Fool For Books Giveaway Hop!

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Forbidden Temptation of a Vampire & Vampire's Forbidden Territory
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Fire and Ash by Anne Patrick

Fire and Ash by Anne Patrick

Fire and Ash is the story of female fire investigator Sadie McGregor.  When she was a child, Sadie lost her family in a horrific fire that still haunts her.  She's now been called in to investigate a fatality fire in her hometown of Emerald Point, Missouri. What Sadie and the handsome new police chief discover will not only affect those close to them, but will rock the entire community.

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Snippet: Starseed by Liz Gruder

Starseed
Author: Liz Gruder
ISBN: 978-1937178291
Publisher: WiDo Publishing
Published: February 2013

SUMMARY


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Starseed concerns a sixteen-year-old girl who falls in love with a starseed boy who reveals that she, too, is half extraterrestrial, and is forced to choose her allegiance between Earth and her star family.
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Kaila Guidry has always known she is different. When she meets Jordyn Stryker at school, she finds out just how different.

Jordyn was born and raised far from Earth, a starseed, one of six new students sent to Louisiana's Bush High to learn human ways. But Jordyn didn't count on meeting someone like Kaila.

When Kaila is pushed to her limit by high school bullying and cruelty, Jordyn awakens her to a new reality—and to love. But to prove herself, Kaila must look the other way as the real purposes of the starseeds unfold.

As the horrific plan behind the starseed visit to Earth moves inexorably forward, Kaila and Jordan, caught in an impossible love, must determine where their true loyalties lie.

Snippet!

Kaila’s mind split in panic. Help, she called telepathically. Help me!

 She yanked her wrist, trying to free her hand, but Wade restrained her wrist like a manacle.

Instantly, Jordyn appeared by Kaila’s side. “What are you doing?” Jordyn shouted, as he quickly assessed Wade holding up Kaila’s four-fingered hand and everyone laughing. His hazel eyes turned to solid black.

“Oh my God,” someone said, seeing Jordyn’s eyes.

“Shut up!” Jordyn commanded. “All of you. Animals!”

Jordyn’s eyes went wider and blacker. Wade snarled as he pulled back his fist to swing. Before Wade could punch, Jordyn thrust his head forward, slamming an invisible force at Wade who went flying into the air, his back crashing against the wall.

As Wade crumpled to the floor, Jordyn leaned over him, saying, “May you have your worse nightmare.” Jordyn stared at Wade, commanding, “Look at me. Look at me!” Wade couldn’t look away from Jordyn’s entrancing eyes. A moment passed. Then Wade held his ears and screamed. Wade squeezed his eyelids shut, his face twisted in agony. His scream was so shrill, penetrating, and filled with terror that all the students backed away.

The students in the hall stared, unable to process what they’d just witnessed.

Mrs. Bourg pushed through the crowd. “Jordyn,” she said. “Suspend time. Now!” Jordyn’s eyes again went solid black. He peered intently at the students assembled in the hall. Each person froze like a statue. Jordyn didn’t put Kaila under the spell. One girl stood with her mouth open, her eyes wide with fear. Another guy had stopped with his hand over his mouth. Another held his foot in the air, stopped mid-run.

“I am concerned about you, Jordyn,” Mrs. Bourg said, arms akimbo. “Every day I see more emotion.” She motioned to the suspended students in the hall. “This is a terrible mistake. Do you understand?”

“Some of these humans piss me off.”

“I don’t care!” Mrs. Bourg shouted. “We are on their turf and are not to be discovered.” Mrs. Bourg wagged her finger at Jordyn. “You are becoming infected. You do as I say, you understand?”

Kaila held still so as not to draw attention to herself. She held her breath, her heart pounding like a jackhammer.

