Today is the official launch of “Waking Dream”!

I’m hosting an event on Facebook – please feel free to click on over and check it out!

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I mentioned previously that there’s a scene near the end of the next book (“Dream Reunion”, 22,000 words done!) where Sara and Brian have a very nasty fight – their first really ugly one in all the time they’ve been together.

The last couple of days, I’ve been working on the aftermath of that fight.  It’s no spoiler to say that things turn out OK, but the exact nature of what happens after “OK” has been tricky to get down.  The reason being…well, I’ll let one of the other characters, Sara’s friend from medical school, Joseph Harkness, explain:

“You both come to your senses, you each figure out why the other one reacted the way you did, you both apologize and then…”  He drops his gaze, and I realize what he’s going to say as just he catches himself from saying it.  “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer it if you waited until you’re back in your own house for ‘and then.’  Especially with Kevin right down the hall.”

The “and then” is, obviously, make-up sex, and it’s been challenging to write.  There are sex scenes in the other books, but none of them are remotely explicit (even the most explicit scene, near the end of “Dream Family”, really isn’t, by most standards).  I don’t want this one to be, either, but at the same time I want to put it apart from all the other love scenes in the other books.

I’m not quite ready to share an excerpt of it yet; maybe in a few days after I’ve tweaked it and I feel a little more comfortable with it…

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I’ve already mentioned Fran’s new book, but I’ve also read it – I was lucky enough to be given an advance copy, and so I’ll tell you what I think…

“Finding My Way Back” is the sequel to “Finding My Escape.”  At the end of the previous book, Hannah Jordan spent weeks in a coma after walking in on the murder of her parents.  She spent that entire time dreaming, part of it in what she thought was another world called Valeria, and all of it struggling to remember what really happened the night of her parents’ murder.

By the end of the book, she remembered.  And she thought that was the end of her ordeal and the beginning of putting her life back together.  But as the sequel opens up, Hannah learns that she’s very wrong about that.  As the story unfolds, Hannah discovers that her parents weren’t who she thought they were, and neither is her best friend…or herself.  Her world expands dramatically; she faces dangers she could never have imagined and a destiny she can’t escape.

The book is every bit as well-written as “Finding My Escape.”  The story is again mostly told from Hannah’s point of view, although in this book we do get a little more of some other perspectives as the story, and the stakes, grow with each chapter.  Hannah is a likeable and believable young woman, and her reactions to some very unreasonable events are both realistic and fun to watch.  The author does a very good job with the rest of the characters as well.  She also does a great job of making the world of the story larger without losing focus on Hannah; that’s not an easy balance to strike, but Fran Veal handles it perfectly.

There are several surprises throughout the book, starting in the very first chapter, and it will keep readers guessing right to the last page (which – fair warning! – ends in a cliffhanger; this IS a trilogy, after all).

I would highly recommend the book, but I will say that you really should read “Finding My Escape” first (which you should have already done anyway!).

Finding My Way Back is available on Amazon and also at Smashwords.

 

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A couple of months ago, I read and reviewed a great Young Adult book by Fran Veal called “Finding My Escape”.  It’s the story of Hannah Jordan, a teenaged girl who walks in on the brutal murder of her parents.  She awakens in the hospital a month later, and…

Anyway, I loved it, and I’m thrilled to tell you that it was only the first book of a trilogy, and the second book is out today!  Fran’s hosting an event on Facebook to celebrate the launch of “Finding My Way Back” (that link takes you to Amazon; it’s available on Smashwords as well)

Three weeks ago I walked in while my parents were being murdered. I escaped, but I need to put my life back together again. There’s just one problem – I don’t know where to begin.

My parents weren’t who I thought they were.
My best friend isn’t who I thought he was.
The killer isn’t who I thought he was.
And scariest of all, I’m not who I thought I was.

FINDING MY WAY BACK is a Young Adult tale of adventure, self-discovery and romance, with a twist of the paranormal. It’s the sequel to the Kindle bestseller FINDING MY ESCAPE.

