Monday, March 31, 2014

Week Blitz: Black Cats and Ballet Slippers by Iva Valentino



Black Cats and Ballet Slippers - Week Blitz
By Iva Valentino
Middle Grade Humor
Date Published: March 7, 2014


Gemma Mayfield feels like middle school is a lot to bite off and chew. School, ballet classes, and planning on how to get Trevor Davis to ask her to the Halloween Dance are a tough balancing act. On top of that, Gemma is convinced that her science teacher, Ms. Pruett, is a witch.

When things start getting fishy at school, Gemma knows that Ms. Pruett is behind it all! Students are getting spells placed on them and start to go missing. Gemma and her best friend, Izzie, vow to stop Ms. Pruett from doing any more damage. Will they be able to save Middleton Middle School from witchcraft?

EXCERPT

Okay, so something REALLY strange is going on. Boys are from a different planet, but right now a few of them at Middleton are acting like they’re from a different universe. (Wait. Does this make sense? Is there more than one universe? Ugh. Maybe I should have paid more attention last year in Astronomy.)

So, by the time I got to Ms. Pruett’s class, I had already worked myself into a super version of “I Don’t Wanna Go To Class Because I’m Creeped Out!” mode. I walked into the Science Laboratory, and I swear I felt the cold of Building 400 smack me right in the face. I’m not kidding.

Of course Ms. Pruett was at the door, acting like her sweet old lady self (ha ha, I know better), and was welcoming all the kids into the classroom. I just kept my head down and muttered a hello as I passed. Staying below the radar was the goal. Then I sat down at my lab table and shivered a bit.

Joey sat down at the table just a second later. Normally he is really loud and obnoxious, cracking jokes, and calling to the other Soccer Jocks across the room. Today he was quiet.

“Hey,” I said, trying to be friendly. I thought maybe we could commiserate on us both having spells cast on us. Joey responded with a “hey” but didn’t say much else. Hello? Was this the Joey I knew?

“So, Joey, are you feeling okay?” I asked. “You know, after yesterday…”

Joey didn’t say anything, but began writing on a piece of paper. He folded up the piece of paper and passed it to me. I gave him a questioning look. He gave me a weird look back that I couldn’t decipher. The note was as follows:

     Hey Gemma,

     Sorry I gave you a hard time yesterday about the “Cute Boy” list. It was kind of rude of me.

     Joey

That’s when it hit me that Joey hadn’t recovered from Ms. Pruett’s spell. For me it was just temporary, like a few minutes. But Joey was acting weird. It had to be the spell.

“Um, thanks,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.” I then started taking out all my school stuff so that I could look busy and not have any more awkward moments with Joey until he felt better. He was taking longer to recuperate.

After class I headed straight down toward the lunchroom. On the way there, I saw Trevor going in the opposite direction past me. Our conversation went like this:

            Me: “Hi Trevor!” (with a big smile and enthusiasm)

            Trevor: “Oh, hi Gemma.” (with zombie-like attitude)

            Me: “Okay, have a good lunch!”

            Trevor: “Okay, thanks. Bye.”

            I wondered where he was going, in the opposite direction from the lunch room when it was lunchtime. It took me another couple of moments to realize that the ONLY classroom in that part of campus was Ms. Pruett’s room. He was headed back toward Building 400!

            Yikes! I turned myself around in mid-stride and turned back the way I came. I knew there was no way possible that Trevor would be going to Ms. Pruett’s. Why would anyone in their right mind be going there by themselves?

            I didn’t want Trevor to think I was stalking him, because of course I would never do that. But just in case that’s what it appeared to be, I used as much stealth as possible. I walked in the shadows and stopped to peek out behind bushes and building walls. I saw him up ahead…just before he ENTERED MS. PRUETT’S CLASSROOM.

            My mouth fell open, and I just sort of stared at the door for a while.

            Weird things are going on here at Middleton. And I think Ms. Pruett’s behind it all!


Iva Valentino

 photo 372_zpsa6615d54.jpgIva Valentino lives in Arizona with her husband and their dog, Lupo. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Education. She thinks visiting cold places is fun, but she loves living year-round in the warm desert.



Iva spent many years as a middle school teacher, where she enjoyed doing cool science experiments with her students. She currently works as a science editor at an educational publishing company. She loves travel, yoga, and photography. There is nothing that brings her more happiness than a good dance class!

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Release Day: Bleak Devotion by Gemma Drazin



Bleak Devotion - Release Blitz
By Gemma Drazin
Young Adult Futuristic Dark Fantasy
Date Published: March 31, 2014

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Jessica doesn't know how long it's been, only that it seems like forever since she's allowed her feelings to show. Ever since they attacked her city. Monsters which appear human but are void of any expression, and seem bent on destroying all signs of sentiment in others. Their lethal blades shred anyone who shows even the slightest emotion.

