Write Stuff: September 2014

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

After Reading: GODLAND by Stuart R. West

An embittered farmer. A New York corporate raider. Two teenage high school girls. A failed small business owner. Past and present collide, secrets are revealed. These disparate people gather at a desolate Kansas farm for a hellish night not everyone will survive.
Godland is a dark psychological suspense horror thiller. A Midwestern nightmare. Farm noir. (Goodreads)

Ready to get in the Halloween spirit? This is definitely the book for you!

Get ready for a hair-raising, leave-the-lights-on read! I had the privilege of reading West's book early and I honestly couldn't put it down. Mainly because I had to make sure the creepy guys didn't get away...and end up in my yard or something. West does a wonderful job bringing together an eclectic mix of characters caught in a horrific situation that will definitely give you chills. I loved how all of the stories intertwined with one another as the book progressed, and I'm sure you'll find yourself praying that Godland doesn't really exist.

What about you? Do you enjoy scary books? Or Halloween?

Book Launch Blitz for PRIVATE INTERNSHIP by Kitsy Clare and a #Giveaway

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

A quick note before the awesome launch: there's a giveaway going on for Surrender the Sky over on the YAPodcasts site, along with a podcast of yours truly. Low entries thus far--so swing by and enter!

Sugar’s not so sweet and secrets can be deadly … especially with matters of the heart

Sienna’s bestie, Harper warned her not to intern for famous bad boy artist, Casper Mason. After all, he just fired Harper who helped Sienna get the interview. But the moment Sienna sees Casper—or Caz—sweaty and practically shirtless and swinging from chains while he works on his sculpture, she’s hooked. He’s the richest, hottest artist in New York, and he lives in the fabulous Williamsburg Sugar Factory. But he’s also an incorrigible game-player, who seems to relish challenging Sienna’s loyalty with a string of unsettling tests.

She knows she should get away fast. But by the time Sienna sneaks into his locked storage room and begins to unearth his dark and terrifying secret, she’s fallen way too hard for the handsome, charismatic Caz.

Amazon: All Romance Ebooks: B&N: Kobo

Book reviewers are saying:

"Beautiful. Amazing. A fantastic read that left me wanting more." -XoXo Book Blog

"A juicy read full of passion and magnetic chemistry that will have you hooked from beginning to end." -From the Purple Matter Book Blog

Buy Links:

Private Internship at Amazon: Kitsy’s books at B&N: Kitsy’s books at All Romance ebooks

Model Position (first in series) is on sale at Amazon!

Author Bio:

Kitsy Clare hails from Philly and lives in New York. A romantic at heart, she loves to write about the sexy intrigue of the city, and particularly of the art world. She knows it well, having shown her paintings here before turning to writing. The Art of Love series includes Model Position (novella) and Private Internship. Kitsy also writes YA as Catherine Stine. Her futuristic thriller, Ruby’s Fire was a YA finalist in the Next Generation Indie book awards. Fireseed One, its companion novel, was a finalist in YA and SF in the USA News International Book Awards, and an Indie Reader notable. Her YA horror, Dorianna, launches on Oct. 24 with Evernight Teen.

Social Media links:

Kitsy Clare on Facebook: Subscribe to Kitsy’s newsletter: Twitter: Pinterest: Blog: Website

Excerpt:

It’s blessedly warmer in here and I realize this warehouse is so enormous he’s only heated the renovated parts. In two of the corners Caz has deposited huge piles of sugar packets—ones tediously counted by spurned interns?

My attention is drawn to the larger of the piles. Its packets are shifting ever so slightly. Ah! The jig’s up; Caz is hiding under it. Sugary mosh pit here I come! I tiptoe forward, ever so slowly and pounce, landing with a shockingly loud crunch. Burrowing down into the packets, my hand hits a leathery cowboy boot. I grip onto the top lip for all its worth. “Tag!” I shriek. “Gotcha.”

Caz explodes upward, like a giant cake surprise, his hair all at wild angles. Grabbing me by the waist he pulls me down. We wrestle like kids, sending packets flying in all directions. He’s stronger than me, so it’s not long before his corded arms circle around me and pin me there, some big kid winning one over on his little brother or sister.

