Blog Tour (Excerpt): Between by Megan Whitmer

 

When a supernatural freak of nature forces her family to separate, seventeen-year-old Charlie Page must turn to her frustrating (yet gorgeous) neighbor, Seth, to help reunite them. Seth whisks Charlie to Ellauria—a magical world filled with the creatures of myths and legends—and tells her of the Fellowship, the group charged with protecting mystical beings from human discovery. (All except Bigfoot: that attention whore is a total lost cause.) But when Charlie learns that she's under the Fellowship's protection herself, well, "stressed" is an understatement.

Ellauria should be the safest place for Charlie while the Fellowship works to find her family, but things in the mystical realm aren’t what they seem.

Magic is failing, creatures are dying, and the Fellowship insists Charlie holds the key to saving everyone. With her family still missing and the danger in Ellauria growing, Charlie doesn't know who she can trust. She's dealing with a power she never asked for, falling for a guy she can't have, and being forced to choose between her destiny and her heart. And if she chooses wrong, she could destroy magic forever.

Charlie may be in over her head.

Releases July 29, 2014 from Spencer Hill Press

Excerpt:

“Charlie?”

“Hmm?” My nails dig into his arms.

“You can look now,” Seth says against my forehead.

I squint open one eye and then the other before slowly releasing my grip and easing away from him. I stretch my fingers as I lower my hands. This flicker was longer than the others, and I sway a bit on my feet. I grab Seth’s forearm to steady myself. “Where are we?” I ask.

He raises his eyes and makes a sweeping gesture with his hand. “The edge of Ellauria. This is the Wisteria Tunnel.”

Wisteria. Twisted vines arch over our heads, each one dripping with cascades of flowers and creating stripes of pastel colors that stretch the entire length of the tunnel. White. Blue. Purple. Violet. Pink. An intoxicating sweetness hangs in the air. It’s straight out of a fairytale.

And I don’t have my sketchbook.

“What is it?” Seth asks.

I frown at him. “You’re supposed to tune me out, remember?”

He smiles with his lips closed. “Sorry. I forgot. I told you it’d be an adjustment.”

I nudge him and smile. “I’m just sad that I don’t have my sketchbook. This place is gorgeous.”

He tips his head down to mine and whispers, “I’ll bring you back.”

All my thoughts scatter when his breath mingles with mine. I open my mouth to say something, but I have no words—at least, none I feel brave enough to say just yet. I could go on and on about his lips and his eyes and the way his smell makes me want to bury my nose in his chest, but I won’t.

“Shall we?” He holds out his arm, and I close my mouth.

Pull yourself together, Charlie.

I curl my hand around his elbow as we tread beneath the flowering vines.

I try to watch Seth without watching him, admiring the way he moves. Every now and then I sneak a direct glance at his face, and I catch his eyes before they dart in a different direction.

It’s quiet and peaceful here, like Seth and I are the only two people in the world. It’s easy to forget that there’s anything else at all—nothing to cry over, nothing to fear. Just sweetness and splendor, created by the very hands that created me. I run my hands along the blooms and bring my fingers to my nose, inhaling their scent. Seth watches me and smiles when I catch him.

“I knew you’d like it,” he says.

Of course I do. I could fill an entire sketchbook with drawings of this place alone. Colored pencils would work. They’d capture the variance in the pastels completely.

When we’ve walked so far that I can’t see either end of the tunnel, I pull on Seth’s arm to make him stop, and he turns to face me. “I needed this,” I tell him.

Seth nods, looking upward. “So did I.”

He pulls a long strand of violet wisteria from the vine over his head and loops it around my wrist. It’s so silly and perfect it makes me giggle, and he smiles. My laughter fades, and neither of us find words to fill the silence. I look from his eyes to his lips.

His very soft-looking lips.

Something shifts in his gaze, and there’s a gleam, a tiny spark of life that tells me he’s still tuning in. The fact that he knows is both exhilarating and terrifying. I want him to kiss me, but I want it to be his idea. Now, I feel like my emotions are making the first move.

Stop looking at his lips.

Don’t look at his eyes, either.

Just stop looking at him altogether.

My eyes dart to the wall of flowers beyond his shoulder, and Seth laughs softly. He trails the backs of his fingers from my shoulder to my wrist, and then pinches my shirt at my waist, pulling me closer. My heart beats faster, so much that I’m sure he can feel it. I watch my hands slide up his arms like they have a mind of their own. They move across his shoulders and drift to his chest.