After her only remaining friend is killed, Jessica flees the city hoping to find a place where emotions aren't fatal. A place to grieve those she lost and live out her meager existence. When she discovers the world of the emotionless creatures isn't what she believes, the love it leads her to may also be the path to her own death.



EXCERPT

Jessica clamped her teeth together and took a deep breath. “I can stay calm if he can.”

Zach shook his head. “I don't think—”

“Let her speak with me.” A deep male voice resonated through the crowded hallway.

Throwing on an emotionless mask, Jessica slowly shifted her body toward the voice. A tall male, whom she could only assume was the monster they called Blade, had managed to sneak down the stairs and stood mere inches from her. If she reached out, she would be able to touch him. The thought disturbed her and she struggled to maintain her composure.

The only thing she wanted to do was run screaming at this monster who had ruined her life. Every emotion that she'd been forced to hold in since the invasion begged to be launched at him. Grief. Torture. Outrage. Terror. All of it, she wanted him to feel. She wanted the rage to coat him inside and out, no matter what it would do to him.

Gemma Drazin
Gemma Drazin is the author of short stories and Young Adult Fantasies, sometimes mixing in a love story. She has a great love for cute shoes and can often be found outside with a book and a treat. When she’s not reading or writing she can be found enjoying time with her husband and children.

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Sunday, March 30, 2014

Week Blitz - Summoned by Rainy Kaye

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Summoned - Week Blitz
By Rainy Kaye
Paranormal Romance
Date Published: 3/28/2014

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Twenty-three year old Dimitri has to do what he is told—literally. Controlled by a paranormal bond, he is forced to use his wits to fulfill unlimited deadly wishes made by multimillionaire Karl Walker.

Dimitri has no idea how his family line became trapped in the genie bond. He just knows resisting has never ended well. When he meets Syd—assertive, sexy, intelligent Syd—he becomes determined to make her his own. Except Karl has ensured Dimitri can't tell anyone about the bond, and Syd isn't the type to tolerate secrets.

Then Karl starts sending him away on back-to-back wishes. Unable to balance love and lies, Dimitri sets out to uncover Karl's ultimate plan and put it to an end. But doing so forces him to confront the one wish he never saw coming—the wish that will destroy him.

Summoned is represented by Rossano Trentin of TZLA.




EXCERPT

I dislike having to murder someone. Kidnapping is worse. At least when I setup a kill, I know what's coming. No connections, no honesty, no surprises. Everything I say and do are just steps to luring in my victim. Once the victim falls right into the trap, the next move is swift: crushed windpipe, fatal concussion, or a good ol' fashioned headshot.

            Kidnapping, on the other hand, is a little trickier. First, the victim has an opportunity to respond. I don't like this. Sometimes they cry. Sometimes they manage to alert the authorities. And sometimes they escape, usually by inflicting bodily harm on me.

            Dead people don't retaliate. Kidnapped ones, well, they're a little more . . . lively.

            The second major difference between killing and kidnapping is my conscience. I get in and out with a kill. We have no chance to bond.

            Abductees require a little more one-on-one. As much as I try to keep the switch turned off, I can't help but listen to their pleas and demands. And I usually realize I'm a jerk.

            That's exactly where I find myself one late afternoon in June. I prefer doing this at night, but moreover, I would prefer not doing this at all.

            Instead, I have a belligerent nine year old girl sitting in the passenger seat of my Honda Accord, shackles on her wrists and ankles and a small stuffed bunny on her lap. She's eying me in a way that makes me self-conscious. Like I'm the bad guy.

            Probably because I am the bad guy.

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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Week Blitz: Wilde Riders by Savannah Young

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Wilde Riders - Week Blitz
by Savannah Young
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Date Published: 2/23/2014

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WILDE RIDERS (An Old Town Country Romance)

FOUR WILDE BROTHERS…ONE WILDE COUNTRY BAND
WILDE RIDERS is the first novel in a spicy new contemporary romance series about four sexy brothers, their small-town bar and their local country band. WILDE RIDERS can be read as a STAND ALONE NOVEL or as part of the SERIES.
Cooper Wilde spent his entire adolescence counting the days until he could escape rural northwest New Jersey. Now at 26, he can’t believe he’s coming back. But his late father’s bar, Haymakers, is in financial trouble and his older brother, Jake, has asked for Cooper’s help. 

