New Covers! Immortal Essence Series

Worlds divided them. Chance brought them together. Only love will save them. 

The Immortal Essence series revolves around Princess Venus of the planet Kelari, her guardian Zaren, and Michael, an arrogant boy from Earth. 

The first book in the series is "Exiled," which released in November 2011. It's been read on Wattpad over 1,000,000 times and can be downloaded for #FREE on Amazon or any eReader.

Book 2 in the series is "Beguiled," which will release November 9th, 2012. You can add it to your Goodreads "to read" pile by clicking HERE.

***To celebrate the upcoming release of "Beguiled" author RaShelle Workman decided to give the covers a makeover. Cover artist, Steven Novak created them. Aren't they gorgeous?!? ***

Book 3, "Dovetailed," will release Spring 2013. Click to add to your Goodreads.

If you'd like to learn more about RaShelle, her series, or her other books, you can visit her Amazon page, her Blog, follow her on Facebook, chat with her on Twitter @RaShelleWorkman, or find out her latest interests on Pinterest. 

No Debut YA Book Birthdays this Week

Sorry guys - I got nothing this week.  There are NO debut YA book birthdays as far as I can tell.  I've looked high and low.  If I missed anything, PLEASE tell me.

But since I don't want to leave you empty handed, how about this lovely tribute to fall.
Hope you all are enjoying some cooler weather and painted leaves.  And then enjoy an extra dose for me since I won't get any of that down here in Florida ...

Photo by Lisa Weidmeier

Kizmet by Beth Fred (adult fiction) - Excerpt

This is an adult novella.  I know -- I usually run a YA and MG-only blog, but Beth is a great person and I'm helping her share her news.

About Kismet

When twenty-four-year-old Tiffany escapes her sister Kammy's too wild Cancun bachelorette party, she finds herself in a bar with the unwanted attention of a gorgeous local named Luke.
Luke may be charming but Tiffany is leaving in two days and doesn't need any complications. But complications are exactly what she gets when the cops show up to raid Kammy's party. After Kammy is arrested, Tiffany agrees to have dinner with Luke, so he'll help her get Kammy out of jail. Kammy's arrest forces her to spend an extra day in Cancun, meaning she'll miss a crucial meeting, and as an accountant in tax season, she is already drowning in work. Not to mention, every second she spends with Luke makes it harder to leave. With Luke, Tiffany can forget about work.
But will the airport be their final goodbye?

Kismet Excerpt

As I approached my coveted bar stool, I got a lump in my throat. The guy sitting beside it was perfect—like male model perfect. Even sitting I could tell he was tall. He had caramel skin and curly black hair, and when he smiled at me, I noticed smoldering eyes and dimples to die for. 

I felt the color rushing back to my face. Get it together, Tiffany. You're here to work.

I gave a polite smile back—okay, it was probably more than that—and slid my laptop and its charger out of my purse. 

“Cómo estás?” he asked.

I knew like five words of Spanish. “Bien.” I ducked down to pull the power supply out and mumbled to myself, “My freaken sister is having an X-rated soiree in my room, because that's what a normal person does two weeks before they get married. Taxes are due in two weeks, and I have a hundred clients and a whole firm counting on me.” I plugged the charger into the outlet and came up with the computer end in my hand. He still looked at me. Wow. I had no idea he was paying attention. “Well, at least you don't speak English,” I mumbled. “Bien,” I said again louder.

He laughed.

The bartender looked at me. “En qué puedo servirle?”

“Something strong.” Yeah right. Like you can drink something strong. “Margarita.”

I opened my laptop and got back to reconciling files.  

“Señorita?” the bartender said, putting the drink down beside me.

“Thank you—uh—gracias.”

I took a big drink of the margarita. It tasted like acid, but I forced myself to swallow. It burned going down. So much for that idea.

It was quiet enough in the bar that I could think. Between thoughts of killing my sister, I managed to clear accounts or flag them for further review when I got to the office. But every time I looked up, it seemed like the guy beside me had his eyes fixed on me. Yeah, right. Guys like that don't check out girls like me.

Most of the times I caught his glance, I blushed, so I tried to avoid seeing him. I glued my eyes to the computer screen. I heard him say something in Spanish to the waiter, and two minutes later, the waiter set another drink next to me.

I looked at the waiter confused. 

“Del señor,” he said nodding his head toward the guy beside me.

Oh. So I had some Romeo beside me who liked to booze up girls who didn’t know Spanish. I shot him a glare, and before I could return my eyes to my computer, he gave me half a grin.

“Most girls say thank you, but it's okay. I don't speak English anyhow.”

And for a limited time, Kizmet also includes an excerpt from best selling author Lizzy Ford!

About the Author

Beth Fred lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their little ELF (Emily Lace Fred). She spends her time bringing her day dreams to life on paper, and blogging about bringing day dreams to life. You can find more about that at www.bethfred.com

Buy Links

Amazon: B&N: Smashwords

Debut YA Book Birthdays!