 “Sure, I’ll listen,” Jordyn said. His eyes again transformed from hazel to solid black. As he stared at his mother, Mrs. Bourg’s face went limp. She froze, her finger stuck in the air. “And now,” he said. “You will listen to me. You are a human. You were a carrier of me as an embryo. But that is all. You are not my ruler, and we are sick of taking orders from you. You will have no memory of this. You will remember that you walked through this hall to the office and that is all.”
           Jordyn put his hands on his hips on his silver overalls; he walked around the hall, surveying the frozen students. A girl’s eyes bulged, her mouth open, revealing her braces as she was paralyzed mid-scream. “And the rest of you,” Jordyn said, “will only remember that Kaila tripped. Wade caught her, and it was a moment that you will barely recall. It was nothing. In fact,” he added, “you all thought Kaila looked beautiful today and that she is one of the hottest girls in this school. You will tell her so.”

Blue Hearts of Mars by Nicole Grotepas

Blue Hearts of Mars by Nicole Grotepas


Retta Heikkinen knows the unspoken rule of society: love between androids and humans is forbidden. A simple enough edict until Hemingway Koskinen spends an evening charming her with his intense gaze, bewitching smile, and sparkling conversation that hints at so much more than the usual obsessions of high school boys. Rules were meant to be cast aside, especially when love beckons.

If only it were as simple as being in love.

Trouble is brewing, not just for Hemingway--for all androids. Secrets have been kept, lies propagated, and Retta soon discovers that a frightening future awaits thousands of androids if she doesn’t do something to stop it. Worse yet, she will lose the one love she’s ever endangered herself for: Hemingway.

Grab a FREE copy on Amazon - March 27th & 28th 

Snippet: Ixeos by Jennings Wright

The McClellands are enjoying a lazy summer vacation at the beach when they are lured from our world into Ixeos, an alternate Earth. Finding themselves lost in a maze of tunnels under Paris and surrounded by strangers, they discover that they have been brought to Ixeos for one purpose:  to take the planet back from humanoid aliens who have claimed it. With the aid of the tunnels and a mysterious man named

Landon, the teens travel the world seeking the key that will allow them to free Darian, the long-imprisoned rebel leader. But the aliens aren't the only problem on Ixeos -- the McClellands have to deal with brutal gangs, desperate junkies, and a world without power, where all the technology is owned by the aliens, and where most of the population has been killed or enslaved.

The worst part? There's no way home.


Snippet!

Marty chewed his crusty bread thoughtfully. “They’ve got a pretty amazing set up down here,” he observed. “Fresh food, the air is okay, there’s apparently water for drinking and washing and bathing. Dorms, a library… It’s pretty sweet!”

“Sweet?” Clay asked in amazement. “We’re two hundred feet underground, apparently recruited to fight some kind of alien serial killers, and we can’t get home! How is that sweet?”

Neahle laid a hand on his wrist just above his tattoo. Her thumb rubbed the spot. “We’ll be okay, Clay,” she said quietly. “We just need to get our bearings. You know. Figure out what we’re supposed to do.”

Clay put his hand over hers for a minute, then pulled his arm away. “How do we know that what these people are saying is true? It’s nuts! And this Landon — who’s he supposed to be? How come he can leave here, and we can’t?”

“We’ll find more out tomorrow,” Marty said. “But we were chosen, dude. There’s something we can do here to make a difference in this rebellion thing, and that makes us special. I mean, Landon chose us for a reason, right?”

“Because we were the only ones stupid enough to follow the ducks…” Clay muttered, taking a large swallow of water from his mug.

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Ixeos by Jennings Wright

The McClellands are enjoying a lazy summer vacation at the beach when they are lured from our world into Ixeos, an alternate Earth. Finding themselves lost in a maze of tunnels under Paris and surrounded by strangers, they discover that they have been brought to Ixeos for one purpose:  to take the planet back from humanoid aliens who have claimed it.

With the aid of the tunnels and a mysterious man named Landon, the teens travel the world seeking the key that will allow them to free Darian, the long-imprisoned rebel leader. But the aliens aren't the only problem on Ixeos -- the McClellands have to deal with brutal gangs, desperate junkies, and a world without power, where all the technology is owned by the aliens, and where most of the population has been killed or enslaved.

