Hi Everyone!
Haley and I are so excited to announce that we are a few months away from launching our new website for blog tour services! Right now we are wanting to compile a list of people interested in hosting. The services will typically be for YA and NA genres. If you would like to become a tour host with us please fill out the form below! If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.
Thank you all so much!
-Becca
THE GREENLEE PROJECT
Genre: Young Adult / Contemporary / Cyber-bullying
Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press
Date of Publication: October 31, 2015
Number of Pages: 206
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Social media, cruel jokes, and bitter betrayal – watch your teens!
Greenlee Lynn Granger is about to find out how easily social media can be used as a malicious tool: a normal teen one day and ruined the next. Who knew a boy’s affections would turn her life into such a nightmare? Becoming a designated ‘project,’ a joke in front of the whole school, turns Greenlee’s life upside down. Relationships with her family and friends strained, she is forced to make mature decisions. Greenlee knows her choices will determine the future of her abusers.
An emotional glimpse into the reality of cyber-bullying, The Greenlee Project showcases the all-too-common anonymous and cruel betrayals of others through social media, of such magnitude that it devastates a young teen, her friends, family, and the community. Cyber-bullying affects not just the victims, but everyone around them. After being the target of cyber-bullying, what Greenlee does next is shocking.
“The Greenlee Project is a touching and chilling cautionary tale that every teen should read. Amanda Thrasher gives us interesting and compelling characters, a well-crafted plot, and a breathless pace. Her teens are so real that you will feel you know them personally. Teens will find The Greenlee Project a compelling read and a helpful guide, while adults will see the challenges today’s teens face. This is a grand and important story.” — David A. Bedford, Ph.D. Instructor of Spanish at TCU
“The Greenlee Project is a captivating fictional story addressing critical real-life issues that tweens and teens face today. Bullying and cyber-bullying are part of our society today that has had tragic consequences for many. Amanda Thrasher, is a talented author, who has delivered a story that is both compelling and also thought-provoking. You can feel the emotions of each of the characters as the story unfolds along this journey. It will leave you with the desire to change the world around you and to talk to others about the increasing severity of bullying and cyber-bullying. With the discussion questions included, this is an excellent choice for book-clubs and middle school language arts classes. Such a critical and important story.” – Lisa Robinson – NSC
“The Greenlee Project is a wonderful book about a terrible subject. It’s hard to read this book without feeling sad, then angry, then empathetic, then proud.” – Sherry Leigh Rummel
“I was blown away by The Greenlee Project. You hear so much about bullying and things that teenagers deal with online these days. It’s been a few week since I finished the book, and I’m still thinking about how real the characters are. You feel like you could meet any of them at any high school any where. This book is great for any age group, but teens and their parents should definitely read The Greenlee Project.” – E. Nieman
This subject is a bit close to heart since I experienced my own form of cyber-bullying in high school. I’ll try to keep it short!
The Greenlee Project brings to light a very important issue that is often ignored. While it centers on cyber-bullying, the face-to-face bullying is very present in this as well. What’s interesting about this book is that you feel empathy for all of them. They are all making mistakes and taking their own personal frustration outward unto other people as a way to make themselves feel empowered. It’s a self-destructive and spiraling effect that involves everyone in this book.
I didn’t want to feel hate for any of the characters because I remember how tough high school was at times. Still, it was frustrating to read about Clay actions and non-actions in stopping the bullying of Greenlee. It made no sense to randomly choose to target her, especially after one glance. Laurel, a popular girl in the school, is also dealing with a very dangerous and important issue herself. Yet, she still puts down her friend Kelsey and expects her to ignore the issue. It really brings to light how trying to fit in can make you act in irrational and cruel ways. Even if you’re considered popular.
This book does show some positive aspects as well. While there are cliques that have friction between each other, there is also a very well-exampled mix of group dynamics and how friendship varies between them. Even someone that might feel jealously towards their friend will ultimately want what’s best for them and will do what’s necessary to make sure they’re alright. Or a friend that stands by another, even when jokes and backlash are coming down on them and they might be caught in the crosshairs. Thrasher did a great job of balancing between the positives and negatives of growing up.
Since the book doesn’t have a timeline or character line breaks, it can get a bit confusing as the writing changes between perspectives. I tended to consider this book set some years back since the slang used was more around 5 years ago. It was actually pretty easy to consider it exactly the time I was in high school since I remember texting or saying ‘true dat’ quite a bit and chatting on forums.
This might seem pessimistic but there is always going to be bullying. It’s just something that can happen randomly and intentionally. It’s the reaction to it that truly matters. Standing by someone being bullied and stopping the issue can change their day. It can change their life. So is standing up for yourself. I wish this book had been recommended reading in middle school or high school as opposed to the others. It can and will make a difference to someone that has been bullied before or may be bullied one day. The first step to making people better is being aware of what we need to change. The ending was great and I was really proud of Greenlee. This book is a great choice for teens and parents.
Multiple Award Winning Author Amanda M. Thrasher was born in England, moved to Texas and resides there still. Author of several children’s books including picture books, middle-grade chapter books, YA and even a reader’s theater titled “What If . . . A Story of Shattered Lives.” She conducts workshops, writes a blog and contributes to an online magazine. She’s a multiple Gold recipient of the Mom’s Choice Awards for The Greenlee Project, YA and General Fiction, and for Spider Web Scramble, a Mischief book. As Chief Executive Officer of Progressive Rising Phoenix Press, she assists authors with their work and shares her writing process and what she has learned as a publisher with people of all ages.
