Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen by Barbara Becker Holstein - Interview and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Barbara will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Thanks to Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein for stopping by to answer a few questions for us. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I am a positive psychologist who is passionate about helping people live their dreams and reach their potential. Writing books for girls, tweens, teens and hopefully their parents is a dream come true to help me get to the right populations. After all, just about all of us in childhood are able to have fun, laugh a lot, feel hopeful and excited and full of dreams. It is as we face growing up and as we are adults that a lot of the inner spark fades. By creating a character in The Truth and Secrets, who can share her most inner most thoughts and secrets and yet still come out on top, I have a way to excite both kids and grown-ups to stay true to the spark within! It is a win-win for everyone.

What research is required?

What is necessary to write the way I do in both The Truth and Secrets is a deep commitment to the preciousness and talents of childhood and a deep desire to reawaken in others that spirit that we all had at one time. The combination of a psychological background, and an educational background certainly helps but may not be mandatory. Loving childhood is.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

I have learned o much from the girl in The Truth and Secrets! The most important thing I've learned is to remember our promises to ourselves that we made when we were young. This promises, such as not to be be mean or to travel and have fun were not made lightly. They were made through the pain of what we saw and felt as adults in our lives made more choices that often made our lives worse than they needed to be. So the promises must be honored as best we can for the world to be a better place! I keep trying and I think the girl for my determination!

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

Wow, that is an interesting question. I don't think so. If standing up a few times when I should be writing and getting tea and more nuts to eat is a quirk, then I guess that is mine! And my hips don't thank me!

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I do have a good idea of what I am writing. With both The Truth and Secrets I knew the plot beforehand in that the girl as she wrote each diary had to evolve into a new level of truth, hope and maturity to take her to the next stage in her life. However, some of the things she thought up and I ended up writing about were not consciously on my mind and of course I thank her for all those pages.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

To my right in my printer and my cell phone. How much have both become like alive objects in my life! The printer is amazing, considering I remember the days when I had to go to the drug store to make a copy of a short story I had just typed on my electric typewriter. And as far as that i-phone, it is hypnotic. There must be a secret being inside of there. Hey, that would make a good short story!

Anything new coming up from you? What?

The play version of The Truth and Secrets, titled The Locket is my major new project around these books. Please go to YouTube to see scenes from the play in its developmental stages.

Do you have a question for our readers?

What feelings do you remember from when you were 11? What dreams and hopes did you have then? Are you keeping any promises to yourself? And did you have a crush? Love to know more. Write to me at drbarbara@enchantedself.com or leave your answer in the comments.

Following in the footsteps of The Truth, Secrets: Diary of a Gutsy Teen begins as the thirteen-year-old protagonist makes a move with her family to a new town. She has grown up a lot over the past year—and has made a list of everything that’s important to her now that she doesn’t want to forget when she gets older. But now, as she enters her early teen years, she begins to write down the secrets she wants to keep—and the ones she has no one to tell about. From new school experiences to a new baby in the family to a new crush, this new teen finally feels empowered on making her own decisions with confidence and keeping those secrets she holds dearest for herself.

In a positive and supportive diary-entry format, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein encourages tween and early teen girls to carry the most precious parts of themselves into adulthood. A great book for mothers and daughters to read together, Secrets is aimed to improve communication, understanding, and self-esteem for young girls as they enter the rocky road of teenager-dom.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Date: December 2
Dear Diary,

I have a secret and it’s been eating me up inside, so I have to tell you. I lied to Angela. I told her I had a terrible sore throat and couldn’t come for the weekend. She said she was sorry and that she would invite me again.

I felt terrible, and then my throat really began to hurt. But I just couldn’t go to Springport for a whole weekend_even though I miss being around Angela.

