Friday, June 28, 2013

SAE Featured Friday Spotlight and Giveaway with Stephanie Keyes, Hannah R. Goodman and official blogger Pretty in Pink Books and Reviews

How goes it all you book lovers?  Things are very busy in my neck of the woods.  Moving is NEVER fun, but the killer commute and hours in traffic will soon be over!  So today I have author's Stephanie Keyes and Hannah R. Goodman, the featured official blog is yours truly here at Pretty in Pink, and our giveaway is for an e-copy of Shattered Edge  by A.M. Hargrove.  Enjoy!  (And feel free to come help me pack and move!)

The Star Child (Book 1)
The world is about to be cloaked in darkness. Only one can stop the night.

Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning tales of a prophecy. Not just any old
prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role. Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

The Fallen Stars (Book 2)
When all is lost, he will have to make the ultimate decision.


Kellen St. James was just your average seventeen-year-old prodigy, until he eighty-sixed the Lord of Faerie and proposed to the Celtic Goddess, Calienta. But then everything in Kellen’s life gets turned upside-down when he and Cali end up on the run from a seriously irritated group of faeries. The worst part? They have zero idea why they’re being hunted.

Suddenly, Kellen is stuck in the middle of another prophecy that foresees him turning away from Calienta and embracing the dark. He’ll be forced to take sides in a struggle to claim his birthright, while discovering secrets about his father’s past. Meanwhile, his passion for Cali grows stronger, even as the prophecy threatens to tear them apart.

In the end, will Kellen and Cali survive the fates? When the ultimate power is within reach, which side will he choose?

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

Bio 

Stephanie Keyes has been addicted to Fantasy since she discovered T.H. White as a child and started drumming up incredible journeys in her head. Today, she's still doing the same thing, except now she gets to share those ideas with readers!

When she's not writing, Stephanie is also a graphic designer, international speaker, teacher, musician, avid reader, and Mom to two little boys who constantly keep her on her toes. In addition, she's best friend to her incredible husband of eleven years.

Mrs. Keyes holds an undergraduate degree in Business and Management Information Systems from Robert Morris University and a M.Ed. from Duquesne University. She is a member of the Society For Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), as well as a featured author in the global group of writers, Love a Happy Ending.com.

Keyes is the author of the YA Fantasy series, The Star Child, which currently includes The Star Child (September 2012) and The Fallen Stars (April 2013), and After Faerie (April 2013), all released by Inkspell Publishing. The final installment, The Star Catcher, is tentatively slated for a November 2013 release. Mrs. Keyes is hard at work on a new YA Paranormal Romance.

Links




Sucker Literary – Volume 2 Blurb

When Alex’s bandmates invite a girl to sing lead, a battle of the sexes becomes a battle over something unexpected. . . A girl tells her friend about hooking up with longtime crush Fred, but his kisses are not what makes that night in his car memorable. . . A therapy session with Doug might just make Jason go insane again. . . Wallflower Aubrey hooks up with Gordon after the cast party, which would be fine if he weren’t the most forbidden fruit of them all…Savannah certainly doesn’t sound like a convict’s name, so maybe hanging out with her isn’t all that dangerous. Miki is committed to getting over Dex, yet she can’t get him off her answering machine—or her doorstep. In between puffs of cigarettes and attempts to smear lipstick on her face, Allie’s grandmother dishes out advice that maybe Allie should take. . . And finally, what’s a girl to do with Satan as both her boss and father? Nine short stories pose the questions we obsess over whether we’re growing up or all grown up: Who should I love? Am I doing the right thing? Is there ever an end to heartbreak? In its second volume, SUCKER continues to showcase the very best emerging talent in young adult literature and give (some of) the answers to Life’s Big Questions along the way.

Sucker will reopen the doors for Volume 3 submissions. One day ONLY, August 1, 2013.FOr guideline please go here.