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CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
| 9/7 | Review | Byers Editing Reviews & Blog |
| 9/8 | Book Trailer | Texas Book Lover |
| 9/9 | Review | Hall Ways Blog |
| 9/10 | Excerpt 1 | Country Girl Bookaholic |
| 9/11 | Author Interview 1 | My Book Fix Blog |
| 9/12 | Review | The Page Unbound |
| 9/13 | Guest Post | Forgotten Winds |
| 9/14 | Excerpt 2 | Margie’s Must Reads |
| 9/15 | Review | Kara The Redhead |
| 9/16 | Author Interview 2 | StoreyBook Reviews |
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Rhodi’s Light
Megan Linski
(Rhodi Saga #1)
Published by: Gryfyn Publishing
Publication date: September 4th 2016
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, Young Adult
Rating: 3/5
Flight. Hyperspeed. Clairvoyance.
These are some of the powers gifted to the Rhodi, an ancient sect of assassins who defend Crescentia, a dystopian world with a dying hope.
Dyliana Fairsson is one of them. After losing her parents to a suspicious accident, she and her twin brother, Devin, join the Rhodi to avoid starvation. Under the direction of her master, Dylan struggles to learn the strength of her magic …as well as hide the growing scars on her wrists. Can Dylan become the warrior, the hero, she’s destined to be? Or is she fated to fall from the light into the darkness?
The first installment in the epic fantasy series by bestselling author Megan Linski, Rhodi’s Light is an action-packed thrill ride that will leave readers begging for more.
The complete saga:
My Review:
The story follows Dylan and Devin, brother and sister that are on the run with their parents. They don’t know what follows them and neither of their parents will answer their questions. While they flee across the borders, tragedy strikes, leaving Dylan and Devin parentless. They spend several weeks surviving on the street, with hints as to something horrific happening to them. Something had happened to them and neither one of them seem interested in remembering the night their parents died nor their endless days on the street, starving, and stealing what they can in order to survive. One fateful day, they attempt to steal from the master Rhodi whom takes pity on them. With their bellies aching and starving beyond belief they break into the Rhodi’s home where the Rhodi welcome them. Their only condition though is that Dylan and Devin must train the ways of the Rhodi. But a darkness stirs and one of their own is taken. Left alone at home, Dylan and Devin decide to take a stand, joining in on the fight, and doing what they can to save their master.
It was a little slow in the beginning, but the characters are likable so the slow-pace was still enjoyable. Rhodi’s Light does deal with depression and self-harm. Dylan emotionally struggles and has much self doubt that she learns to overcome. And the way Megan handles this plot detail is very sensitive to the concept. I think YA novels should have more books that deal with mental illnesses or disorders and I really enjoyed the fact that Megan shed light on a situation that is not often talked about in YA books but that many teens struggle with. It also shows how Dylan works through her depression and finds something to fight for. It also shows how Dylan accepts help when it is offered to her.
One thing I really enjoyed was the twins Tavana and Talidin. They are the ones that train Dylan and Devin. I think the friendship and trust that develops and grows between the four of them is solid and beautiful. I think as main characters, Dylan and Devin have alot of potential to become truly crafted and amazing characters which I look forward to seeing their development in books 2 and 3.
Overall Rhodi’s Light was a very pleasant read, and though it may not be a read for everyone since it does deal with delicate topics, I think it should still be a highly considered read since it is an interesting story and has so much to offer.
Author Bio:
Megan Linski is the owner of Gryfyn Publishing and has had a passion for writing ever since she completed her first (short) novel at the age of 6. Her specializations are romance, fantasy, and contemporary fiction for people aged 14-24. When not writing she enjoys ice skating, horse riding, theatre, archery, fishing, and being outdoors. She is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, and is an active fighter against common variable immune deficiency disorder. She lives in Michigan.
Megan Linski also writes under the pen name of Natalie Erin for the Creatures of the Lands Series, co-authored with Krisen Lison.
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A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest PAPERBACK NEW AND LENGTHENED EDITION
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson PAPERBACK
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas PAPERBACK
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THE REPUBLIC OF FOOTBALL
Legends of the Texas High School Game
by Chad S. Conine
Genre: Texas Sports History / Biographies
Date of Publication: September 6, 2016
Publisher: University of Texas Press
# of pages: 288
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Anywhere football is played, Texas is the force to reckon with. Its powerhouse programs produce the best football players in America. In The Republic of Football, Chad S. Conine vividly captures Texas’s impact on the game with action-filled stories about legendary high school players, coaches, and teams from around the state and across seven decades.
Drawing on dozens of interviews, Conine offers rare glimpses of the early days of some of football’s biggest stars. He reveals that some players took time to achieve greatness—LaDainian Tomlinson wasn’t even the featured running back on his high school team until a breakthrough game in his senior season vaulted him to the highest level of the sport—while others, like Colt McCoy, showed their first flashes of brilliance in middle school. In telling these and many other stories of players and coaches, including Hayden Fry, Spike Dykes, Bob McQueen, Lovie Smith, Art Briles, Lawrence Elkins, Warren McVea, Ray Rhodes, Dat Nguyen, Zach Thomas, Drew Brees, and Adrian Peterson, Conine spotlights the decisive moments when players caught fire and teams such as Celina, Southlake Carroll, and Converse Judson turned into Texas dynasties.
“This is a wonderful, well-written book, full of compelling details and stories. A ‘must read’ for any Texas football fan.” —DAVE CAMPBELL Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
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Conine is a freelance sports journalist who has written for the Sports Xchange, Reuters, and Golf.com, among others. He has been covering Texas high school and college football since the late 1990s. He lives in Waco, Texas.
September 5 – 19, 2016
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Check out the other great blogs on the tour!
