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Showing posts with label YA Novel Blog Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA Novel Blog Tour. Show all posts
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Blog Tour: "Faded" by Chloe Miles (Guest Post)
Welcome to our virtual book tour stop of "Faded" by brought to you by YA Novel Reader Blog Tours.
Hey everyone. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to share an excerpt of Faded, the first book in The Faded Trilogy. I hope you enjoy it!
Just as Savannah turned, the glass window behind her smashed and sent shattered glass out onto the seats in the cinema below. Everybody screamed and scrambled towards the door.
The girls ducked for cover out of instinct, even though they knew nothing could hurt them. They looked around, but there was still no one there.
“Thought you were alone, didn’t you?’ a deep voice seemed to come out of nowhere. He laughed. “What a shame, you didn’t get to see the end of the movie. I can tell you how it ends,” The movie projector exploded. “With three nosy young girls dying.”
A man appeared in the doorway and looked at each of the girls. It was Griffin. He grinned to himself then looked over at the remains of the movie projector. It burst into flames.
Abigail stood up and glared at him. “Well, what a shame, we’re spirits too. Don’t you know that you can’t kill the dead?”
Griffin looked in her direction and smiled. “Maybe not, but there’s a whole room full of people down there that I can.”
Savannah looked at the burning projector, then back in Griffin’s direction. A gust of wind blew the flames into the air and she sent the projector hurtling straight at him.
Griffin laughed. “If you don’t play nice, I’ll just have to hurt someone.”
“Those people are innocent,” said Savannah. “Leave them out of it.”
Griffin disappeared and then reappeared behind Savannah. “There are so many of them, you can’t possibly protect them all. Why even bother? You can make it easier for yourselves and I won’t even hurt a hair on any of their heads. Or you can choose to protect yourselves. Selfish, if you ask me, but the decision is yours. What’s it going to be?”
Savannah stared him down, showing no sign of giving in. “We’re stronger than you could ever hope to be. We will save everyone,” she said, “including ourselves.”
Griffin shook his head and looked over at Abigail and Madison, then back at Savannah. “Wrong decision, ladies. When will you ever learn?”
He disappeared and the girls looked around the room, waiting for something to happen. Everything was still and quiet. Too quiet.
Faded
(The Faded Trilogy #1)
(The Faded Trilogy #1)
by: Chloe Miles
Publishing Date: 8/24/12
Publisher: Self Published
Description:
"Savannah wanted to kiss him, but she had never even kissed a human guy before, let alone a ghost. How was she supposed to kiss him if he wasn't really there?"
Savannah has never been in love before, but she's in love with Hunter Emmerton. He's cute, funny, charming...and a ghost. How can you date someone if nobody else can see them?
After seventeen-year-old Savannah Fraser and her three friends are killed in a car accident, they are given a second chance at life by a group of hundred-year-old teenage earthbound spirits who need their help.
Savannah and her friends learn that they are The Chosen Ones, which means they can switch between human and spirit form, heal people and control the weather. And they are also now invincible.
The Chosen Ones are the only ones who can defeat The Forces - a group of evil spirits who are slowly destroying the perfect little town of Fort Everwick with violent storms and not-so-natural disasters - and stop them from harming everyone they care about.
The Forces are set on destroying everything Savannah knows and loves, but they also have another plan - they want a new member to join them. They aren't willing to give up until they get the one they want...and they have Savannah firmly in their sights.
Savannah had never been confident in herself before, but with her new-found powers, she discovers just how strong herself and her friends really are. But what Savannah didn't count on was falling in love with Hunter. She's never loved anyone the way she loves Hunter and she knows he loves her too. But how can they be together forever if he no longer exists and she's the only one who can see him?
Will Savannah have enough belief in herself to defeat The Forces, or will they be able to lure her to the dark side and turn her against her loved ones...and tear her and Hunter apart?
Savannah made her way across the dark hallway to her own room to get her flashlight out of her drawer. As she felt her way to the drawer, she heard a rattling noise coming from the other side of her room. She looked across the dark room, trying to see where the noise was coming from. Her bedroom window suddenly flung open, sending a gust of wind through the room and scattering Savannah’s homework papers all across the floor.
