can find her reading, writing, and Instagramming. 

Friday, June 12, 2015

Cover Reveal: Intransigent


Title: Intransigent (The After Light Saga #3)
Author: Cameo Renae
Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian
Publisher: CHBB
Expected Release Date: June 19, 2013
Cover Design: Regina Wamba at Mae I Design Photography
Hosted by: Lady Amber's Tours
Blurb:
Arriving at the new government bunker, things quickly go from bad to worse. I am separated from Finn and my family because of my ability to connect with Arvies through telepathy. Housed with three other Readers—and kept away from the general population—we are given serum injections in effort to enhance our thought transference. The end goal? Thought manipulation. We are considered humanity’s only hope in the war against the Arvy race.With the ever growing threat of an invasion, the government demands results from the Reader program by doling out ultimatums, and using our loved ones against us. But they will not break me.

My name is Abigail Park. I am intransigent.







Voted 2013 Break Out Author by Young Adult & Teen Readers, and 2013 Book of the Year (Hidden Wings). 

Cameo Renae was born in San Francisco, raised in Maui, Hawaii, and recently moved with her husband and children to Alaska. She's a daydreamer, a caffeine and peppermint addict, loves to laugh, loves to read, and loves to escape reality. One of her greatest joys is creating fantasy worlds filled with adventure and romance, and sharing it with others. One day she hopes to find her own magic wardrobe, and ride away on her magical unicorn. Until then...she'll keep writing! HAPPY READING!

Follow Cameo on: Facebook * Blog * Website * Twitter

Buy Links:
ARV-3 (Book #1): http://smarturl.it/r43d0q Sanctum (Book #2): http://smarturl.it/ARV-Sanctum

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Cover Reveal: Spinner


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About the Author:
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Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author of eight novels––A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time (Silver Medalist from Reader’s Favorite), and The Knight Cycle, comprised of five books: Children of the Knight (Gold Award Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards), Running Through A Dark Place, There Is No Fear, And The Children Shall Lead, Once Upon A Time In America, and Spinner. His horror screenplay, “Healer,” was a Semi-Finalist, and his urban fantasy script, “Like A Hero,” was a Finalist in the Shriekfest Film Festival and Screenplay Competition. He grew up in San Rafael, California, and majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University. He went on to earn a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and another master’s in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills. He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which are much more fun than the actual movies. He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for twenty-five years, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook. He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to eight different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed him and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval Office. He is currently working on a sequel to Spinner. His goal as a YA author is for teens to experience empowerment and hope; to see themselves in his diverse characters; to read about kids who face real-life challenges; and to see how kids like them can remain decent people in an indecent world.
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Title:  Spinner
Author:  Michael J Bowler
To Be Published:  August 5th, 2015
Genre:  YA Paranormal Horror
Content Warning:  Mild profanity and language of a sexual nature
Recommended Age:  14+

Synopsis:

Fifteen-year-old Alex is a “spinner.” His friends are “dummies.” Two clandestine groups of humans want his power. And an ancient evil is stalking him. If people weren’t being murdered, Alex might laugh at how his life turned into a horror movie overnight.

In a wheelchair since birth, his freakish ability has gotten him kicked out of ten foster homes since the age of four. Now saddled with a sadistic housemother who uses his spinning to heal the kids she physically abuses, Alex and his misfit group of learning disabled classmates are the only ones who can solve the mystery of his birth before more people meet a gruesome end.

They need to find out who murdered their beloved teacher, and why the hot young substitute acts like she’s flirting with them. Then there’s the mysterious medallion that seems to have unleashed something malevolent, and an ancient prophecy suggesting Alex has the power to destroy humanity.

The boys break into homes, dig up graves, elude kidnappers, fight for their lives against feral cats, and ultimately confront an evil as old as humankind. Friendships are tested, secrets uncovered, love spoken, and destiny revealed.

The kid who’s always been a loner will finally learn the value of friends, family, and loyalty.

If he survives…
Pre-order on Amazon 


Excerpt from Spinner by Michael J Bowler:

They were in. 

Now to find the grave.

They had a map, of sorts. With the graveyard paperwork Alex’s mother had sent was a map that had numbers on it. Roy knew from his own mother’s funeral that those numbers meant the different graves. One area was circled on the map, and Roy had told them that must be where Alex’s folks were buried. All they had to do was follow the map.