Now that I have best friends here, I don’t feel the same way I used to about going back to visit. And I didn’t know how to tell Angela that. I could tell when we talked on the phone that she really wanted me to come. And she sent me a new selfie, holding a sign that reads I Miss You! She even told me that she doesn’t have a new best friend since I left. She really misses me. She also told me that Paul is in lots of her classes and he asks if she’s talked to me. How could I tell her I’m in love with Rob and don’t care about Paul anymore? How could I tell her that I have new best friends and want to stay here with them?

I did go to Sally’s instead, and we had the best time. Her mother ordered pizza for us and we drank Coke. We watched television and made popcorn and did each other’s hair with all of Sally’s older sister’s hair products we found in the bathroom. I look silly with curly hair. We kept laughing and falling on the floor and giggling, and we played this fun game that Jackie learned in camp last summer. We all lay down on the floor and we each put our head on someone else’s belly. Someone says, “Ha-ha,” and then the next person says, “Haha-ha,” until everyone is laughing. Then you can’t stop laughing because the belly you are on is bouncing all around under your head.

Sally’s mom got really angry at all the noise we were making, and we had to turn off the lights and pretend to go to sleep. I hardly slept a wink, though. I was so excited and having so much fun with my new friends. I was tired the next morning and really did have a sore throat when I went home, but I didn’t care. It was worth it to have so much fun.

 About the Author:

I have been a positive psychologist in private practice for the past thirty years. In the course of working with my clients, I originated the idea of THE ENCHANTED SELF(R), a positive psychology therapy where I teach people how to recognize and utilize their strengths, talents, skills and even lost potential. I have developed a number of methods, including using our memories to rediscover what is right about ourselves and our lives, rather than what went wrong, helping people to overcome adversity, experience positive emotions and live the good life!

Since developing this concept, I've been able to use many tools to bring the Enchanted Self to everyone, particularly women and girls. I've written many books, starting with THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy, and then Recipes for Enchantment, The Secret Ingredient is YOU! My books for girls are very popular, as they are great fictional reads and also help deal with many of the questions that trouble kids as they move into the tween and teen years. The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween and Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen are the first two books in this series.

I really love to teach and educate about happiness and how to benefit from positive psychology in ways that let us lead lives of meaning and happiness. You can find me all over the place on the web.

http://www.enchantedself.com
http://www.thetruthforgirls.com
https://www.facebook.com/barbara.becker.holstein
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1215038.Barbara_Becker_Holstein
http://www.pinterest.com/barbarabeckerho/

Buy the book from Barnes and Noble or Amazon. a Rafflecopter giveaway

The War Inside by M. Kircher -- Interview and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25.00 Amazon.com gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I write sci-fi and fantasy because I genuinely love to be sucked into another world. Even as a child I gravitated more toward fantasy and science fiction than anything else. I enjoy using my imagination and creating pictures in my head of what I think scenes and characters look like.

And there’s also something about young adult fiction that just grabs me, even as a thirty-year-old crone. I think that inside, we’re all about sixteen. The adult world sucks the wonder out of us, but reading a young adult novel can put us right back into that season of life. The emotions that teens feel are so strong and they have such a zest for living. When you’re a teenager you truly believe that you can change the world – and you can!

When we become adults, we forget the amazing power we have to effect change - and so we stop trying. I hope that more teen novels inspire young people to hold onto that attitude of hope and courage as they enter into adulthood. The world needs some changing!

What research (or world-building – for fantasy/paranormal/Sci-fi) is required?

I think it depends on the type of world that the author wants to create. For The War Inside, I didn’t have to do too much make-believe because I was working with earthy elements that most people could relate to. My Earth was torn apart by neglect and pollution, but the landscape itself, in terms of soil, trees, clouds, insects, animals, etc., was all recognizable. But if an author were to create an alien planet or race, I would think that there would be a fair amount of research that they would have to do. You can fabricate many things, but certain base elements should make some kind of sense. Like, if an alien had another kind of skin - what would that skin feel like? What would it look like? How would it relate to the climate of the planet that the alien was from? And so forth.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