“Great,” Savannah mumbled as she closed the window and picked the papers back up and put them on her bed. She went back over to her drawer to grab her flashlight and then headed downstairs to the kitchen.
As she got to the end of the stairs, Savannah could hear the front door banging open and shut and the kitchen window rattling. Savannah knew she had locked the door after her parents had left. She ran over to the door to shut it, but it swung shut and locked itself before she got there. Savannah could feel her heart beating fast as she looked over at the kitchen window to see it slide shut and lock itself as well. She shone her flashlight around the room. There was no one there. A sense of fear came over her as she realized who was causing it. The woman at the lake had seen her with Hunter. The Forces knew who she was.
Savannah ran over to the kitchen window to see if she could open it. It was stuck. All she could think about was how to get herself and Annabelle out of there before anything happened to them.
The lights came back on and started flickering on and off around the house. Savannah placed her flashlight on the bench and closed her eyes, bracing herself for whatever was about to happen. She could feel a presence and hear a high pitched squealing around her. Suddenly, it stopped.
Savannah opened her eyes. The lights had stopped flickering and the power was back on. She looked around the room. Everything was still and quiet. Too quiet, she thought. As Savannah reached out her hand to get her flashlight, the kitchen window flew open again, sending another gust of wind through the house.
Hunter appeared beside her and knocked her out of the way just as the light above Savannah’s head exploded and smashed onto the floor, sending glass scattering where Savannah had just been standing. The two of them landed on the floor with Hunter shielding Savannah from the glass.
“Savannah, what happened?” Annabelle yelled from upstairs after she heard the glass smash.
“Nothing, Annabelle. Everything’s OK!” Savannah yelled back. She lifted her head off the floor and tried to steady her breath as she looked up at Hunter. “You saved my life again.”
“I seem to be making a habit of doing that, don’t I?” Hunter smiled. He stood up and helped Savannah to her feet. “They know who you are now, Savannah.”
“I know,” said Savannah. “What did they want with me?” She looked around the room. “Where are they now?”
“They’ve gone,” Hunter explained. “They got what they wanted. They knew I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. This was just a test to see if I would show up and I did. I just confirmed to them what they suspected, Savannah – that you’re a Chosen One.”
“They know where I live, Hunter. My whole family is in danger, aren’t they?” Savannah asked him.
“Everybody around you will be a target, and it won’t be long before they figure out who the other Chosen Ones are either.” Hunter touched Savannah’s hand. “But I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, Savannah.”
“I have to see if Annabelle’s alright,” said Savannah. Hunter followed her upstairs to Annabelle’s room. When they got there, Annabelle was nowhere to be seen.
Savannah could feel a sense of fear coming back. “Annabelle?” she yelled out as her eyes searched Annabelle’s room.
Annabelle crawled out from under her bed. “It was dark and I was scared,” said Annabelle. “And I heard a noise.”
Savannah grabbed Annabelle and held her in a tight hug. “I thought you had…”
“You thought I had what?” asked Annabelle.
“Nothing,” said Savannah, hugging her tighter. “It’s OK now.”
“Savannah?” Annabelle looked up at her. “Where’s my water?”
“Um, it’s…” Savannah looked at Hunter. Hunter grinned and disappeared. He reappeared with a glass of water in his hand and placed it on the bedside table behind Annabelle.
Savannah reached over and grabbed the glass. “It’s here, Annabelle.” She looked over at Hunter again. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Hunter winked at her and disappeared. Savannah smiled to herself. Their lives had come so close to being in danger that night, so why did she feel so happy? She looked down at Annabelle and stroked her hair. There was no way she was ever going to let anything happen to Annabelle. She cared about Annabelle more than anything.
Savannah thought about what Hunter had said. He won’t let anything happen to her. There were four Chosen Ones to protect, so why was he always there for Savannah more than the others? Savannah smiled to herself again. Hunter was probably just doing his job by protecting her, but maybe he cared about her too.
“Great,” Savannah mumbled as she closed the window and picked the papers back up and put them on her bed. She went back over to her drawer to grab her flashlight and then headed downstairs to the kitchen.