The worst part? There's no way home.

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Author Jennings Wright


Born and raised in Florida, Jennings spent her early years reading anything she could get her hands on, when she wasn't spending time in and on the water. She won a prize in the 6th grade for her science fiction stories.

Jennings attended the University of Tampa, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science, and almost enough credits for B.A.s in both English and History. She attended graduate school at the University of West Florida, studying Psychology. She spent time over the years doing various kinds of business writing, editing, and teaching writing, but mostly having and raising her family, homeschooling her children, owning and running a business with her husband, and starting a non-profit.

Thanks to a crazy idea called NaNoWriMo Jennings got back into creative writing in 2011 and hasn't stopped since. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, also a business owner and writer, and two children, and travels extensively with her family, and her non-profit in Uganda.

Author Interview: Tracy Falbe (FREE e-book!)

I'd like to thank Tracy for the great interview!

Read all the way to the bottom & find out how to receive the first book in the Rys Rising series for FREE!!

What book genre do you write & why?

I am a writer of epic fantasy. That has always been my favorite genre and so far I've produced 8 novels in it. I like it best because there are no constraints on the story and it is not set in our tedious world of traffic, paperwork, and waiting rooms.

What inspires you?

Almost anything can inspire me. I'm very sensitive to everything that I hear or see. The quiet suffering of people and the vast injustices inflicted on humanity throughout the ages are always weighing on my mind. I'm also inspired by people who dare to follow their dreams instead of doing what's expected of them. Most people never try to do anything than what they're told to do and that's sad.

Do you use an outline or just start writing?

I just start writing. The initial scenes of a novel come to me and I start down that road. As I develop a novel I often need to make notes and sketch out the order of scenes, but I do not use formal outlining with fiction. I feel it would strangle the process. However, I do outline for nonfiction projects because that is appropriate.

Guest Post by Connie E. Sokol

Connie Sokol is the author of 40 Days with the Savior. Enjoy the great article she wrote!

Three Fabulous Writing Tips I’ve Received

1. Write what you love. Writing is a lonely industry, and therefore, one full of second-guessing and self-doubt. If we only focus on the end result—that finished novel, that stellar agent, that juicy contract,—we’ll spend most of our time dissatisfied. So whatever WIP you’re doing, keep a WIP that is just for you. Write something that makes you happy, or want to wake up at 5 a.m., or laugh out loud. This will likely be your best work. But even if not, you will have written what satisfies, and that is the heart of writing.

2. Expect rejection. I watched a documentary on teenagers from around the U.S. who won a JIMMY award (a musical-dance-theatre award), and who spent a week traveling around New York City, preparing to perform on Broadway, and competing for the number one male or female teen actor/singer in the U.S. What hit me was this: one of adult judges said that for the many kids who didn’t make the three rounds of cuts for the final award, he was happy for them. Because, he said, they had chosen a profession mostly made up of rejection and it was good that they learned that now. That’s writing. And if we accept this fact, we can stop focusing on it and put our energy toward writing an absolutely fabulous book.

3. Positively use negative feedback. One of the challenges of writing is that as you become better, you see more to improve. It’s the Flaws in the Furniture principle—when you buy a new couch you suddenly see the need for new drapes, and prettier lamps, and brighter paint color, and on and on. So it’s first wise to look at critiques or feedback with a positive view—how is this improving my manuscript, how is this helping me become a better writer—even when it’s painful to read. You’re learning to see the flaws and to know better how to fix them. At one point, I wanted to re-edit and refresh Create a Powerful Life Plan, one of my self-published books. It had sold well for ten years, so at first I was tempted to simply do a cursory edit and re-release it. Thankfully, I hired a professional editor and used her suggestions to tighten and update my writing as well as the look, feel, and tone of the book. Same great message, incredible difference in presentation. Critiques and feedback are part of a writer’s way of life—find the beauty in it early and it will bless your life and writing for years to come.  

Try one of these pieces of advice and hopefully it will be as helpful to you as it has been to me! 

