Friday, February 28, 2014

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn

Third Daughter Tour


Third daughterThird Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn

Skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue... and, of course, kissing.

The Third Daughter of the Queen wants her birthday to arrive so she'll be free to marry for love, but rumors of a new flying weapon may force her to accept a barbarian prince's proposal for a peace-brokering marriage. Desperate to marry the charming courtesan she loves, Aniri agrees to the prince's proposal as a subterfuge in order to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.

Third Daughter is the first book in the The Dharian Affairs Trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance that takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.

From the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, The Dharian Affairs is a new series filled with equal doses of action-adventure and romance, meant to appeal to fans of Mindjack.

NOMINATED for the Illinois Librarian's "Soon to be Famous Author Project" wherein librarians hope to discover local authors whose "work will jump off the page for readers."

"Third Daughter is vividly breathtaking. Quinn delivers royal intrigue, exotic locations, and sweeping romance. Not to be missed!" - Pavarti K. Tyler, author of Shadow on the Wall

"Susan Kaye Quinn writes characters that leap off the page... Incredibly well written, the vivid setting was crisp in my mind... As the plot raced on, I was cursing real life for not letting me just sit glued to my kindle, punching the touch screen to get to the next page." - Tiffany on Goodreads


susan quinnAuthor Susan Kaye Quinn

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, which is young adult science fiction. The Dharian Affairs trilogy is her excuse to dress up in corsets and fight with swords. She also has a dark-and-gritty SF serial called The Debt Collector and a middle grade fantasy called Faery Swap. It's possible she's easily distracted. She always has more speculative fiction fun in the works. You can find out what she's up to by subscribing to her newsletter (hint: new subscribers get a free short story!).



Third daughter is an amazing dive into the steampunk genre (which I'm coming to love more and more each day).  A delightful mix of gadgets and inventions with a fantastic costume-like storyline.  The characters are larger than life and the book blurb really hits in on the head when it compares it to Bollywood.

Aniri is the perfect pampered pricess who is shocked to find out she may have to marry for political means after planning on marrying for love.  Thank goodness her betrothed seems to understand her lack of enthusiasm.  What he doesn't realize is that she has been asked to spy on his country.

I loved the scenery, the characters, and almost everything about it.  There were some things that were a bit too drawn out for me though - but I can't give them away or I'll ruin it for you.  This is a great unique addition to the steam punk world.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*



Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/24/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. 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, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



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Cover Reveal and Contest


Month9Books Presents a Cover Reveal and Title Contest for 
Book 2 in Heather L. Reid's Pretty Dark Nothing Series.

Help Month9Books choose a title for the next book in the Pretty Dark Nothing series!


Book 2, a follow up to Pretty Dark Nothing, will be released this fall, and we need your help picking a title.  Below are two covers, each with a proposed title for Book 2 on it.  We can't call it "Book 2" forever, so please take a look and comment HERE to vote on which you like best.
The winning title will be revealed at BEA 2014 and if you commented to vote and will attend BEA, we will give you a signed copy of the galley (limited to the first 20 commenters attending).  Voting opens today and ends on Friday, March 14, 2014.  Thanks to artist Christel Michiels for the amazing cover!
So, which do you like best?
Title choice 1: Perfect Dark Sacrifice


Title choice 2: Pretty Dark Sacrifice




Series: Pretty Dark Nothing
Author: Heather L. Reid
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: September 2014

It’s been five weeks, two days, and eight hours since the demons forced Quinn to throw herself into the raging river, since Aaron sacrificed himself to save her, since he disappeared without a trace. No body, no sign of him at all. Everyone wants her to move on, but Quinn can’t. She’s convinced Aaron’s trying to contact her, but Azrael, her angel Sentinel, insists these visions are nothing more than the demons preying on her guilt, bent on distracting her from her true destiny as the reincarnation of Eve.
With Aaron’s fate forever entwined with Quinn’s true Sentinel, Kaemon, they both find themselves prisoner of the underworld. For Aaron, death in the river would have been easier than ending up in Lilith’s dungeons.


Heather L. Reid has always had a sense of wanderlust and a belief in the paranormal. She eats mayonnaise on her fries, loves video games, and getting lost in a good story. This native Texan now lives with her Scottish hubby in South Ayrshire, Scotland, where she spends her weekends wandering the moors in search of the ghost of William Wallace and exploring haunted castles.
Her debut young adult Paranormal, PRETTY DARK NOTHING, will be released on April 23, 2013 by Month 9 Books.


Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Cover Reveal: London Bound by Nana Malone

London Bound by Nana Malone 
(Chase Brothers #1) 
Publication date: April 1st 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance


It wasn’t exactly like spunky, photography student, Abbie Nartey ran away from her life…except, that she left under the cover of darkness and put three thousand miles between her and her ex-boyfriend’s betrayal. She went to London searching for her dream. She never expected to find love, or herself.
Heir to his family’s tech fortune, sexy, Alexi Chase, is looking for freedom—from his family and from his past. What he’s not looking for is love. With secrets like his, he can’t afford to let anyone get too close. But a chance rescue has him wondering if the price of keeping secrets is too high.

Will Alexi risk losing love to keep his past hidden? Will Abbie trust herself enough to love again? Or will their pasts keep then from accepting true love?

This book contains mature themes and is intended for audiences 18+



AUTHOR BIO
USA Today Best Seller and iTunes Breakout Books author, Nana Malone's love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she borrowed from her cousin.

It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Review: Elspeth and the Pirate's Adventure by J. Bean Palmer

Title: Elspeth and the Pirate's Adventure (Cape Cod Witch Series #2)
Author: J. Bean Palmer
Source: Author Request
Genre: Middle Grade
Release Date: January 28 2014
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Book II in the popular award winning Cape Cod Witch Series featuring ElsBeth Amelia Thistle, the youngest witch on Cape Cod. 
On an innocent field trip to Boston's historic Freedom Trail, ElsBeth and her classmates become entangled in the fateful kidnapping of another student - a young Arabian Prince. 
Under the Old North Church they meet the famous freedom fighter, the pirate ghost Captain Thomas Jacques, who leads them on a daring rescue attempt across treacherous waters to Nantucket Island. And along the way ElsBeth and her friends get a real-life lesson in fighting for freedom and caring about something bigger than themselves. 
Readers also discover a treasure chest of historical nuggets and Cape and Islands lore, together with a brief sketch of the authentic pirates featured in Books I and II. 
Originally in print as The Cape Cod Witch and the Legend of the Pirate, this enhanced and expanded edition includes twenty-five original, full-color illustrations and other stylized graphic art.



Once again Elspeth finds herself caught up with a pirate - only this time they are on the same side.  When another boy is kidnapped she enlists the help of everyone (man and animal) that she can find.  Full of some very exciting things - boat chases, underground tunnels, Arabian princes, and ghosts - Elspeth has quite a day.

Again there is a little bit of history mixed into the story in a way that makes it fun and exciting (along with some nice vocabulary words).  While we didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first, it was still a whole lot of fun.  Some of the illustrations are duplicates, but there are a few that are new and they were very beautiful.


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Review: Elsbeth and the Pirate's Treasure by J Bean Palmer

Title: Elsbeth and the Pirate's Treasure (Cape Cod Witch Series #1)
Author: J Bean Palmer
Source: Author Request
Genre: Middle Grade
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Book I in the popular award winning Cape Cod Witch Series. 
ElsBeth Amelia Thistle, the youngest witch on Cape Cod, is involved in all the normal aspects of growing up. Her teacher Ms. Finch is a horror, like something out of one of those scary movies her grandmother would never let her watch. And the obnoxious Robert Hillman-Jones has it in for her. 
But when Halloween approaches in the sleepy Cape Cod town, a never-quite-forgotten pirate's treasure awakens some serious trouble. ElsBeth and her friend Johnny Twofeathers, chief-to-be of the local Wampanoag tribe, together with a cast of spirited classmates and curious magical creatures (including two troublesome fairies from the old country), must face off against dangerous outsiders - and the notorious pirate Billy Bowlegs - to restore the balance of past and present, good and evil. 
Originally in print as The Cape Cod Witch and the Pirates Treasure, this enhanced and expanded edition includes twenty-one original, full-color illustrations.



Elsbeth is the youngest Cape Cod Witch and she seems to cause just a little bit of mischief (but maybe it isn't really her fault).  But she isn't the only one - the second grade boys have a super secret plan that doesn't go very well.  It's up to Elspeth and her friends to make sure they make it out alive!