But Caz is not like a big brother, not at all. Not sure what we are now, as he gazes at me with his deep brown eyes, animated, sparkly and questioning. Wide, as if he’s seeing me clearly for the very first time. “You’re fun,” he whispers, his sculptural, perfect mouth so near mine.

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First Look Friday with DR Graham #YAReaderWeek

By: Meradeth Houston on 3:00 AM

We are wrapping up the #YAReaderWeek here with an awesome set of first peeks at new releases and some great reads. Today's post is sure to get you interested! If you're up for a little about my next release, Absence of Light, check it out here! And don't forget the GIVEAWAY and podcast going on here--lots of fun to be had :)

Hi Everyone! My name is Danielle. Besides my three-book Young Adult series Brampton Beach, I have two other New Adult projects also releasing soon. The first is a four book series titled Noir et Bleu. The first book is being released by Entangled Publishing this winter.

Excerpt from book 1 of the Noir et Bleu Series: One Percenter

Both sides of my family and their friends are filing down the aisle of the church. To my left, dark suits, expensive shoes, and conservative dresses. To my right, ripped denim, leather vests, and skanky skirts. A row of twenty uniformed cops are standing in wide stances along the back wall shoulder-to-shoulder with their arms folded across their chests.

My push up bra is creating way too much cleavage for a real church, but the Noir et Bleu club support logo that is silk screened across the chest of my white tank top is a necessary show of respect. If God is sitting somewhere up there in the rafters, he’s probably frowning and shaking his head at my trashy funeral attire. There’s no sign of him. Maybe he’s too scared to be here.

One of my dad’s old helmets is displayed on a chair next to me at the altar. My uncle Ronnie set it there so everyone would be reminded who my father was. My mom is sprawled across the bench in the front row to my right. Her blonde hair is matted, her makeup is smeared across her face, and she’s leaning on Uncle Terry’s leg as if she’s the one who’s dead. It’s pathetic in every sense of the word. The fact that everyone on the left side of the church is witnessing it is causing a tingling barfy feeling to creep up my throat. Too bad closing my eyes doesn’t make it all disappear.

The eulogy I wrote is rolled up in my clenched hand and getting soggy from the sweat. I place the curled paper on my lap and wipe my palms on my cut off jean shorts. It’s too hot in here. Shit. If they don’t get this over with soon I’m going to pass out and end up a worse mess than my mom.

Leland just walked in. Now I can’t breathe. The sun from outside is silhouetting his face, but the tailored suit and the way he’s standing confirm that it’s him. To avoid making eye contact with him, I focus on my auntie Elizabeth who is sitting in the front pew to my left – as far away from my mom as possible. She’s crying into her husband Blaine’s linen handkerchief. He smiles at me and mouths, Are you doing okay?

I force my head to nod and stare up at the ceiling to prevent tears from dripping out.

The minister sneaks out of a small door and slides onto a wooden bench behind me. It makes my hands shake, partly because it means we will be starting the service soon, and partly because if he sits there during my speech, he’ll have to stare at my ass in my short shorts the entire time.

My brother’s boyfriend is sitting in the third row sobbing. His parents and sister are several rows behind him and nobody is comforting him. I catch Auntie Elizabeth’s attention and point to the third row. She leans back and waves him forward to join them. He moves and leans against Elizabeth for a hug.

The door at the back opens and the Gyllenhalls walk in.

Aiden is staring at me. Now my entire body is trembling. I can’t swallow. Without breaking eye contact with me, he walks down the aisle. He’s wearing black jeans, motorcycle boots, and a white dress shirt under a leather vest. His sleeve cuffs are rolled up and the collar button is undone. A new tattoo is visible on his neck. He steps aside to let his dad and uncle file into the pew reserved for them directly behind my mom. Then he continues towards me. The church appears to be spinning around him as he walks. The faces and stained glass windows circle in a blur of colour making it look as if he’s in one of those kaleidoscope spy glasses kids play with. He takes the two steps up onto the red-carpeted altar, slides his left hand over mine, and squeezes it tightly. Feeling his skin on mine makes the spinning stop. My eyes close as he leans down. “Sorry, Ti,” he whispers. His right hand slides up by my neck and his lips graze my cheek.