One of the main characters in this book, Caden, is an inherently flawed person who finds redemption through “learned humbleness”. He doesn’t change his faults all at once, but sort of learns as he goes. Caden has definitely taught me that I need to do a better job of being humble. I need to acknowledge my faults and work on them as they pop up in my daily life. It doesn’t mean that all my darker bits will suddenly disappear, but I won’t be ignoring them either, as I have been known to do. It’s very freeing to allow yourself to be a work-in-progress.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I do, yes. I’m this crazy neat freak, so whatever room I’m going to be writing in must be clean. I will literally spend thirty minutes making sure everything is in place, before I’m able to sit down and write. Something about clutter makes my mind hazy, but a clean room is a nice, calm place to create. I’m so weird.

I also must completely outline a book or a novel, before I begin writing it. The outline is messy, and peppered with typos and grammatical errors, but it prevents me from getting writer’s block. One time I decided to start writing a novel without finishing my outline, and I totally regretted it. I got to the middle of the story, scratched my head, and went, “Uh, now what happens?” Having an outline is just part of my Type A/Free Spirit personality mishmash, but it’s what works for me.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I’m definitely a plotter, as stated in the question above. I have to have everything organized before I can let my mind drift over into the creative chaos it takes to actually write a story. For me, having a basic structure in place actually sets me free to be creative. I know that many other writers work much more effectively when they wing it, but I figure it’s whatever gets the job done for each person.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

Oh geez, now I really do feel old. I’m writing the answers to these questions in my third floor hideaway – which is a finished master suite that my husband and I turned into a guest room - slash - play room. So, sitting to my right is an orange and blue plush dinosaur with wheels on the bottom. The theory is that a child could ride the dinosaur, but my toddler mostly falls off of it and giggles. I had a baby this past June and we adopted our foster son in July, so this summer the young and free thing went out the window and now I live with orange, rolling dinosaurs! (Which is both appalling and completely wonderful.)

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I’m actually working on a couple of things right now, including the second book in this series called, The Gray Horizon. The story that’s begun in The War Inside, and centered on the character of Thea, will be continued from Caden’s point of view and focus more on his development. I’m really excited to be writing from a male perspective this time.

I also just finished a YA science fiction/romance novel called Dreamcatchers, which is currently being reviewed by a publisher – so we’ll see what happens there! And I’m in the beginning stages of a novel about a group of utterly normal teenagers in a world where everyone has superpowers. So I’ve definitely got my hands full at the moment.

Do you have a question for our readers?

Absolutely! Wonderful readers, I would love to know: If you could “commission” a novel what would it be about? And why?

The end of the world is only just the beginning. So eighteen-year-old Thea discovers when her solitary life on a dying Earth is shattered by a mysterious dream, a devastating choice, and a strange gift that propels her on a journey towards the restoration of all mankind.

Thea is bitter and alone; eking out her miserable life on the sunless, cloud-covered Earth she inhabits. A terrifying dream convinces her to save the life of an injured girl, and despite her misgivings, Thea decides to rescue sixteen-year-old Viviana. She soon learns that gentle Viv has a life-threatening infection, as well as a freakish patch of glowing skin over her heart. When this light spreads to Thea, causing her palms to glow, she is forced to trust Caden, an arrogant, lazy, and annoyingly handsome boy she despises. Caden has a map to the last city on Earth, and the only place that might have a cure for both Viv's infection and the strange light on Thea's hands. As the trio embark on a journey through the barren wilderness, Thea and Caden discover, and try to fight, their mounting attraction to each other. Along the way they are joined by Rain, Naomi, and Enoch who explain that the light is not a curse, but a powerful gift meant to heal the polluted Earth and reconnect the remnants of humanity. When the group learns that Viv is the key to this planet-wide redemption, and that there are deadly shadows who will do anything to keep humans in the darkness forever, they each must make the difficult decision to help Viv fulfill her destiny...and save the world.