I loved this little book.  It's just the right length for a child delving into their first chapter books, and with the handful of illustrations to liven up the pages it was very enjoyable.  I like that the Halloween lore used seemed to be fairly historically accurate (from what I remember of history class).  Elsbeth was incredible likeabele and there were even a few non too subtle lessons thrown in for good measure.  This was a very fun read.


Book Blitz Excerpt and Giveaway: Of Sea and Stone by Kate Avery Ellison

Of Sea and Stone by Kate Avery Ellison 
Publication date: February 2014 
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult


All her life, clever Aemi has been a slave in the Village of the Rocks, a place where the sea and sky meet. She’s heard the stories about the fabled People of the Sea, a people who possess unimaginable technology who live below the waves in the dark, secret places of the ocean. But she never dreamed those stories were true.

When a ship emerges from the ocean and men burn her village, Aemi is captured, and enslaved below the waves in Itlantis, a world filled with ancient cities of glass and metal, floating gardens, and wondrous devices that seem to work magic. To make matters worse, her village nemesis, the stuck-up mayor’s son Nol, was captured with her, and they are made servants in the same household beneath the sea.

Desperate to be free, Aemi plots her escape, even going so far as to work with Nol. But the sea holds more secrets than she realizes, and escape might not be as simple as leaving…




AUTHOR BIO
I live in Georgia with my wonderful husband and two spoiled cats. When I'm not writing, I'm usually catching up on my extensive Netflix queue, reading a book, giggling at something funny online, or trying to convince my husband to give me just ONE bite of whatever he's eating.

Learn more about my writing and books at my blog (http://thesouthernscrawl.blogspot.com/), find teasers for upcoming works on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/kateaveryellison), and subscribe to my new releases newsletter to be notified of new novels as soon as they hit stores (https://tinyletter.com/kateaveryellison)!