The tears I’ve been blinking back win the battle and drip over my eyelashes.

I also have a single title New Adult book titled RANK releasing soon.

Excerpt from RANK:

Tyson Wright, my brother’s best friend, stole a beer out of the cooler. He had a shiner from knocking the bull’s behind when he got thrown, so he squinted at me with one open eye as he said, “I came over to get you. Cole just took a crazy bet.”

“For how much?”

“Double or nothing on his prize money.”

“God damn it. What’s he planning on doing?”

“Ride Freight Train for eight.”

“When?”

“Right now. Before it gets dark.”

I hopped off the tailgate and jogged to the chutes cursing Cole under my breath. The grandstand was empty and there were only a few people still lingering around the edge of the arena fence. The bull named Freight Train was already loaded into a chute and Cole was taping his riding glove around his wrist. I shoved his shoulder. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Ron Miller is going to pay me two thousand dollars to ride one bull.”

“You mean you’re going to pay Ron Miller two thousand dollars to get tossed off one bull. I already told Mom you won.”

“I got this. Don’t worry about it.” He put his black mouth guard in then smiled.

“Freight Train is rank. He ain’t never been ridden. He put four guys in the hospital.”

Cole slapped my shoulder. “You worry too much. Besides, I already shook the man’s hand. Let’s go make some money.”

I shook my head and followed him. The only thing harder than getting Cole to do something he didn’t want to do was stopping him from doing something he did want to do. It was usually easier to just let him do whatever he wanted and clean up the pieces afterwards. We both climbed the chute. It was already loaded with a black hairy mass of bovine muscle that was trying to shoulder its way through the metal rails. “Where are the bullfighters?” I asked.

“This is between me and the bull.”

“Jesus, you’re going to get killed.”

Cole eased himself down onto Freight Train’s back. “Just pull my rope.”

“Cole, come on. This is crazy.”

He looked at me and smiled. “You’ll be thanking me later.”

“I doubt it.” I pushed my boot against Freight Train’s shoulder to get him to move over. Then I pulled the rope as tight as I could.
Cowboy type

If you want to be personally notified of the release dates, cover reveals, and publisher giveaways for these titles please send your email via the contact form on my website or sign up for the street team below.

Author: D.R. Graham D.R. Graham is the author of Young Adult and New Adult novels. She worked as a social worker with at-risk youth for seven years before becoming a therapist in private practice. The clients she works with are children and teenagers. Her novels deal with issues relevant to young and new adults in love, transition, or crisis. She is also an award winning columnist for the Richmond News. She currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband.

www.drgrahambooks.com

Bonus Giveaway: Everyone who joins the Graham Crackers Street Team during the Young Adult Reader Appreciation Week September 22-26th, 2014 will be entered into a draw to win a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card.

Check out the books that I will be giving away all this week on Twitter and in the raffle:

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#YAReaderWeek Throwback Thursday with Tiffany Truitt

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

I hope you all are enjoying these posts as much as I am! Today I'm hanging out here, with my own Throwback Thursday post. Stop by and say hello, why don't you? :)

I would like to start off by thanking Meradeth for hosting me today! I am so excited she agreed to be a part of the YA Reader Week Blog Hop ☺

Now, let’s get to Throwback Thursday.

I’ve always loved to write. I’m the type of kid who watched television shows and would make up side characters and my own storylines in my head. Hence, my dream to write for a television show one day.

It all started in middle school. I had a 7th grade teacher who pushed the idea of creative writing in her classroom. Every Friday, she gave us the entire class period to write about whatever we wanted. All we had to do was track our progress and turn in one completed story every month. I wrote feverishly. As a teacher myself, I struggle to find a spot in the standardized test centered curriculum for such an experience for my students. I am lucky that I grew up in a time where imagination and creativity were encouraged and expected in the classroom. I don’t know that I would have stuck with writing had I not had such an experience.

I then became quite the horror story writer. Inspired by the work of R.L Stine, alongside my friend, Laura, I wrote my own version of the Fear Street Saga. We turned some of them into our own homemade Made for TV Movies. Luckily for me, I think those tapes are long gone.