9/5 Review Hall Ways Blog
9/7 Review Margie’s Must Reads
9/8 Guest Post 1 StoreyBook Reviews
9/9 Author Interview 1 Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their Books
9/10 Promo Kara The Redhead
9/11 Review Reading By Moonlight
9/12 Trailer Texas Book Lover
9/13 Guest Post 2 Missus Gonzo
9/14 Review It’s a Jenn World
9/15 Author Interview 2 Chapter Break Book Blog
9/16 Review Country Girl Bookaholic
9/17 Guest Post 3 The Crazy Booksellers
9/18 Promo A Novel Reality
9/19 Review The Librarian Talks
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The Reader
by M.K. Harkins
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: August 25th 2016
Summary from Goodreads;
Hunted, shot, and without her memory, eighteen-year-old Ann Baker wakes in shallow water on a deserted Pacific Northwest island. She is soon approached by two young men claiming to be her friends. Something isn’t right, but when gunshots sound, Ann is left with little choice but to allow Devon and Archer to help her escape. Soon she finds herself in their North Bend mountain compound, where the higher evolved humans claim to be mind-readers. While Ann heals, she realizes they believe her to be one of the last and most powerful of all – The Lost One.
She’s welcomed by most with opened arms, but not everyone is happy about her arrival. A jealous adversary has plans for Ann, which spirals the entire Reader community into chaos.
As lies, murder, and betrayal threaten to rip apart the once harmonious mountain dwellers, Ann is thrust into making a decision that could save or devastate not only The Readers, but all of mankind. But there’s just one glitch: by doing so it may require her to make the ultimate
Buy Links:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo
The Reader Author Interview:
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I know the exact date – February 3rd, 2013. I ran out of reading material on my Kindle. I stared at the wall, for what seemed like hours. It was then that I had a light bulb moment. I thought “Well, if I can’t find anything to read, I’ll just write something!” The “something” became my first novel, Intentional.
Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
Yes and no. I need uninterrupted time (I’m not one of those authors who can write for an hour per day) Give me four hours, and I’m good to go. I do my best writing in the parking lot waiting for my daughter to finish her basketball practice.
Where did you get the idea or inspiration for The Reader?
I have absolutely no idea! When I sat down to write it, the words, plot, dialogue literally flew from my fingers to the keyboard.
What books have most influenced your life?
The first book I remember reading was Exodus. I was in the 7th grade and I couldn’t put it down. Although I can’t remember all the details, I’m sure it has made me more compassionate.
The next book would have to be Slammed by Colleen Hoover. I know these two books are polar opposites, but nonetheless they both left their mark. With Slammed, I was introduced to a simple, yet complex love story. It brought out all my dormant feelings of first love. My heart raced, my palms became sweaty – all of those feelings came back in a rush. If it were not for Colleen Hoover, and her wonderful writing, I would not have written my first book. That’s a pretty big influence!
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
When I’m not writing, I like to think about writing. When my fingers are not on my keyboard, my brain is batting around dialogue. I think it’s called “Voices in my Head” but for writers, it means creativity, not craziness (I think – lol)
Any future writing news you would like to share?
Yes! I am currently working on Famous by Default (another YA book). Also, if I get enough requests, I’ll continue with The Reader Series J (So email me!)
About the Author
MK has always been a voracious reader. After hitting a dry spell of reading material, she decided to write the kind of book she’d like to read. This resulted in the creation of her debut novel, Intentional. (Award for Best Sweet Romance – eFestival of Words- August 2014)
Unintentional, her second book, is based on the life of one of the characters in Intentional. Unintentional was written as a stand-alone book.
Breaking Braydon and Taking Tiffany have both been released. Available on Amazon.
The Reader is MK’s latest project, due out 2016.
When she’s not writing novels, she likes to spend her free time traveling the world, splashing in mud puddles (She lives in Seattle, what can she say?), watching movies and reading (!)
MK also runs her own business in her current hometown of Mercer Island, Washington.
Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook
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Farewell to Summer
$250 Cash Giveaway
September 1st to 22nd
An Awesome Group of Authors & Bloggers have joined with me to bring you 1 fabulous prize!!
We’re giving away $250 in Paypal Cash! Or alternately you can choose a $250 Amazon.com eGift Code!
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Thanks to these great authors & bloggers for making this giveaway possible!
I Am A Reader
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Diana’s Book Reviews
Glistering Bs Blog
Aubrey Wynne: Vintage Romance for Today
A Journey Without Map
Caroline Clemmons
Author Georgina Young-Ellis
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Rachel Matthews, Author of sweet, cozy reads
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Author Rachael Anderson
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Author Charissa Stastny
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Suzi Love
Tamara Gill – Historical & Time Travel Author
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Talia Jager
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Giveaway Details
$250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon.com eGift Card
Ends 9/22/16
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or gift codes via Amazon.com. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Red: The Untold Story
by Angela M. Hudson
Genre: YA Fairytale Retelling
Release Date: July 25th 2016
Summary from Goodreads:
A powerful new YA novel by award-winning dark romance author AM Hudson.
Do not go gentle into the wolf’s asylum…
Once every twenty years, pack alpha Luther takes a new wife. On the day of Selection, Red is chosen. Just as her family always planned. Just as she always planned. Until she met Alex Plain.
Alex took Red to worlds she never imagined, where the ordinary is seen as magical, and the upright is abstract. With the help of this new friendship, Red begins to see a future for herself outside of the pack. But, unfortunately, Alex Plain came along too late.
Red is obligated to marry Luther now, and taken to live in the mysterious Ravenswood Mansion, where truth lies and the walls have eyes. What Red learns there about her alpha will ignite some burning questions—ones that, when answered, could undo the entire order of the pack:
What happened to all the children born there? Why hasn’t this mansion left the seventeenth century? And where are all his previous wives?
Buy Links:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | B&N
About the Author:
From the town that brought you Sam Worthington, the city that brought you Heath Ledger, and the country that gave you Chris Hemsworth, comes the AusRom TODAY Author of the Year 2015 and Best Established Author nominee AM Hudson.