Excerpt:
We walked across a bridge enclosed with glass that stretched between the ship and the city of Celestrus. Glass and twisted metal were the only things standing between the sea and us. I looked up and saw a long, sinuous shape curl through the waters above us—some giant, unknown sea creature—and a shiver passed over my skin as I remembered the dark shape that had passed beneath our ship on the journey over.
What other things lurked in the ocean’s depths?
The first guard planted his hand between my shoulder blades and pushed me forward, drawing my thoughts back to the present, back to the rush of warm air from the round opening ahead, the clank of our feet against the metal floor, and Nol telling the guard exactly what he’d like to do to him if he had a sword in hand.
I kept my mouth shut, because I wasn’t stupid.
We stepped through the round doorway, entering a round room with walls and floors of polished metal. The ceiling arched above us, made of rose-colored glass and shot through with metal that I supposed held it aloft. I could see shapes moving above it, churning shadows that stamped and brushed the ceiling and bewildered me until I realized I was seeing people’s feet and garments. The ceiling above must serve as a walkway for an even higher level, I realized. I stared at the strange shadow dance until someone nudged me. The guard.
A bench ran along one wall, and a man sat on it, waiting for us. He stood when we entered.
He must have been old, but his face was astonishingly smooth, almost ageless. His skin was the color of copper. His long hair black hair, streaked with gray at the temples, hung down his back in a mass of braids, and he wore light purple robes that draped off his thin body and engulfed his wrists. He did not look unkind, which was a good sign.
The guards herded me forward.
“What is your name?” he asked me.
“Aemi,” I said.
“Ah, Aemi. Exquisite name. Means sea-born in the old tongue.”
I lifted my gaze, startled. “Yes, it does.”
He smiled, a quick quirk of his lips that transformed his face into something kindly. “And you?” he asked Nol.
Nol turned his head and would not speak. The man looked back at me.
“He’s called Nol,” I said, and I saw a muscle jump in Nol’s jaw when I spoke his name. He gave me a look of pure loathing, and I knew I had betrayed him by giving up his identity to the man when he had clearly wished to make a statement by withholding it.
“Nol, eh? Short for Nolen?”
“Just Nol,” he growled.
“I am called Merelus,” he said, seemingly unruffled by the waves of anger radiating from Nol. “I hope we can learn to respect each other, as unfavorable as this situation may be for you.”
Respect each other? His words confused me, but I bit my lips and said nothing.
“Come,” Merelus said to us, and nodded to the guards. “I’ll take you both.”
“Their wristlocks, sir,” the guard said.
“Ah, yes.” Merelus paused and waited as the guard approached us and snapped a thick band of silver over our right wrists.
“This will set off an alarm if you enter any area forbidden to Indentureds,” he informed us gruffly. “And you will be punished.”
I looked around for Myo, but he was gone. I supposed I would never see him again. He’d never bid me goodbye. Why would he? I was just a slave.
The click of the wristlock around my arm made me flinch. Merelus watched my face, and his eyebrows drew together as if he were seeing more than I intended him to. I turned my head away and met Nol’s eyes. They smoldered with fury as he submitted to having the wristlock placed on him.
“Well,” Merelus said when it was done. “That’s over. Let’s go, shall we?” He indicated the door.
My mouth fell open as we stepped through it.
Arching ceilings soared overhead, joining in a web of patterned glass held in place by golden metal beams that swirled and formed fantastic shapes. The floors were gleaming stone set in curling patterns beneath our feet. Doorways and corridors branched off from the main thoroughfare, opening onto other plazas and rooms filled with fountains and statues.
Far ahead of us, six corridors converged on a round plaza with a sculpture of a dolphin in the center. Blinding light poured over the dolphin from a ceiling that glowed with light like a captured sun.
I glanced at Nol. He stared ahead, his mouth pressed in a rigid line. His hands were white and clenched at his sides. He refused to seem impressed.
But I saw no reason to hide my amazement. I gaped at everything.
“You have never been to Celestrus before,” Merelus observed, watching my reaction.
“No.” I remembered Myo’s warnings and said nothing else of my past.
“The Jeweled City,” he said, smiling. “Seat of learning and the arts. The most beautiful place in all of Itlantis. Exquisite, if I may say so.”
I believed it.
Men and women filled the corridors and corresponding plazas that connected them. Most wore flowing tunics or robes over the one-piece jumpsuits, or simply the jumpsuits. A few were dressed in other garments—trousers, dresses. The blend of fashions bewildered me. The people had varying appearances too—some with skin as brown as polished driftwood, others as pale as sand. Most had long, straight black or brown hair, and large eyes that came in vivid blues, greens, and browns. Nol’s pale hair stood out and drew him a few looks of interest and curiosity.
We crossed a bridge of shining metal and glass and into a round-roofed chamber large enough to fit the Village of the Rocks inside in its entirety. A vast floor stretched before us, and the ceiling was ribbed with metal supports and set with colored glass. Through the glass, I caught glimpses of the ocean, vast and dark and rippling with fish.
“The commons,” Merelus said, gesturing to the space before us.
This place was anything but common.
We passed through this glorious space and reached another. They were like a string of bubbles, one after the other. This chamber had dozens of doors set into the walls, and staircases going down into the floor and up toward the roof. I craned my neck to see around us. Balconies spiraled around the domed roof as far as I could see.
Merelus stopped before a door of bronzed metal and touched the handle.
“Welcome home,” he said.


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Cover Reveal: Bending the Rules by L.K. Lewis



Bending the Rules by L.K. Lewis 
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Designed by Cover It! Designs

“Drake isn’t just someone I love, he’s the one I love the most in this world. He’s my best friend, my breath, my everything.  I realize in this moment that the true reason I’m on this journey to find Drake is not just because I miss him and want him back, I’m also missing a huge part of me. Until we’re together again, my life isn’t complete. Without him I’m not whole.”-Morgan

“… I’m so sorry I couldn’t go to you. It was nearly impossible not to but Morgan we wouldn’t be standing here right now if I had. You found me Baby. When you met me on your first day at Baylor what seems like a lifetime ago you found me. Only this time I’m not letting you go.”-Drake

Struggling to get her life back on track after being left suddenly and inexplicably by (secret) boyfriend –not- boyfriend and boss Drake Baylor Jr., Morgan Lane searches the globe to find Drake knowing that the only way to truly live the life she’s worked so hard for is with him by her side.

Banished to Zurich, Switzerland by his father after being caught Breaking the Rules, Drake has nine months to get the European Division of Baylor Industries back on track. Again, he must obey the rules so that he can hopefully return to his life with Morgan and take the helm of Baylor Industries.

