Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday!

When I get the chance, I like to participate in Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/ that highlights books we're looking forward to. This week, I'm waiting on Vision by my writer pal and cover artist, Lisa Amowitz! 

18506066 

The light is darker than you think…

High school student Bobby Pendell already has his hands full—he works almost every night to support his disabled-vet father and gifted little brother. Then he meets the beautiful new girl in town, who just happens to be his boss’s daughter. Bobby has rules about that kind of thing. Nothing matters more than keeping his job.

When Bobby starts to get blinding migraines that come with scary, violent hallucinations, his livelihood is on the line. Soon, he must face the stunning possibility that the visions of murder are actually real. With his world going dark, Bobby is set on the trail of the serial killer terrorizing his small town. With everyone else convinced he’s the prime suspect, Bobby realizes that he, or the girl he loves, might be killer's next victim.


Expected publication: September 9th 2014 by Spencer Hill Press 
 

Monday, August 18, 2014

COVER REVEAL: CROW’S REST by Angelica R. Jackson

 
Book Blurb:

Avery Flynn arrives for a visit at her Uncle Tam's, eager to rekindle her summertime romance with her crush-next-door, Daniel.

But Daniel’s not the sweet, neurotic guy she remembers—and she wonders if this is her Daniel at all. Or if someone—some thing—has taken his place.

Her quest to find the real Daniel—and get him back—plunges Avery into a world of Fae and changelings, where creatures swap bodies like humans change their socks, and magic lives much closer to home than she ever imagined.

Author Bio:

Angelica R. Jackson, in keeping with her scattered Gemini nature, has published articles on gardening, natural history, web design, travel, hiking, and local history. Other interests include pets, reading, green living, and cooking for food allergies (the latter not necessarily by choice, but she’s come to terms with it). Ongoing projects include short fiction, poetry, novels, art photography, and children’s picture books.

In 2012, she started Pens for Paws Auction, which features critiques and swag from agents and authors to raise money for a no-kill, cage-free cat sanctuary where she volunteers, Fat Kitty City.

She’s also been involved with capturing the restoration efforts for Preston Castle (formerly the Preston School of Industry) in photographs and can sometimes be found haunting its hallways.

Title: Crow’s Rest
Author: Angelica R. Jackson
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com) Please feel free to use any text, images, links, etc. from our website.
Release Date May 2015
Formats: Paper, e-book

If you’d like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday!

When I get the chance, I'd like to participate in Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/ that highlights books we're looking forward to. This week, I'm waiting on Unspeakable by my writer pal, Michelle Pickett!


“Breathe. No one will break me. I’m strong. Breathe. Just breathe.”
 
On the outside, Willow appears to have it all. She’s beautiful, smart, from an influential family, and she dates the most popular guy in school—Jaden. But she would walk away from it all in a second. Willow is tormented by lies and suffocating guilt, not the hearts and flowers people believe her life is full of. 
 
She carries a dark secret. Plagued by nightmares and pain, the secret dominates her life. If she hadn’t walked away. If she had just…but she didn’t. And now she has to live with her choice. But when someone uncovers her family’s past, they use it against her, crushing her spirit little by little. She tells herself she just has to make it to graduation. Then she can leave Middleton, and her secret, far behind.
 
When Brody transfers to Cassidy High, he turns Willow’s life upside down. He shows her what it feels like to live again, really live. And suddenly, she isn’t satisfied with just surviving until graduation. She wants a normal life—with Brody—and he wants her. But the closer they become, the more it threatens to unravel the secret she’s worked so hard to hide.
 
Willow finds true love with Brody. Will she let his love save her, or walk away from him to keep her secret safe?

Expected publication: February 10th 2015 by Clean Teen Publishing

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

FLAWED by J.L. Spelbring - Release Day Blitz


Title: Flawed (Perfection #2)
Author: JL Spelbring
Release Date: August 12, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

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Blurb


In a world where Hitler won The War, and perfection is constantly sought, Ellyssa has broken free from her austere life and has found another meaning for her existence.