His other hand cups my chin and tilts my face upward as he dips his head closer. When his lips are a breath from mine, he stops. He looks at me, silently asking permission, and I nod. His eyes are mostly closed. His lips part, and he freezes. He blinks, and his forehead creases before he drops his head and backs away.

No. Not again.

I know he was going to kiss me; I may not be an empath, but I know he wants to. What’s stopping him?

“Seth?”

When he raises his head again, he looks so lost I can’t decide if I want to hug him or wring his neck for bringing his lips so close to mine without sealing the deal.

I step toward him, then change my mind and take another step back.

“Forget it,” I say. It’s the second time he’s pulled away from me in two days. I can take a hint.

“Charlie.”

“It’s fine.” I feel my blood pressure rise as heat branches out from my chest throughout my body. Oh no. I’m about to start saying stupid things. “I don’t know why I keep getting so flustered around you. And I get that it’s weird for you or something.” The words come faster and faster. Oh my God, Charlie, shut up. “It’s just sometimes it seems like you want me close and sometimes you don’t.” Stop talking. Just. Stop. Talking. “But I get it. You’re not interested.”

Seth flinches. “Is that really what you think? No, Charlie. That’s not it at all.” He moves toward me again until something behind me catches his eye. His face pales and he croaks, “Alexander!”

I spin around. The enormous founder stands a few feet away with his arms clasped in front of his belt.

“Seth.” That’s all he says. One word so full of judgment I nearly crumble beneath its weight myself. I glance at Seth, but his eyes are locked with Alexander’s.

What’s happening here? Seth wants to kiss me, but he doesn’t, but I’m wrong, and then Alexander’s here, and now I’m pretty sure I’m missing a giant piece of the equation.

“I’d like to take Charlotte to work on her powers now,” Alexander says, raising his eyebrows and staring down his nose. Somehow, he appears even larger than normal. “I assume you two are all finished here?”

“Yes, sir.” Seth’s gaze falls to the ground. “We’re finished.”

The founder’s lips set into a thin line, and he lifts his hand to me, beckoning.

I twist my bracelet around my wrist. Whatever’s happening, Seth must be in trouble. I can’t tell if I am, as well. Maybe we weren’t supposed to be out here. I try one last time, but Seth won’t look at me.

I walk to Alexander, my legs quivering with each step. When I reach him, he takes my arm and we disappear.

 

Giveaway:

 

BETWEEN Prize Pack #1

BETWEEN by Megan Whitmer ARC (signed)

SING SWEET NIGHTINGALE by Erica Cameron (signed) 

EVER by Jessa Russo (signed)

RECLAIMED by Sarah Guillory (signed)

TRAGIC TALES OF STRANGE GIRLS ebook by Suzy G

THE ART OF FALLING ebook by Jenny Kaczorowski

OF SCARS AND STARDUST postcard with download code for eARC by Andee Hannah

BETWEEN Prize Pack #2

BETWEEN by Megan Whitmer ARC (signed)

DOORWAYS TO EXTRA TIME by Erica Cameron (signed)

DIVIDE by Jessa Russo (signed)

RECLAIMED by Sarah Guillory (signed)

Preorder of BLACKFIN SKY by Kat Ellis

ULTRAVIOLET CATASTROPHE by Jamie Grey

BOTH prize packs will also include various swag from authors: Jessa Russo, Dahlia Adler, Tonya Kuper, Lynne Matson, and Kat Ellis

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Author Bio:

Megan Whitmer loves all things Southern, and has a soft spot for football, kissing scenes, and things that sparkle. Aside from her personal blog and weekly vlog series, she's also a contributing blogger for YA Misfits and All The Write Notes. 

She lives in Kentucky with her family. Also, she writes books and talks a lot. You can learn more about her at www.meganwhitmerwrites.com.

 

Links to find Megan online: 

Website / Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Twitter / Facebook

Blog Tour (EXCERPT): Before You by Amber Hart

Some say love is deadly. Some say love is beautiful. I say it is both.

Faith Watters spent her junior year traveling the world, studying in exquisite places, before returning to Oviedo High School. From the outside her life is picture ­perfect. Captain of the dance team. Popular. Happy. Too bad it’s all a lie.