Everything is going according to plan as usual for Adrian Thompson who has just gotten Drake banished to Switzerland as part of his plan to get Morgan (his college sweetheart and hopefully future trophy wife) back in his life for good. With a little help from Lana Lane, Morgan’s mother, Adrian is hoping to have Morgan wearing his ring by New Year’s Eve.

After a few months of being wooed by old flame and now boss Adrian, and without so much as a word from Drake, Morgan hesitantly accepts Adrian’s invitation to join him for New Year’s Eve in St.Moritz Switzerland. Foiling Adrian’s plan, a “chance encounter” finds Morgan back in Drake’s arms.

Will Drake and Morgan be able to overcome the distance and time that is now between them along with a few of the hurdles that life has thrown their way? Morgan and Drake are once again faced with figuring out how to start their new future together- this time not Breaking the Rules, only Bending them.



AUTHOR BIO
LK Lewis lives in Northern Michigan with her Husband and 3 year old son.
Born and raised in Michigan, LK spent her early twenties chasing the man of her dreams (now husband of 8 years) around the country, residing in both New York, and Portland, Oregon.  While living in Portland, LK attended East West College of the Healing Arts, and is now a Massage Therapist, Makeup Artist, and Spa/ Boutique Owner.

When LK isn’t working, writing, or chasing her son around, she enjoys boat days, playing in the sunshine, and giggling with her husband.  You may also find her on twitter most days, especially live tweeting when The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Sons of Anarchy or The Walking Dead is on.  Check her out, you may enjoy her colorful commentary!

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Deliver Me by Kate Jarvik Birch


DELIVER ME by Kate Jarvik Birch, coming April 15th from Bloomsbury Spark.


One People. One Union. One Future. 
Wynne’s entire life is dictated by the Union: the clothes she wears, the books she reads, even the genes she inherited. And like every other girl in the Union, Wynne dreams of being chosen as a Carrier on her 16th birthday—one of the elite selected to carry the future generation within her womb. Wynne and her best friend Odessa are certain they will both make the cut, but when Odessa is chosen and whisked off to a life of privilege, Wynne is left behind to work as an assistant, delivering babies for the Union.
As Odessa slips deeper and deeper into the role of Carrier, Wynne begins to see the Union for what it really is: a society that criminalizes the notion of love, and forbids words like mother and family.
For the first time in her life, Wynne is faced with a choice: submit to the will of the Union, or find a way to escape and save Odessa before she is lost forever.



About the Author
Kate Jarvik Birch is a visual artist and writer living in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and three kids. She wrote her first novel in fourth grade. The main character was suspiciously similar to herself and the love interest bore quite a strong resemblance to the boy she had a crush on. As an adult, her essays and short stories have been published in Isotope: A Journal of Literary Nature and Science Writing, Saint Ann's Review, Scissors and Spackle and Indiana Review. Her first play, (a man enters), co-written with Elaine Jarvik, was produced in 2011 by Salt Lake Acting Co.
Kate’s debut novel, DELIVER ME, comes out April 15th from Bloomsbury Spark. PERFECTED will be released July 1st from Entangled Teen.




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Monday, February 24, 2014

Cover Reveal: Tattoo by Cambria Hebert



Tattoo by Cambria Hebert 
(Take It Off #7) 
Publication date: March 10, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult


***This is a new adult contemporary novel and contains sexual content and graphic language. It is not intended for young adult readers.***

A tattoo gets them in trouble… He will get them out.

After years of cultivating an undercover identity, Brody West is finally off the case and free to live a life of his own. All that time spent in the company of criminals and killers left him a little jaded… and with an identity crisis. He isn’t sure who he is anymore, or who he wants to be.

To give him time to think, he takes a few days off to go fishing. On his way out of town, he makes a routine stop at the bank and finds himself flirting with the girl behind the counter. 

But his flirtation is cut short when criminals burst into the bank and shoot her right before his eyes. 

In attempt to administer first aid, Brody reveals a tattoo on his upper arm. A mark that will drag him and the girl into the kind of situation he was trying to get away from. But he can’t walk away because he’s the only thing capable of keeping Taylor alive and bringing down the guys who shot her—guys who are seriously dangerous.