You should definitely check out Fran’s event on Facebook, and you should absolutely check out her new book (and the first one, if you haven’t yet).  Here’s my review of it…

Fran Veal’s “Finding My Escape” is the story of Hannah Jordan. She’s a high-school senior who comes home one night to the worst nightmare imaginable – the murder of her parents, in progress. In the chaos, she’s knocked unconscious and she wakes up two weeks later, in the hospital, with very little recollection of what happened to her, or what she saw. Hannah goes to live with her aunt in a small town in Tennessee, where she tries to piece her life back together, and she struggles to cope with the trauma of her parents’ murder. She’s aided in these efforts by her aunt, her best friend Matt, and a strange boy who keeps showing up in her dreams…

There’s mystery and suspense as Hannah fights to remember what she saw, and uncovers clues to the reasons behind her parents’ murder; there’s romance as Hannah figures out her feelings for both Matt and for the boy she keeps dreaming about; and there’s an emotional journey as Hannah simply tries to go on with her life in the wake of an unimaginable loss. Fran Veal handles all of this with great care, and great skill.

The book is wonderfully written, and Hannah is an engaging and completely relateable narrator (the book is told in first person, from Hannah’s point of view). The prose is clean and clear, the world is well described, and Hannah’s feelings and actions are believable every step of the way. The story takes some unexpected twists and turns, which I won’t spoil at all. I’ll just say that the author surprised me more than once, even when I was sure I knew what was coming next, but at the same time I never felt that the surprises didn’t make sense.

I would VERY HIGHLY recommend this book, and I’m looking forward to the sequel.

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This is very cool – working with Around the Universe Tours, I’m thrilled to present the unveiling of a brand new book cover…

 

The book is “Piercing the Fold” by Venessa Kimball, and without further ado…

 

That’s pretty darn nice, I have to say.

So what’s the book about?

For the average human being, seeing dark auras, hearing ghostly whispers, and witnessing a contortion in the face of a passerby could easily be chalked up to hallucinations, daydreams, nightmares; mere illusions in reality. If we look hard enough, we will find explanations for such paranormal events. However, in this world, there are humans that are not so average. These humans are part of a bigger plan. Jesca Gershon-Sera is entering her sophomore year of college in Marietta Georgia, her hometown. She holds down a part-time job with her best friend, her family is close by, and school is going well. Everything should be perfect. Except, recently Jesca has been experiencing strange things; hallucinations, nightmares, daydreams that she hasn’t experienced in years. Jesca attempts to brush them off as stress from her new semester at school, but the illusions plaguing her reality intensify. Jesca “illusions in reality” begin manifesting within her as supernatural strength and abilities. Could she be losing her mind? Ezra Kahn, a mysterious professor of Jesca’s, happens to be everywhere she is recently; since the illusions intensified. Along with the slight fear that Ezra is stalking her, Jesca fears that he may be the culprit of these illusions. One night, in the heat of one of Jesca’s grand illusions, Ezra approaches her with an unexpected revelation up his sleeve. He reveals that she is not losing her mind, but rather all of the “illusions” in her skewed reality are very real and cause for inconceivable, catastrophic events to come. Ezra explains to her that, by birth, she is part of a fellowship of guardians that have inherited the responsibility to protect our earth and the human race. In Piercing the Fold: Book 1, “illusions in reality” are as real as you and I through the eyes of college student, Jesca Gershon Sera, and a fellowship of guardians predestined to protect humanity. *The Piercing the Fold series is intended for Mature Young Adult and Adult readers due to the the paranormal and unorthodox scientific concepts addressed throughout. This series contains a rich mixture of the paranormal, science fiction, romance, adventure, and suspense.