Don't miss THE WAR INSIDE, an exciting young adult dystopian/fantasy novel by debut author M. Kircher. Buy the book at Amazon

About the Author:

M. KIRCHER graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts from Gordon College and is currently an author and artist. "The War Inside" is her first novel, but there are more to come including the second book in The Horizons Trilogy, "The Gray Horizon" and "Dreamcatchers", a futuristic twist on the legend of Rip Van Winkle. She devours YA, science fiction, fantasy, and romance on a regular basis and is immensely happy to pour her time and energy into creating stories for other people to enjoy. Bob Ross and J.R.R. Tolkien tie for her two favorite people of all time.

She and her husband write regularly for Relevant Magazine (www.relevantmagazine.com) and Simply Youth Ministry (www.youthministry.com). They also just had their first book published called "99 Thoughts on Marriage and Ministry", by Group Publishing.

M. Kircher lives in Connecticut with her husband, one energetic son, and a new baby girl.

Website: www.mkircher.com
Blog: http://mkircher.com/blog/
Twitter: @MKircher83
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mkircher83
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7202354.M_Kircher
Amazon Author Profile: http://www.amazon.com/M.-Kircher/e/B00E8AKEGI
 

DARK MUSICALS TRILOGY by Laura DeLuca - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a Virtual Book Tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Laura will be awarding to a US Only Winner: a signed copy of Phantom with original cover, crystal geode, rough crystal point, stone pendant, sterling silver pentacle pendant, mini Buddha figurine, smudge stick with abalone shell, 2 Gothic style key chains, incense set with leaf holder and lavender purification bath salts to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. The Rafflecopter is at the end of the post. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The “Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their calling card.

Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist.

Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and phone calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life the twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero and the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally be revealed.

When Justyn and Rebecca set off for the New York School of Performing Arts, they think their dreams are about to come true. To their dismay, they aren’t in high school anymore, and the competition is steep. Rebecca must compete against accomplished singers for a role in the production of Demon Barber, including a stunning Gothic diva with her sights set on Justyn.

It doesn't help that things keep disappearing from their apartment or that Rebecca's father refuses to accept that Justyn is an essential part of her life. Yet, all this seems minimal in comparison to the serial rapist terrorizing the campus.

Consumed by fear and obsessed with revenge, Rebecca and Justyn start living the story of Sweeney Todd—both on and off the stage.

Excerpt

Rebecca unwound the silver ribbon. When she lifted the lid, she found two matching pendants, each laced to a long hemp chain. They were shaped sort of like seashells, with an endless spiral pattern that looped out from the center as the chambers grew larger. They were dark brown in color with a few hints of tan along the edges. The stones had been polished and smoothed on both sides, but when she lifted them, she could see that the two pieces fit together perfectly. She swore the halves fought to snap together, like magnets in her hand. There was an energy pulsing and vibrating within the stones that even a novice witch like Rebecca could feel.

“They’re beautiful,” Rebecca whispered as she ran her hand along the intricate grooves.

“It’s an ammonite.” Justyn lifted one of the pendants, brushed her hair to the side, and hooked the clasp around her neck. His breath tickled her skin as his hands moved with graceful dexterity, giving her goose bumps despite the humid August night. “They’re actually fossils that are millions of years old, named after Ammon, an ancient Egyptian deity. When they’re divided in half, they’re perfect mirrors of one another. Some cultures believe that if the two halves are given to lovers, it will bind them together forever. When made into necklaces, they’re often called soul mate pendants.”

“Wo-wow,” Rebecca stuttered. As usual, the sentiment behind Justyn’s gift was even more beautiful than the gift itself. It left her a little flustered. “That’s amazing. How do you know all this stuff?”

“You don’t spend eighteen years living with Darlene without learning a thing or two.”

Rebecca laughed. Justyn’s mother Darlene was definitely something special. EMT, exotic belly dancer, and Wiccan High Priestess were only a few of the titles she claimed. Rebecca knew she was a fountain of earth-based knowledge after years of studying the Craft. As Darlene’s new apprentice, Rebecca greedily dipped into that knowledge herself as often as possible.