Tuesday, Tuesday.
Birthday, Birthday.
Here are the debut YA novels hitting the shelves this week ~

WHAT'S LEFT OF ME by Kat Zhang

I should not exist. But I do.

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . .

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

BUTTER by Erin Jade Lange

A lonely obese boy everyone calls "Butter" is about to make history. He is going to eat himself to death-live on the Internet-and everyone is invited to watch. When he first makes the announcement online to his classmates, Butter expects pity, insults, and possibly sheer indifference. What he gets are morbid cheerleaders rallying around his deadly plan. Yet as their dark encouragement grows, it begins to feel a lot like popularity. And that feels good. But what happens when Butter reaches his suicide deadline? Can he live with the fallout if he doesn't go through with his plans? With a deft hand, E.J. Lange allows readers to identify with both the bullies and the bullied in this all-consuming look at one teen's battle with himself.

STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.

But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects – and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she's determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY by Rachel Harris
On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze. 

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. 

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

By the way, if you know of any that I miss, PLEASE TELL ME.  The further into the year we get, the less accurate I feel my "sources" are.  :)

Happy Debut YA Book Birthdays

So yes, I did skip last week in order to celebrate the launch of a single title: ORIGIN.  But now I'm back and there seem to be loads of titles coming out today (September 11th).  Not all of them are debut authors either, so if you've been waiting for Sophie Jordan or Ellen Hopkin's next novels, today's your day.  But there are some great debut titles this week too, like these:

ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY by Lara Avery
Bryce remembers it like it was yesterday. The scent of chlorine. The blinding crack and flash of pain. Blood in the water.

When she wakes up in the hospital, all Bryce can think of is her disastrous Olympic diving trial. But everything is different now. Bryce still feels seventeen, so how can her little sister be seventeen, too? Life went on without her while Bryce lay in a coma for five years. Her best friend and boyfriend have just graduated from college. Her parents barely speak. And everything she once dreamed of doing—winning a gold medal, traveling the world, falling in love—seems beyond her reach.

But Bryce has changed too, in seemingly impossible ways.  She knows things she shouldn’t. Things that happened while she was asleep. Things that haven’t even happened yet. During one luminous summer, as she comes to understand that her dreams have changed forever, Bryce learns to see life for what it truly is: extraordinary.

PERSONAL EFFECTS by E.M. Kokie

After his older brother dies in Iraq, Matt makes a discovery that rocks his beliefs about strength, bravery, and honor in this page-turning debut.

Ever since his brother, T.J., was killed in Iraq, Matt feels like he’s been sleepwalking through life — failing classes, getting into fights, and avoiding his dad’s lectures about following in his brother’s footsteps. T.J.’s gone, but Matt can’t shake the feeling that if only he could get his hands on his brother’s stuff from Iraq, he’d be able to make sense of his death. But as Matt searches for answers about T.J.’s death, he faces a shocking revelation about T.J.’s life that suggests he may not have known T.J. as well as he thought. What he learns challenges him to stand up to his father, honor his brother’s memory, and take charge of his own life. With compassion, humor, and a compelling narrative voice, E. M. Kokie explores grief, social mores, and self-discovery in a provocative first novel.

DEAD CAT BOUNCE by Nic Bennett
One boy must stop the world's greatest financial conspiracy . . . .

Sixteen-year-old Jonah Lightbody is shocked when the world erupts in the greatest financial crisis it has ever seen . . . and the bank where he and his father work has blood on its balance sheet. The head trader claims that Jonah's father is to blame--the trades that caused the crash came from his computer. Now, Jonah will have to race to uncover the truth. But what Jonah doesn't realize is that he's just been catapulted to the center of a global conspiracy where money reigns, human lives are collateral, and anyone will sell you out if the payday is large enough.

Dead Cat Bounce has all the action of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series combined with the seductiveness of Wall Street, the edge-of-your-seat pacing of The Bourne Identity, and the elaborate intrigue of Too Big to Fail. It's the story of Jonah Lightbody and he's on a mission to save the world no matter the price.

NERVE by Jeanne Ryan
A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly

When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it's exhilarating--Vee and Ian's fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they're directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they're playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?

Debut author Jeanne Ryan delivers an un-putdownable suspense thriller.

So what say you about this week's debut YA releases?

Decatur TBR list

Hi Everyone -- I've been slow in posting about the Decatur Book Festival (which was awesome!) because life has just been too dang busy.  But I wanted to show you a glimpse of some of the amazing reads -- all autographed! -- that I came home with.  I've organized them very scientifically by light covers and dark covers (and yes, I realize Point of Retreat should have been with the light covers but it's staying with its sister book, Slammed).