Links


Excerpt
Excerpt from “Miki & Dex” by Hannah R. Goodman, Sucker Literary Volume 2

Beep.
I roll over and look across the room at the source of the beep—the answering machine, which I resurrected from a box of Mom’s old college stuff in the garage; I was desperate after she took away my cell phone, though I knew it was a fitting punishment for being too wrapped up in a boy I shouldn’t talk to so much. Of course, all the machine has done is allow me to replay old messages from him over and over, so the irony is that it’s actually harder to disconnect.
I get up sleepily, hit the play button, and flop back onto the bed.
“Are you even playing these messages? ’Cause I’ve called like, fifteen friggin’ times, Miki.”
I rub my eyes.
“I have something really important to ask you. I know you think I’m bullshit, but I swear to God I’m not, so just call me back, okay?”
The machine clicks off. The phone rings again. I run over and press the volume button, then sit down at the edge of the bed and listen.
“Fine, you don’t want to call me back. Okay, here it is . . . Miki, will you go to Homecoming with me?” My heart stops and a tiny hope bubble floats in my belly, but then: “Okay, I’m totally kidding. Listen. Just pick up the phone. Okay?”
Asshole.
I snatch a pillow and bonk the machine. It clatters to the floor. Good. Now there’s no way to get me. I’ll just disconnect the line, and Dex can’t wake me up in the middle of the night with this bullshit.
Back to bed, except there’s no escape; he’s still going.
“I saw you with that jock dickhead. What the hell’s his name? Jimbo or Jammy—whatever. Listen, you deserve much better than that fucknut—”
I cover my head with my pillow and listen to the muffled rant.
Click.
Silence.
The phone rings again.

Bio
Hannah Goodman, M.Ed, MFA, is a YA author represented by Erzsi Deàk of Hen&ink Literary Studio. Her YA novel, My Sister’s Wedding, won the first place award for The Writer’s Digest International Self-Publishing Contest, 2004, children’s book division. She published the follow-up, My Summer Vacation, in May 2006, which went on to win a bronze IPPY in 2007. The third Maddie book, Fear of Falling was released in the fall of 2009 and was praised by teachers and readers for tackling subjects like homophobia and coming out. She’s published young adult short stories on Amazon’s Shorts, in an anthology entitled Bound Is The Bewitching Lilith, and in the journal Balancing The Tides. She also has written columns for The Jewish Voice & Herald. Her newest endeavor is Sucker Literary, featuring undiscovered and new YA authors.

A former high school English teacher, she now owns her own small company, The Write Touch, offering a variety of tutoring and coaching services for clients of all ages. She assists in the college application process, from SAT prep to writing the college application essay. Additionally, she is a writing coach and consultant to authors and would-be authors. Hannah is a member of AWP and SCBWI as well as a graduate of Pine Manor College's Solstice Program in Creative Writing. She resides in Bristol, RI with her husband, two daughters, and three cats: Lester, Maisey, and Judy.




Hi, my name is Natalie and I am a bookaholic!

I have always been an avid, (ok obsessive) reader.  To be quite honest, I am not sure exactly how I got started doing this, I know it involved facebook, and authors, and books...but I am glad I did!  I have loved the past few months of reading, reviewing, and getting to know several very sweet authors and I look forward to continuing to grow the blog and one day organizing tours myself.


Please overlook the no makeup, seems I have no recent pictures with makeup on.  


Here's me, the SO, and the heathen enjoying the east coast beach life!

I was born and raised in central Alabama and lived there until I was 25.  I started my career in the repossession business when I was 24, and moved to Lexington, KY to manage an office when I was 25.  Spent 4 years there, and SO and I decided a little over a year ago, we both wanted a fresh start somewhere with a beach.  Couldn't afford San Diego yet, so we decided to move to the area known as Hampton Roads in Virginia.  We are west coast dreaming, while east coast living!  

In between working a day job as a skip tracer for a repossession company, working with the SO repossessing cars, and parenting the heathen, I am now writing this blog/facebook page, our other facebook page with stories from the world of repossessions, and throwing around ideas for a book along those lines. 




That's it for this week, come back next week for another giveaway and author spotlight from the Stamford Author Event!


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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Spotlight: Sapphire Universe by Devon Herrera



Synopsis:



Rule #1 Do NOT ignore the signs.
Rule #2 Pay attention.
Rule #3 The less they know about you, the harder it is for them to hurt you.
Rule #4 Comfort is dangerous. It can be taken away.
Rule #5 Need is a handicap. It can cripple you.
Rule #6 He isn’t what he seems. Don’t trust him.

Simple rules made for a simple purpose. Nina Ryan learned early on in life that if you want to avoid being hurt, you need to be proactive. If you pay attention the Universe will always steer you in the right direction. It will help keep you safe. So, she follows the rules, and she is safe. Until Connor Wright barges his way through all her carefully laid defenses and threatens to destroy the comfortable life she has created. Faithfully following her #1 rule, Nina tries to accept that the Universe has pushed Connor and her lives together for a purpose. Determined to make Nina his, Connor chips away at the walls Nina has placed around her heart and her secrets. Is Nina following the signs that will lead her down the right path, or does Connor hold secrets of his own that will ruin Nina for good? Only the Universe knows.