As she got to the end of the stairs, Savannah could hear the front door banging open and shut and the kitchen window rattling. Savannah knew she had locked the door after her parents had left. She ran over to the door to shut it, but it swung shut and locked itself before she got there. Savannah could feel her heart beating fast as she looked over at the kitchen window to see it slide shut and lock itself as well. She shone her flashlight around the room. There was no one there. A sense of fear came over her as she realized who was causing it. The woman at the lake had seen her with Hunter. The Forces knew who she was.
Savannah ran over to the kitchen window to see if she could open it. It was stuck. All she could think about was how to get herself and Annabelle out of there before anything happened to them.
The lights came back on and started flickering on and off around the house. Savannah placed her flashlight on the bench and closed her eyes, bracing herself for whatever was about to happen. She could feel a presence and hear a high pitched squealing around her. Suddenly, it stopped.
Savannah opened her eyes. The lights had stopped flickering and the power was back on. She looked around the room. Everything was still and quiet. Too quiet, she thought. As Savannah reached out her hand to get her flashlight, the kitchen window flew open again, sending another gust of wind through the house.
Hunter appeared beside her and knocked her out of the way just as the light above Savannah’s head exploded and smashed onto the floor, sending glass scattering where Savannah had just been standing. The two of them landed on the floor with Hunter shielding Savannah from the glass.
“Savannah, what happened?” Annabelle yelled from upstairs after she heard the glass smash.
“Nothing, Annabelle. Everything’s OK!” Savannah yelled back. She lifted her head off the floor and tried to steady her breath as she looked up at Hunter. “You saved my life again.”
“I seem to be making a habit of doing that, don’t I?” Hunter smiled. He stood up and helped Savannah to her feet. “They know who you are now, Savannah.”
“I know,” said Savannah. “What did they want with me?” She looked around the room. “Where are they now?”
“They’ve gone,” Hunter explained. “They got what they wanted. They knew I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. This was just a test to see if I would show up and I did. I just confirmed to them what they suspected, Savannah – that you’re a Chosen One.”
“They know where I live, Hunter. My whole family is in danger, aren’t they?” Savannah asked him.
“Everybody around you will be a target, and it won’t be long before they figure out who the other Chosen Ones are either.” Hunter touched Savannah’s hand. “But I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, Savannah.”
“I have to see if Annabelle’s alright,” said Savannah. Hunter followed her upstairs to Annabelle’s room. When they got there, Annabelle was nowhere to be seen.
Savannah could feel a sense of fear coming back. “Annabelle?” she yelled out as her eyes searched Annabelle’s room.
Annabelle crawled out from under her bed. “It was dark and I was scared,” said Annabelle. “And I heard a noise.”
Savannah grabbed Annabelle and held her in a tight hug. “I thought you had…”
“You thought I had what?” asked Annabelle.
“Nothing,” said Savannah, hugging her tighter. “It’s OK now.”
“Savannah?” Annabelle looked up at her. “Where’s my water?”
“Um, it’s…” Savannah looked at Hunter. Hunter grinned and disappeared. He reappeared with a glass of water in his hand and placed it on the bedside table behind Annabelle.
Savannah reached over and grabbed the glass. “It’s here, Annabelle.” She looked over at Hunter again. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Hunter winked at her and disappeared. Savannah smiled to herself. Their lives had come so close to being in danger that night, so why did she feel so happy? She looked down at Annabelle and stroked her hair. There was no way she was ever going to let anything happen to Annabelle. She cared about Annabelle more than anything.
Savannah thought about what Hunter had said. He won’t let anything happen to her. There were four Chosen Ones to protect, so why was he always there for Savannah more than the others? Savannah smiled to herself again. Hunter was probably just doing his job by protecting her, but maybe he cared about her too.
"Chloe Miles is the author of FADED, the first book in THE FADED TRILOGY. The second book in the series, SEE NO EVIL, is due to be released soon."
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Blog Tour: "Dead Perfect" by P.G. Shriver (Interview)
Welcome to our stop on the Virtual Book Tour of "Dead Perfect" by P.G. Shriver brought to you by Young Adult Novel Reader Blog Tours.
1. I love watching old black and white TV shows, like Burns and Allen and Leave it to Beaver.
2. My favorite musical instrument is the piano, but I don't play it.
3. I have incredible determination and can do whatever I "want" to do.
4. I was raised in a dysfunctional environment with an alcoholic father.
5. I stayed by my mother's death bed until she exhaled her last breath at the age of 67 and it was the most difficult experience I've lived through.
