AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & GIVEAWAY: Laurel Garver

Today we have for you a spotlight and giveaway from author Laurel Garver. Don't forget to check out all the links for where you can find Laurel. And a huge thank you for the giveaway donation!!

Author bio:

Laurel Garver is a magazine editor, professor’s wife and mom to an energetic fourth grader. An indie film enthusiast and incurable Anglophile, she enjoys geeking out about Harry Potter and Dr. Who, playing word games, singing, and mentoring teens at her church in Philadelphia.

Author links:

Blog: http://laurelgarver.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurelGarver

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

Never Gone

YA contemporary / edgy inspirational

Days after her father’s death, fifteen-year-old Dani Deane begins seeing him all around New York — wading through discarded sketches in her room, roaming the halls at church, socializing at his post-funeral reception. Is grief making her crazy? Or could her dad really be lingering between this world and the next, trying to contact her?

Dani desperately longs for his help. Without him keeping the peace, Dani’s relationship with her mother is deteriorating fast. Soon Mum ships her off to rural England with Dad’s relatives for a visit that Dani fears will become a permanent stay. But she won’t let her arty, urban life slip away without a fight, especially when daily phone calls with her lab partner Theo become her lifeline.

To find her way home, Dani must somehow reconnect with Mum. But as she seeks advice from relatives and insights from old letters, she uncovers family secrets that shake her to the core. Convinced that Dad’s ghost alone can help her, she sets out on a dangerous journey to contact him one last time.

"NEVER GONE is a ghost story for a new generation – a twisty journey through a young girl's battle with death, grief, and the discovery of family secrets that threaten to undo her world. Garver tackles difficult subjects with depth and grace, weaving the complexities of faith with the complexities of growing up." --Heidi Willis, author of Some Kind of Normal

Excerpt:

As I head toward the bathroom, a flash of blue by the front door catches my eye. Dad’s terry robe. And Dad, straightening frames. He frowns, probably deciding whether to swap some photos. When he gets to the second row, he turns and motions to me. Come.

My hands shake so badly I almost drop my makeup case. He’s still here. Right here. Maybe the phone call, the hospital, the surgeries weren’t real. Just a very vivid nightmare. My feet carry the rest of me, like a sleepwalker, toward him.

When I get there, he’s gone. Before me is the magic photo: the one split second in my short life that I look incredible. It’s not a coiffed, polished glamour shot. No, I’m sweaty and my clothes are rumpled. But I’m floating four feet in the air, my gawky tallness curved like a curlicue C around the high jump bar. My leading arm is like a ballerina’s, legs steely and lean, face full of happy peace. A swan moment.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4109111.Laurel_Garver

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY0gSZ3-nU4&feature=g-upl

Sample chapter: http://laurelgarver.blogspot.com/2012/06/excerpt-from-never-gone.html

Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Never-Gone-Laurel-Garver/dp/1479205079

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/never-gone-laurel-garver/1112775142

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/229715

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Charade by Cambria Hebert Read Along - Week One!

I'm so excited to be taking part in my first ever read along and the fact that it happens to be for a book in the Heven and Hell series by Cambria Hebert makes it even more special!! I would love to hear some of your thoughts on this weeks questions. Week one is hosted by Some Like It Paranormal

Questions for Week One of the Read Along

 Chapters 1-6

1. Charade begins with Heven cutting off a lot of the hair she used to hide behind. Her haircut turns out really good. Have you ever had a bad haircut? A bad dye job? Tell us about it. And SHOW PICTURES! LOL!

Well, I was a child of the eighties where it was really the decade of bad hair!!! I started out with the flick where you had your hair parted down the middle and the sides in a big flick back and from there, hair got big!!! So I then went for the big perm. Why I got a perm I have no idea because my hair is naturally curly!! There was also the time that the Hairdresser cut my hair so short at the back but teased the top up so that I looked like I had a poodle sitting on the top of my head!! Not pretty at all!!! I like to think that as I've gotten older my taste in hairstyles has improved. Fortunately I hate having my photo taken so at least there's not a lot of photographic evidence to haunt me, but I did find one of the flick hairdo.... Now, no laughing!! I was very young and I'm sure it was in fashion at the time....

