The First Tour

May 15, 2013 Through June 12, 2013

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Mira works on a farm in the ruins of Texas, along with all of the other descendants of the defeated rebels. Though she’s given her heart to Tanner, their lives are not their own.

When Socrates, a powerful First, chooses Mira as his Second, she is thrust into the bewildering world of the rich and influential. Will, a servant assigned to assist her, whispers of rebellion, love, and of a darker fate than she’s ever imagined.

With time running out, Mira must decide whether to runto the boy she left behind, the boy who wants her to live, or the man who wants her dead. 

Excerpt:                                                        

“What do you think they’re doing out there?” I whisper, but it’s so quiet, I could be shouting.

My servant, Will, shushes me. “If you listen closely, I bet you can hear your First talking.”

I creep over to the door and press my ear against it. Nothing. As if no one’s on the other side. “Isn’t this the Release Ceremony? Shouldn’t I be out there with him?”

Will nods, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms in front of him. “That’s normally how it happens. This is… odd.”

“Did I do something wrong? Did I make Thoreau mad?” I bite my lip to keep it from trembling. Grow up, Adrian. Stop acting like a baby.

“No, of course not.” He flashes me a quick grin, but I can tell he’s nervous.

“Are you sure?” I hate it when my voice is all shaky like a little baby’s.

“Definitely. I would know if there was a problem.” He shrugs, and a bar of light illuminates his carefree smile. “I bet it’s to save you from having to sit out there for the whole ceremony. Some of them can get pretty long.”

On the other side of the door, I hear clapping. An old man’s voice rises up as the applause dies.

“There, you see?” Will says. “Nothing to worry about.” I turn away and tune him out so I can listen to Thoreau.

“Thank you, my friends, for this most welcome reception. As a First, I’ve lived for hundreds of years, influenced this country in ways the average person can’t even begin to comprehend. With your continued support, and that of Princeton, I will use your gift to change the future and create a better tomorrow. Thank you.”

A dull roar follows his words, and I fidget in my seat, watching the door. My eyes dart to Will.

“This doesn’t make any sense, Will. I should be out there.”

“I’m sure they’ll call you shortly, Adrian. Maybe the usual waiting room was unavailable and—”

A loud boom shakes the room, and I almost fall down. The chairs weave back and forth in their towers, and millions of dust particles rain down. Will shoves me away from the wall and pushes me toward the back of the room.

“Move, now!” he shouts, but my ears are ringing, and I cough from the dust. He looks behind us at the door and forces me to move faster.

“Murderer! Child killer! Free the Second!” a loud, mechanical voice shouts from the other room. “Free the Second! Free the Second!”

There’s more yelling, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. Another, quieter boom. Will pushes me to a narrow closet.

“In here,” he hisses and shoves me inside. We stay like that for what feels like a couple hours before the door to our main room bangs open, and I hear the heavy clomping of boots.

“You in here with the Second, boy?” Will stays silent. There is a general grumbling outside, some swearing my mother would never approve of, then the deep, gravelly voice speaks again. “Alpha Code One, this is Underground Robin. Is the cargo safe and accounted for? I repeat, is the cargo safe and accounted for?”

Apparently these are magic words for Will because relief washes over his features.

“Who wants to know?”

“Papa bird.” The men march over to our closet and slide open the door. “Good spot, boy.” The head guard, an older man with a pinched face and a permanent frown sheaths his Artos. The other guards keep theirs out. Why? Is it still dangerous?

“What’s going on out there?” Will asks.

“Nothing we didn’t expect. Stupid rebels, always doing things half-assed.” He grins. “Let’s go.” One of them reaches out for me, but I jerk away.

Will touches my shoulder, reassuring me. “It’s okay, Adrian. We’re safe now.”

I shake my head and step back. “Where are we going?”

“Someplace safe.” The head guard takes my arm roughly in his. “Don’t worry. We won’t let anything happen to you.” One of the other guards laughs, as if that’s somehow funny.

“Is… my First all right?”

“He’s fine, boy.” He drags me from the closet. “Now let’s go.”

“Where?” My feet skitter, trying to find purchase as the guard forces me to follow him. The other men glance at each other, at me, then away again. Even Will won’t meet my eyes. Fear freezes me, and I dig my shoes into the thick carpeting. “Will? What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” he answers too quickly. “Just a trip down to the medical center, to make sure you’re all right.” He tries to give me another smile, but he’s lying about something. I can feel it.

“But I’m fine,” I protest as the guard pulls me to the side of the room, behind the curtains where, instead of a window, there is another door. “Can’t you just tell them that? I’m fine. I just want to go back to my room.”

Will shakes his head, sadly. “I’m sorry, Adrian, I really am.”

“What’s going on? Why are you sorry? Will?”