You probably want to know more about Venessa, too, and I’m happy to oblidge…

In 2010, Venessa Kimball was struck by an idea, a story, that needed telling. Having always been passionate about the written word, Venessa embarked on writing what would become her debut novel, Piercing the Fold: Book 1; a mature young adult/ adult crossover, paranormal, science fiction series. July 2, 2012, Venessa Kimball independently published the first book in the Piercing the Fold series. Book 2, Surfacing the Rim, released March 14, 2013.

In August of 2013, Venessa joined the publishing house, Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly. The Piercing the Fold series will be re-published with them beginning with Piercing the Fold: Book 1 on September 3, 2013. Surfacing the Rim: Book 2 will be re-published on September 24. 2013 and Ascending the Veil: Book 3 will be released for the first time on October 18, 2013. The final book in the series, Book 4 (Title TBD) will release in 2014.

As for the future, Venessa is already filling her Work-In-Progress folder. Two of her future projects are contemporary fiction and will reflect her diversity as a writer in other genres. When Venessa is not writing, she is keeping active with her husband and three children, chauffeuring said children to extracurricular activities, participating in charitable 5k and 10k races(crazy…but she loves to run), catching a movie with her hubby, and staying up way too late reading.

You can follow Venessa at her website, on Facebook and on Twitter.  So check her out!

 

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Thanks to a very nice poster on one of the Facebook author groups I belong to, I found out about a radio station based out of California that supports indie artists (including authors), and who will, for only $5, advertise indie books for a whole month (and they even record the ad for you!).

The station is RadioRock 92.6 The Blitz, and they’re airing an ad for “Dream Student” starting today.  And here it is…

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“Waking Dream” is officially a book!

I just approved the printed proofs on CreateSpace a few minutes ago – although the launch isn’t officially until Monday, the physical book is available now!  You can get it from CreateSpace directly right here.  It’ll be up on Amazon in the next few days, and on Kindle by Sunday night or Monday morning.

It’s also available on Smashwords in several eBook formats right now…

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Here it is, hot off the press…

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I’ve got another great new indie author to introduce to you…S.M. Boyce 

S.M. Boyce is a fantasy and paranormal fiction novelist who also dabbles in contemporary fiction and comedy. Her B.A. in Creative Writing also qualifies her to serve you french fries. She updates her blog (smboyce.com) a few times each week so that you have something to wake you up in the morning.

Besides her website, you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, Goodreads, Google+ and Youtube (whew!).

Her novel is called “Lichgates”:

 

Kara Magari is about to discover a beautiful world full of terrifying things: Ourea.

Kara, a college student still reeling from her mother’s recent death, has no idea the hidden world of Ourea even exists until a freak storm traps her in a sunken library. With nothing to do, she opens an ancient book of magic called the Grimoire and unwittingly becomes its master, which means Kara now wields the cursed book’s untamed power. Discovered by Ourea’s royalty, she becomes an unwilling pawn in a generations-old conflict – a war intensified by her arrival. In this world of chilling creatures and betrayal, Kara shouldn’t trust anyone… but she’s being hunted and can’t survive on her own. She drops her guard when Braeden, a native soldier with a dark secret, vows to keep her safe. And though she doesn’t know it, her growing attraction to him may just be her undoing.

For twelve years, Braeden Drakonin has lived a lie. The Grimoire is his one chance at redemption, and it lands in his lap when Kara Magari comes into his life. Though he begins to care for this human girl, there is something he wants more. He wants the Grimoire.

Welcome to Ourea, where only the cunning survive.

You can find “Lichgates” at Amazon (Kindle – for free, or in paperback), Barnes & Noble, Kobo, the Apple iBookstore and Smashwords.

And here’s an excerpt to tide you  over until you pick up the book…

Kara Magari squinted back up the path she’d just climbed. The gazebo’s roof peeked through the trees, evidence of where she’d been only ten minutes before. Not bad. With her finger in the air, she traced the way she’d taken, starting at the lichgate and going down over each step in her head. Her finger hovered and came to a stop, though, when she examined the base of the hill.