2. What does a typical writing day look for you?
I try to do all of my writing in the early hours while I'm drinking my coffee. Depending on the day, I will write from five in the morning until around seven in the morning, and then get ready for work. Early is when my ideas are at their best and most creative. I have to make myself leave my writing every hour just to stretch and move, otherwise I will get so absorbed in my work, I'll be numb and unable to walk by the time I take a break. Lately, because I've been doing so much promotion, I'm finding it difficult to find "spare" time and I just write whenever I have time. Weekends are my biggest blocks of time for writing because I don't have to grade essays or do other work. I love the long writing hours that weekends provide, and when I am in the mood to write all day, my family takes over the household, which is awesome!
3. Can you please tell the readers about "Dead Perfect" and why they should check it out?
Dead Perfect is a romance novel inspired by the too early death of young people in my life. I'm obsessed with paranormal activity, mainly having to do with ghosts and afterlife. The book brings together two characters, Mel (Amelia) and Davis, from very different backgrounds, and actually time periods. Neither has ever fallen in love because their lives revolved around more grandiose plans. Both believed love could wait, until a car accident changed their outlooks and opened their eyes to the possibility of finding the love of their lives. When they do find each other, ghostly secrets involving the past try to keep them apart. Without giving away too much of the story, Dead Perfect is a roller coaster of emotion between two young people destined to be together. Everyone who has lost a young person in their lives, and every one who believes in eternal love, should definitely read it.
4. What was the hardest scene to write?
The most difficult scene for me to write in Dead Perfect was the scene where the children appear in Mel's and Davis' park. I kept thinking about the ages and situations of the children and it brought tears to my eyes every time I tried to work on it. I guess it just hit a little close to home because of the issues experienced when I was young. Not that my parents ever did what Marianne did to those children, but there are connections of rejection and some neglect that made it very hard to write.
5. What inspired you to write the book?
The inspiration for Dead Perfect came after losing my twenty year old niece, Jennelle and my cousin's twelve year old daughter, Mariah. The fact that they left this world without finding the ones with whom they would spend the rest of their lives tormented me. Christians comfort each other during loss by saying such as, "Grandpa was waiting for Grandma," and thinking of my Jennelle and Mariah in that light made my heart ache. With whom would they spend eternity? The answer to that question is how Dead Perfect sprouted.
6. When you are not writing, what are your hobbies and interests?
One of my hobbies is painting. I love watercolors. I am a very creative person, and I like to sew, also. I love riding my horses, working with them and walking my dogs. I also love to cook, not so much sweets, but soups, casseroles, and any new dishes I can create!
7. What is up next for P.G. Shriver?
Next? Well, I have four books in the making that I need to have completed yesterday: The Gifted Ones The Dream (YA Series), Hog Island Love (Adult Paranormal Time Travel), I Don't Live in a Box, Isiah (Contemporary Adult Romance), and The Hummingbird Prince (YA Paranormal Romance). I have many books started on my computer, but these are the ones mostly complete. I need to stop answering questions now and get busy writing while I'm here alone! Haha!
8. Do you have anything specific you want to tell your readers?
Yes! Get over to your fave online bookstore and buy Dead Perfect! Just kidding! I would like to tell my readers that I tell stories for you! I would love to be perfect and rich, but I'm not, and I welcome any communication from readers, so friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and email me if you have a question or comment. I really would love to hear from you!
One more thing: whatever it is that you dreamed of doing when you were young, do it! Choose carefully, do what makes you happy and live your dream life because you won't have another chance at it! That's what I'm striving to do with my writing.
Title: Dead Perfect
Author: P. G.
Shriver
Publisher:
Self Published
Pages: 230
MEL
My lifelong dreams never included falling in
love. Graduating top of the class, going to college somewhere far away and
starting a life in a place where my alcoholic mother could never find me were
the first three goals on my list. Then the unexpected auto accident with
Mother, after her regular doses of vodka, altered all of that. With her gone,
my life and my perspective changed forever.
DAVIS
Desperate to find Joanie so I could break free,
I returned to my old school. The search led me to her, my Aphrodite, a familiar
lost look in her soulful eyes. Fantasies of her forced reasoning from my mind.