“Let’s go,” one of the other guards growls from the rear of our group. “We don’t have all day. Some of us have work to do.”

May 15: Interview on Laurie’s Non-paranormal Thoughts & Reviews

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Book Review:

There is a fun, odd, strangely gifted woman in Andie Weber. She is so OCD it is not even funny. She lives life cautiously and is a stickler for rules. The type of girl who would actually date her mascara. She knows that after 3 months it isn’t good and worries about an infection. I thought lmao, then I thought so sad, I do that TOO.  She reads warning labels and probably registers any electronic purchases. She is in a relationship for about 1 1/2 years with Colin.

Andie has a situation with a guy named Chase. No secret that Colin is in a wedding in Florida and she will drive because she hates to fly. So he offers to have his friend (Chase whose personality is opposite Andie) drive to Florida with her. He convinces her really easy and she goes along with it.

Chase McGuire is a photographer and he is easy going. He goes where he wants and does what he wants. They soon realize they met before, while she was on her second date with Colin. Chase tries to change Andie’s way of thinking. Not at all easy. In fact why would he when she was just that different?

After a rocky start things go along smooth. Now you know what is going to happen. I won’t say anymore! Andie and Colin are comfortable and maybe that is the part I could not relate to. It was not like Chase was bold, but I think if he is best friends with Colin he wouldn’t have “gone” there.  Besides that if they were fine, then how in 2 days does someone change your future? Chick lit lovers will adore this book.

Tour Giveaway:

2 Print copies of Emancipating Andie – US/Canada Only

Link to the giveaway here 

Tour schedule link 

About the Author

Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three children. She has been teaching English Language Arts at the middle and high school levels for the past eleven years while moonlighting as a writer, mommy, coach, student, and professional laundry-doer.

If you catch her when she’s feeling sophisticated, she’ll tell you her favorite things are great books and good wine. In the moments in between, she’ll admit her love for anything Ben and Jerry’s, UFC fights, and Robert Pattinson.

Emancipating Andie is Glenn’s second novel. She is also the author of the contemporary romance/young adult crossover, Back to You.

Social Media links:
Twitter  @Priscilla_Glenn

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Goodreads 

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Book Info-

Title-Why My Love Life Sucks

Series-The Legend of Gilbert the Fixer Book # 1

By- Shevi Arnold

Published-March 23, 2010

Blurb-

Seventeen-year-old Gilbert Garfinkle is the ultimate tech geek. He likes to take apart, figure out, and fix things, and he dreams of someday fixing the world. But now his own life has been taken apart by the one thing he’ll never be able to figure out. Her name is Amber, and she’s a gorgeous girl with a killer smile who wants to turn him into her platonic BFF–literally forever! It’s the ultimate geek’s ultimate nightmare, and it leaves Gilbert asking life’s ultimate question: “Why me?”

Why My Love Life Sucks is a funny novel about geeks, girls, gadgets, vampires, and the start of a most unlikely friendship. It’s the first book in The Legend of Gilbert the Fixer, the series that proves it takes the ultimate geek to be the ultimate hero.

Links-

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8267463-why-my-love-life-sucks

And here’s the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHSVkegWeWM&list=PLCB49B1B8A26EDED3&index=4

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sucks-Legend-Gilbert-Fixer-ebook/dp/B00B8BAGTU/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366807275&sr=1-3&keywords=shevi+arnold

BN.com: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/why-my-love-life-sucks-shevi-arnold/1114274136?ean=2940015949377&itm=1&usri=shevi+arnold

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/280989

Freado (where you can start reading the book for free): http://www.freado.com/read/14575/why-my-love-life-sucks-the-legend-of-gilbert-the-fixer-book-one

About the Author-

I’ve always been super geeky about comedy, fantasy and science fiction.

When I was little, I’d take them apart and analyze them, kind of like what Gilbert Garfinkle–the hero of Why My Love Life Sucks–does with electronics. This continued into my college years, when I majored in English Literature and Theater Studies.

For twelve years I worked in magazines and newspapers as an editorial cartoonist, illustrator, editor, arts-and-entertainment writer (specializing in children’s entertainment and, of course, comedy), and a consumer columnist.

My last job was at the Jerusalem Post, but I had to quit when my family decided to move to New Jersey to pursue better education options for my autistic son.

This was in February 2001. Since then I’ve written 40 picture books and seven novels for kids and teens, four of which I’ve indie published. I was an ABNA quarterfinalist with Why My Love Life Sucks, and I won third place in SmartWriter’s Write It Now contest in the the YA category (which was judged by Alex Flinn, the author of Beastly) for my romantic, YA ghost story, Ride of Your Life.

