Monday, March 31, 2014

Chira Kelly thought she didn’t need anyone…until she met Ben.


Because of one ugly rumor, Chira lives as an outcast at her school. Which is fine with her, because she works better alone. Always has, always will. And at least she has her one and only true friend, Tasha. When Tasha insists that they join a group to visit a possibly haunted abandoned old schoolhouse, she's wary, but joins her friend. Because of that decision, their lives are in jeopardy as a malevolent spirit targets the group. Tragedies and accidents pick them off one by one, and Chira finds herself drawn to the one person who can see the truth. But can he protect her?







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Author Bio:
 In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. Her books have hit #1 on the Amazon Bestseller List and Armored Hearts won the 2013 Book Junkie’s Choice Award in Historical Fiction. First Impression: A Shadow Maven Paranormal is her first mystery. It’s a dark urban fantasy and will be released March 24, 2014.


 Website: http://PaulineCreeden.com
 Facebook: http://facebook.com/PaulineCreeden 
 Twitter: http://twitter.com/P_Creeden 
 Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20618864-first-impression \


Goodreads Book Giveaway

First Impression by Pauline Creeden

First Impression

by Pauline Creeden

Giveaway ends April 30, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win
Excerpt:

 She rips my hall pass from her pad and points it toward the young man sitting across from her desk. “Chira Kelley, meet Ben Oscuro. He’s new here and needs someone to show him around. It just so happens he’s also a member of class 18B.”
I finally focus on the boy. He doesn’t look up at me, and his disheveled dark hair is just long enough that it hides his eyes. But he pushes himself up from his chair, and his slim form towers over me. He’s at least six-feet-two and his uniform is almost as crumpled as his hair. He swings his backpack onto a strong, square shoulder and nibbles his full bottom lip. His smooth olive skin and dark hair make him look like a foreign rocker, and there’s something about him that seems vaguely familiar.
“Here’s a copy of his class schedule. When you’re not in the same class, I want you to leave a few minutes early and help him find the next class room. That’s your job for today. Got it?”
I swallow back and resist sniffling again. Taking the hall pass and the copy of the schedule from her, I say, “Um…sure.”
“Excellent. Robin, you’re off the hook.”
The office aide pumps a fist in the air before returning to file more papers in the cabinet. The secretary’s chair squeals a dismissal, and Mrs. Campbell picks up her phone, returning to her duties without another word.
Ben pulls open the office door and stands to the side to allow me to go first. The hallway that was empty only a short while ago is now full of students and their continuous conversations. With a shrug, I eye his class schedule quickly. Except for second and sixth period, we have exactly the same schedule. He’s in all of the advanced classes, too. Only he has gym for second period and Latin for sixth – opposite of my schedule, except I take French.
Piece of cake.
I glance up at him again, and his eyes meet mine. My breath hitches. His intense gaze makes me feel like he’s measuring me. The dark pools of his eyes seem deep and bottomless, but there’s something strange about them. They’re brown, but he has colored contacts. Why would anyone color their eyes brown?
My heart flutters. A sniffle escapes me before I can stop it. Ugh. I clear my throat and start in the direction of first period. “Follow me.”
We elbow our way down the freshman hall toward the second floor, but before we start up I point down the way. “Do you know what your locker number is?”
Ben nods and pushes his backpack on his shoulder farther.
I wait for a second and then smile. “What is it?”
“706.” He has a slight accent, and his voice is deeper than I expect. I suppress a shiver at the jolt the musical timbre of his voice sends through my body. I’m resonating like a tuning fork. I really want him to speak again with every fiber of my being. What’s with me?
“Uh…okay.” I swallow, trying to regain composure. I take him to the general area of the locker. “Here it is.”
He looks at it, nods, and returns his hard gaze to me. Is he always so stiff? Probably just nerves from being new.
“I know you don’t have any books to put in it, but do you want to try out the combination?”