Now that's a very young me meeting Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran.... And aint that giving my age away!!!

2. What do you think about Heven and Cole’s relationship?

I love Cole!! But the tension has started to build now that he's laid his cards on the table. I have no doubt that Heven loves Sam but there is definitely something that draws Heven towards Cole. I can't wait to see where things go and how they develop!!

3. A new character is introduced in these chapters. Gemma. What are your thoughts on her? Any predictions?

My first thought was what a strong character she is going to be. And anyone that can help Sam and Heven to gain the upper hand in fighting all these Demons that keep popping up is a winner in my book.

4. There are a lot of demons running around in Charade. What do you think would be the best weapon to fight them?

Being as how I'm such a huge wuss and really hate confrontation, I would have to say something that requires some sort of mind control. Or if I could just give them the evil eye and they would fall down at my feet in complete submission. It doesn't sound like much fun does it, but I have no shame in admitting to be a huge scaredy cat!! But I think my ideal would be to have Sam there fighting the demons and protecting me. That I could live with!!

5. Sam is very close with his brother and feels responsible for him. Do you have any siblings? What is your relationship with them like?

I have a brother and a half brother and sister. I'm incredibly close to my brother. We are only 3 years apart in age. I love him to bits and would do anything for him. We were always close growing up.  As for my half siblings, my brother has lived in New Zealand for the last 30 odd years so we only see each other every few years but I'm his little sister and he would give me the world if he could. Unfortunately my sister and I aren't close at all. She's quite a few years older than me and has always viewed my brother and I as being separate from her family which is sad.

So those are my answers for week one of the read along. Thanks for taking the time to stop by. 

BLOG TOUR - PROMO & EXCERPT: The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale by P.G. Shriver

Title: The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale

Author: P. G. Shriver

Publisher: Gean Penny

Pages: 274

Thrown together by the cruelties of a modern day world in which genuine compassion is rare, evil abounds, and goodness is often tainted by the fight to survive, two unusually gifted teenagers discover they are linked by a fairytale told them repeatedly throughout their youth by their late mothers. 

Destiny awaits them, but first they must locate the others, as the fairytale foretells, to defeat the evil monster who waits and change the lonely world in which they live. Only then will they find peace... and family.

About P. G. Shriver

Born in California, and raised in Minnesota and Texas, P.G. spent her early years writing poetry and winning poetry contests, while escaping the drama in her own childhood by reading great books for children. Ever since her earliest days, she loved story telling. She wrote numerous short stories in High School and her early college years, continually trying to relive that first experience at the age of seven of seeing her name in print in the local newspaper. 

P.G. sought her education at the University of Texas, where she studied English, literature, and Education. During the entire process of earning her BA and M.Ed, she never stopped writing and trying to be published.  It was during this time that her first children's book No More Stinkbugs!  was accepted for publication by Castle Keep Press. Many of her stories develop from nature.

P.G. graduated college and began her career in education, another great world that offered real experiences to humor and delight through children's books. She watched children interact, bringing to surface her own experiences as a child and yet more events to write about. While teaching, she discovered many great books for young people, such as The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Maniac Magee, So. B. It and many more. She is a fan of Dean Koontz novels, too, and loves reading fantasy and paranormal books.

P.G. was married 20 years in March 2012 and has a bright, young daughter who has begun her own college career. She lives on a small farm in Texas with her family and animals. P.G. has experienced great love and loss throughout her life. Those her family has lost have dedications in her books.

P.G. has two young adult books published, Dead Perfect and The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale the first book in The Gifted Ones Trilogy. She also has several children's books written under Gean Penny, her pseudonym.  P. G. has since dissolved her contract for her first book with Castle Keep Press and moved the title to her own imprint, Gean Penny Books.

Author Links:

Goodreads l Authorcentral l Purchase l Website l Blog l Facebook l 

Twitter

Excerpt

The cold, dim room saddened the visitor upon entry. Immediately, with a slap, he flipped the light switch up, drew the shades back, and placed the cheerful pot of daisies in the center of the shelf. In that location, the daisies sat in view of the shallowly breathing patient, should she awaken. He knew better, though.