Family, friendship, and love.

But her happiness is short lived. Ellyssa finds herself on the run, again. Her father's work didn't die with him, but lives on in her siblings, Aalexis and Xaver, and they are determined to complete his unfinished dream.

About the Author


J.L. Spelbring lives in Texas, where she wanders out in the middle of the night to look at the big and bright stars. Besides knocking imaginary bad guys in the head with a keyboard, she enjoys being swept away between the pages of a book, running amuck inside in her own head, pretending she is into running, and hanging out with her kids, who are way too cool for her.

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Friday, August 8, 2014

COVER REVEAL: Unspeakable





Unspeakable Blurb:

“Breathe. No one will break me. I’m strong. Breathe. Just breathe.”

On the outside, Willow appears to have it all. She’s beautiful, smart, from an influential family, and she dates the most popular guy in school—Jaden. But she would walk away from it all in a second. Willow is tormented by lies and suffocating guilt, not the hearts and flowers people believe her life is full of. 

She carries a dark secret. Plagued by nightmares and pain, the secret dominates her life. If she hadn’t walked away. If she had just…but she didn’t. And now she has to live with her choice. But when someone uncovers her family’s past, they use it against her, crushing her spirit little by little. She tells herself she just has to make it to graduation. Then she can leave Middleton, and her secret, far behind.

When Brody transfers to Cassidy High, he turns Willow’s life upside down. He shows her what it feels like to live again, really live. And suddenly, she isn’t satisfied with just surviving until graduation. She wants a normal life—with Brody—and he wants her. But the closer they become, the more it threatens to unravel the secret she’s worked so hard to hide.

Willow finds true love with Brody. Will she let his love save her, or walk away from him to keep her secret safe?

About the author:

Michelle is the bestselling author of the young adult novel “PODs.” She was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, but now lives in a sleepy suburb outside Houston with her extremely supportive husband, three school-aged children, a 125 pound “lap dog,” and a very snooty cat.

Red Bull or Monster Khaos are her coffee of choice, and she can’t write without peanut butter M&Ms and a hoodie. A hopeful romantic; she loves a swoon-worthy ending that will give her butterflies for days. She writes across genres in the young adult and new adult age groups. She loves to hear from her readers.

Michelle signed her new young adult contemporary novel— Unspeakable, with Clean Teen Publishing in 2014. 

Keep up-to-date on her current and future projects at her website www.michelle-pickett.com. Find her on her blog www.michelle-pickett.com/blog on Twitter @Michelle_kp or drop her an email michelle@michelle-pickett.com!

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

COVER REVEAL: TANGLED MAGICK by Jennifer Carson

Book Blurb:
It’s been two years since Maewyn Bridgepost discovered her magick and saved the Wedge from another troll invasion. Now the villagers are embarking on an age-old tradition, given up after the first invasion, the Great Expedition. This journey is a chance for the happenies to discover the world outside their village. But the outside world can be a scary place, and the happenies soon find themselves knee deep in troll trouble.

The second book in the Hapenny Magick series!

Author’s short bio:
Jennifer Carson lives in New Hampshire with her husband, four sons and many furred and feathered friends. She grew up on a steady diet of Muppet movies and renaissance faires, and would occasionally be caught reading under the blankets with a flashlight. Besides telling tales, she also creates fantasy creatures and characters and publishes her own sewing patterns. In 2010 her first children’s novel, To Find A Wonder, was produced as an original musical at the New London Barn Playhouse in New London, New Hampshire.

Title: Tangled Magick
Author: Jennifer Carson
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press Middle Grade (www.spencerhillmiddlegrade.com) Please feel free to use any text, images, links, etc. from our website.