40 Days with the Savior 
by Connie E. Sokol


Do you desire a more Christ-centered Easter?

You’ll experience a more fulfilling Easter season with this collection of inspirational thoughts on trying to become more like the Savior. For forty days, enjoy a daily scripture and personal insight on a character trait of Jesus Christ. Learn more of who He was and what He taught.

As you read these daily devotionals, you’ll feel a joyful connection to the character of Jesus Christ, understand how much He is involved in your life, and discover how knowing Him better makes your life better, too.

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~Connie donates 100% of the profits from her books to charity~

Matt Archer: Blade's Edge by Kendra C. Highley

Matt Archer: Blade's Edge

When Matt Archer was fourteen, he discovered monsters are real. As if that wasn’t enough to go on for a few decades, Matt also found out that he’d been chosen to hunt those monsters--with a sentient, supernatural knife. Now fifteen, Matt has spent the last year working with a clandestine military unit, trying to rid the world of monsters, demons and other vicious creatures, all while keeping it a secret from nearly everyone he knows back home in Billings.

Including his mom.

Add in a new girlfriend, family secrets, sibling drama and enough homework to sink an aircraft carrier, and Matt’s life has become more complicated than he ever imagined. Worse, the knife has developed some very definite opinions about Matt’s personal life and it interferes in his business whenever it wants. More and more, Matt’s coming to realize that sharing brain-space with a spirit kind of sucks.

When stories of decimated towns and hordes of zombies start pouring into the Pentagon from Afghanistan, Matt knows he’ll be called up soon. Between the new mission and the knife’s increasing control over his mind, Matt wonders if he’ll survive long enough to take his driver’s exam.

Snippet: Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud by Jon Thomason

Blog Tour & Giveaway!

Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud


Max has anger management issues. But she has a secret, too. She can make things happen. Like magic. She almost killed a loser skate punk and nearly used it on her stuck up older sister. The question is, can she do anything other than blow things up? Can she learn to control it? And is it really possible that an obscure teenage girl is the key to keeping all of humanity safe?




Snippet:

Maxine Xylander ran through the driving Seattle rain. Technicolor afterimages chased her, screaming in tortured surround sound. Blood and glass, like rubies and shattered crystal carelessly strewn about.

Her ears were still ringing from the blast and the screams. She tried running faster to outrace the memories. Did she kill him? She couldn’t seem to catch her breath. A fire truck splashed past going the opposite direction, howling and strobing through the rain. More sirens wailed and converged as she ran and ran.  I’m bleeding! I can’t see anything! Glass everywhere. Blood. The boy in agony. His shredded hoodie.

And then she was throwing up in the gutter. She heaved between ragged breaths. The raging water rushing through the gutter washed the foulness away, but could do nothing for the sour taste in her mouth. She staggered to her feet, but she shook so violently she could barely walk. Even though she ran here every day, nothing looked familiar.

Sometime later—seconds?—minutes?—instinct took over and she started off again. Her teeth chattered and her knees knocked. Her soggy ponytail whipped back and forth. But she kept going. On automatic. Pounding out a run. She couldn’t go home. And definitely not back to school. The scene of the crime. The memories were still hissing at her. The boy moaning. The witnesses screaming. A bomb? Terrorists?

She knew better. She unleashed a power on the kid. Not dynamite or a gas explosion. Not a suicide bomber: she did it. She flashed back to the boy’s ugly face through the plate glass. He’d made a crude, racist insult to Angie and Jill, who happened to be beautiful, smart, and Asian in addition to being Max’s best friends. His group of losers had been taunting them for weeks. But today, it was too much for Max. She’d had enough. An angry fire burned inside her. It was fueled by rage, by hate, and by the unfairness of every second of her thirteen-year-old life. When the creep sauntered out the door and turned to flip them off through the window, the fire inside her went wild. Uncontrollable. She couldn’t help but release it…

…and the window exploded. Jagged slivers of glass tore the boy and showered the crowds of kids hanging around after school.