He seated himself next to the hospital bed, in the uncomfortable wooden chair, the seat cushion so well used little padding remained, lumps forming beneath the green plastic coating. Reaching out, he took a slender, limp, dark hand in his own, and then gently began stroking the forehead and hair of the sleeping beauty before him with his free hand. Tears pooled in his dark eyes while guilt flooded his heart.

"Momma, I'm here. I know you already know that, and I realize I haven't been here in a while. I haven't exactly been doin' things that would make you proud the past few months, either, and I'm sorry.

“I hope you don't know too much about that, but I've just been so angry. Just be glad I ain't in jail," he paused, waited, hoped that her eyes would flutter and he would see that disappointing look she would always give him when he transgressed. Her silence pushed him onward in the one-sided discussion.

"You'll never guess what happened to me this morning," excitement shook his voice, muffled only slightly by a guilty tone, and flowed on hopefully, making him sound almost chipper. "I was doin' somethin' I shouldn'ta been doin', one of them things you wouldn't be proud of? And this girl walked up, ya' know?" he paused again, this time not for a response from the comatose woman before him, but out of fear that what he was about to tell her would be overheard, as well as a little disbelief over what had happened.

Anyone listening outside might think him crazy when they heard the description of what he saw that morning, what he wanted his mother to know. After raising his eyes to the open door and the shuttered window looking out on an empty hall, he leaned forward, close to her left ear, her light, slow breath slightly warming his cool forehead, "I saw Bree this morning, Momma. Really! I saw her, and she told me I had to come see you. She made it sound really important, Momma... you know... like you might wake up today or somethin'. She knew I hadn't been here in a while, too. Her smile, Momma, man I surely miss her smile. Remember how pretty she smiled, Momma? Remember the sparkle in her eyes? I saw her today, Momma, and it made me so happy, but it made me feel guilty, too." He stopped, stood for a second, leaned forward again, and gripped the slender, brown hand firmer, a sense of urgency filling his heart.

"Wake up, Momma. You can wake up now; you can come back to me; it's safe, really. I really need you, especially now. At least give me a sign you can hear me, Momma, please?" a tear rolled down his soft, plum cheek, but her eyes were dry, motionless and tightly closed. When no sign came, he scooted back in the chair, folded his hands together, set his elbows on the edge of the bed and bowed his head in silent prayer, something he hadn't done in months, since he had given up on her… on life.

BLOG TOUR - PROMO & EXCERPT: Reflection (Reflection #1) by Jessica Roberts

Title: Reflection

Author: Jessica Roberts

Publisher: S/P

Pages: 304

Bright, spunky Heather Robbins has escaped her small hometown and is anxiously beginning her freshman year of college. Rising above her rocky childhood, she’s found a place where good things are finally starting to happen: her own private apartment, refreshing college classes, and an intense attachment to a mysterious and rugged classmate, Nick Richards.

But when her dreamy college life turns out to be nothing more than a wonderful dream while resting in a coma, questions threaten. 

Now, Heather must press forward to unlock the real past, and find the answers buried deep in her mind. What she unlocks instead is a roller coaster ride through flashbacks, embellished memories, and a whirlwind romance.

And when it’s all over and she comes face to face with the truth, will she lose everything she’s fallen in love with?

About the Author

JESSICA ROBERTS grew up in the San Francisco, California Bay Area where she spent most of her time playing sports alongside her six siblings.  She was crowned Miss Teen California her senior year of high school, and went on to Brigham Young University where she graduated in Human Development.  Her love of family, church, writing, athletics, and singing and dancing keeps her life busy and fulfilled.  She currently resides in Utah with her husband and three children. 

Author Links

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13504524-reflection

Blog: http://www.jessicarobertsauthor.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jrobertsauthor

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Roberts/174139906035619

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/83q6h6k

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reflection-jessica-roberts/1108923817?ean=2940013954878

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/137543

Excerpt

And then all of a sudden Nick got up.  While my brain was determining where he was going and if I’d gone too far, my eyes studied his physique as it strolled away from me.  His t-shirt clung to the evident muscles of his upper back, hanging flawlessly in the hollow down to his waist.  I’d never noticed something like that.  To my eye’s dismay he hunched behind the counter.  I was fascinated and confused by the draw I felt to him and the alien emotions pulling inside my stomach.  Emotions I was certain I’d never processed before. 