It will haunt me. It will claim me. It will shatter me. And I don't care.

Eighteen ­year ­old Diego Alvarez hates his new life in the States, but staying in Cuba is not an option. Covered in tattoos and scars, Diego doesn't stand a chance of fitting in. Nor does he want to. His only concern is staying hidden from his past—a past, which if it were to surface, would cost him everything. Including his life.

At Oviedo High School, it seems that Faith Watters and Diego Alvarez do not belong together. But fate is as tricky as it is lovely. Freedom with no restraint is what they long for. What they get is something different entirely.

Love—it will ruin you and save you, both.

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EXCERPT

Being tough does not scare Faith Watters. Time to change tactics. I relax and flash a grin.

“Mami, why don’t I help you loosen up a little?”

She blinks, but doesn’t show any outward evidence that my words have affected her. I move close, very close. When I look down at her, she doesn’t look away.

Her eyes remind me of stained glass, bright and cutting.

“We could have a good time, you and me,” I say, mischief punctuating my voice.

“I don’t think so,” she says coldly.

I will not let her upstage me. I give her a long, slow once-over. She dresses older than she is, like she doesn’t belong in high school. I wonder what makes her so uptight.

What are you hiding, chica?

I usually don’t have to try with girls. It’s one of the very few advantages life has thrown my way.

“Oh, come on. You might like Latino if you tried it,” I say, voice low. The guys behind me laugh, egging me on.

“When you’re done with him, I’m available, mamacita,” Juan says. “I don’t mind leftovers.”

She sneers. Good. That’s progress.

“Let me take you out,” I say.

I’m not really going to take her anywhere. I just want to make a crack in her icy shield.

Why do you have a shield, anyway?

“Why?” she asks suspiciously.

"Because it would be fun," I say.

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ABOUT AMBER HART Amber Hart grew up in Orlando, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. She now resides on the Florida coastline with family. When unable to find a book, she can be found writing, daydreaming, or with her toes in the sand. She's the author of BEFORE YOU, AFTER US, UNTIL YOU FIND ME, and sequel to UNTIL YOU FIND ME (untitled as of yet). Represented by Beth Miller of Writers House.

CONNECT WITH AMBER HART Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

Release Day Blitz: Before You by Amber Hart

We're so excited to celebrate the release of BEFORE YOU by Amber Hart from Kensington Teen! This multicultural romance has us swooning!

 

ABOUT BEFORE YOU

Some say love is deadly. Some say love is beautiful. I say it is both.

Faith Watters spent her junior year traveling the world, studying in exquisite places, before returning to Oviedo High School. From the outside her life is picture ­perfect. Captain of the dance team. Popular. Happy. Too bad it’s all a lie.

It will haunt me. It will claim me. It will shatter me. And I don't care.

Eighteen­ year ­old Diego Alvarez hates his new life in the States, but staying in Cuba is not an option. Covered in tattoos and scars, Diego doesn't stand a chance of fitting in. Nor does he want to. His only concern is staying hidden from his past—a past, which if it were to surface, would cost him everything. Including his life.

At Oviedo High School, it seems that Faith Watters and Diego Alvarez do not belong together. But fate is as tricky as it is lovely. Freedom with no restraint is what they long for. What they get is something different entirely.

Love—it will ruin you and save you, both.

 

EXCERPT:

“Hi, I’m Faith Watters.”
Those are the first words I speak to the new Cuban guy in the front office. He grimaces. He’ll be
a tough one. I can handle it, though. He’s not the first.
I can’t help but notice that he looks a lot like a model from the neck up—eyes the color of oak,
strong bone structure. Everywhere else, he looks a lot like a criminal. Chiseled, scarred body ...
I wonder for a second about the meaning behind the tattoos scratched into his arms.
One thing’s clear. He’s dangerous.
And he’s beautiful.
“I’ll show you to your classes,” I announce.
I’m one of the peer helpers at our school. It’s not my favorite thing to do, but it counts as a class.
Basically I spend the first two days with new students, introducing them around and answering
their questions. Some parents with kids new to the school voluntarily sign their students up, but
it’s only mandatory for the international students, of which we have a lot. Mostly Latinos.
This Cuban guy towers over me. I’m five six. Not tall. Not short. Just average. Average is good.
This guy’s not average. Not even a little bit. He must be over six feet.
I glance up at him, kind of like I do when I’m searching for the moon in a sea of darkness.
“Looks like you have math first. I’ll walk you there,” I offer.
“No thanks, chica. I can handle it.”
“It’s no problem,” I say, leading the way.
He tries to snatch his schedule from my hands, but I move too fast.
“Why don’t we start with your name?” I suggest.
I already know his name. Plus some. Diego Alvarez. Eighteen years old. Moved from Cuba two
weeks ago. Only child. No previous school records. I read it in his bio. I want to hear him say it.
“You got some kinda control issues or somethin’?” he asks harshly, voice slightly accented.
“You got some kind of social issues or somethin’?” I fire back, holding my stance. I won’t let him
intimidate me, though I’ll admit, he’s hot. Too bad he has a nasty attitude.
The side of his lip twitches. “No. I just don’t mix with your type,” he answers.
“My type?”
“That’s what I said.”
“You don’t even know my type.” No one does. Well, except Melissa.
He chuckles humorlessly. “Sure I do. Head cheerleader? Date the football player? Daddy’s little
girl who gets everything she wants?” He leans closer to whisper. “Probably a virgin.”
My cheeks burn hot. “I’m not a cheerleader,” I say through clamped teeth.
“Whatever,” he says. “Are you gonna give me my schedule or not?”
“Not,” I answer. “But you can feel free to follow me to your first class.”
He steps in front of me, intimately close. “Listen, chica, nobody tells me what to do.”
I shrug. “Fine, suit yourself. It’s your life. But if you want to attend this school, it’s mandatory for
me to show you to your classes for two days.”
His eyes narrow. “Who says I want to attend this school?”
I take the last step toward him, closing the gap between us. When we were little, Melissa and I
used to collect glass bottles. Whenever we accumulated twenty, we’d break them on the
concrete. When the glass shattered, the slivered pieces made a breathtaking prism of light.
I cut myself on the glass by accident once. It was painful, but worth it. The beauty was worth it.
It’s funny how the bottle was never as beautiful as when it was broken.

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ABOUT AMBER HART Amber Hart grew up in Orlando, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. She now resides on the Florida coastline with family. When unable to find a book, she can be found writing, daydreaming, or with her toes in the sand. She's the author of BEFORE YOU, AFTER US, UNTIL YOU FIND ME, and sequel to UNTIL YOU FIND ME (untitled as of yet). Represented by Beth Miller of Writers House.

CONNECT WITH AMBER HART Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

Blog Tour (Excerpt): Unwritten by Chelsea M. Cameron

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21849947-unwritten

 

 

Blair Walton isn’t your average tattooed children’s librarian. She’s also one half of bestselling romance author, Scarlet Rose. Along with her bff Raine, she spends her nights writing books so steamy, she’s afraid they would shock her Southern conservative grandmother to death, if she knew about them. Blair and Raine keep their smut peddling ways a secret from everyone, including family.

On deadline for their latest book and out of ideas, Raine suggests (demands) that Blair find a guy and “do some research.” It just so happens that Blair has a guy that’s ready and willing. Declan Bennet has all the qualifications: He’s British, looks fabulous in a suit and gets bonus points for being a single dad. But what started out as a research project quickly turns into something much more. Someone else is writing this love story and Blair has completely lost control. But will Declan still feel the same way when he finds out the truth about Blair and her secret motives?