I had to meet her! Once fallen, would her love for me survive the ghostly
secrets haunting us?
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Authorcentral |
Born in California, and raised in Minnesota and Texas, P.G. spent her early years writing poetry and winning poetry contests, while escaping the drama in her own childhood by reading great books for children. Ever since her earliest days, she loved story telling. She wrote numerous short stories in High School and her early college years, continually trying to relive that first experience at the age of seven of seeing her name in print in the local newspaper.
Born in California, and raised in Minnesota and Texas, P.G. spent her early years writing poetry and winning poetry contests, while escaping the drama in her own childhood by reading great books for children. Ever since her earliest days, she loved story telling. She wrote numerous short stories in High School and her early college years, continually trying to relive that first experience at the age of seven of seeing her name in print in the local newspaper.
P.G. sought her education at the University of Texas, where she studied English, literature, and Education. During the entire process of earning her BA and M.Ed, she never stopped writing and trying to be published. It was during this time that her first children's book No More Stinkbugs! was accepted for publication by Castle Keep Press. Many of her stories develop from nature.
P.G. graduated college and began her career in education, another great world that offered real experiences to humor and delight through children's books. She watched children interact, bringing to surface her own experiences as a child and yet more events to write about. While teaching, she discovered many great books for young people, such as The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Maniac Magee, So. B. It and many more. She is a fan of Dean Koontz novels, too, and loves reading fantasy and paranormal books.
P.G. was married 20 years in March 2012 and has a bright, young daughter who has begun her own college career. She lives on a small farm in Texas with her family and animals. P.G. has experienced great love and loss throughout her life. Those her family has lost have dedications in her books.
P.G. has two young adult books published, Dead Perfect and The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale the first book in The Gifted Ones Trilogy. She also has several children's books written under Gean Penny, her pseudonym. P. G. has since dissolved her contract for her first book with Castle Keep Press and moved the title to her own imprint, Gean Penny Books.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Happy Release Day - "Awaken" by Kristen Day
Happy Release Day to Kristen Day...her newest book "Awaken" released today.
The second novel of the Daughters of the Sea.
Title: Awaken (Daughters of the Sea 2)
Author: Kristen Day
Publisher: Self
Published
Blurb:
The sacrifices we make
have the power to shift the very fabric of who we are, and ultimately who we
are meant to be…
After
learning of her true destiny as the intended Leader of the Tydes, Anastasia
Whitman must now embark on a perilous quest to the Underworld before the age of
eighteen in order to plant the seed of immortality and complete her essence to
become a true Sea Goddess. But before
she can make her legendary journey, an unexpected new student transfers to
Lorelei; initiating a sequence of events that will unravel Stasia’s new life,
and test the boundaries of her relationship with the mysterious, dark, and sexy
Finn Morrison. The line between the
Underworld and the Living begins to blur as gruesome ghosts, morbid reveries,
and pure evil haunt her waking hours as well as her sanity. Once the details of Finn’s own startling
destiny are revealed, the dangerous secrets he’s been hiding will threaten the
very love Stasia believed to be indestructible.
As time begins to run out, she will be forced to choose between the one
she loves and the destiny she cannot escape.
Prologue
The familiar
call of seagulls diving for fish amongst the crashing waves pulled him from his
restless slumber. His tired, bloodshot
eyes opened and gazed upon that same weathered stone ceiling looming
above. As they roamed down the sloped
wall where he kept count, he pushed back the agonizing hopelessness encasing
his heart. Another long night behind him
simply meant another long day before him.
He swung his legs over the side of his cot and gently placed his worn
feet on the stone floor. It was always
bitterly cold in the morning. He
shivered as he glanced down at his too-skinny legs and the dirt that clung to
his calloused feet. His ragged, cotton
shorts now hung low around his emaciated waist and his faded blue shirt had
been discarded long ago; traded for a sunken-in, bare chest. He smoothed down his gray hair and thick
beard; wondering if today would be the day.
Sighing, he
stood and collected the conch shell he kept hidden within a crack in his
counting wall. He found the last mark
and bent down to add yet another. He
never counted days; only nights. The
darkness always brought out his worst nightmares and he was continually amazed
he had made it through so many.