Links-

Pinterest- http://pinterest.com/shevistories/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheviStories

Blog: http://shevi.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shevistories

Website: http://www.shevistories.com/Home.html

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SheviStories

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Book Review

The summer after graduation should have been the most exciting time of Mercy’s life. Right? I mean the first sentence gets you right in the heart. The first 3 chapters were really emotional and raw. I totally loved the book. It is not my usual read, but I think it was what I would call a ghost story, well, no the ghost is sort of purgatory, so maybe a romance with a sub plot of paranormal. I think I may need to create a new genre LOL.

Instead, on the way to an exciting overseas trip, she barely survives an accident that kills the rest of her family. As soon as she’s released from the hospital, a creepy hooded figure with black skinny jeans begins to chase her. The Reaper who is nick named “Creeper” is stalking her, watching, floating, just THERE

Now back home, Mercy has some feeling of being watched. She sees her new neighbor move in and lucky for her he turns out to be her confidant. Kit, runs a paranormal blog and his entire female family is sensitive and clairvoyant. He feel like he has never actually seen a ghost because he is a man. He even jokes that his “plumbing” gets in the way of his dream, seeing a real ghost.

So many things happen between Mercy and Kit. They build a close relationship where he is an adviser  Mercy is falling for Kit. Well to be honest I was too. Mercy’s mom is East Indian and Dad is Scandinavian so Kit, being on the slightly fair and red headed makes Mercy drawn to him. He resembles what her Dad did when he was younger. She discovers that the creepy hooded figure is holding her dad’s ghost captive so she enlists the help of Kit to rescue her dad from the ghost who’s chasing her.

Truth be told, I learned that the Grim Reaper can also be female. Holy *** I was scared to sleep. I thought over and over about the skinny jeans and then convinced myself that I couldn’t define a traditional reaper. Crazy thoughts! I recommend this across the board. Great book.

Meet the author:

Stacy is the author of The Transformed series and Chasing Mercy. She is currently working on Forgotten, the 3rd book in the Transformed series & a sequel to Chasing Mercy. Both of which will be available in 2013.

You can learn more about her current and upcoming books, and connect with her at StacyClaflin.com.

She is an author, blogger, home educating mom who runs a home preschool. She loves the paranormal genre.

Visit StacyClaflin.com to learn more about my books.

Let’s Connect:   

It thrills me to say another great, fabulous, intriguing and stupendous book. This was a learning experience for me. I knew and of course read a lot about the modeling industry, but never such a raw version about the model and her point of view. One thing I learned was: GO to France. Those French people could teach the stick up the ass American’s a lot. Everyone no matter what they look like is beautiful. They are born to be free and very expressive. I like that idea!

The book follows Supermodel Katie Wolfer through a fairly short period of time. It goes back and gives a little history here and there. She is just done with a modeling job when she gets a call from her stepfather. Straight from the Dior runway in Paris, Katie is informed that her mother committed suicide. How can her mother do this? Her mother has killed herself after being found out in an affair. It later comes out it was a bad error in judgement and it was her personal trainer and she couldn’t forgive herself. This is a shock, but I soon discovered that Katie was not as distraught as I thought she should have been. Being a model changes your ideals, emotions and expressiveness. Katie was conditioned to roll with it. If something on a runway went bad, you carry on. I think she was struggling with being alone more than the loss of her Mother. Upon takeoff she has a very erotic encounter with Gavin, whom she just met on the plain. It turns out Gavin Poole is her rom mate Natasha’s brother. Natasha is also a famous model, who is very free with her expression.

Now in NY her French stepfather, Daniel de Goncourt, a wealthy financier, greets her. Katie becomes entangled with both of them, exploring her darkest sexual desires amidst a lavish, decadent lifestyle. Her step brother Ryan is depressed and medicated, while her step sister Caroline is a step away from being medicated. I am sure there is controversy over the lifestyle, but I for one just sucked it all up.

This novel will seduce you like no other. Katie is seducing or being seduced by both male and female. She doesn’t discriminate. Deeply erotic, thrilling, sensual, I know this book will intrigue you. I love reading about the New York and Hampton lifestyles. I marvelous book with the perfect amount of lustful sin. Go read it NOW!! (lots of steam, sex,and drugs if you cant handle a rated R movie don’t read this one! Well maybe you do need to read this one as a social experiment, it could be what you need)

Go read it NOW and then buy a copy for someone you love!

Amazon Author page

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The summer after graduation should have been the most exciting time of Mercy’s life.

Instead, on the way to an exciting overseas trip, she barely survives an accident that kills the rest of her family. As soon as she’s released from the hospital, a creepy hooded figure with black skinny jeans begins to chase her. 

At home, Mercy experiences other ghostly encounters. Kit, her neighbor who happens to run a paranormal blog, thinks that her brush with death has made her more sensitive to life on the other side. She discovers that the creepy hooded figure is holding her dad’s ghost captive so she enlists the help of Kit to rescue her dad from the ghost who’s chasing her.