On the Bright Side by S.R. Johannes

Origin by Jessica Khoury

Meant to Be by Tiffany King

Significance by Shelly Crane

Wildflower by Amy Mauer Jones

Point of Retreat and Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Anathema by K.A. Tucker

Don't Fear the Reaper by Michelle Muto

The Childe and Dark Days by C.A. Kunz

I could go on and on about how amazing and generous all of these authors are.  How I feel like I made a ton of new friends in Decatur.  How being out in the heat for two straight days was totally worth it to talk to other authors, book bloggers and passionate readers.  But really, I want to know your thoughts ... where should I start???

Double Cover Reveal

Mystery and mayhem teamed with heartache and overcoming. Follow PIP here.

It's that time folks, the moment Gwen and I have been so excited for.  Well, one of the moments.  This Indie publishing adventure has been one thrilling moment after another.  So here they are, our covers for GIVIN' UP THE GHOST and NEVERLOVE by Gwen Gardner and Angela Brown, respectively.



Corona Zschusschen

Friend or Foe?

Murder victim Bart Bagley is not content to merely roll over in his grave. He wants his murderer caught and he wants teenage ghost whisperer, Indigo Eady, to help him.

It becomes obvious that Bart’s temper lead to more than one disagreement, but is it enough to want him dead? With nothing but a cold trail and a hot list of “friendly” suspects, Indigo and her friends race to find the killer before they become the next victims.

Indigo Eady is not clumsy. At least, that’s what she keeps telling everyone. Can she help that the overactive spirit community of Sabrina Shores causes her psychic abilities to short-circuit? It’s unfortunate that her cute new friend Badger is often on the receiving end of her mishaps. At times, she is positively hazardous to his health. Even so, sparks start to fly in more than one direction...

Heather McCorckle of CP Designs

For seventeen-year-old Abigail, one rash decision leads to an unexpected chance for redemption. At V'Salicus Academy, a unique institute where she trains to become an agent of heaven, she struggles with the pain of her past, the changes of the present and accepts a loveless future until her path – and heart – crosses with Basil’s.

Basil's off-chance slip of the tongue binds him to a life of servitude to the Devourer, the master of hell. His existence has no upside until a chance meeting with Abigail brings new perspective.

Keeping the truth of their present lives from each other brings disaster when secrets are brought to light and the life of Abigail’s mentor is put on the line.

Can Abigail and Basil save her mentor and salvage their love amid the chaos? Or will they lose it all, destined forever to NEVERLOVE?



About the authors:

Haunt me: FB, Blog, Goodreads

Gwen Gardner

Running, writing and reading are my favorite things.

I am also a dreamer.

Have you ever told yourself that "some day" I'm going to travel or write or whatever it is that you are passionate about but can't do right now for whatever reason? You can go for years and years and keep telling yourself that "some day" you'll do it. Too often "some day" never comes. But mine did. I am a former Administrative Manager and Vice President of a successful swimming pool plastering company - until I woke up one day and realized that my "some day" had arrived. I quit my job, moved to the mountains and began to write. Crazy, I know. But even crazier? Is when you get to the end of your life and realize that your "some day" is too late. Life is much too short for that! So the adventure has begun.

GIVIN' UP THE GHOST is a YA paranormYA cozy mystery, the first in the Indigo Eady series, due out October 8, 2012.

Haunt me FB, Blog, Goodreads

Angela Brown

Reading and writing have been lifelong passions. It was around the time I gave birth to my forever-love, nicknamed Chipmunk, that I really took writing seriously. After all, how could I teach my child to follow her dreams if I hadn't tried myself?

As a YA fantasy/sci-fi reader and author, I favor the magical, mysterious, the darker side of life...even harbor a secret fright for things that go bump in the night.

NEVERLOVE is a special project spawned from a blog-challenge-turned-blog-opera, the Abby and Basil affair. It is the first in the Shadow Jumpers series and due out October 8, 2012.

Thanks for checking out these new books and fabulous authors.  I hope you'll add them to your TBR piles!

Happy Debut YA Book Birthday to Jessica Khoury

Usually I celebrate all the debut authors with book birthdays on a given week, but today it's all about Jessica Khoury.  Why?  Because this amazingly sweet author took time out before speaking at the Decatur Book Festival to come find me in my little booth and buy a copy of Destined.  Do you know how honored I was?  It was amazing.

Today, her debut novel, ORIGIN, comes out.  Of course, I have my own signed copy b/c it sounds Ah-Mazing!  I can't wait to read it.  If you haven't heard of it, here are the details.

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home—and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia’s origin—a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost. This is a supremely compelling debut novel that blends the awakening romance of Matched with the mystery and jungle conspiracy of Lost.

So, if this sounds like something that would interest you, you should think about supporting this fabulously sweet author.  You can find her book on Amazon or B&N.  And you can find Jessica on Facebook and Twitter.