Thousands of marks littered the wall before him; a diary of solitude and
sheer will captured forever in stone.
As he did
every morning, he padded over to the window and looked out over the rolling
sea. The lone window of his small room
faced east, allowing him one pleasure amidst the hell that had become his life. Sunrise.
At first each sunrise brought only tears to his eyes while the slow ache
in his chest grew, threatening to rack his body with a sadness no man should
bear. What those brilliant colors
dancing across the sky stood for only served as a reminder to his unending
loss. Another night bereft of her loving
arms. Another day without her magical
presence. Over the years the pain had
receded, but her memory never faded. Neither
did the seed of hope she had planted so long ago. It grew every day, branching out and becoming
the only thing that kept him alive. Many
nights he had peered out of his window at the white sand far below. He thought of how easy it would be to end
this torture and return to her. But he
knew he had a bigger purpose and he would not let her down. He would endure and wait until his heart beat
no more.
Once a week
he was allowed to stroll along the beach and speak to the others. But it was only a brief illusion of
freedom. They could feel the eyes that
watched their every move. The others had
become his only companions. For years
there had only been seven. But a couple
of months ago, a newcomer had arrived.
He could hear her anguished cries at night and her deep despair was
evident in the scratches along her arms; the victims of her own
fingernails. She too finally succumbed
to the seclusion and hopelessness; becoming void of emotion and as hollow as
the rest of them. His thoughts moved
back to the present and the brilliant ball of light inching its way above the
horizon. This is when he felt closest to
her. He closed his eyes and called upon
the memory of her ever gentle, loving eyes.
“My love, I
have lived to see yet another dawn cast its light upon this retched spit of
land. Thankfully, this dawn brings new
hope for my weary soul. You appeared to
me in my dreams once again last night, but for the first time I heard the sweet
melody of your voice. You spoke to me
and breathed life back into my withered heart.
You told me to be patient; to remain steadfast. You assured me the hour is growing near and I
know the words you speak are true.
Indeed, it is almost time.”
About Kristen Day
Kristen Day is a southern belle
at heart with a crazy streak that desperately tries to escape at every
opportunity. She loves all things
nostalgic, rustic, and quirky. She’s been
told she sees the world through rose-colored glasses, but she prefers to think
of them as kaleidoscope glasses - swirling and morphing reality into something
she can digest (who hasn't pretended those pasty lima beans were really kiwi
strawberry jelly beans?).
She is the author of the
DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA trilogy, which includes FORSAKEN, AWAKEN (Oct 2012), and
CHOSEN (Winter 2012). She loves all
books, but really enjoys writing young adult, paranormal romances. She’s loved to write for as long as she can
remember. Her first published work was
her poem RED in second grade (you guessed it - it was a poem about the color
red - life altering, right?) that won her 5 gold stars and a spot in her
elementary school's poetry book. That's when her addiction to the written word
officially began. She was the only kid
in fifth grade that actually enjoyed diagramming sentences. Go ahead and laugh
- its okay.
When she’s not writing she’s
making jewelry, painting, feeding her addiction to sweet tea, watching the
Discovery Channel, or going on random adventures in the mountains of North Carolina
with her amazing husband. She was born in Boone, NC and graduated from
Appalachian State University with a degree in Marketing in 2001.
Author’s Links
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Blog Tour: "Amateur Angel" by Karri Thompson (Guest Post/Excerpt)
Author Karri Thompson has stopped by with a guest post and an excerpt for the Amateur Angel blog tour.
Hi, I’m Karri Thompson the author of Amateur Angel, a paranormal romance for young adults. Since the main character of Amateur Angel is a guardian angel, one question I’m frequently asked is if I personally believe in guardian angels.
There are plenty of people who claim to have seen their guardian angels when they have been in a near-death situation. Thankfully, I’ve never been in a near-death situation, so there hasn’t been an opportunity for me to possibly see mine, but I’d still like to believe that all of us have a guardian angel (G.A.) protecting us from physical harm at all times.
Sometimes when I’m in a crowded room, I’ll look around and imagine every person with an angel in tow, an angel either hovering, flying, or walking behind them. It’s a very comforting thought. But even if a person doesn’t believe in the existence of true, celestial G.A.s, when you really think about it, every person already has a collection of G.A.s around them at all times in the form of their family and friends, the people in their lives who try to protect them from physical and emotional harm, and that is also a very comforting thought.