ISBN 978-1-63392-000-2 paperback
ISBN 978-1-63392-001-9 Ebook

Release Date April 21, 2015
Formats: Paper, e-book,

If you’d like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Release Day Blitz: BREATHE FOR ME by Rhonda Helms

Title: Breathe For Me
Author: Rhonda Helms
Release Date: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press


Buy Breathe For Me:
 


Blurb

Isabel's been cursed since the Middle Ages.

Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, she made a hasty bargain with a demon, asking for liberation from an oppressive husband-to-be and the excitement of travel. But the demon's "gift" came at a steep cost. Each time he moves her to a new city, her memory's wiped. No one can touch her bare skin without injury or even death. And she sees the lifespan of every living being (and is, in fact, immortal herself).

All a constant reminder that she's different than other teen girls.

But New Orleans seems to accept her as she is. She has friends and a real life in this quirky, hot city. Then Isabel meets Dominic, whose deep soul and strong character draw her to him. Her growing love gives her the courage to confront the demon, insisting the curse be broken. But the demon's price for freedom is much, much higher than she could possibly give.


Excerpt

“You okay?” Dominic asks me.

I look over at him. His brows are bunched together, his irises dark. He reaches a hand toward mine, then stops and pulls it back. I can’t interpret the look in his eyes.

Disappointment at his withdrawal creeps through my veins. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I say. Inside my head, I scoff at my stupidity. How quickly I forget who I am when I’m around him. I force my attention back to my paper. “Let’s just concentrate on our project.” My words have a strong bite to them, one I don’t try to hold back. It’s better this way, anyway.

He sighs, turning away from me.

For the rest of the period, we work in silence. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him writing furiously.

I wish I could say I’m productive, but my mind is blocked. No words will pour from my pen. I feel mute, silenced by my own emotions, by the heat from his body that warms my side. The soft scratching sound of him writing on his paper is absorbing, and I close my eyes and just listen, shutting out the world around me. Opening up my heart for one moment in the only safe way I know.

The bell rings, jarring me out of my fog. I gather my books and stand quickly, edging away from my desk.

Dominic grabs my hand.

The gesture stops me in my tracks. The warmth from his palm seeps through my glove, absorbs into my skin, fuses with my cells and tiny hairs and molecules and veins.

I turn to face him.

He rises from his seat, still gripping me. “Please don’t run from me anymore,” he asks, his voice raw. His eyes are wide, piercing mine with a tiny sliver of hurt and...some other emotion. It seems a little familiar, but I can’t quite figure it out at the moment. I’m too distracted by the sensory overload of him.

“I’m sorry,” I say, pouring earnestness into my voice.

He shakes his head slowly. His eyes swirl with shades of blue, and he peers down at me with no disguise or veil to protect himself. In this moment, I can see everything inside him. I recognize that emotion in his gaze as desire.

Desire—for me.

The air whooshes from my lungs. The stirrings of my own longing match his, slamming to the surface of my skin in a heated fervor. My pulse speeds up.

“No more apologies, Isabel,” he says, then loosens his grip on my imprisoned hand, his thumb sliding down the center of the covered palm.

I shiver at the sensation, exhaling a shaky breath. “I... Okay.” I can barely think, barely move. I am captured, locked in a state of perfect being. Frozen in one perfect moment.

“Read this,” he says, pressing a folded paper into my hand.

And then, he’s gone. I remain in my spot for a moment, holding on to this feeling.

Tucking it safely away in my mind, where I can experience it over and over again for as long as possible. I force myself to take several slow breaths to focus my mind, slip the note into my pocket for when I can read it in privacy. Then I head to my next class, carrying secret thoughts of Dominic with me.


About the Author

Rhonda Helms started writing several years ago. She has a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. She also edits for Carina Press (an imprint of Harlequin Publishing) and freelance edits.

When she isn't writing, she likes to do amateur photography, dig her toes into the sand, read for hours at a time, and eat scads of cheese. WAY too much cheese.

Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her family.