 EXCERPT

“People talk, you know.”
“About what?” I asked.
“About two women living together.” Oh for the love of hoop skirts. This again?
“Gran, I don’t really care if people think I’m a lesbian. It’s none of their business,
even if I was. And what if I had a male roommate? What would people say about that?” I
snatched the last cookie from my plate and chomped down on it. The cookies were really
the only things that were pleasant about this experience. The things we do for family and
amazing cookies.
Gran made a strangled noise and I knew I’d gone too far.
“I should probably be going. I have, um, some laundry to do.” It was a terrible
excuse, but I couldn’t tell her that I had smut to write.
I rose from the table as she’d taught me and went to kiss her proffered cheek.
“It was nice to see you, dear. Come and see me next week.”
“Yes, Gran.”
She reached up and held my chin. That woman had a grip like Chuck Norris.
“Behave. And don’t turn down a decent man who asks you on a date. And don’t make
sassy comments. You’re a lady. Act like one.” She patted my cheek and gave me a sweet
smile.
“Yes, Gran,” I repeated and gave her another kiss on her cheek, and a quick hug. Her
shoulders were frail, but she still had perfect posture.
I glanced back at her as I walked through the house to the front door. We always took
our Sunday afternoon tea in the sun room. She sat in her chair, staring out at the view of
her garden, where birds and butterflies flitted about and a squirrel tried to infiltrate the
birdfeeder. Gran lived alone, but I never got the sense that she was lonely. After all, she’d
been married to my grandfather since she was sixteen years old. It might be nice to have
some peace and quiet at this time in her life.
Closing the door softly behind me, I chastised myself for snarking at her. She’d
had her values for much longer than I’d been alive and she sure as hell wasn’t going to
change them now just because I wanted her to.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world’s worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)

Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, LIsten coming out in 2014.

Website: http://www.chelseamcameron.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chel_c_cam

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chelsea-M-Cameron-Official-Author-Page/304422529610919

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752359.Chelsea_M_Cameron

Cover Reveal: Burying Water by K.A. Tucker

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the cover reveal for K.A. Tucker's BURYING WATER! BURYING WATER is a New Adult Romantic Suspense novel scheduled for release October 7th! This book will blow you away. Get. Ready.

 

Add BURYING WATER on Goodreads!

  About BURYING WATER: The top-selling, beloved indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths returns with a new romance about a young woman who loses her memory—and the man who knows that the only way to protect her is to stay away. Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him? Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Welles doesn’t know how long it will be before Water gets her memory back. For her sake, Jesse hopes the answer is never. He knows that she’ll stay so much safer—and happier—that way. And that’s why, as hard as it is, he needs to keep his distance. Because getting too close could flood her with realities better left buried. The trouble is, water always seems to find its way to the surface.

Pre-Order BURYING WATER Now!

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AUS (eBook)

Apple

Amazon

Google

 

AUS (paperback)

Bookworld

 

UK (eBook)

Amazon

iBooks

Google

Sainsbury’s

 

UK (paperback)

Amazon

Waterstones

Foyles

WHSmith

 

 

You can read Chapters 1-4 of BURYING WATER in the back of IN HER WAKE, the Ten Tiny Breaths prequel novella from Trent's POV! IN HER WAKE is out September 1st. Pre-order your copy today!

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  About K.A. Tucker: Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.      

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Author Event Recap: Deborah Harkness, Laryngitis, Witches, Oh my!

A day later, I report back to you about my night with the goddess (as my cousin claims), Deborah Harkness.  This is due to that I didn't get home until after 10 pm and partly out of laziness, but mostly the latter. 

So, my journey to the big, beautiful Free Library began with the dreaded parking.  Either waste your gas trying to find street parking or suck it up and hand over all of your cash to park in the lot behind the building.  Almost finished circling the building once, I realized that this is not the Stone Age anymore and stopped looking for parking meters.  People can park anywhere in the lane nearest the sidewalk and pay with a card or quarters, putting the ticket on the dashboard.

Lucky me found space right in front of the library's steps! But the best part was that there was enough space between cars that I was able to pull right in, no parallel parking necessary.  I felt pretty fantastic.

 

Guess what?  From all of her touring, Deborah got laryngitis.  She could speak very softly, but it looked difficult for her.  So, we watched this exact video of her reading an excerpt of The Book of Life in Miami which is a pity because Philly is her hometown.  Spoiler alert if you're like me and have only read 1/3 of A Discovery of Witches.

 

 

Meanwhile, Deborah  went backstage and wrote answers to some of the questions that the audience submitted.  She weeded out questions with spoilers and is going to send those people emails with the answers.  Yet another reason why she is fabulous! 

While she could not read the answers (the head of events at Free Library did a splendid job of reading the answers verbatim, mentioning the number of exclamation points), Deborah was put to work and found the person in the audience who asked the question and returned to them the slip with the answer.

The signing line was endless, but what a trooper Deborah was! She signed all of the books and took posed pictures.  I told Deb about my cousin when it was my turn.  The books are helping her get through a breakup, and Deb asked if she was okay and told me to tell her, "There is no ending without a beginning."    