Amateur Angel
by: Karri Thompson
Publishing Date: 5/1/12
Publisher: Comfort Publishing
Genre: YA
Description:
Only 18-years-old,
Ashley is no ordinary teenager. Not only is she dead, but upon her
death, she mistakenly enters the wrong line in the afterlife, a line
meant for trained, guardian angels. With a pair of wings on her back,
Ashley is sent to Los Angeles to replace another angel whose
"assignment" was none-other-than Cannon Michaels, a current member of
the band Sendher, the sexiest man alive, and Ashley's celebrity crush in
life.
While exposed to Cannon's selfish, judgmental behavior and his reckless, rock-and-roll lifestyle, Ashley is far from meeting the requirements of a true guardian angel. She misses her family and friends. Will she ever be able to accept her own death? What will she do when she jeopardizes her position as an angel and Cannon's physical safety by falling in love with him?
While exposed to Cannon's selfish, judgmental behavior and his reckless, rock-and-roll lifestyle, Ashley is far from meeting the requirements of a true guardian angel. She misses her family and friends. Will she ever be able to accept her own death? What will she do when she jeopardizes her position as an angel and Cannon's physical safety by falling in love with him?
Excerpt
It couldn’t be, but it was. Cannon Michaels, the lead singer of the band Sendher and the hottest guy on this planet, was sitting less than five feet away from me completely naked with the exception of a thick, white towel draped across his lap. I should be freaking out at this point, but I wasn’t.
Instead, I was scared, excited, nervous, and in a state of disbelief all at the same time, but most of all, I was in a deep state of sadness. But my body refused to respond to any of my emotions. My hands didn’t shake, my palms didn’t sweat, my knees weren’t about to buckle, and my eyes weren’t leaking tears. If I had a beating heart, I would have felt it thumping a thousand times a minute, the sensation rising into my throat, while my cheeks blushed red, but as an angel, I was apparently incapable of experiencing any of the physical sensations on the outside that accompanied these emotions.
So I appeared calm, but on the inside I was a complete and utter mess.
Here I was, Brett Ashley Baker, A.K.A., dead girl, A.K.A., untrained guardian angel, stuck figuring out all of this angel stuff in addition to being dead on my own.
Oh, no! I closed my eyes and spun around just as Cannon pulled off his towel and stood up off the table. A naked Cannon Michaels was right behind me. This was absolutely unbelievable. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Millions of girls would die to be me right now? I don’t mean literally, of course, although that’s what I had done!
As a first-time author, I cannot express- not
even in words- how excited I am about the release of my debut novel, Amateur
Angel.
It took a lot of hard work and sleepless nights. There were many
disappointments and rejections along the way, but in the end, my persistence
and determination eventually paid off. In many ways, I think writing a
novel is easier than finding an agent to represent it and then a publisher to
buy it. Two years ago, I almost gave up on my dream to become an author,
but then my son, Kyle, wrote a special poem for me, and it inspired me to write
a new book and try again. The new book was Amateur Angel.
Here is his poem:
You
fail and you fail,
You
fix and you fix,
You
wait and you wait,
Until
you succeed.
I
hung this poem in my closet and read it every day when I was getting ready to
go to work and each night before I went to bed.
It is still there and always will be.
I know what I’m about to say will sound like a cliché, but based on my
own personal experience, the best advice I can give anyone is to always believe
in your abilities, hold your head high, swallow your pride, accept criticism
and then learn from it, and most importantly, never give up.
I
grew up in San Diego County and attended San Diego State University, earning a
bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in education, and my teaching
credential. I am a high-school English
teacher in the East County of San Diego where I also live with my husband, our
son, and two dogs.
Being
a lover of Victorian literature, my favorite author is Charles Dickens although
I haven’t quite finished reading all of his books. Someday I’ll finally finish David Copperfield- I promise. If you are one of my students, you are either
laughing or shaking your head at this.
I lead a very
busy life, but when I’m not teaching, grading papers, or attending my son’s
soccer games, I find time to write novels, my greatest passion.
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