This internationally successful author has captivated fans all over the world since her Dark Secrets series was released in 2011. Known for her character-driven novels and twisted plots, her epic stories will confuse you, draw you in, make you feel something, including a strong desire to slap the protagonist.
When she’s not making people fall in love with her works, she spends time sorting a mountain of laundry for her four sons and drags shoelaces around the house for her Ragdoll cat Pudding to chase.
Mrs. Hudson loves a good chat about all things bookish, so come find her on Facebook at ‘AM Hudson’, and she absolutely loves readers that leave reviews.
Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter
Facebook│Amazon Author’s Page
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The Retreat
Earth is ruined. Humankind destroyed. And it’s old news.
Romy’s life is simple—for a genetically enhanced space soldier; pick up space junk with her four friends, and stave off the invaders fixated on stealing Planet Earth.
It isn’t much. But it’s temporary—only another 850 years to go, give or take.
When her crew tangles with a gulp-worthy alien mothership, Romy’s return to Earth is brought forwards at hurtling pace.
Strength comes from the unlikeliest of quarters.
As does leadership.
…As does betrayal.
Excerpt:
Romy’s side of the battler must have torn away during landing. Only a few shredding battler walls remained. It was as though her side of the ship had been ripped off like a chunk of bread from a loaf.
The floor underneath her was gone, leaving her legs dangling. Romy herself was suspended by the harness, which dug into her torso. It was the only thing keeping her from falling three metres to the dry grass.
The bottom part of her battler segment had embedded itself into the ground on an angle. Romy’s end of the segment was immobilised in the air, forty-five degrees to the surface. She looked to have landed at the edge of a grassy clearing. Or maybe a forest, she amended, judging by the multitudes of trees before her.
Behind her, the ripped walls were flayed wide open, smoking, sparking, and hissing.
She took in the vast splash of colours before her with unseeing eyes. She was on Earth. Hanging above real ground.
Quite alone. And if her knot hadn’t . . . survived . . . she was quite possibly the only person, or being, on the planet. A numbness set in so deep that Romy could no longer feel the harness. Her head drooped as she struggled to regain her calm. She had to find her friends. That was an absolute. They were alive. She had to believe it was true.
She waited, willing her shaking hands to still until eventually they obeyed.
Inhaling sharply, Romy looked around once more.
The question was: How far did her section of the craft land from the others?
If it were a matter of hours, that would be okay, but anything more and she would require food and water. A post-global-warming Earth meant the food and water here wasn’t safe. The yellowed plant life confirmed that. The battler held supplies, but did she have any in her part? And how much oxygen was in her suit? Romy’s heart began to quicken once more, and she forced the unfamiliar fear away.
First priority was getting to the ground. Under normal conditions she would take the chance and jump the three metres, but the injury to her ankle and the extent of the damage to her head caused Romy to hesitate. If only she could take her suit helmet off . . . but the air conditions had to be terrible. She wouldn’t last five seconds.
No, she decided. She’d pull herself up onto the back of her seat and see if there was an easier way out from the back of the smoking wreckage.
She sighed in weary exhaustion, not sure she had the strength to move a single finger. But that wouldn’t help her friends.
Romy released one half of her harness. Holding tightly to the strap, she released the second half of the harness—
Something gave. Not the harness, but whatever it was attached to, or attached with. For a moment Romy thought she might be able to salvage the tatters of her plan and still climb up. Until, with a loud ripping, the harness tore free from the rest of the chair.
Purchase Links:
Interview with Author Kelly St. Clare:
How did you choose the genre you write in?
I read fantasy, my mind seems to naturally churn out fantasy/science fiction/action and adventure storylines. I would write in any genre, however, as long as the story interested me enough.
Where do you get your ideas?
Who knows! Some weird part of my brain. As to location; long drives where I’m in the passenger seat, bus and train rides, too. And also when I’m just falling to sleep, or around 5 in the morning. Sigh. My most compelling ideas come from dreams.
Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
Sure! The Retreat is the first novel in my new series, The After Trilogy. The story follows an early twenties genetically enhanced space soldier named Romy – don’t call her Rosemary, you’ll make her mad. The story is set in a future where Earth has been desolated by Global Warming. Now the last slice of humankind exists in space, protecting Earth—turns out some unfriendly visitors rather like the look of this new Earth—and waiting until they can return to solid ground.
During a battle Romy’s ship is shot down and she crash-lands on this supposedly unliveable Earth … let’s just say she doesn’t find what she expects.
Have you ever gone out in public with your shirt on backward?
Chh, who doesn’t? Except maybe Alexander Skaarsgard. He doesn’t wear a shirt at all.
…What was the question?
Where did you love of books/storytelling/reading/writing come from?
Everything stemmed from my love of reading. While reading, I would put down the book halfway and formulate my own ending. I guess this was the start of my story-telling.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
I was writing Fantasy of Freedom at the same time! One book is in third person, past tense, and UK English—in space. And the other is in first person, present tense, and US English—in a fantasy world. I’m surprised the characters stayed in the right worlds.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
The freshness of the story. I love The Tainted Accords, but I have a major idea queue. I’ve been bursting to crack into another story for a couple of years.
What’s your favourite type of scene to write?
Action scenes, without a doubt.
What do you want your tombstone to say?
‘Knock three times for entry.’ I want to be the gravestone kids sneak into the cemetery for. #gravestonegoals
Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before?
Just one! That’s evil. Ayres Rock in Uluru, Australia. And Greece! Oops, that’s two. Ah heck, Canada as well.
What secret talents do you have?
I can do a perfect impersonation of a seagull. I’m quite proud of it.
Do you have any scars? What are they from?
Heaps. I have one in the middle of my kneecap from a Lord of the Ring re-enactment in a blizzard on Mount Tongiriro. Long story.
What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?