I'm very glad that I ended up going to the signing, though I admit that I initially wanted to go just to go to a signing this summer.  If you don't know anything about her or her books, I'll give you all you need:  USC history professor, worked at the Bodleian library at Oxford and the All Souls College library, wine blogger, funny, kind.  As for her books, they have witches, vampires, history, romance, and a great setting. I genuinely think that she is the coolest author I've met so far.

Deborah Harkness, me

Book Purchases: In Your Face, Barnes and Noble

If you've read my last post, you'd know that I am making a conscious effort to stop shopping at Barnes and Noble. 

So, yesterday, I went to my local bookstore and made a few purchases.

1.  The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

All Souls Trilogy #3!!! I am currently reading A Discovery of Witches, but I'm only a few chapters into the massive book.  I don't think I'll be finishing it before I meet Deborah on Tuesday.  Well, I tried, and I like it so far.

2. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The epic conclusion!!! I can't wait for this book to come out.  Normally, I don't like to preorder books unless the author's tour schedule has been released.  That way, I can preorder the book to get signed if the author visits nearby, or I can wait and call one of the bookstores that the author will be visiting and request a signed copy to be shipped to me.  I got it all down to a science.

In this case, I preordered The Retribution because Michelle is signing the entire first printing!!! She allots 5 hours a day for signing! 5 hours!!!!!!!

From a collector point of view (like you care), this would be bad news.  A signed copy wouldn't be rare.  But, I don't care.  I need my collection to be complete, and this is one of my favorite series of all time. 

Michelle Hodkin is the woman!

Unfortunately, when the book comes out, I'll be away at college.  I'm having the book shipped to me, but to my home address, not my college mailbox.  I'm actually not bringing any of my books to college.  I don't want them to get damaged in transit!

Oh, You've Done It Barnes and Noble...and NOT in the Good Way

I hope to never buy from Barnes and Noble again.  They messed up my order, and their customer service was useless.  Now, I will be making a conscious effort to buy books from indie bookstores.  I haven't always bought from them because of the smaller selection, but indie booksellers seem to actually care and are passionate about books.

So let me tell you how Barnes and Noble gave me the poop end of the stick...

Rainbow Rowell sent out this tweet, so I called one of he Omaha stores and asked for a signed copy to be shipped to me.  Of course, after being excited to open up my package, I found a naked title page!  It was not signed (insert angry emoji).

FYI, both Omaha Barnes & Nobles have signed copies of all my books, INCLUDING LANDLINE, right now. And they'll ship! pic.twitter.com/kp7bKnDfOt
— Rainbow Rowell (@rainbowrowell) July 2, 2014

The worker literally did an online order for me.  I could do that by myself and save a lot of time! Also, why would I call from across the country just for that?  Ugh, the incompetence!!

The mistake wouldn't have bothered me as much if I didn't have to pay for it.  Maybe the bookseller was in the middle of something and didn't hear me or was having a bad day.  I don't know what caused her to make the error, but I ended up having spend 10 minutes to reorder a signed copy, pay for shipping twice, and have to go to a store to return the first book.

The first time I ordered the book, I paid the online price, about $10 less.  The second time, I paid the in-store price since that specific store in Omaha was selling me the book.  That's understandable, but it really stunk.

I may have sent an angry tweet to Barnes and Noble customer service.  I deleted it, but they still saw it.  They told me to DM them the details, so I did--140 characters at a time.  What a pain.  As expected, which was why I deleted the tweet, they did absolutely nothing for me. 

So, after returning the first book, I'm out $10.  This isn't a huge amount of money, I know.  But it is the lack of customer service that makes me furious. 

I got the signed book today, so I'm done with that abominable company.

The funny part of this whole story is that the second book was addressed to my brother, Cory.  I guess people from Omaha can't understand my thick accent.  (Haha, in reality I have a Midwestern accent, which is considered the purest American accent.)

He often sends his mail to my house, but I looked at the return address and was like "Omaha? I'm getting something from there too!  Wait...Barnes and Noble?!?," and I ripped that baby up.  I can't imagine my brother opening up Landline. Hahahahahha

Your Summer Reading is Valuable

Yesterday, I saw someone tweet about this, and I thought it was amazing.

So, World Education has a campaign called #pages4progress.  For every page that you read, $1 is donated to World Education's literary education!