Always a bit of a nerd in middle school, writing was my escape. I could create any world I wanted and be whoever I wanted to be in that world. In high school, I found my people. People who loved to learn and weren’t afraid to admit it. People who could talk hours on end about pop culture. People who embraced the Arts. But, for some reason, my passion for writing dulled. Maybe I was so wrapped up in living life that I didn’t see the point in boxing myself into the world of the written word.

It was teaching that sparked the passion back on. My classroom was filled with low-level struggling readers, and I was constantly on the search for books that would excite them. And so I devoured every YA book I could. And then I wanted to write. I wanted to tell the stories that would pull students back to reading. I wanted to tell the stories that I didn’t think were being told but needed to be. This August, my fourth novel came out, The Language of Silence. And I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Evernight Teen

About the Author: Tiffany Truitt received her MA in literature from Old Dominion University. Her debut Chosen Ones, first in the Lost Souls trilogy, is a searing look at what it means to be other and how we define humanity, as well as a celebration of the dangerously wonderful feeling of falling in love.

Women Crush Wednesday with Sasha Hibbs #YAReaderWeek

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Today we keep up the fun with Women Crushes! Don't tell me you don't have one :) I'm hanging out here, so be sure to say hello! ALSO, in other AWESOMELY fun news: there's a podcast interview with yours truly here, along with a giveaway, so stop by and have a listen? And maybe spread the word a little, too? :)

Woman Crush Wednesday:

Right now, I’m totally crushing on my leading lady in Black Atonement, book 3 of the Vulcan Legacies series.

Brandi Frasier aka the Seraph of Love and also nothing short of a blonde snarky bitch.

Brandi is introduced in book 1, Black Amaranth, and the reader slowly discovers that Brandi wasn’t always quite so mean hearted and spiteful. You certainly hate her and over a series of grave mistakes, heartbreak and the ultimate sacrifice, you grow to…love her.

Brandi is damaged but underneath her tough outer shell, you get a glimpse of the goodness that used to be there. It’s not until Brandi’s faced with the challenge of making a boy love her that she’s forced to hate her her entire life that the reader begins to weep inwardly for her, hoping there’s some kind of happiness she can find after all her misery.

Synopsis:

The burden of Dave’s girlfriend’s death pushes Brandi, the Seraph of Love, to abduct David Howels hoping she can protect Dave from his murderous father, Ragnar, and also atone for all her sins. Leaving a trail of broken hearts, will Brandi be able to show Dave that all in life is not lost in death? Twists and turns abound as Brandi discovers her own shocking revelation: That Dave has been her soul mate all along.

Separating Dave and herself from their allies on the threshold of the apocalypse, Brandi turns to an old friend for help-a witch-to aid her in her quest to prepare Dave to face his worst fears and her own. Filled with curses, secrets that threaten to destroy everything, Brandi must find forgiveness from within before she can find love with a boy she’s forced to hate her. In the past, healing a broken heart would’ve been easy, but now faced with the task of healing Dave’s broken heart while not exposing her own, Brandi learns why love is truly the greatest gift of all.

Coming September 26th, 2014 from Evernight Teen!

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Find Sasha online:

Facebook: Blog: Goodreads: Twitter

Find Black Amaranth:

Amazon: ebook on Amazon: Evernight Teen

Find Black Abaddon

Amazon: ebook on Amazon

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Transformation Tuesday with Kate Birch #YaReaderWeek AND a Cover Reveal for CUPCAKES & KISSES by Heidi Garrett and Billie Limpin

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

We have another awesome post today, in keeping with this week's hop! I'm hanging out here, so be sure to swing by and say hello, too!

The road to publication is always a difficult one to try map. This is as close as I could come:

Ten-year-old me: Brought my navy-blue notebook to school almost every day during fourth grade and spent all my free time penning (and illustrating) my very first novel.

Sixteen-year-old me: Precocious and sometimes a bit of a slacker in English class. When I didn't finish reading For Whom the Bell Tolls, I thought I'd just make up the essay questions (because I could write a book as well as Hemingway, right?).

Twenty-year-old me: Started writing my first non-grade-school novel. Brought my clipboard with my printed manuscript everywhere I went. Hmmm, maybe not so different from 10-year-old me.