A few seconds later his eyes fastened on me.  “Garbage?”

“What?  Oh.”  I stood, laughing sheepishly.  “Yeah.  I don’t have one.  I mean, I need to get one.”  I placed my clumsy hands on my hips and then glanced behind me because I didn’t know where else to look.

Visually I followed him as he wadded the white paper in his hand, snatched his keys off the counter, and strolled toward me.  But because my eyes were nervously stiff I didn’t really see him.  I twisted Creed’s ring around my finger; then my hand scratched the back of my neck; and then my foot propped behind me on its tiptoe and I almost lost my balance. 

Say something!  He’s leaving! 

“You’re leaving already and I haven’t even finished my sandwich.”  I scrunched my nose at what came out.  “Not that I want you to stay or anything.  I mean, it’s your choice to stay or leave but—” 

His nearness cut me off.  In the course of my bird-brained comments, he had been advancing toward me, finally stopping uncomfortably close to me.  His lips were curved in a wicked grin and I swallowed with a bashfulness I rarely felt. 

To my utter shock, a hot finger lifted my chin and our faces came even closer.  Too close. 

Breathe, Heather.

“Would you like that, if I stayed?” 

My eyes dropped from his, but they only made it to his chest since he was holding my head in place.

“Actually, I have so much to do today,” I said, trying my best to sound bored.  But my voice held a nervous quiver that most likely made him smile more.

Though he dropped his hand from my face, he didn’t back away and his deep voice rumbled through my head again.  “Some of us attend class.” 

My nose scrunched.  Had I missed class this morning?  Before I had time to pinpoint what day it was, he was gone.

GIVEAWAY: Stitch (Stitch Trilogy #1) by Samantha Durante

After the huge success of Samantha Durante's blog tour for Stitch, she is still feeling in a giving mood, so has decided to continue with the giveaways!! And there are some awesome prizes to be won!!! Scroll down the page to enter.

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

You can read my review HERE

Buy Links: Amazon l Smashwords l Barnes & Noble

Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!

BLOG TOUR - REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Violet Fox (The Violet Fox, #1) by Clare C. Marshall

Today is our stop on The Violet Fox tour. I'm so excited to be involved!! You can read my thoughts on the book and enter the giveaway below. You can check out the rest of the tour stops HERE

There are two kinds of people in the land of Marlenia.

The Marlenians, who live on the surface,

and the Freetors, who are forced to live underground.

The war between them ended two hundred years ago, but the Freetors still fight for the right to live under the sun. Fifteen-year-old Kiera Driscoll embodies the Freetors’ hopes as the Violet Fox. In a violet cape and mask, she sneaks around Marlenia City stealing food and freeing her people from slavery.

Then the Elders task her with a secret mission: retrieve a stolen tome that contains the secrets of Freetor magic, something the Marlenians both fear and covet. Kiera must disguise herself as a noblewoman and infiltrate the Marlenian castle before the Freetor-hating Advisor finds out her real identity, before her brother is imprisoned because of the secrets he hides, and before she falls any more in love with the prince she’s supposed to hate.

More is happening in the castle than she realizes, and Kiera is faced with a difficult choice. Will she be loyal to her people and their fight for freedom, or will she be loyal to her heart?

Author Bio:

Clare Marshall grew up in rural Nova Scotia with very little television and dial up internet, and yet, she turned out okay. She has a combined honours degree in journalism and psychology from the University of King’s College, and is a graduate from Humber College’s Creative Book Publishing Program. She founded Woulds & Shoulds Editing and Design in 2010 for self-published authors and businesses looking for quality editing and design services. She enjoys publishing books through her publishing imprint, Faery Ink Press, and released her first novella, Within in 2011. When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing the fiddle and making silly noises at cats.

Links: Facebook l Twitter l Website

My Thoughts:

Some months back I was involved in the cover reveal for The Violet Fox and while the cover is eye catching the original synopsis didn't really give too much away. 