Blood and glass.


Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud is a fast-paced fantasy adventure for all ages (10 and up) and is the first of a planned trilogy. Fans of magic, swordplay, secret agents, and conspiracies set in a modern everyday world will not be able to put the book down. Jon Thomason is a debut author and paints a vivid world of magic right under our noses and delivers rapid-fire action that keeps the pages turning.

Purchase

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Starseed by Liz Gruder

Starseed
Author: Liz Gruder
ISBN: 978-1937178291
Publisher: WiDo Publishing
Published: February 2013

SUMMARY

Kaila Guidry has always known she is different. When she meets Jordyn Stryker at school, she finds out just how different.

Jordyn was born and raised far from Earth, a starseed, one of six new students sent to Louisiana's Bush High to learn human ways. But Jordyn didn't count on meeting someone like Kaila.

When Kaila is pushed to her limit by high school bullying and cruelty, Jordyn awakens her to a new reality—and to love. But to prove herself, Kaila must look the other way as the real purposes of the starseeds unfold.

As the horrific plan behind the starseed visit to Earth moves inexorably forward, Kaila and Jordan, caught in an impossible love, must determine where their true loyalties lie.

Book Blast: To Love or Die in a Steamy-Reamy World by Emily White

To Love or Die in a Steamy-Reamy World


10 Tales of Steampunk Silliness and Spookery
In the cozy seaside village of Steamville, New Hampshire, an unfaithful zombie, out of control werebots, succubi in corsets, and more wreak havoc in this short story collection from the author of Elemental.

Purchase

Just .99 cents

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Praise

"Well written and very fast paced. You won’t get bored or find your mind wandering. I’d love to see a sequel to this collection and see what happens next. I give this book five out of five donuts."

"This book starts off dipping its toe right into the heart of the story, not unlike Ms. White's YA novel Elemental, and the story never really slows down to a lazy pace; making it a very easy and fast read."

"Ms. White wonderfully succeeded in instilling humor into ten short stories about vampires, zombies, ghosts, and one mad scientist. Each story is brilliantly linked. The Victorian era setting delightfully adds to the humor."

"This is a wonderful mix of Steampunk and Horror written in Emily White's unmistakable brilliance and style. Does it get any better than that?"

March Kindle Fire HD Giveaway!

Kindle Fire HD Giveaway!

Book Blast: Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud by Jon Thomason

Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud

Max has anger management issues. But she has a secret, too. She can make things happen. Like magic. She almost killed a loser skate punk and nearly used it on her stuck up older sister. The question is, can she do anything other than blow things up? Can she learn to control it? And is it really possible that an obscure teenage girl is the key to keeping all of humanity safe?

Philip just got his ring back. He got it taken away for messing with his teacher’s mind so he can cheat on a test. Now that he has his ring, he thinks he should be able to use his power to make his life better. A lot better. The problem is that people want him to be responsible. But if you could do magic, wouldn’t you use it to escape work in any way possible?

Aaron wants to be a soldier. He knows there are lots of people who would try to take over, and he’s determined to stop them. The problem is that there’s this new girl. And she might be not be on the right side of things. She’s really talented and pretty, but she might be able to destroy everything he believes in. Whatever the case, he knows he needs to learn to be world class with the magic sword while he figures out what to do.

Brynn never gets out. Her grandfather won’t permit it. Her only access to the outside world are high fashion magazines, so she has an unusual idea what she should wear. She’s dying to get out and travel. And adopt animals. Any kind of animal. Is she a lonely future granny with cats or are her ridiculous clothes actually the next fashion craze? What possible role could she play in the destiny of the world?

Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud is a fast-paced fantasy adventure for all ages (10 and up) and is the first of a planned trilogy. Fans of magic, swordplay, secret agents, and conspiracies set in a modern everyday world will not be able to put the book down. Jon Thomason is a debut author and paints a vivid world of magic right under our noses and delivers rapid-fire action that keeps the pages turning.