Twenty-one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-year old me: Kept writing. Wrote short stories and essays and poems. Tried writing a novel in three days for the Three-Day-Novel-Writing-Competition-- twice! Realized how good it felt to finish.

Thirty-year-old me: Went to conferences. Wrote and illustrated picture books. Mailed them out. Got rejections. Kept writing. Tried writing a middle grade novel.

Thirty-one-year-old me: Started writing another middle grade novel. Finished it. Tried querying. Got many rejections. Kept writing.

Thirty-two-year-old me: Kept writing. Wrote a YA novel. Got my first essay published.

Thirty-three-year-old me: Tried Querying. Found an agent to who fell in love with my story. Went on submission. Got a lot of rejections. Almost got an offer. Almost. Wrote another YA novel.

Thirty-four-year-old me: Went on submission. Got a lot of rejections. Some almosts. Published my first short-story. Wrote another Middle grade novel.

Thirty-five-year-old me: Went on submission. Got a lot of rejections. Some almosts. Wrote another YA novel. Finally, finally, after all those rejections got a yes! And another yes!

Thirty-six-year-old me: Editing. Editing. Man it felt good to see some of that hard work pay off as two of my novels, DELIVER ME and PERFECTED were published.

Kate Jarvik Birch is a visual artist, author, playwright, daydreamer, and professional procrastinator. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be either a unicorn or mermaid. Luckily, being a writer turned out to be just as magical. Her essays and short stories have been published in literary journals including Indiana Review and Saint Ann's Review. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and three kids. To learn more visitwww.katejarvikbirch.com

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

Release Date: November 18, 2014

ABOUT Cupcakes & Kisses:

One bite of her luscious cupcakes and you just might fall in love…

Nineteen-year-old Glynna Balcora’s super power is baking. A young witch, she’s lived her entire life tucked away in the quaint city of Spokane, WA with her domineering aunt and sweetheart of a grandmother. It’s not an ideal situation. Although Glynna loves her grandmother dearly, and treasures the special times they spend in their magical greenhouse, Glynna’s aunt keeps her niece on a tight leash using threats of vague enemies.

Since Glynna graduated from high school a few a months ago, her aunt’s be-home-before-dark curfew seems more ridiculous every day. It isn’t doing much for the young witch’s social life, either. With encouragement from her best friend, Glynna sneaks out one night to go to a bonfire party at the lake. There she has an unexpected encounter with Spokane’s most eligible bachelor, Ashton Bass. Glynna’s been crushing on Ashton since she was five years old. But when they share their first kiss, thunderstorms and lightning follow… and Glynna’s aunt realizes it’s time to tell the young witch the truth about who she really is.

Cupcakes & Kisses is the first book in a playful New Adult Romance trilogy…

Excerpt:

I race toward Kristeen’s burgundy Jeep Cherokee as if I can control the noise level blasting from her vehicle with speed. I can’t. Oops! Geez. I knew I should have tied my shoelaces, but there was no time. Now, I’m sprawled in the middle of the road. The bass booms, vibrating through my body as I pull myself back up. The beam from the jeep’s off-road lights flood the entire block, and I’m in the spotlight.

My excitement from moments before grinds into full-on panic. I’ve finally mustered the courage to escape my Aunt Ophelia enforced Rapunzel tower… and now, this! God of Cupcakes. Maybe it’s a sign I should have stayed home and finished my latest Colleen Hoover novel.

No! If I let a little spill like this stop me, I’m never going to get a life outside of the bakery.

Back on my feet, I duck as much to avoid the glare, as to avoid being caught by my tyrannical aunt. When I jerk open the passenger door, my friend is oblivious, rocking away to Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit”.

“Kristeen!”

Arms parallel to the dash board, she gyrates in the jeep’s front seat. “Hey, chica.”

“Turn the grunge metal—down!” I wave my hand as if it’s on fire.

“Excuse me? Just because Kurt Cobain is anti-pink—”

“Please, just get me out of here.”

“What’s up?” Kristeen peels out, tires squealing.

“Probably my aunt, thanks to you.”

“Oh, did Glynna whip up some grumpy cupcakes for dessert tonight?”