Yeah, he thought, as they stood in a darkened graveyard looking at a paper map with a tiny flashlight beam, trying to figure out just where in the hell on that map they were, sounded easy at the time. Since he was the only one who drove, the others let him plot their way. But shit, he hadn’t been here since last year on his mom’s anniversary to put flowers and, well, that had been during the day!

Israel stood quietly keening with fear, his eyes darting everywhere at once, while Java and Alex waited patiently for Roy to figure things out. Their best landmark was a lake near to where Alex’s parents were buried. They’d have to wander around till they found it.

“They’re near some lake, and there’s a fountain, I think, so we should, like hear water splashing, right?”

Java shrugged, but Alex nodded excitedly. “Yeah, we will. Let’s look around till we hear it.”

They moved out into the tree scattered, grave-filled cemetery with nervous anticipation. Java carried the shovels because he didn’t trust Israel not to drop them if a gopher ran past in the dark. 

The grass slowed Alex’s wheels so he let Roy push the chair from behind to conserve his arm strength. 

Most of the graves were the small ones like his mom had, just a flat metal plate with names and dates on them. The wind gusted and blew leaves from the fading trees onto the grass, swirling them around their feet as they walked. No one spoke. The silence crushed them. Dark, ominous clouds only added to the horror-film atmosphere, and Roy wished he hadn’t watched so many of those movies at Izzy’s house.

The grass rose up into hills and mounds, all scattered with graves that they passed nervously between. Roy felt weird, walking on top of dead people like this, and he could hear Israel panting with fear. He was about to approach and calm the boy when Java stepped up and flanked Izzy, offering his own muscular body as protection. The gesture surprised Roy, just like the one atop his truck, given Java’s daily frustration with Izzy’s ADHD. But the move clearly helped Izzy, who looked at Java and smiled with gratitude.

The flat graves gave way to the kind with tall headstones by the time the splashing of water came from ahead in the darkness. Roy increased his speed. The tall headstones looked really old, and for some reason they creeped him out more than the newer ones, like somehow older dead bodies would be more likely to haunt them or something.

The splashing grew louder, and the wind stronger. It also got colder, and Roy shivered. Must be the lake water making him cold, he told himself, hoping that was the only reason. The image of that huge, evil cat crept ceaselessly into his mind as he pushed Alex toward his parents’ graves. To find out what? That Alex was a bigger freak than he thought? That he might destroy the world some day? Roy knew these things could never happen, not from Alex. But Alex feared himself even more than he feared the cat. And that broke Roy’s heart every time he thought about it.

The lake loomed ahead, not too big, but bigger than Roy could calculate using his body-height method. A jet of water shot into the air at its center and fell back, hitting the surface with the kind of splashing sounds he used to make in the bathtub as a child. 

Java and Israel stopped by the shore of the lake and turned to face him. Roy let go of Alex’s chair and slipped out the map. He squatted down so Alex could see and turned on the tiny penlight. Together, they squinted at the circled spot and tried to figure out which direction it was from the fountain of water.

After a few moments of bobbing his head up and down from the map to their surroundings, Roy thought he’d figured it out. He pointed to their right, to an older part of the graveyard that was a mix of flat plates and stone markers. “Over there.”

The others nodded and they set off. They passed nervously through the rows of graves. Even though Alex hadn’t said anything, Roy felt eyes on them. 

Lots of eyes. 

But every time he looked around there was nothing but the wind and rustling leaves and their own cushioned footfalls against the grass. 

I’m crazy, he thought, imagining dead people watching.

Or maybe it was those creepy-ass stone angels bending toward a grave, hands clasped before them in prayer. Maybe they were watching. Whatever it was, Roy’s skin crawled.

This was the section. He stopped pushing Alex, and the others stopped, too. Now was the part they all hated – reading. They had to look at each grave and try to figure out which one belonged to Alex’s parents. Alex looked at him and Roy whispered, “The last name starts with “O,” right?”

Alex nodded. Roy squinted at the paper and found the name. He could tell because there were two names in front of it and that meant the “O” word was the last name. He pointed to it for Java and Israel. “That’s the name we gotta find.”

“Are dead people, like, you know, laid out by ABCs?” Israel asked.

Java looked at him in annoyance. “Fool, do you even know your ABCs?”

Israel shrugged. “Some of ’em. I always get stuck around, like, ‘G’ or ‘P’ or something like that. I never could–”

Before Israel could start rambling, Roy whispered, “Just look for a last name starting with ‘O.’ Then we’ll check it with the paper.”