Riley Smith, 25, is fresh out of her Ivy League MBA program and wants to make an impression on her employer, H & C Bank. Her first solo assignment is a fraud investigation on a business loan they made to Haymakers.

Even though Old Town is less than 90 minutes from New York City, Riley feels like she’s stepped into another world in this remote, one-bar town. Riley can’t wait to do her business and get back to the city as quickly as her sports car will take her…until she meets Cooper Wilde. He’s not like the other guys in this rural town and Riley feels inexplicably attracted to him.  



EXCERPT

The drive into New Jersey is exhausting. My only saving grace is that most of the traffic is going into the city instead of out of the city like I am. You’ve got to love those bridge and tunnel guys. I wouldn’t date one but I have a little bit of respect for them. The commute into Manhattan turns a nine hour work day into an eleven hour one, if you’re lucky.
  I can feel my stomach start to knot as I get further away from the city and further away from civilization. Pretty soon I’ll be in the sticks surrounded by woods and farmland. I can almost smell the manure that will no doubt take days to completely rid from my nasal passages. I pray that I don’t run into any animals, especially cows, which are huge, smelly and completely freak me out. The only live animals I ever care to see have to fit comfortably in a handbag, like a Chihuahua or Teacup Poodle, for example.
I have an appointment with a man named Jake Wilde. He asked me to come early, before the place opens at noon, so he can give me his full attention. I try to imagine what someone named Jake Wilde would look like and all I can come up with is an old gunslinger like Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven.
As I pull into Old Town the place looks exactly like I thought it would. The buildings in the town square are old and I image the place hasn’t changed much in the last hundred years or so.
Haymakers is just past the town square, down the hill from the deli, next to the gas station. Those were the exact directions I was given, in those words. I take that to mean the town only has one gas station and one deli.
When I pull into the parking lot, there’s only one other vehicle sitting there. It’s an old beat-up Dodge Ram. Nothing like fitting the country bumpkin stereotype like a glove. Then I have a brief moment of panic and wonder if it’s safe to park my BMW in the dirt lot. Then I remind myself where I am. Who is going to mess with it in the middle of the day? A stray deer from the woods out back? The only thing I probably have to worry about is it getting dusty.
I take in a deep breath. I have to be thankful there’s no manure smell yet. The quicker you do this, I remind myself, the quicker you can get back to the lovely asphalt jungle you call home.
I’m hit with a gust of wind as soon as I get out of my car. How is it possible that Old Town is even windier than lower Manhattan? I didn’t think I’d ever find a place windier than Wall Street. Even the Windy City didn’t seem this windy when I had business in Chicago.
When I enter the bar, I try to smooth down my thick hair, which I know is probably a complete mess from the gust. I’m surprised by the homey feel of the place. How could someone like me possibly feel at home in a country bar? Even if I was wearing jeans and cowboy boots, if I even owned jeans and cowboy boots, I wouldn’t fit in at a place like this. 
I hear someone clear his throat and I turn to see a guy about my age, mid-twenties, standing next to me. I can’t help my surprise when I see he’s wearing khakis and a polo shirt, like he just stepped off of a golf course. He looks as out of place in this country bar as I feel.
“Are you Jake Wilde?” I ask.
The guy gives me the faintest hint of a smile but it’s almost as if it pains him to give that much. His deep brown eyes look even more distressed and I can’t help but wonder what’s behind those sad eyes.
He rakes his fingers through his thick dark hair. “A little windy out, isn’t it?”
My hand automatically goes to my hair and I try to casually flatten it down again. I imagine I must look like I just stepped out of a wind tunnel.
“Your hair looks fine,” the guy tries to assure me. But he’s got that hint of a smile on his face again and it makes me wonder if he’s lying just to make me feel better.
“I’m Cooper Wilde,” the guy says as he offers a hand.
 I don’t know why I suddenly feel nervous about shaking it. It’s a business meeting. That’s what people do. But the way this guy is looking at me gives me the feeling that he might be interested in more than just business.
But I’m not, I remind myself. Not only because I’ve all but sworn off men, I’m here to do a job. I’ve been working for H & C Bank for two years and this is my first solo assignment as a lead investigator. If I continue to do well, I’ll be well on my way to becoming a Vice President before I turn thirty. I don’t need a man to throw me off my career trajectory. And definitely not some guy in a country bar in rural New Jersey.
I take his hand and give it a quick shake but I can’t bring myself to look into his smoldering eyes again. “I’m Riley Smith.”
“I figured that,” Cooper says.
“Why is that?”
That hint of a smile has returned to his face again. “We don’t often get women in business suits in the bar.”
I’m not sure why I’m suddenly overcome with the urge to get a real smile out of Cooper Wilde. I don’t know even know the guy but it somehow seems important. I get the feeling he hasn’t really smiled in a while and it’s long overdue.
Not that I’ve had much occasion for real smiles myself lately.