The pages you submit can be any type of page you want-books, articles, magazines...  It's on the honor system.

What are you waiting for?  Go submit your pages and make a difference by spreading literacy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excerpt Reveal Tour: One More Night by Lauren Blakely

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your presence is requested for another installment in the tale of Julia and Clay, two red-hot lovers. Come inside their world of passion and suspense once more for a deliciously erotic and heart-poundingly dangerous story of pearls, handcuffs, thieves, mobsters, poker and pleasure in the city of sin…

Happy endings don’t come easily. They’re hard-won and Clay Nichols is going to have to keep earning his…

Now living together in New York with her debt safely paid off, sexy bartender Julia Bell and hot-as-hell entertainment lawyer Clay thought their future was clear sailing.

But life doesn’t work that way and the fiery lovers run into a slew of new challenges as Clay tries to put a ring on it. Trouble looms in every corner–trouble from clients, trouble with timing, and, most of all, trouble from her past returns on their trip to Vegas. A dangerous man who knows much more about Julia than he should surfaces in Sin City where they’re supposed to be enjoying a weekend getaway. Following her in the casino, watching her every move at the pool, targeting her as she plays poker.

Too bad Clay is called away repeatedly, leaving Julia alone in a sprawling hotel full of dark corners, back rooms, and unsavory characters. Can Clay save her from danger one more time, and then finally get down on one knee? Or will he be too late for the woman he adores?

Read on in ONE MORE NIGHT, a new novel in the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Seductive Nights series packed with more sex, more dirty talk and more danger. And per your request, the recipe for Julia’s award-winning cocktail, the Purple Snow Globe, has finally been revealed in this ebook!

EXCERPT:

 

She licked him back up to his head, then rubbed him against her lips, because she knew that drove him wild. Seeing his cock being caressed and loved by her mouth was his undoing. His eyes darkened, and he shut them briefly, his head falling back against the leather seat as he speared her hair with his strong fingers. “Get those lips back where they belong. All the way around me.”

“It’s going to be the two-minute treatment then,” she said, blowing a stream of air against him, and he opened his eyes to hitch in a breath. “Say you want it fast. Admit I can make you come in two minutes,” she said, rubbing his throbbing erection across her lips once more to show him she knew the path to his pleasure.

“Do it,” he growled.

That was all she needed to reacquaint his cock with the back of her throat, wrapping her lips tight around the base, and sucking hard. She cupped his balls, rolling them against her fingers, and that drew out a long, deep groan. She smiled to herself at his reactions, loving that she could do this to him. She continued on her quest, sucking hard, licking teasingly, and delighting in every second of it as his groans grew louder and his fingers gripped her tighter. She finished him off quickly, savoring the taste of him in her mouth and the sound of his grunts in her ears.

When she returned to her seat as he zipped his jeans, she nearly shot out of the moonroof as the signs for Teterboro Airport loomed closer.

“This is definitely not Newark,” she said, her voice practically a shout. “Where are you taking me?”

“Welcome to the executive airport, gorgeous. We’ll be flying in a private jet to Vegas.”

CHAPTER THREE

Friday, 8:58 a.m., New York

“Ladies first,” Clay said, gesturing to the steps that unfolded from the gleaming silver Cessna that looked like a bullet. She squeezed his arm, then walked up the steps. No, that was wrong, he corrected himself. She strutted, wiggling her sexy ass for him, happily heading into the jet.

Keeping her busy on the ride over had been the best distraction—in and of itself—and because it preserved the sheer surprise that he’d wanted to elicit from his woman. The jet was one part of the weekend he’d mapped out for Julia in Vegas. Every detail was planned to a T; every gift arranged in advance. He wanted to shower her with luxuries, capping them all off tomorrow with the one he was most eager to give her—a three-carat emerald-cut diamond ring as he asked her to be Mrs. Clay Nichols forever and ever. The ring was safely in Sin City already; he’d had it shipped from Tiffany’s, and sourced from a diamond mine in Canada, one of many that operated by socially responsible guidelines in the diamond business. His brother, Brent, had the ring under lock and key at his place in Vegas. Clay had contemplated having the ring shipped to the home he and Julia shared in the West Village, but when she’d playfully confessed one evening last month while lounging on their balcony, drinking scotch and looking at the stars, that she’d been the kid who peeked at her Christmas presents early, he knew it was safest to keep the ring far away from her prying eyes.