He lifts one shoulder in a shrug and spins the combo quickly through the three numbers. I purposefully avert my eyes so he knows I’m not peeking. He opens the locker wide, nods toward me, and then closes it again.
“Great. We have first period over here.”
“You and I have the same first period?”
My body vibrates again, and I blink hard. So glad my back was to him so he couldn’t see the effect his voice has on me. I swallow and face him. “Actually, yeah. Our schedules are very similar. It’s a smallish school, so there’re only a few tracks that juniors can be on.”
He nods, and his eyes are half lidded as if he’s bored already.
I lead him toward our classroom. “We don’t really have assigned seats, so you can pretty much sit anywhere you want. I’ll show you to the gym at the end of class. I have French next, but it’s not too far from there.” 
I lead him to the front of the class, and my friend Tasha gives me a wan smile and raises her eyebrows, looking back and forth between me and Ben. She mouths, Who’s that?
I roll my eyes and put up one finger toward her to let her know I’ll tell her in a minute. Then I turn to the teacher. I hand him the schedule from the office. “Hi, Mr. Scott, this is Ben Oscuro, a transfer.”
Mr. Scott’s kind blue eyes smile at us both. He sets down the Mountain Dew he was drinking and offers Ben a wide grin. He puts a hand out for him to shake. Ben hesitates but takes the hand in what looks like a firm grip. Mr. Scott shakes his hand afterward. “That’s some grip you’ve got there.” He laughs and leans down to the bottom drawer of his desk and hands Ben a geography text book.
With a nod, I return to Tasha and squeeze into the desk next to hers. I’m at Jackson Hall partially on my father’s insurance money partially on scholarship because my stepdad works at the school. What he does, I don’t know, because I’ve never seen him. Because of all this, I’m somewhat of a social pariah. My only real friend is Tasha Brown, a pariah herself, being one of the few African-American kids in the school. Still she tends to be more popular than me, because at least her family has the money they’ve made in the night club and music business. But then there’s that rumor…
“So who is the new hottie?” Tasha hops up and down in her seat.
I shake my head at her. “You are one big hormone, you know that? Sure, he’s cute, but is there any guy in the room you don’t consider a hottie?”
Tasha scans the room with her hand on her chin and a very serious expression on her face. Her hair is in the typical pigtail braids she usually uses to play up the uniform. She has on no sweater, and her shirt is one size too small, the buttonholes at the front  stretched to expose part of her red bra. Finally she returns her gaze to me. “There’s only one guy in here that doesn’t rank hottie.”
“Really? Who?”
She leans in conspiratorially and whispers, “Mr. Scott.”
I nearly choke on a laugh as I eye the middle-aged, balding teacher at the front of the room. But I have to admit, Jackson Hall is a prep school. And there's no one who can afford to make their children look their best more than the wealthy. I guess if I take my father’s words to heart, it’s better to be the poor kid in the rich kids’ school…than the other way around. Right?
Tasha’s smile returns, and I follow her gaze to figure out why. Ben Oscuro walks down the aisle between us and takes the desk right behind mine. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. He smells like pine and mint, and it reminds me of the outdoors. When I open them again, Tasha’s smile has grown impossibly wider. She leans towards me and whispers, “What was that you said about hormones again?”
I shove my elbow toward her, but she dodges me with a giggle.



 Hope to see you all there!!










Brought to you by the Release Day Diva

 
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Sunday, March 30, 2014

Ellie Stanton


About the Book:

Ellie Stanton by Aurora Zahni
Genres: YA Contemporary
Published January 14th, 2014
Publisher: Beau Coup Publishing
Book 1 in the Heller Park Series focuses on Ellie Stanton. An imperfect, unremarkable girl makes a hero’s journey. Ellie Stanton needed to have a good day. The universe had something else in store. Getting caught shoplifting. Check. Dumping her lame boyfriend. Check. Expulsion from school. Check. Getting kicked out of her house and then stealing her mother’s car while she’s in a New Jersey turnpike rest stop Cinnabon? Check. The only sensible option is to run as fast as she can and never look back. Now Ellie is running going cross country to raise a little hell and maybe along the way learn everything she needs to know about life.