Savannah Young:
Romance novelist Savannah Young grew up in rural northwest New Jersey in a place very similar to the fictional Old Town, which is featured in her books. When she's not at her computer creating spicy stories, Savannah is traveling to exotic locales or spending time with her husband and their bloodhounds.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Tour Kick Off - Meet and Greet - Perfectly Broken by Prescott Lane




Contemporary Romance

Date Published: March 2014

Even after years of trauma therapy, Peyton still believes she’s broken.  She has little desire to date or show off her natural beauty, content simply to hang out with her best friends and run her pie shop in New Orleans.  But her world turns upside-down when a handsome architect and self-confessed player shows up in her shop and thinks she’s perfect, much more than the usual hook-up.  While Peyton does her best to resist his charms, believing she could never be enough for him, she can’t deny the obvious heat between them.  With Reed determined to have her, Peyton must decide whether to continue to hide behind her apron and baggy clothes or take a chance and share her scars with Reed, a man with a playboy reputation and scars of his own -- a dark past he can’t possibly share with Peyton, not after learning the horrors she’s endured.  But if they can find a way to trust each other, and themselves, they just might be able to heal, to save each other, to live perfectly broken together.








#1 – Do You See Writing as a Career? Yes, although I’m just at the beginning of it.  Well, come to think of it maybe my writing career started when I was five, and I sold my first story to my dad for a quarter -- called, “Talkative Toby Toad Talks Too Much.”  I was really into alliteration back then.


#2 – What was the Hardest Part of Your Writing Process?  Semi-Colons!  I mean honestly, why do they even exist.  Editing is definitely the hardest part for me.


#3 – Did you have any One Person Who Helped You Out with Your Writing Outside of Your Family?  A dear girlfriend of mine always is a test reader for me.  I’ve known her since we were five.  She tough but fair.


#4 – What is next for your writing?  Book three is in the works already.  I don’t want to say too much, except that the characters of the third book are currently taking up a lot of space in my head.


#5 – Do you have an addiction to reading as well as writing? If so, what are you currently reading?  Since I started writing, I don’t read as much as I used too.  I also have two kids that I read to.  So right now, I’m knee deep into the newest American girl novel.


DESCRIBE Your Book in 1 Tweet:  Playboy meets his match.  #Steamy Romance


This or That?

#1 - iPd or Mp3? iPhone, my whole life is on my phone.

#2 – Chocolate or Vanilla?  Neither, Pecan Praline

#3 – Mashed Potatoes or French Fries?  French Fries with Heinz ketchup, from the frig.  I like my ketchup cold.  My father-in-law will argue hot versus cold ketchup for days, but he’s wrong.

#4 – Comedy or Drama?  I really like both.  My favorite line from a movie is,  “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.”  (Steel Magnolias)  So so very true.

#5 – Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks?  Nicholas Sparks

#6 – Fantasy or Reality?  Fantasy obviously.  It’s fabulous to write stories where no one ever has to do the dishes, or mow the lawn (unless you just want to write about sweat dripping off the chiseled abs of the local hottie)

#7 – Call or Text?  BOTH

#8 – Public School or Home School?  UGH, Parochial school

#9 – Coffee or Hot Chocolate?   Hot Chocolate with whipped cream



#10 – eBook or Paperback?  Still love to hold a real book in my hand, Paperback.