Java nodded, but Israel’s mouth fell open. “You mean we gotta split up?”

“Just around here, fool,” Java snapped, keeping his deep voice low and controlled.

“But there’s dead people here!” Israel hissed, his eyes wide with fear.

“That’s why it be called a graveyard,” Java spat, his temper obviously rising.

“Look guys,” Alex said, “you two stick together and me and Roy’ll stick together. ’Kay?”

Java grunted, but Israel nodded rapidly. “Yeah, that’s better.”

The two groups wandered off in opposite directions, each with a penlight.

Roy aimed his light while Alex slowly pushed himself between the graves. The beam struck each headstone or metal plaque long enough for both of them to squint at the last name, and then Roy moved it along to the next. He still felt that sensation of being watched, and it sent chills up and down his spine. The cold, biting wind didn’t help, and he kept his hood up and over his head to keep his hair from blowing into his eyes.

He spotted the other flashlight beam a short distance away, but there seemed to be no one else anywhere around. So who was watching them? Finally, he stepped closer to Alex and leaned down to his face. “Someone’s watching us.”

Alex peered out from his hood, brushed hair from in front of his eyes, and looked at him soberly. “Not someone. Some thing.”

Roy froze. “What thing?”

Alex shrugged.

Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
  • ARC PDF copy of Spinner (INT)
  • A mug with the book cover image on front (US only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Sunday, May 31, 2015

Release Day Blitz: Hunger


Title: Hunger
Series: The Dragon Heart Series #3
Genre: YA fantasy/urban fantasy/ paranormal romance/myths and legends
Author: L.L. Hunter
Formats: eBook and print
Release Date: May 31st 2015
Hunger Blurb:

Eva and Ash thought they were safe.

What they don’t know is someone is watching their every move.

As the bounty on their head looms, Eva will do anything to protect Ash, even if it means trusting the enemy.

Ash must learn to work with Henry if he is to survive, and Eva must put up with both boys—and her feelings for them.

But their plan to escape the clutches of Eva's father is ruined when the trio is separated.

To find their way back together, they must all confront their own demons—in order for them to confront the Man with the Fire in his Eyes.

When you’re the last of the Dragon Hearts, everyone hungers for your blood.
Crave Love. Crave Blood. Crave Death.
Purchase Links:
Amazon: (available on release day)
Haven’t started the adventure? The first 2 books in the series are on sale!
1. The Dragon Heart Keeper (FREE)
2. Crave (99 cents)
The Dragon Heart Keeper Blurb:
Framed for a crime he didn't commit, 18 year old Ash Brandon finds himself being whisked away to what he thought was jail. Until he wakes up the next morning feeling really strange. But what's more strange are the people he meets.

When Ash discovers he is going through a frightening new metamorphosis, he has no choice but to trust these people.

Until he meets their beautiful young daughter, Eva, his whole outlook on life changes and she helps him accept who he was destined to become.

For they are the Keepers, and he is a Dragon Heart.
Crave Blurb:
I remember excruciating pain.
I remember unimaginable heat.
I remember an undeniably beautiful young woman.
But I’m not sure whether these things are real.
One year ago, Ash Brandon was framed and sent to an unknown realm where he learnt his fate. A fate where he held the blood of an ancient line of Dragon shifters called Dragon Hearts. The thing is, he can no longer remember. All he knows is that he is a nineteen-year-old guy who wants to study architecture and one day, take over the family business.
Then two beautiful girls show up in his life — one who is sexy as hell and could be the woman of his dreams, while the other claims to have known him from a past he cannot remember. Only there is one thing he can’t wrap his mind around — Why does he crave each of the girls?
A now eighteen-year-old Eva, a powerful Dragon Heart Keeper from the Dragon Realm, is punished by her parents and sent to the earthly realm by her witch maiden. Her memories have all been wiped clean, but why can she still remember Ash, and the undeniable bond they once shared?
Emily is a Siren princess, and she always gets what she wants. When she sets her sights on Ash, all bets are off. She will make him hers — if only his Keeper weren’t in the way.
Will Ash discover who he truly is before its too late? Or will his deadly addiction to both girls get him killed?
Crave Love - Crave Life - Crave Truth
Inspired by the short story,
The Dragon Heart Keeper, also by L.L. Hunter
Follow L.L. Hunter
Instagram: @llhunter
Google +: google.com/+LLHunter
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