I’ve never confessed I’m a witch to my BFF, but she knows there’s a little something extra in my cupcakes, and she likes to tease. I ignore her jibe and sink into the ripped leather seat with my arms over my head. As if that will save me if my aunt saw Kristeen’s jeep hauling ass down our street. “Next time, why don’t you just knock on the front door and tell Ophelia I climbed out my bedroom window?” My friend rolls her eyes. “How many times have I spent the night with you, and no matter what we did, or how much noise we made, she never woke up. That woman could sleep through a zombie apocalypse. Besides, that be-home-before-dark curfew is like something out of the dark ages.”

She’s right, but what am I supposed to do about it? My aunt might be a deep sleeper, but until her head hits the pillow, she’s a drill sergeant. “I know.”

“And you also know you’re a scaredy cat for not standing up to her, right?”

“Sure.” I concede.

Ophelia is formidable. Especially when it comes to protecting me from the dangers which going out after dark exposes me to. Dangers Ophelia implies are connected to my baking magic cupcakes. But she’s never been specific about what those dangers are. Kristeen’s prodding goads my curiosity. Do I have the courage to make a stand? Probably not, just the thought of demanding answers from Auntie O makes my bravado shrivel.

Goodreads

~ About the Authors ~

Heidi Garrett is the author of the Daughter of Light series, a fantasy about a young half-faerie, half-mortal searching for her place in the Whole. She's also the author of the contemporary fairy tale novella collection, Once Upon a Time Today. In these stand-alone retellings of popular and obscure fairy tales, adult characters navigate the deep woods of the modern landscape to find their Happily Ever Afters.

Heidi is collaborating with Billie Limpin to write The Magic Cupcake series, a special blend of magic, romance, and humor.

Heidi was born in Texas, and in an attempt to reside in as many cities in that state as she could, made it to Houston, Lubbock, Austin, and El Paso. She now lives in Eastern Washington state with her husband, their two cats, her laptop, and her Kindle. Being from the South, she often contemplates the magic of snow.

Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Newsletter

Billie Limpin lives in the Philippines where the sun always shines and people always smile!

A hopeless romantic inside and out, when Billie’s not swooning over a book boyfriend (which she often does!), you’ll probably catch her daydreaming (over a fictional character!). A reader by heart, and now a writer for the first time, she’s thrilled to put her daydreams into written words.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

~ Giveaway ~

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Man Crush Monday with Sasha Hibbs for #YAReaderWeek

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Welcome to YA Reader Week! There's going to be some seriously fun posts around the interwebs this week, and I'm happy to be hosting five awesome authors here! Today we're talking man crushes, and if you're curious what I'd pick, check it out here! Today we have Sasha Hibbs:

Man Crush Monday:

Oh shoot! I’m in the middle of a series with the first two out and the third slated for release Sept 26th. I’ve got 3 leading males.

No worries, though! This isn’t a love quadrangle ☺ I simply feature a different leading male in each title.

Book 1 of the Vulcan Legacies, Black Amaranth:

Michael Blackwell: Sweet Michael. He’s the boy next door raised up right by his grandmother and happens to be secretly in love with Ally Watson, girl next door also known as Azrael aka the Angel of Death. Why do I love Michael? He’s swoon-worthy in a good guy-always-does-the-right-thing-sacrifices-for-the-girl-he-loves kind of guy. He’s my ultimate man crush!

Meet Michael: (Teaser one from Black Amaranth)

Ally couldn’t budge. “Michael?” She looked up, knowing he

would fix this, but when she met his eyes, her breath caught in the

back of her throat. Heat spread up through her face as his blue eyes

bored into hers. The Michael staring at her now wasn’t looking at her

as friends look at one another, but as something much different: as a

man who looks, really looks, at a woman.

(Teaser two from Black Amaranth)

Belle placed herself in front of Michael, blocking Ally and

said, “Mr. Blackwell, for a human, you are a curious thing. Even the

most powerful of us wouldn’t rush off into the arms of Death.”

“With all due respect, ma’am, her name is Ally, and that’s

who she’ll always be to me,” Michael said as he looked down at Belle

Crow. They sized each other up, their gazes intense.

Belle stepped in closer to Michael, tilting her head to one side

and narrowing her eyes as she said, “We might all be saved yet, boy.”