Chasing Mercy is now available!

Excerpt #1

Something caught my eye at the edge of my line of sight. I turned my head slightly and looked to the side as far as I could. There was a guy standing by a wall with a black hoodie pulled up over his head. I couldn’t see his face because the hood covered it almost completely. He was wearing black skinny jeans and black shoes as well—were those Converse?

Even though he was in all black, he clearly didn’t fit in at the funeral. Nobody else acted as if they even saw him. I felt as though he was staring directly at me. I couldn’t see his eyes, so I didn’t know for sure, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was watching me.

I looked back up toward the service and tried to listen again. One of my uncles was sharing some stories with tear-filled laughter. I recognized the story that he was sharing at that moment and smiled at the memory. My heart ached at the loss.

My feeling of being watched remained. I looked out of the corner of my eye again and saw that guy was still standing by the wall, this time facing me directly. Couldn’t anyone else see him?

Chills ran through me from my head to my toes. All that the creepy guy needed was a sickle, and he could be the Grim Reaper. My heart stopped at the thought.

Could he actually be a spirit coming after me? Was he mad that I’d escaped, and lived through the accident? My heart sped up, and soon it was the only thing I could hear.

I couldn’t take it any longer. I stopped looking at him from out of the corner of my eye and turned my head to face him. I still couldn’t see his face, but he nodded his hooded head at me.

The blood drained from my face and I turned to the front again. He was staring at me. There was no question about it now. Keeping my head forward, I looked at him from out of the corner of my eye again.

I nearly jumped out my seat. Now he was standing at opposite side of the pew, staring right at me. He was practically touching the woman sitting at the other end of the pew in front of it, but she didn’t notice. He was so close that if she had seen him, she definitely would have moved away. Nobody else paid him any attention either.

My heart raced even faster as I considered my options.

Meet the author:

Stacy is the author of The Transformed series and Chasing Mercy. She is currently working on Forgotten, the 3rd book in the Transformed series & a sequel to Chasing Mercy. Both of which will be available in 2013.

You can learn more about her current and upcoming books, and connect with her at StacyClaflin.com.

She is an author, blogger, home educating mom who runs a home preschool. She loves the paranormal genre.

Visit StacyClaflin.com to learn more about my books.

Let’s Connect:   

Read more: http://stacyclaflin.com/books/chasing-mercy/#ixzz2TcYRDStE

Title: Giving You Forever

Author:  Ashley Wilcox

Expected release date: July 8, 2013

Genre: Erotica

Age Group: Mature Adult

Cover Designed by: B Designs ; http://bdesignpublishingservices.wordpress.com/

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours; http://atomrbookblogtours.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17375101-giving-you-forever

Book Description:

From the moment Nolan Pratt walked into Alexa Arnold’s life everything was forever changed.  After a year of dating, the ring was on her finger, the house was purchased, and life was heading down Pleasantville Lane. Everything was perfect.

Or so they thought.

With help from his parent’s inheritance, Nolan takes on a new business adventure, utilizing all his free time.  What was once their life- carefree with minimal responsibilities, is no more. When Alexa starts to feel the pressure from school, wedding planning, and lack of help from Nolan, exhaustion kicks in and feelings get hurt, testing the strength of their relationship. But, if there is one thing that Nolan will never compromise, it’s Alexa’s happiness. There’s nothing Nolan Pratt won’t do to make sure Alexa is well taken care of, loved, and happy.

When Nolan’s past resurfaces- a past that Alexa didn’t know existed- will it all be too much?  Will Nolan’s devotion to Alexa’s happiness cost him their relationship and lose him the only thing that has ever mattered in his life?  Or will Nolan discover that his past doesn’t determine his future and he is worth the happiness he doesn’t think he deserves?

About the Author

Some may consider me a jack of all trades, but I consider myself well rounded.

I’ve waitressed, styled hair, answered phones and, most recently, worked full time as mom to my two beautiful little boys.

Then there was this book…

Everyone and their brother started talking about this book series titled Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James.  I didn’t really pay attention to the craze at first, since I wasn’t a big reader- okay, I didn’t read at all.  But curiosity got the best of me, so I downloaded it to my kindle.

I was immediately hooked. I read the whole series in three days.  Yes, three books in three days.

I kept finding all these great books that I HAD to read (just ask my credit card!).

Then I started hearing voices. Voices that turned into stories; stories that were begging to get out of my head.

I started writing them down on scraps of paper. Then I transferred them to my computer. Before I knew it,  Planning on Forever was born.

The voices in my head are still talking, so I’m still writing.

For more information about me, and what I’m working on please follow me on:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashley-Wilcox-Author/534100859949004

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6564533.Ashley_Wilcox

https://twitter.com/ashleywilcox55

http://www.ashleywilcoxauthor.com/