Built into the rock was a marble door, shrouded with overhanging roots and dangling moss that clung to its frame like bangs. She rubbed her eyes, but the closed entryway was still there when she opened them again.

She brushed her hand along the door’s smooth stone. It was simple, with only a round stone knob and a small emblem carved into the rock at eye level. The symbol looked something like a four-leaf clover made out of crescent moons.

Kara’s fingers itched on the handle, but she hesitated.

The ground trembled with a sudden force that knocked her against the cliff. The breeze stopped, dissolving with a hiss into the hot summer sky. She scanned the valley. Several somethings cracked in the ground under her feet.

Thunder rumbled overhead. A dark cloud churned in the sky, and her heart fell into her stomach; there hadn’t even been a single fluffy cloud up there ten minutes ago.

A blinding bolt of moss-colored lightning flashed, striking the ground nearby. The hairs on her arms stood on end. Heat coursed through her calves, and she caught her breath. Her ears rang.

Wait. Was that lightning green?

The cliff trembled as a boom shattered the air. It began to rain. The heavy drops pelted her skin and clung to her hair as another rumble coursed along the far edge of the valley. She needed shelter, and the last place she would go in a lightning storm was up a hill.

She turned back and twisted the door’s handle, sighing with relief as it opened—unlocked. Still, as wet as it was outside and as much as she wanted a safe place to wait out the rain, she lingered on the threshold to examine the room.

Mud covered everything from the floor to the ceiling. Since there weren’t any supports to hold the roof, she couldn’t figure out how the ten-by-ten dirt shelter hadn’t caved in yet. The air within was heavy, moist with the rot of dead leaves, and her only guiding light streamed in from behind her. Roots dangled from the ceiling like stalactites reaching for the floor. The wind picked up, howling as it pelted rain against her back.

Kara tested the ground with her sneaker. The dirt floor supported her weight, so she tip-toed into the room and left the door open. Rain fell in lingering drops on the threshold before it disappeared into the growing pools of mud. She stuck her hands in her pockets and watched the raging storm outside.

A flash of dark brown blurred past her.

She jumped. A tan flicker snaked along the roof, and clumps of soil fell in sheets. She glared at the ceiling, holding her breath as the settling dust rained onto her shoes.

It had almost looked like a root moving, but that—that was crazy.

Another streak of motion raced down the opposite wall. It passed through a shaft of light, and Kara saw its pointed, wooden tip. Tiny veins sprouted from it like hairs, digging into the dirt so that it could travel.

It was a root moving.

A second spiny vine shot up from the floor and wrapped itself around her leg. It pulled. She tripped, falling into the first root as it snaked along the far wall. Dirt poured over her head, blinding her. The scent of decaying bark made her cough. The root tugged again, and she was yanked onto her hands and knees. It dragged her towards the center of the room. She reached for the knife strapped to her free ankle, the one Mom had—no! She couldn’t think of Mom. Not now.

A third root wrapped around her waist, and another grabbed her hand as she reached for the blade. The roots flipped her onto her back. With a bang, the door snapped shut. Her stomach churned. The floor disappeared. She fell, and the roots let go.

And here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite for the rest of the book…

 

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I’ve got a great new author to introduce to you today – Jalpa Williby.

 

Jalpa Williby was born in India and immigrated to the United States at the tender age of eight. A voracious reader, Williby’s adolescence was marked by a promising academic career. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science from the University of Illinois, Williby went on to earn Masters in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University. Her passion for helping her patients led her to a specialty in neuroscience, focusing on children and adults with neurological impairments. Juggling her time as a wife, a mother, and working full-time, her love for books never subsided. Williby introduces her debut novel, Chaysing Dreams, as she writes with her heart and soul, her passion flowing through every page.

You can follow Jalpa on Facebook and at her website.

Her brand new debut novel is “Chaysing Dreams”

 

Life…secrecy, deceit, danger…No, no! Run, escape!