And then she stepped to the side and allowed him to pass by her.

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Book 2 of the Vulcan Legacies series, Black Abaddon:

Marik, Prince Regent of the Nosferatu Nation: Marik is the silent hero in book 2 that sneaks up on you and grabs your bleeding heart. Why do I love Marik? Because he’s the devil-in-disguise-turned-angel-in-disguise-makes-you-want-to-wrap-him-in-your-arms-and-make-everything-better-for-his-broken-heart kind of guy. He’s my total dark and deadly man crush!

Meet Marik: (teaser one from book 2, Black Abaddon)

Ally didn’t move away as Marik scooted across the cell floor

closer to her. The only things separating them were the thick steel

bars. Ally truly had no fear left. It was simply gone.

“Was there truth to anything you ever said to me? Or was it

the Devourer the entire time masked as you?” Ally asked.

Marik reached through the bars, gently brushing his fingertips

against Ally’s hand.

She didn’t jerk away. She looked down to where his skin

touched hers. Ally looked back up, as a single crimson red tear slid

down his cheek.

“The Authority help me, but I never lied about the way I felt

and still feel about you.”

(Teaser two from Black Abaddon)

He rested his forehead against hers, one hand cupping her face, the other

firmly pressed into the small of her back. He whispered, “I love you.”

Ally brought his lips crashing down on hers. She was lost. The

world was coming to an end, the thunderous cracks of earthquakes

shattering the ground below. She clung to Marik for dear life, gave

him everything she had, holding nothing back.

Marik cupped the back of her head, his fingers through her

hair, his lips moving over hers in a rapturous kiss. In that moment, in

that very kiss, they both gave into their pain, their hurt, their longing.

They gave each other everything they had, two broken souls seeking

each other out for the end of the world.

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Book 3 of the Vulcan Legacies series, Black Atonement: (Coming Sept 26th!)

David Howels, recently turned Nashoba aka werewolf: Dave, my sweet, sweet, Dave. He’s the fun loving, goofy guy who met with a terrible fate that left him jaded and in the arms of a girl who has forced him to hate her. No pressure there for her to be the one to fix him. Why do I love Dave? Because he’s the sweet-innocent-the-world-dealt-him-a-cruel-hand-now-his-shattered-heart-needs-fixed-by-a-hateful-bitch-that-turns-out-to-be-awesome-and-he’s-just-that-perfect kind of guy. Dave undergoes such a transformation in this series, he’s my soul singing man crush.

Meet Dave: (teaser one from book 3, Black Atonement)

“How do you do it?” Dave said, his voice low.

“Do what?” Brandi asked, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

“Turn off your emotions. How do you not care? How do you cope? How did you get this way?” Dave asked.

“I’ve had years of practice,” Brandi said. She wanted so badly to tell Dave the truth, but she couldn’t undo in a few days the damage she’d created over the course of several years.

“How did you turn out like this?” Dave asked.

Brandi lowered herself on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. There were a million answers running around in her head, but she didn’t say anything. There was no point trying to reason with someone who had only ever known her as the damaged Seraph she was. “It’s late, Dave. We need to rest and prepare for the long trip ahead of us tomorrow.”

“I want to know. If you’re going to teach me how to turn off what I’m feeling now so I can be like you, I want to understand how you became like you are,” Dave said.

(Teaser two from Black Atonement)

“Do I know you?” Dave asked, the corners of his lips turning up into a smile.

“Perhaps in a previous life we knew each other,” Brandi said, the truth painful.

“What were we in our previous lives?” Dave asked.

“Hmm…I don’t know,” Brandi said leaning in closer to Dave.

“I know,” Dave said, twirling her out and then bringing her in closer and closer. “I was a composer and you were a ballerina, my little dancer.”

“A ballerina?” Brandi said, arching a brow and smiling at him unconvinced.

“Sure. I wrote music, not just any music, but I strung together sounds and melodies so great, they would have matched Amadeus, and they were written just for you. I can see you, a dress as elegant as the lines of your body. You’re in the distance, a soft spotlight framing your tiny figure, you gliding across the stage gracefully…a little ballerina. My little ballerina,” Dave said, his voice dropping an octave.