I like to vary where I write. Most of the time I’m in my little study. For the most part my work day is 9-5 (or 7, or 10). If I get an idea before I get to sleep I’ve learned to get up and write it down, or I get no sleep whatsoever. Those nights can be 2-4am. I love my sleep. The idea has to pretty persistent to get me out of bed.
Characters, or plot?
Characters.
Any words for your readers?
Santee Sanna Squash Banana. Also—you guys ROCK!
About the Author:
When Kelly St Clare is not reading or writing, she is lost in her latest reverie. She can, quite literally, drift past a car accident while in the midst of her day dreams, despite the various police sirens and chaos.
Books have always been magical and mysterious to her. One day she decided to start unravelling this mystery and began writing. Her aim: To write stories she would want to read. As it turns out, this failed miserably. Do you know what it is like to read something you’ve written? Impossible, that’s what. Not to mention, the ending is ruined before you’ve begun. Never-the-less, Kelly loves it and wishes she had more time to squeeze it in between her day job as a physiotherapist.
Fantasy of Frost, the first title in The Tainted Accords, is her debut novel. It’s sequel, Fantasy of Flight, was released on May 24th, 2015. Fantasy of Fire is due for release January 2016!
A New Zealander in origin and in heart, Kelly currently resides in Australia with her soon-to-be husband, a great group of friends, and some huntsman spiders who love to come inside when it rains. Their love is not returned.
Fav quote: Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint on broken glass.
Fav Song: I believe in a thing called love – The Darkness
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Tenderfoot (Enova #1)
by Abby Drinen
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Release Date: June 25th 2016
Summary from Goodreads
“No lights, no sound. But my skin knows this isn’t home. Why aren’t I afraid?”
Orphaned teenagers, Linnea, Sammy, Logan, and Daisy, have never met until they’re drawn into the fabric between worlds, crossing over from Earth to a place called Enova. Leaving behind lives filled with pain and loss they find hope in this new place. Adopted by caring, Enovan families they begin to settle in, but an assassination attempt on their lives changes everything. These four strangers must now band together and unravel the mysteries behind their purpose in Enova if they want to survive.
Excerpt
Daisy
Logan is even more spectacularly fine with his eyes open. And I was expecting Sammy to look meaner. Our empty shells in those weird tube-beds in the hospital don’t tell the full story, I guess.
After we introduce ourselves, the four of us go strangely quiet. Even I can’t come up with something to say. Actually, I have too many things to say, too many things to ask them. That’s the problem. I prioritize my thoughts and form a single question.
“What’s up with Club Depression over there?” I point at Zaren and the others.
Logan fills us in on everything they know. He tells us that we aren’t in another Deep Sleep, but have been poisoned. I stop his story there.
“Poison? Are you sure?” I ask
“That’s what they said.” Logan flips his bangs out of his face, just like I imagined he would do.
“It would make more sense from what we saw in the hospital,” Linnea says to me.
“You guys were at the hospital? When?” Sammy asks.
“We just left there,” I say.
“And all of us were still . . .” Sammy trails off.
“Alive? Yeah, everyone was still pink and breathing. But just barely.” I look directly at Logan. I heard something about his kidneys failing before we left.
Logan swallows hard and shakes his head before he continues. He says the Guardians are searching for something on the rocks up here to make an antidote for the poison. But they can’t find any. And they can’t call for help because their Chatty is out of juice. And the next place to find the stuff is too far away to get it back to us in time.
“So basically, we’re worm food,” Logan says. Then he laughs, a loud, forced noise that makes me sick. How can he be that flippant?
Linnea lets out a shocked cry. I put an arm around her and glare at Logan. But my expression only encourages him to be awful.
“Yep, R.I.P. Kick the bucket. Dirt Nap. The Big Sleep. Ha, ha! The Big DEEP Sleep, get it? Get it?” He sneers at her. Why is he being so mean?
Linnea rotates out from under my arm and takes off, choking on her fear. I purse my lips and frown.
“You’re a five-year-old,” I say to him.
I chase after Linnea and we grab seats on a clump of grass and I take her hand.
“He’s just scared,” I say. “Like we are.”
She bobs her head as tears splash her cheeks. I bite the inside of my lip in an effort to hold it together. I squeeze her hand, and then drop it to wrap both of my arms around her. Linnea stiffens at my touch so I don’t hold her too tight. She sobs for a few minutes and then looks up. Her face has transitioned from sad to something else. She has an idea.
“I’m going,” she says, in a voice as faint as watercolors.
“No, stay with us. You shouldn’t be alone.”
“I want my grandfather,” she shifts, and then vanishes.
Sammy runs over. “Where did she go?”
“That idiot freaked her out.” I stand up and shake my head.
“She’s gone to a scene with her grandfather. Not that I blame her.” I hug my waist.
“A memory with loved ones sounds good,” he tells the clouds. “I might go too.”
“Go where, man?” Logan saunters up like we’re all just hanging out at the mall on a Saturday afternoon.
I charge him and land my palms in the middle of his chest. Tiny-me actually knocks huge-him backward a little. That’s how mad I am.
“Hey, hey there, little girl. Calm down.” He’s still wearing part of a smile. I might slap it off his face.
“What is wrong with you? Why would you target her like that?” I ask. “Don’t you get it? We’re all dying, not just you!” I yell and then swear at him for being so rude. He doesn’t respond so I keep going and totally cuss him out. I use every filthy put down from Earth World that I can remember. I take it way over-the-top, but I don’t care. I unload all of my fear and frustration about this Mentalink and dying from poison onto this beefy guy. He can handle it.
I launch an insult, one about his mother, and his smirk evaporates; his face turns to iron. Seems I’ve gone too far. He jumps closer and proceeds to cuss me out now. The names he calls me I haven’t heard since waking up in Enova. I really haven’t missed being called those names. Especially the female dog one.