“McKenna almost ratted me out one year. She found me re-taping a Christmas package early one morning when I was ten, I think. My face turned bright red, but then I told her our cat was playing with an ornament, and had knocked a few presents around, so the tape must have come off.”

He’d laughed at her cover-up. “And she believed that far-fetched, multi-layered fib?”

Julia shook her head, a self-deprecating grin curving her lips. “Nope. So I tried another tactic. I gave her my most prized possession in exchange for her silence—my scrapbook of all these fabulous Jordan Catalano snapshots from My So-Called Life,” she’d said, and he’d smiled at the mention of the TV show she and her sister had been huge fans of when they were growing up. That was something else he and Julia had in common; not that show, but an affection for movies and TV as entertainment and as touch-points for special moments in life.

“You are deviously clever, and I also want to thank you for the advance warning that I should never leave any Christmas gifts for you under the tree until Christmas morning when Santa arrives.”

She’d pretended to pout. “No fair.”

“So fair,” he’d countered, as his mind whirred through the best options for keeping a ring far, far away from those exploring eyes and fingers. When he’d told her at her bar the other night that he’d planned to take her to Vegas for the weekend, she’d blatantly stated that she hoped he might get down on one knee, so he certainly wasn’t trying to catch her off-guard with his proposal. They were open with each other about their desire to be married someday soon. But the details? The where, when, and how of it? That’s what he could have fun with, moving puzzle pieces around, keeping her on her toes and hopefully finding a way to surprise the woman he loved, adored and cherished.

 

 

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon US
iBooks

Other Retailers Coming Soon!

And don’t miss the prequel novella, FIRST NIGHT, and the full-length novels, NIGHT AFTER NIGHT and AFTER THIS NIGHT, in the Seductive Nights Series!

FIRST NIGHT ** NIGHT AFTER NIGHT ** AFTER THIS NIGHT

 

About Lauren Blakely:

Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and her books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. Like the heroine in FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. Her novels include Caught Up In Us, Pretending He’s Mine, Playing With Her Heart, and Trophy Husband. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney.

Links:

Website: http://www.laurenblakely.com/

Blog: http://laurenblakelybooks.blogspot.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurenBlakely3

AFTER THIS NIGHT Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21420593-after-this-night?ac=1

Lauren Blakely Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6860216.Lauren_Blakely

 

Make an If I Stay Collage

Gayle Forman tweeted about this at least a week ago, and so I made mine then, but I've been meaning to share with you!  Sorry for my lateness ; (

So, the If I Stay movie, based on Gayle's bestseller, is coming out August 22.  To celebrate the arrival, make your own version of the movie poster here.

 

Unfortunately, you can't substitute "Chloe Grace Moretz" for your own name, but pretty cool, huh?  I had a fun time choosing the pictures that I deemed good enough for my poster.

 

 

I am so excited for this movie, and I hope that it does well, though I fear that the target audience is narrow, because Gayle Forman is amazing and kind.  This book and its sequel are some of my favorite books I've ever read.  I don't know if I'll be able to see the movie opening night because college starts that week.  I'm a freshman...



Cover Reveal: All Broke Down by Cora Carmack

We are so excited to get to share the cover for Cora Carmack's ALL BROKE DOWN today! A New Adult Contemporary Romance, and published by William Morrow-an imprint of HarperCollins, this is the second book in her Rusk University Series, and it is set to be released on October 28, 2014! But you can pre-order it NOW! Check out what it's about and then fall in love with this gorgeous cover!

 

ABOUT ALL BROKE DOWN: In this second book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack’s New Adult, Texas-set Rusk University series, which began with All Lined Up, a young woman discovers that you can’t only fight for what you believe in . . . sometimes you have to fight for what you love Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one. Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians—you name it, she’s probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He’s in for a different kind of fighting. And though he’s arrogant and infuriating, she can’t help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause. Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it’s trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He’s met girls like her before—fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn’t think he’s broken, and he definitely doesn’t need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about, his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help. Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.

Pre-Order Your Copy Today!

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iTunes

And don’t forget to grab your copy of ALL LINED UP Today!

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iTunes

About Cora Carmack: Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook

Author Goodreads ** ALL BROKE DOWN Goodreads