My Review : 
I really enjoyed Ellie Stanton. It's a great coming of age story with a very likeable main character. I especially loved her cross country odyssey and the amazing people she met along the way. I felt sorry for Ellie having a Mom who didn't care about her. Ms. Zanhi wove a wonderful story with well thought out characters. I thought the part where Ellie was talking about finding a child's grave in the cemetery really hit home. It showed she wasn't just fluff and there was more to the tough exterior than she was letting on. I also loved Hillary who was more of a Mom to Ellie than Tammy was. I think my favorite parts of the story were when they were talking about Tammy's breast implants. It brought quite a smile to my face. All in all this is a wonderful read. I enjoyed the story and the excerpts at the end and though they jumped around a bit they were all super interesting characters. I can't wait to read more from this author.

About the author:



Aurora Zahni is a former rebel who’s trying to bring a little bit of Judy Blume and Sylvia Plath to the Twilight Generation. Over the years she7092273 has given half-assed / full throttle contributions to numerous zines and blogs, written a web movie and done significantly well in countless competitive eating events.
When she was in the 8th grade she was on the local evening news. A dead body was being lifted out of the water at a marina by the Meadowlands and you could clearly see her standing in the background watching, looking a bit excited for the camera. Looking back it may have been the highlight of her entire childhood.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7092273.Aurora_Zahni
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoraurorazahni


Excerpt:
"Ellie, can you answer me one question?"
"Yes, Hilary. Your uniform makes you look like a brown Power Ranger."
Hilary rolled her eyes all the way back and gave Ellie a "ha ha ha" through clenched teeth. A couple wearing matching tracksuits walked in and Hil gave them menus before returning her attention to Ellie.
"Eleanor, I'm being serious. Answer me one question and I won't give you any more crap about school. Deal?"
Ellie pointed at Hilary. "Shoot, Megazord."
"Why, oh why do you have to turn every confrontation with an authority figure into World War Four?"
"Wait, you want to know, essentially, why I can't deal?" Hilary nodded emphatically, and Ellie continued. "Oh, that's easy peezy. We can all thank Mrs. Richards."
"Who the hell is Mrs. Richards?" Hilary asked.
"My kindergarten teacher. I will never forgive or forget that bitch."
"Why? What did she do?"
"I'm glad you asked. See, the first day of school, Mrs. Richards gave us a note to give to our parents, letting them know that parents were responsible for their own kid's snacks and drinks." A security guard and two Chickentown employees joined the audience. "So, Tammy, that's my mom's name for those who are new to the show here, she reads the first part of the note but not the second. That would be the part which gives examples of what appropriate healthy snacks and drinks are recommended. The word 'healthy' was underlined and in bold print. You can see where this is going, right?" She motioned toward Hilary, who smiled and nodded. "So Mommy Dearest stops off at Quick Chek on the way to school and grabs me a Mountain Dew and Twinkies."
There was a collective groan from the peanut gallery. Hilary used the pause in the story to take some orders before allowing Ellie to go on.
"Anyway, snack time rolls around, I open my Lion King lunch box and start digging in. Bitch Richards sees my Twinkies and comes flying at me like a hawk. She screams at me, throws away my Twinkies, and then walks me around the room pointing out examples of healthy snacks."
"You're kidding me." Hilary laughed, picturing little Ellie being tortured by this teacher.
"I would not kid you about snacks. It was like five full minutes of 'See, Ellie, that's a banana. Bananas are an example of a healthy snack.' Finally I snapped."
"What did you do?"
"I cried and smashed my lunch box against the chalkboard. When Mrs. Richards said she was calling my mom, I called her a big green bitch."
The entire congregation in the restaurant giggled at once.
"Why is that so funny? What the hell does that even mean?"
"I dunno. She was standing next to a Statue of Liberty poster. It didn't make sense, but it was very effective as an insult. That was the first class I was ever kicked out of, and I've been a pain in the collective ass of the world ever since."
Hehe. World ass. That's funny.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Fabulosity reads Blog Hop