March 25 - eBooks Galore - Review
March 26 - Nocturnal Predators Reviews - Excerpt
March 26 - Books, Authors, Blogs - Excerpt
March 27 - She Reads New Adult - Review
March 27 - Musings From an Addicted Reader - Review
March 28 - Crazy About Books - Excerpt
March 28 - Chill Reviews - Review
March 29 - Good Books and Good Coffee - Interview
March 30 - Verna Loves Books - Review
March 30 - Literary Me - Interview
March 31 - Lustful Literature - Review
March 31 - Romance Novel Giveaways - Excerpt
April 1 - Perusing Princess - Excerpt
April 1 - Mauaqui's House - Review
April 2 - Jens Corner Spot - Review
April 2 - Sweet and Spicy Books - Excerpt
April 3 - Nicci's Book Blog - Review
April 3 - Smut and Bon Bons - Review
April 4 - Ramblings of a Book Lunatic - Review
April 4 - Clutter Your Kindle - Excerpt
April 5 - Cupcake's Book Cupboard - Review
April 6 - The Girl Meets Books - Interview
April 6 - Simplistic Reviews - Excerpt
April 7 - Star Angels Reviews - Review
April 7 - Book Publicity Services - Excerpt
April 8 - Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews - Review
April 8 - The Sassy Bookista - Review
April 9 - Book Suburbia - Excerpt
April 9 - Books Unhinged - Review
April 10 - Pure Jonel - Review
April 10 - The Pen Muse - Interview
April 11 - Book Freak - Review
April 11 - Lov Liv Life Reviews - Excerpt
April 12 - Erin Cawood - Review
April 12 - Andi's Book Reviews - Review
April 13 - Sam the Bookaholic - Review
April 13 - Kitty Kats Crazy About Books - Excerpt/Promo
April 14 - Overstuffed Princess - Review
April 15 - Bookish - Review
April 16 - Zili in the Sky Reviews - Review
April 17 - Books are Love - Review
April 18 - Sara's Organized Chaos - Review
April 19 - Lov Romance Books Blog - Review
April 19 - Sarah Says Read Romance - Review
April 20 - Living Between Books - Review
April 20 - RABT Reviews - Wrap Up

Tour Kick Off - Into the Light by Jennifer Burrows



Romantic Suspense

Date Published: 2/27/2014

 After Laney is shot at point blank range, Josh works tirelessly to repair her life threatening internal injuries from the gunshot wounds.  What’s worse is he is forced to inform Laney’s parents about the tragic accident.  Having only just begun a relationship with the woman he knows in his heart he will spend the rest of his life with, he now has to reveal to her parents that a stalker has been tormenting their daughter.  While his only mission is to save Laney’s life, her parents have other plans for their daughter, none of which include Josh.  They are determined to find a new doctor for Laney, and if her parents have their way, she will be taken thousands of miles away from him.

Just when Josh thinks his entire world has been turned completely upside down, he finds his sister Jillian has stopped taking her psychiatric medications and has become a person unfamiliar to him.  Dealing with her psychotic world becomes even more of a shock, leaving Josh in a horrible dilemma.  He is torn between trying to save Laney’s life, keeping her parents from moving her away from him, and providing his sister the attention and help she desperately needs before she has a complete psychotic breakdown.

Will Josh be able to save the love of his life and prevent her parents from taking her away?  Will he be able to help Jillian through her mental illness before it takes over her life?  Will Laney’s relationship with her parents ever be salvaged?  Will Josh and Laney have their happily ever after, or will the hurdles they have to jump through prove to be more than they can handle?





Jennifer is a Registered Nurse, and she holds a Master’s degree in Nursing Administration.  She has 15 years of experience working in the Emergency Room and the Intensive Care Unit of a major trauma center.  While she is equally adept at all facets of patient care, Emergency room nursing is her passion, and is the inspiration for this story and A Shot in the Dark.  Currently, she resides in Southern California with her husband and their three amazing boys.  A Shot in the Dark was her debut novel with Into the Light following as the sequel.


Twitter: @jenburrows234



March 26 - The Romance Vault - Excerpt
March 27 - Tanya's Book Nook -Guest Post
March 28 - Books to Chocolate - Review
March 29 - Books Direct - Interview
March 30 - The Book Diva's Read - Guest Post
March 31 - Book Nerd - Review
April 1 - My Reading Addiction - Interview
April 2 - Busy Mom Book Reviews - Excerpt
April 3 - Texas Book Nook - Excerpt
April 4 - A Life Through Books - Review
April 5 - Sapphyria's Book Blog - Excerpt
April 7 - Smut and Bon Bons - Excerpt
April 8 - Always Jo Art - Guest Post
April 9 - Always Jo Art - Excerpt
April 10 - Clutter Your Kindle - Excerpt
April 11 - Pure Jonel - Guest Post
April 13 - Andi's Book Reviews - Guest Post
April 14 - Indie Authors You Want to Read - Excerpt
April 15 - Avid Book Collector - Review
April 16 - Corey's Book Reviews - Excerpt
April 17 - Queen of the Night Reviews - Review
April 18 - Bajgajka Loves Books and Giveaways - Excerpt
April 21 - Books A to Z - Interview
April 22 - Words and Book Reviews - Review
April 23 - Indie Authors You Want to Read - Guest Post
April 24 - Book Nerd - Guest Post
April 26 - Starangels Reviews - Review
April 28 - Indie Authors You Want to Read - Guest Post
April 30 - Little Whimsy Books - Excerpt
May 1 - Only God Writes Tress - Guest Post
May 2 - Lov Romance Books Blog - Review
May 3 - RABT Reviews - Wrap Up