He pauses to take a break and a breath and bends down to meets me dead in the eye. Our foreheads touch. I can feel the moisture from his breath. “Now, get your ugly ass outta here before I throw you off the cliff,” he says through clenched teeth.
I don’t want to admit it, but I’m more scared of him than the poison right now. My thigh muscles contract as I pull back my leg and prepare to knee him in the Charlies. I hope this has the same effect in the Mentalink that it does in the real world. But Logan is yanked away from me before I can attack. He didn’t Menta-blink out to another scene, Sammy has him by the collar and is dragging him away. When he lets him go, Logan starts toward me again, but Sammy throws a meaty paw onto his chest and stops the boy in his tracks. Chin tilted to his collarbone, Logan stares at me through narrow, beastly eyes. He’s practically snarling. Staring at me like I’m his prey, his next meal. He’s looking at me like an animal, like a wolf.
“That’s enough Logan! Leave her alone!” Sammy locks his elbow of the arm holding the animal at bay.
“Leave her alone? She came after me first!” he argues.
“Still, you must show respect to a lady,” Sammy says.
“Lady? Did you hear some of the words that came outta her? She ain’t no lady.” He spits in my direction and throws me a familiar hand gesture.
“You better put that finger down boy, or I’ll bite it off,” I square my shoulders.
“Come and get me, Red!” he growls and crouches to spring forward.
My hackles raise, and my heart pounds. Logan’s gone savage. He’s going to tear me apart. I ready myself for a brawl with a much larger, stronger opponent when Sammy rescues me again. Sculpted arms loop around Logan’s middle and pick him up like he weighs nothing. He carries him an even safer distance away from me, then drops him to the ground. Sammy punches Logan twice in the chest, and once in the jaw.
“Stay away from her,” he shouts.
Logan doesn’t move, shocked into submission by Sammy’s fists. I know they startled me. I halfway expect Sammy to come after me next.
Breathless, I study the ground, counting the pebbles. That Wolf was right about one thing; my behavior wasn’t ladylike at all. What would Mama say? Or Ayelet? Both of my mothers, Earther and Enovan, would be ashamed of me. I gnaw the inside of my cheek.
When I look up, Logan is gone and Sammy is walking back
over to me.
“Now, where did he go?” I swallow.
“I don’t know. A memory scene? Are you all right?”
“No.” I totally lie.
“Are you sure?”
“Yep.” I jut out my chin and stand taller. I’m about to tell him what he did for me wasn’t necessary. That I can fight my own battles in the future.
A future . . . do I still have one of those?
My head droops, and my shoulders fall. This isn’t the time to show how hard I am. What good is earning a rep with this guy if I’m going to be dead soon anyway? I want my last hours to be honest.
“Thank you, Sammy.” I drop my gaze and blink tears away.
“Anytime, Daisy. I am your friend,” he says.
I investigate his chocolate brown eyes. He’s telling the truth, and I get the sense that he always does. I go for another slice of his honesty.
“Sammy, so do you think there’s really no hope for us?”
He shrugs. My limbs feel too heavy to move. I stand there, like my feet are stuck in cement and let my vision blur.
“It’s time to go,” someone calls out. I turn to look at the speaker. It’s Kimimela. That wickedly pretty girl from the library at the Grand Hall.
“I agree,” I say to Sammy. “It is time to go for me, too.”
He whips me up into a hug, and I return the affection like we’ve known each other our whole lives. He holds me this way for several seconds, my feet almost dangling off the ground. After he releases me and steps back, a blush appears on his dark cheeks.
“It was nice meeting you, Daisy of the Philippines,” he whispers, his eyes glued to his feet.
“I think we would have been great friends.” I pull him down by the elbow and kiss the blush on his face. “Thanks for everything, pal.”
I leave him and enter a memory of a party for me in my tiny house in a fishing village in the Philippines. I was given a doll. It’s the last time I had a birthday when both my Earth parents were alive.
About the Author
I call Northern California home and share my hearth with my husband, three kids, and a red Rottweiler named Paco.
I like to write about real characters in unreal worlds. The question I ask myself when I sit down at the keyboard is: how can I make this next scene a whole lot of fun to read?
Author Links
Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
Blog Tour Organized By
TEXAS IN HER OWN WORDS
(Second Edition)
by
Tweed Scott
Genre: Texas / Texana / General Interest
Publisher: Tejas Publishing
Date of Publication: June 16, 2016
Number of Pages: 336
Scroll down for Giveaway!
Texas in Her Own Words is a peek into the Texas psyche. It explains why Texans are the way they are . . . where all that attitude comes from. This work is the result of a statewide search for what author Tweed Scott calls the “T-Chromosome.” Texans are different but why? Scott went statewide to find the answers to three basic questions. 1) What makes Texas special? 2) Why is this place so different than anywhere else on the planet? 3) If and when it applied, what does it mean to you personally to BE a native Texan?
Scott shares some remarkable answers with you throughout the book. In the end, he learned that all Texans share four traits or attributes. When you finish this book, you will understand why Texans are the way they are. IF you are a native Texan, chances are you will find some of yourself between the covers of this book. It’s a fun read.
Praise for Texas in Her Own Words
“Searching for the soul of Texas, Tweed Scott has done a great service. People and places and the cowboy poetry of the heart — Texas in Her Own Words is chockfull of all of these things. It deserves a special place on your bookshelf. Say right between Larry McMurtry and J. Frank Dobie.” — Kinky Friedman, author and entertainer
“It’s a Texas thing, you either have it, or you don’t. Few people can define such an emotion, a feeling, a pride that is embedded so deep. This book made me cry and smile at the same time. Texas in Her Own Words helps to explain what ‘Lone Star state of mind’ is. . .” — TJ Greaney, Publisher, Countryline Magazine.