Prologue Excerpt:


I sit with my knees against my chest and my arms wrapped around my legs, hoping that if I make myself small enough I will just disappear altogether. My whole body is shaking and the tears rolling down my cheeks are like acid. I look down at the cotton sheets where the last part of myself I had control over was ripped from me. I can’t think or breathe or feel, my body is no longer my own. The space around me is quiet and still, but I feel as though there is carnage and chaos surrounding it, and eventually, me, closing in will crush me.

All I want to do is call my mom. I want her to tell me that I can get through this. That if I’m strong enough, it won’t matter, that it won’t define me and my life is still my own. I reach over to the drawer of my nightstand and pull on the knob with shaky hands. I fumble with my fingers until I feel paper crinkle beneath them and grip the note containing my mother’s last words. I read it for the millionth time and close my eyes against the unforgiving thoughts that scroll through my mind. Why couldn’t you have just stayed for me? My mother

I look around my room and the scene replays over and over in my mind. The pain. The degradation. Everything is tainted. I look at the note one last time and crumple it in my hands and stand. My legs protest, but I fight through it. My stomach rolls, but I ignore it. Once I’ve regained control over the parts of me that were still reacting in fear, I rip the sheets from my bed and the clothes from my body and shove them in the middle of the mattress. Reaching into my closet I pull clothes that I have never worn from the back and dress again. Still clutching the note in my fist, I grab the pile of filth from my bed and carry it to the kitchen and toss everything in the sink.

My hands finally stop shaking when I extract a match from the box on the window sill. I strike the match and watch the flame turn indigo to orange to gold and let it drop into the remnants of my innocence. The flames spread and grow and the colors dance and twist in a destructive composition, turning the evidence of my disgrace to embers. As the flames start to shrink and slow, tears once again roll down my cheeks and this time they’re cleansing. Inside the fire I find my clarity. This night happened because I didn’t trust what I believed. I was blind to what I saw right in front of me. Though a part of me had always screamed that he couldn’t be trusted I had disregarded the warning signs, too desperate for what he offered to protect myself.
I took a risk and I lost. The final flames flicker and I look down at the ball of paper in my hands, then throw it into the ashes to be burned with the rest of it. I will not make the choices she made. Not while I can start over and learn from her mistakes and mine. This will not be my undoing. I never want to be blindsided again,


to hurt like I’ve hurt again. From now on, I will pay attention to the world around me. I will see the signs and protect myself from the risks. Nothing and no one will ever hurt me again, because I’ll know. I’ll be ready for it.
can’t tell me to be strong when she wasn’t, to get through it when she didn’t. She let one terrible event in her life strip her of her identity. She let it break her. For the first time since I was given this note, I understand why.
 
About the Author:

I am a wife of a U.S Army Soldier and mother of a beautiful little girl. I work for the Wyoming Department of Revenue in Cheyenne Wyoming, and no we don't still ride horses out here. I've been in love with reading since I first discovered the Harry Potter series in 4th grade. I don't just read a good book I devour it. After reading hundreds of novels I finally bit the bullet and sat down to write one of my own. I had an idea in my head and as soon as I started writing, the story seemed to play out right infront of me. Nothing has ever felt so natural. About 10 chapters into it I decided that I was going to take the plunge and get it self published as an Ebook. "Sapphire Universe" is a Contemporary Romance novel for adults, because lets face it, I'm female. Romance is what I like to read so it's what I'm going to write. I'll be posting some teasers and keeping you up to date on my progress as I finish writing and editing. Thank you so much for your support, and I can't wait for you to read "Sapphire Universe."

 Links


Giveaway

**Giveaway is for a kindle e-copy only, please do not enter if you cannot accept kindle files**



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Monday, June 24, 2013

Spotlight: Wandering by Heather Sutherlin


Book Info-
Title- Wandering
Series- Wanderer Series Book # 2
By- Heather Sutherlin
Expected Publication Date- June 25th, 2013 

Blurb-
When you’ve travelled between worlds, there’s nowhere left to go but home.

Rory has never been so cold in her life. But the biting wind only reminds her of another pain that grows more intense with each passing day. Each night Jaron’s beautiful voice sings in her dreams, and each day her footsteps draw her closer to his side. Danger and intrigue at every turn, no distance is too far when you’re returning for true love.

Rin has spent the last five years searching for Rory across two worlds. Now a series of visions have him convinced he’s growing closer to finding her. But when Rory slips through another portal, taking his visions with her, he finds himself back at square one. To find her now he’ll need the help of an old friend and a little otherworldly magic.  This time he intends to bring The Wanderer home for good.