The beautiful Wendy Ewurum is hosting an awesome blog hop where we comment on one or two of the book covers she has displayed on her page. I chose: 

In The Beginning
by Abby L Vandiver


Abby L. Vandiver's In the Beginning book cover because I've always been a sucker for stories about the bible. I am a huge woman of faith and wonder what the apostles' lives really were like. I know that they were cast outs, they followed Jesus. But, how did they really live? What do we really know about them, their story, and their journey. What kinds of amazing things did they see? What did Jesus look like. What were people's reactions to them when they came to town. All of this has always intrigued me. 
The blurb talks about Jerusalem, present day and manuscripts held in clay pots.
Nowhere in the bible do they talk about Jesus' childhood except for his visit to the temple where he talked to the teachers. We know he worked alongside his father and learned to be a carpenter. Was he like other children, or was he different? Did he get into mischief like other children? Did he go to school? What did he learn? Did he find love? Did he have children?

It is speculated that yes, indeed Jesus did have children. Maybe that is what is inscribed in these scrolls. I'm typically a "cover girl." Which means, a book cover often pulls me in and makes me pick this book up, or click this book.  This cover drew me in, it's very typical of those that talk about the bible. It uses words from the bible. In the beginning...was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Those are the first words of the bible. I'm adding this one to my want to read list are you?

http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Abby-L-Vandiver-ebook/dp/B00DPOF6IE/ref=la_B00DQBGFMW_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395980120&sr=1-2

You can also follow her blog here:

http://www.abbylvandiver.com/abbys-blog.html

Quintspinner
by: Dianne Greenlay

I chose Quintspinner by Dianne Greenlay because the cover looks like it might be a pirate tale. I love the old ship in the background, and I've always been fascinated by pirates. We recently visited Salem Massachusetts, and yet again my interest was piqued. There were so many myths about pirates that they brought to light.
The girl on the cover has very interesting eyes, they draw you into the cover. The compass I think might be magical, like the one in Pirates of the Caribbean (which is one of my favorite movies)
The cover itself has many layers, the rocks, the ship, the girl, the compass. I may be missing more of it but I would buy this book for sure. It would make its rounds to my kids as well who love a good adventure story.
I can't wait to find out what the family secret is in the book and what the spinner ring is all about. The blurb itself draws me in and makes me want to buy this book even more. I'm always interested in adventure, magic, secrets, and pirates.

I'm adding this one to my to read list as well. You can add it to yours here:


You can follow Dianne Greenlay and the Quintspinner series here: 


You can meet all 8 of the authors in this awesome blog hop here:

http://fabulosityreadsbookpromotions.blogspot.com/p/enovel-authors-march-book-frenzy.html