“I [Patricia Spork] very highly recommend Texas in Her Own Words (Second Edition) by Tweed Scott to Texas researchers and historians, to any hopeful “wannabe” Texan or to any yee hawin’ boastful Texan, like me (a transplanted didn’t-know-it “wannabe”).”
— Patricia Spork, freelance writer and artist
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Steven Fromholz
Birthplace: Temple, Texas
Hometown: Kopperl, Texas
Career: Musician, Actor, Texas Poet Laureate
I became a fan of Steven Fromholz in the early 1970s when I was in college in Beaumont. I loved his music. It was whimsical and just plain fun to listen to. This man could paint pictures in your mind with his words and his voice. The other unmistakable trait was how Texan he was. He loved Texas deeply and it permeated throughout his music. When he sang about Texas, you not only saw it, but you would feel it, too. His Texas Trilogy is truly a window of Texas in the 1950s or 60s. It is a Texas classic.
By the time I graduated, I had already established a career in radio. One thing about that line of work, you certainly get exposed to all kinds of situations and interesting people. I had seen Steven in concert a few times, but I never met him until I went to work in Austin. By the time I did meet him, I was a huge fan. He had deeply touched my heart through his music.
For example, my father and I had always had a strange relationship. Let’s just say we were never close. We were estranged for many years. As I became an adult, we talked and reconciled. We never became really close, but for lack of a better description, I’d say we had an “understanding.” We would stay in touch infrequently through short letters—more like notes. My father passed away a month before my daughter, Whitney, was born. I was somewhat shocked and saddened at his passing.
As I recall, it wasn’t long after that I heard the words in a Steve Fromholz song called “No Regrets.” I was given permission to share the lyric with you. That lyric was seared into my memory forever.
Like the time I cried, when my daddy he died.
Such a common thing, the tears it brings can be hard to hide.
I hadn’t seen my dad and I was feelin’ bad ‘til I heard him whisper in the wind.
“Son, no need to fret. You owe me no debt. Only have no regrets in your life.
©Steven Fromholz
I remember how I broke down and cried upon hearing those words. It was the first time I grieved for him. It was, perhaps, the first time I ever bonded with him as father and son. Steven Fromholz made that happen through his words.
One day, as I passed through the lobby at KVET/KASE, I saw him sitting there, waiting to talk with one of my radio colleagues. I took the opportunity to approach him and tell him what his song meant to me. As I thanked him, he in turn, in a humble sincere voice, looking at me straight in the eye the entire time, told me that he was happy that one of his songs had touched me so deeply. Our friendship grew out of that moment. I got to interview him a few times for various magazines over the years and saw him at several concerts—the last one at Poodie’s Hilltop Café, in Spicewood. He was engaging and just plain fun to be around. I remember talking with him at the bar at El Rancho in Austin one day. Just a couple of guys enjoying a cold one. He loved Texas. That was obvious. He was a Texan to the bone. I was so happy and proud for him when he was honored as the Poet Laureate of Texas. I could not think of a worthier person for that honor.
I, like the rest of his friends and fans, were shocked to hear of his passing in a hunting accident. Although I had corresponded with Angela, his sister, several times before his death, I have had the opportunity to become closer since his passing. She is a great lady in her own right.
It was important to me to include him in this volume. I have kicked myself several times that I didn’t interview him for the first volume when I could have while he was alive. I know he would have gladly shared the time with me. After speaking with Angela, I asked if she would provide some insight to add to this volume. She graciously agreed.
Photo credit, George Brainard, Austin, TX
STEVEN FROMHOLZ. . .
. . . IS, not WAS, my brother. Yes, he passed on January 19, 2014, but his spirit lives as surely as the sun comes up and sets in his beloved Texas. He was born in Temple, Texas, June 8, 1945, and when his father picked him and our mother up from the hospital a few days after his birth; I was the eight-year-old kid, sitting in the back seat with a pillow on my lap. They placed Steven on that pillow and he rode all the way home with me sitting in absolute awe. I think he became my first child from that day forward and remained so forevermore. As he always said, “Sis always has my back no matter what,” and that was true. He also always had mine!
Little did I know then, nor would I have ever dreamed, that tiny baby was to become a legend and icon in the music industry of Texas. I vividly recall the day Steven told me he’d decided on a music career. He was 18-years-old and carrying a new guitar. I’d had my fling in the music business and knew exactly what he was up against. I inquired as to what name he would use and he replied, “Steven Fromholz.”
I still smile when I recall my reply, “You’d better pick a stage name ‘cause no one is ever going to be able to spell ‘Fromholz’ much less pronounce or remember it.”
We had the same mother but different fathers. Steven’s dad was German/Polish and mine was English/French/Indian. Steven was always fascinated by my Indian heritage and over the years, he often used it when we were on the road to forewarn folks of my quick temper. His favorite answer was often, “Man, the only advice I can give you is don’t piss off the Indian!”
There was never a doubt in anyone’s mind—Steven was a Texan born and bred. He wore the mantle proudly from a very early age, studied Texas history, our family’s history (we’ve been in Texas since the 1850s) and wrote about it prolifically. During his long career, he not only wrote songs about Texas but promoted Texas music, and shared his love for Texas at every show he ever did. He was named Poet Laureate of Texas in 2007. Few people know that once a Texas Poet Laureate, you retain that honor forever, and Steven wore it proudly.
He always said his parents were, “party people,” which actually meant we spent most of our childhood with our Granny in Kopperl, Bosque County, Texas and grew up “country kids.” The population of Kopperl back then was 250 kind souls and it’s the same today. A lover of the outdoors, Steven always said, “God did his best work in Texas…and probably his best lick was in Bosque County, Texas.” He always claimed Kopperl, Texas as his home town and took great pleasure in making fun of our humble beginnings: “Y’all know what the word ‘Bosque’ means?” he’d ask his audiences. Obviously no one did and then he’d say “It’s an old Indian word that means ‘ain’t nothin’ shakin’” and his listeners loved it.