“It’s beautiful,” Rebecca repeated, too overcome with emotion to think of anything more eloquent to say. “You certainly know how to make things interesting.”

“Like I told you on our first date, I try not to be boring.” He winked at her. “So … are you going to put mine on for me?”

“Oh yeah … sorry.”

Rebecca giggled as she lifted the hemp chain. She wasn’t nearly as graceful as Justyn. She almost dropped the necklace in the sand three times before she managed to get the clasp locked. When she finally had it secured, he placed his hand over her heart, where the ammonite lay. He did the same with her hands, lifting them to his chest. His dark eyes had lost all glimmer of humor. He met her gaze with a stare filled with genuine emotion. Beneath her fingers, she could feel the gentle, steady rhythm of his heart beating in perfect tune with her own.

“Our love will span both space and time. In this life and the next, you shall be mine. All eternity I will be by your side. For a love so strong cannot be denied. Spirit and flesh merged into one. So mote it be, for all days to come.”

When he was done with the recitation, he kissed her. Not just a gentle brush, but a deep, passionate embrace that left her throat tight and her heart pounding with a familiar yearning.

“I’ve never heard that poem before,” she said once she’d caught her breath. “Who are you quoting?”

Even in the moonlight, she could see him blush. “I guess I was quoting myself. It was really more of an incantation than a poem though. These necklaces are meant to be a symbol of our love, and it seemed a little spell work could only add to the power of the stones. There is power in words, Becca. Just like there is power in nature.”

“You mean, you wrote that?”

He nodded, but his eyes twinkled, and the playfulness was back in his voice. “Well, actually, I just made it up as I went along.”

“Wow. Actor, singer, and now an improv poet slash chant writer. Is there anything you can’t do, Lord Justyn?”

He smiled and tilted her chin so he could look into her eyes. “I can’t stop loving you.”

About the Author:Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the editor of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. Her current works include Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, Morrigan, Player, and Demon.

http://authorlauradeluca.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/authorldeluca
www.facebook.com/authorlauradeluca
http://pinterest.com/authorldeluca/
http://www.goodreads.com/authorlauradeluca

If you haven't read the first book in the series, now is a great time to get your copy. To celebrate the release of Demon, Phantom is now on sale for only $1.99 exclusively on Amazon!

Demon can be bought at Amazon  Smashwords   BN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saving Casey by Liza O'Connor - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Today we're talking to Liza O'Connor on hertour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the YA novel, "Saving Casey" -- no sparkling vampires or werewolves, just a little reincarnation and a old woman in a troubled young girl's body.

Saving Casey will be reduced from $5.99 to $2.99 for the duration of the tour (March 5th-April 11th) at Amazon, B&N, DP/Bono, ARe, Coffee Time Romance, BookStrand and Smashwords.

Liza will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment for your chance to win!.

Thanks to Liza for answering all my prying questions!

Why do you write in your genre?

I have written almost every genre imaginable, so for me the question needs to be why did I begin my publishing efforts with the Young Adult/ New Adult category. Simple. The YA/NA readers are incredibly open-minded to new reading material. They just want a great story and are willing to cross sub-genres to find it.

I’ve written stories about young/new adults struggling with life in various Futuristic Dystopia, Fantasy or paranormal setting. Others are normal human beings struggling with real life stuff. Once I move up into the Adult market, readers seem more reluctant to cross genres.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

100% pantser. I create interesting characters and extracting from my life experiences and adventures, they take the story wherever they want. This is a messy way to write, so I have the greatest respect for plotters.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

A lamp so I can type. For some reason, even if I don’t normally look at the keyboard, if I can’t see the keyboard, then I can’t type. It’s like I have eyeballs on the pads of my fingers that go blind in the dark.

Anything new coming up from you?

Lot’s of stuff. I just signed a contract for Lyrical Press to publish Ghost Lover, a humorous New Adult sweet romance with a paranormal twist in which a lascivious ancestral ghost must intervened to ensure the family line doesn’t go extinct. I expect that to come out midyear 2014.