Run.

That’s what instinct told me.

But in order to save the secrets of my people

and to protect my brother

I have to become the enemy.

That always tends to leave me intrigued, so I added it to my huge TBR pile and thought that it would be something that I would eventually get around to reading. Well, then I was contacted by the author who asked me to be a part of her blog tour. Clare C. Marshall is so sweet and so enthusiastic that it was impossible not to get involved and share in her excitement. So that lead to The Violet Fox being on top of that TBR pile much sooner than I anticipated and all I can say is, thank you to Clare because her book is awesome!!!!

The world is full of different classes of people and so it is in The Violet Fox. You have the Freetors who live underground and you have the Marlenians who live above ground. The Freetors are forced to steal and scrounge for what they need to survive and the Marlenians live off the land, run the businesses and live a completely different existence to the Freetors. Kiera Driscoll and her brother Rordan are fighters which is a section of Freetors who are sent above ground to steal food and wares to provide for the rest of the Freetor population.  But Keira is much more than just your average fighter. She is The Violet Fox. Dressed in her cape and mask, she exudes confidence which comes from the fact that the Marlenians have never been able to catch her.

But Keira is about to be sent on a mission which will change her life and the lives of many. She is to go above ground and infiltrate the castle disguised as a Marlenian noblewoman. It is there that she catches the eye of Prince Keegan. But how will he feel once he learns that she is a Freetor who has deceived him and everyone else.

I absolutely loved the world and the strong and interesting characters that the author has created. Keira is so strong and confident as The Violet Fox but I loved that we got to see her vulnerable side as the story progressed. Rordan was such a protective brother and the direction that his storyline took threw me for six!! The romance between Keira and Prince Keegan was sweet and adorable. But I also loved that there were things that made me laugh. The authors description of Keira being prepared to infiltrate the castle was hilarious as were her descriptions of the ladies in court. I also have to say a huge thank you for not leaving us with a massive cliffhanger. Despite there being another book in the series, this one was finished off nicely by wrapping things up but also leaving us with a feeling of "what will happen next"!!

A fantastic start to the series!! If you like your books to have action, suspense, magic, romance, evil and kick ass characters, then you can't go wrong with The Violet Fox!! I'm so happy that I got to read this much sooner than anticipated and am really looking forward to reading what happens next!!

4.5/5 Stars!!

Buy Links: Amazon 

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COVER REVEAL & GIVEAWAY: Wicked Fate by Tabatha Vargo

Today we have the gorgeous cover reveal of Wicked Fate by Tabatha Vargo. This book sounds like it will be a fantastic read!! Don't forget to enter the giveaway on Goodreads, via the link below.

What if you lived in fear of yourself?

For Mage McPherson being afraid of herself is just the norm. Thanks to that fear, being a loner in a small town never bothered the mysterious Mage. Once she received her secret abilities, she figured being alone was the safest way to be. That all changes during her sophomore year at Summerville High when Adam, her equally mysterious secret crush, starts to notice her.

Afraid that she might harm Adam, Mage must learn to either control or deny herself. With Adam by her side she's more powerful than she’s ever been, but is she powerful enough to defeat her worst nightmare? She learns a hard lesson about love and magic when her destiny comes to collect.

Expected Publication: November 30, 2012

AUTHOR BIO:

Tabatha has been writing since she could pick up a pencil. Her first publication was a little poem in her elementary school paper, from that point on she was hooked. When she was a teenager, she traded in her girly magazines for personalized writing notebooks.

At nineteen, she met her own personal prince charming and writing took a back burner for a while. She is now married to that prince and the mother of a beautiful Six year old princess/rock star. Once her daughter was born, writing came back into her life, and she finished her very first novel in May of 2009.

She is pursuing a Bachelors in English and hopes to one day teach while continuing to write.

As a stay-at-home mom and full-time student, Tabatha enjoys the freedom of spending a good bit of her days doing what she loves the most…writing.

Links: Facebook l Twitter l Blog

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wicked Fate

by Tabatha Vargo

Giveaway ends November 30, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win