As the years passed, the name “Fromholz” (yeah, that name I thought no one could ever pronounce) became more and more synonymous with the State of Texas. He toured promoting Texas music and made many appearances for folks, running for State office—Democrat or Republican. He refused to publicly endorse anyone running for office in the State of Texas, except Kinky Friedman’s run for Governor. It was agreed between them that if Kinky won, he’d appoint Steven head of Texas Parks and Wildlife, which was a job Steven coveted. To tell the truth, I never knew if they were serious about that or not!
Steven wore many hats during his nearly half-century career, including singer, songwriter, playwright, humorist, actor (stage and screen) poet, river guide, educator…the list is endless. Throughout it all, despite his many talents, outgoing ways, quick wit, and definite social prowess, he never considered himself a “star” or “celebrity,” but would always refer to himself as, “an old Texas folk singer” and a, “wheel man,” which he said meant he drove for a living and just happened to entertain when he reached his destination.
After suffering a massive stroke in 2003, he stepped out of the music mainstream but continued to make a few, well-chosen appearances. On those rare occasions, the folks who enjoyed his music—and loved him dearly—would welcome him with an immediate standing ovation the moment he stepped on the stage. That never ceased to amaze him and his private comment was always ,“Well, I’m blessed they still like an old Texas boy who talks with a limp!” If there was ever an audience who loved him more than he loved them, I never saw it.
He announced his retirement when he moved to the ranch with his true love and it was there he was able to once again get back to the Texas roots he’d known as a child. He celebrated ranching, the outdoors, his faith, and the sheer joy of living as a “normal” (his word) person. He’d always compose a Christmas greeting and have me email it to his fans (whom he called “his friends”) and invariably would sign off on it by saying, “Keep loving each other and keep on loving Texas.”
The press was always kind to Steven as he was kind to and loved the press. Among the notable quotes written in obituaries there’s one that pretty well sums up who Steven Fromholz was, is, and always will be:
…But in 1973 pre-Austin City Limits, all that mattered was that Fromholz was already viewed as some elder statesman of our music and Austin’s rapidly developing scene. It wasn’t that he was an old graybeard, it wasn’t that he had a string of hits. It was that he combined in one person that hard-Texas gravitas and left-handed humor that is part and parcel of every Texan’s birthright. When he sang “There’s bacon to fry and there’s biscuits to bake/On a stove the Salvation Army won’t take,” it was like watching The Last Picture Show or Giant. It was as real as a scorpion bite.
The final time we encountered Fromholz was when he came to Anderson Fair to hear Mark Germino in 2008. Fromholz, who had driven over from Austin for the occasion, had recently been appointed Poet Laureate of Texas and he caused quite a stir when he entered the room. Even after some years out of the performing limelight, he was an instantly recognizable figure to the hip crowd at the fair that night. When he walked in, it was like Sam Houston had entered the room. So, it’s so long to the man in the big hat. Brother, you were real. (William Michael Smith/Houston Press/January 2014)
The day of Steven’s memorial service at Ft. McKavett, Texas; I was at the funeral home—just as the sun came up on a bitterly cold West Texas, January day and helped carry him to the vehicle that would transport him to his long-before-chosen resting place at Ft. McKavett Cemetery, 50 miles away. He had taken me there to view the site a year earlier, remarking at the time, “This spot is as close to heaven on earth, and still be in Texas, as I’ve ever found.” The hearse pulled out onto the highway and I followed it. It seemed we were the only two cars in the State of Texas that morning as the sun came out, shining down on us like a giant spotlight between the clouds.
When we arrived at the cemetery, and I’d helped carry Steven to his final resting place, memories overwhelmed me. I’d carried my brother home when he entered this world and had now carried him home again because he’d left it. We’d made our final road trip. It had been my great honor. As I turned to walk back to my car and get out of the cold, West Texas wind, a statement by an entertainer friend, made to a reporter in New York, came to mind:
“Hell, man, Steven Fromholz IS Texas!” All things considered—that’s the legacy he’d cherish most of all.
Tweed Scott is a laugh-out-loud funny motivational speaker and corporate entertainer. He retired from broadcasting after 31 years. His broadcasting accomplishments include operating the highest rated FM station in America and later the 5th highest rated AM station in America. Tweed is an award winning speaker and the author of the three-time national award-winning book, Texas in Her Own Words. His book is sold at the Alamo, the state capitol gifts shops in Austin, the San Jacinto Museum & Battleground, and the Sam Houston Statue & Visitor’s Center in Huntsville.
He is the past president of the board for the Writers’ League of Texas serving some 1,300 members. Tweed now writes for several magazines and has built his own writing and speaking company, Tejas Publishing, LLC. He is a graduate of Lamar University and a US Navy veteran. He continues to write and spread what he calls, “The Gospel of Texas.”
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CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
| 8/22 | Guest Post 1 | Margie’s Must Reads |
| 8/23 | Review | Country Girl Bookaholic |
| 8/24 | Author Interview 1 | My Book Fix Blog |
| 8/25 | Excerpt 1 | Kara The Redhead |
| 8/26 | Review | Chapter Break Book Blog |
| 8/27 | Guest Post 2 | StoreyBook Reviews |
| 8/28 | Promo | A Novel Reality |
| 8/29 | Review | Forgotten Winds |
| 8/30 | Excerpt 2 | The Page Unbound |
| 8/31 | Tweed’s Scrapbook | Missus Gonzo |
| 9/1 | Review | Book Chase |
| 9/2 | Author Interview 2 | It’s a Jenn World |
| 9/3 | Review | Reading By Moonlight |
| 9/4 | Promo | Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their Books |
| 9/5 | Review | The Librarian Talks |
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