AUTHOR BIO
Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series, the new adult Death Escorts series, and the new adult Take it Off series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com

Author Links:
“Like” her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cambria-Hebert/128278117253138
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cambriahebert
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/cambriahebert/pins/
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5298677.Cambria_Hebert
Cambria’s website: http://www.cambriahebert.com 

Book Blitz Excerpt and Giveaway

Still at Your Door: A Fictional Memoir by Emma Eden Ramos
Genre: YA/Contemporary
Publisher: Writers AMuse Me Publishing
Published: February 22nd, 2014


YA — Sabrina “Bri” Gibbons has only a few short minutes to pack her things and help her sisters pack theirs before running with their mother to the bus that will whisk them away from Butler, Pennsylvania, an abusive relationship, and a secret that none of them wish to acknowledge. She was not prepared, though, for her mother to drop them on the streets of New York with the promise that she would be right back. Haunted by the sight of her mother running back to the cab, Bri, with Missy and Grace in tow, settles in with their grandparents. Thoughts of her present and her future collide with memories of her past, her dead father, and her mother’s bizarre episodes. She watches her sisters struggle with school and acceptance, all the while knowing the lack of any sense of security will make it impossible for them to carry on as ‘normal’ children. She finally lets her guard down enough to allow someone else in and sees a faint glimmer that her dreams might be attainable. Disaster strikes again, this time targeting her sister. Is it possible for Bri to find that balance between her dreams and her family’s realities?
About the Author:
Emma Eden Ramos is a writer and student from New York City. Her middle grade novella, The Realm of the Lost, was recently published by MuseItUp Publishing. Her short stories have appeared in Stories for Children Magazine, The Storyteller Tymes, BlazeVOX Journal, and other journals. Ramos’ novelette, Where the Children Play, is included in Resilience: Stories, Poems, Essays, Words for LGBT Teens, edited by Eric Nguyen. Three Women: A Poetic Triptych and Selected Poems (Heavy Hands Ink, 2011), Ramos’ first poetry chapbook, was shortlisted for the 2011 Independent Literary Award in Poetry. Emma studies psychology at Marymount Manhattan College. When she isn’t writing or studying, Emma can usually be found drinking green tea and reading on her kindle.
Twitter: emmaedenramos


Book Trailer:



Excerpt:

Jagged


I hold tight to my memories of the solid years. Each one is a crystal vase filled to the brim with brightly colored petals. Summer, ‘99: Missy is five, I’m six. We’re vacationing at Virginia Beach with Mom and Dad. Mom wears a black one-piece, a white sun hat and no sunscreen. Her lanky, bronzed legs shimmer under the fiery rays, but it’s all well and good. “Gypsy skin,” she explains, lathering up my little sister. “You and I have it.” She winks at me. “Missy here’s more like Daddy.” In front of us, Dad talks to a blonde boy with a surfboard. He turns to us and beckons. I jump to my feet, eager to hit the waves. “Sabrina.” Mom presses her leathery palms against my cheeks. “Bri-bear.” She kisses my nose. “Go on.” I grab Missy’s hand and we scamper toward the giant salt pond, ready for Dad to scoop us up and wade us through.


Another summer, many years later, Missy and I come across what looks like a secret stash of sea glass. We collect the emerald green fragments just as a mother-sized wave unfurls to scoop them back up. The edges have been smoothed over, calmed. I slide my index finger across one side of the largest piece. Missy stands next to me, peering out toward the horizon. I turn to her, the glass held tightly in my fist. Before I can begin, she says, “Water life is easier.”


“Huh?” I stare down at the rushing waves. A thick clump of seaweed tickles my ankle.


Missy seizes a shard from her stash and flings it. The water swallows the glass whole. There’s no resistance on either side. “It wasn’t ready.” She shakes her head.


“What does that mean?” I ask. “How is water life easier?”


“I don’t know. I guess… you go in jagged. You’re jagged when you go in but smooth when you come out.”


Trying to understand, I scrutinize my sister’s profile. I recognize our mother in her pronounced cheekbones, her long black lashes.


“But not us.” Missy speaks to the open water. I just happen to be standing by. “We come in soft, without edges. Those come later.”


“You mean we get jagged with age?”


“Yes.” Missy’s eyes grow big. She cocks her head to one side, then turns to meet my gaze. “That’s what happens to us.”


The Giveaway:



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