 

“Run!” Her inner voice is shouting. She has to run faster! She’s about to get caught! No, no! She has to get away. Please, she must escape!

“Run faster!”

 

As long as Tess Sanoby can remember, she has always had the same nightmares, where the girl in her dreams is running for her life with an unknown force chasing her. Each time, right before the girl is caught, Tess awakens, shaken with fear and confusion. Who is the girl? What do these dreams mean?

Getting through the growing pains of high school with her best friends Jack and Kylie, and then being accepted into her dream college, Tess is excited to start her life of independence. There, she meets the mysterious trainer and mentor, Chris, and she instantly feels a strong connection with him. Unfortunately, Chris wants nothing to do with her. Although Chris continues to give her the cold shoulder, his overprotectiveness and the occasional slips of sensitivity confuse Tess. Not understanding Chris or their relationship, she is on a constant emotional roller coaster with him. Could her best friends be the stable force that she desperately needs? 

Unfortunately for Tess, the more she tries to connect the missing pieces of her life, the more obscure her past and future appear to her. To make matters worse, she realizes she has fallen hard for a man who may be her worst enemy. As passion ignites between the two, she can’t help but surrender her heart and soul to him.

Tess is unexpectedly exposed to a world of secrecy, deceit, and danger, causing her to be running for her life, chased by the unknown. Can Tess escape and save not only herself, but also her loved ones? Or, will she be caught, leaving her no choice but to face her worst nightmare?

Chaysing Dreams is the ultimate love story, full of suspense, friendship, betrayal, tragedy, and sacrifice. In this epic tale, you will laugh and cry with Tess–a story full of twists and turns, keeping you guessing until the end.

I’ve already read it, and loved it.  You can see my review here.  And you can buy the book, right now, on Amazon.

I’ve also got an interview with Jalpa…

Who is your favorite author? I have so many! I have to say, I love Khaled Hosseini- A Thousand Splendid Suns is my all-time favorite. But, I’m a sucker for a good love story. So, I love Stephanie Meyers, Richelle Mead, and Suzanne Collins .

 

How do you describe your writing style?  Chaysing Dreams is written in first person narrative style. I like to get inside the head of my character to really feel what they’re feeling, and go through the same experiences. It just seemed easier for me to express this when I was inside Tess’s (the main character’s) head.

 

Use no more than two sentences. Why should we read your book? I think many readers like to get lost in their “book world” – and Chaysing Dreams definitely gets the readers hooked. It’s got something for everyone: growing pains, real life problems, friendship, family, suspense, action, and that ultimate love that everybody craves.

 

Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself? I think each of the characters probably has a little piece of me, or somebody I know/ encountered.

 

If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why? I’d probably choose Tess, the main character. For one, she’s got a lot of depth to her character. And, the main male character who she has passionate encounters with, is pretty hot! Yes, I do fall in love with fictional characters! 🙂

 

What books have most influenced your life? Growing up, I’ve loved novels such as A Separate Peace, Billy Budd, Crime and Punishment. As an adult, the books that I’ve really enjoyed are The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Water For Elephants, Vampire Academy, the Outlander Series, the Twilight Series, and the Hunger Games. So, really my interests are all over the place. If a story touches my heart, then it has influenced me in some shape or form.

 

If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why? Oh, definitely Mockingjay. That’s the last book of the Hunger Games trilogy. I loved the series so much, but when I read the last one, I was so upset with the way it ended, that it disturbed me for months! I just got no closure. I finally had to come up with a different ending in my head so that I can have my own closure! Yes, I can be a nerd that way.

 

Beatles or Monkees? Why? That’s tough. The Beatles are a legend. But I grew up watching the Monkees on TV. Plus, I had a huge crush on Davy Jones back then!

 

Who should play you in a film of your life? Of course, a beautiful, feisty young actress! Just kidding- couldn’t resist. My life has been so complex, it would have to be somebody who can play off all the different phases of my life.

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