Monday, March 24, 2014

Abby's Heart Tour Banner
Abby's Heart Cover
Title: Abby’s Heart (Hidden Springs Series #3)
Author: Kristine Raymond
Genre: Historical Western Romance
Release Date: February 15, 2014
Synopsis
Abby Prescott is a proper young lady who has never ventured far from home. She travels West to attend her aunt’s wedding and suddenly finds herself captivated by the beautiful, rugged landscape as well as the attention from not one, but two men. Malcolm ‘Boots’ Dunn is a young man who is on top of the world. He has re-opened Cooper’s Mine – a gold mine that has been closed up for more than twenty years. Fun-loving and easy-going, pretty Abby Prescott catches his eye and he knows that she is the one for him. Simon Archer is a solemn, hard-working man who spends his days apprenticing as a blacksmith and his nights dreaming for a woman to share his life with. When he meets Abby, he knows that she is the woman of his dreams and he will stop at nothing to have her. As both men vie for Abby’s affections, she innocently encourages their advances with disastrous consequences. When the dust settles, which one will win Abby’s heart?
44b38-addtogoodreads
Abby's Heart Teaser 5
Buy Links
Excerpt
He lifted her up and swung her around in a circle. She held onto his shoulders, feeling dizzy as he spun her around. After several rotations, he set her back down on the ground but didn’t remove his hands from her waist. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she kept her hands on his shoulders and as her head cleared, she suddenly realized that he was looking at her intently. Her eyes widened in surprise as he leaned his head towards her, then closed when she felt the brush of his lips on hers. The tingling sensation that she had felt in the tunnel was now magnified and as he brushed his lips softly against her mouth, a feeling of warmth spread through her body. She had never been kissed before but she had imagined many times what it would be like. This kiss was so much better than her imaginings. All too soon Boots pulled away, his hands still on her waist. “Is it okay that I kissed you? I know that I should have asked for your permission but you are so beautiful, I just couldn’t help myself.” Ducking her head so that he wouldn’t see her blush, she responded, “Yes, it’s okay. It was very nice. And just so you know, if you had asked, I would’ve said ‘yes’.”
About the Author
KR Logo
Kristine Raymond loves to read and that naturally transformed into a love of writing. She has always been a fan of the Old West and lived in Arizona for several years, where she was able to appreciate the beauty and history of the region. She has released two books in the Hidden Springs series and is currently working on her third. When she is not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and furry family, and occasionally watches a TV western or two.
Abby's Heart Teaser 1

Kristine took a moment to do a really fun interview! Check it out!

                             Tell me a little about yourself


 I’m a married, 40-something woman who lives in Kentucky with my husband and lots of furry, four-legged children.


Tell me a little about your books






  The first three are part of a series of eight that I am writing.  They are historical western romances and are set in a fictional town called Hidden Springs.  Each book centers around a character from the town.
  I am also working on a contemporary stand-alone novel called Tempted.



What made you decide to be an author? 




  Honestly, it’s not something that I ever really thought about doing.  A friend of mine self-published her book and I thought that I’d give it a try.  Turns out that I love writing!



What is your favorite Genre of book?






  I don’t think that I have a favorite genre.  I read historical romance, contemporary romance, thrillers, and mysteries.


Where did you get the idea for Abby’s Heart?






  Abby’s Heart was just the next, natural progression in my series.  I knew that I wanted to write Boots’ story and I needed a potential love interest for him.  I decided to make this story a little bit different and have it be a love triangle between Boots, Simon, and Abby.






What character is most like you?






  I think that they are all a little like me, or at least the me that I dream of being.



What character was the most fun to write?






Jack! I love Jack Tanner! 





If you could write a book about your life, what would the title be?






 I’m just getting started…






What would be your words of wisdom to your 15 year old self?






Don’t worry so much about what other people think.  Everyone else is just as confused as you are…some people just think that the way to hide it is to put down others.



What words would you offer to aspiring authors?






Do it!  Write what’s in your heart.  Ask for advice but don’t get caught up in how other people write.  Find what works for you.



What’s next on the horizon?




Shortly after I finish Tempted, I will be working on book four in the Hidden Springs series, A Chance on Love.



What would you like to say to your fans?



 Thank you so much for all of the support.  I appreciate that you read my books and hopefully enjoy them.  And I love hearing from you!
 



Now the quickfire challenge

Favorite Drink?



 Hot tea



Favorite Color?

  Earth tones

Favorite Song?

Depends on my mood

Favorite Food?

 Mushroom pizza

Dream Vacation?

 A warm, private beach somewhere

Dream Car?

 A Sebring convertible
 
Purchase Her Other Books Today
heretostaycover
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Giveaway
Signed paperback of Abby's Heart (US Only) & Winner's choice of an ebook by Kristine Raymond direct to Kindle
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