That’s a long time away…

Which is why I’m independently publishing Worst Week Ever, perhaps the funniest romance story I’ve ever written and one of my critters’ favorites. That should come out mid-year 2013.

Finally, I’m working really hard to begin the submission process for Déjà vu Déjà Adore in hopes of having it published around yearend 2013. It’s a paranormal suspense thriller in which a woman must die before she can find true love and the life of her dreams.

Do you have a question for our readers?

In what order do you think you would read those three novels and Saving Casey?

For this blog stop, I’m also offering a special gift, a set of temp facial tattoos like those of Saving Casey. Just write LOST MY MIND, WANT THE TATS in your comments and leave your email address.

Eighty-year-old Cass wakes up in the body of a troubled seventeen-year-old girl named Casey, which all believe has survived a suicide attempt. Cass intends to turn the girl’s life around, only it’s harder than she expects. All Casey’s troubles have now become Cass’s and someone wants her dead.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

Cass sees herself in the mirror

Upon settling down on the toilet, Cass noticed the floor to ceiling mirror facing her and screamed at the sight of the creature within it. Short black hair spouted about its head, black circles surrounded both eyes and fell like triangular knives down the cheeks. Black lips, stretched in horror as if in a nightmare. Pulling up her pants, she moved closer to the mirror.

She was a ghoul, an honest to God ghoul!

The door crashed open and her father stared at her, fear and panic clear in his eyes.

She touched her face. “Please tell me these aren’t permanent.”

His panic remained a second longer as her words filtered into his brain and then he pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry, we will get them removed—if you want to…”

“If? Oh, I definitely want them removed,” she said.

How can I turn around my life if I look like the walking dead from a low-grade monster movie?

I live in Denville, NJ with my dog, Jess. We hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, I learned to fly small cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. I’m an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through my entire life, my first love has and always will be writing novels. I love to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.

SAVING CASEY BUY LINKS

Bonobookstore: http://bonobookstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_54&products_id=79

Amazon Link to Saving Casey: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7KRSOO

Barnes&Noble Link to SC: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saving-casey-liza-oconnor/1113795362?ean=2940015849295

Video links:

Saving Casey Trailer: http://youtu.be/WxcaMP0Dgzc

Abridged My Crappy New Life series: http://youtu.be/p6QzYsxJ7jQ

Liza links:

Blog and Website: http://www.LizaOConnor.com

Facebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/liza.oconnor.90

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Liza0Connor

The Wisteria Series by Bisi Leyton -Virtual tour and giveaway

Today we're featuring author Bisi Leyton on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the dystopian YA Wisteria series, which includes "Wistera" and its sequel, "Myopia".  You can read my review of "Wisteria" here.

Bisi will be awarding a $15 Amazon GC, so comment today AND follow her tour! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning.  Just click on the tour banner for a complete listing of her stops.

Sixteen year old Wisteria Kuti has two options—track the infected around the Isle of Smythe or leave the only known safe haven and face a world infested with flesh eating biters. But even with well-armed trackers, things go wrong and Wisteria ends up alone facing certain death, until she is rescued by the mysterious Bach. Uninfected, Bach is able to survive among the hordes of living dead.

Eighteen year old Bach, from a race known as The Family, has no interest in human affairs. He was sent here to complete his Great Walk and return home as a man—as a Sen Son. The Family regard humans as Dirt People, but Bach is drawn to this Terran girl, whom he has never seen before, but somehow knows.

Hunted by flesh eaters, cannibals, and the mysterious blood thirsty group called Red Phoenix, Wisteria and Bach make their way back to the Isle of Smythe, a community built on secrets and lies.

Sixteen-year-old Wisteria has embraced her deep bond with eighteen-year-old Bach, a member of a supernatural race called the Family, despite the risk of his family finding out. Should Bach’s people discover his bond with a human, Wisteria will be guaranteed a painful and bloody death—but somehow, being together is more important.

Their bond is tested when empirics, an elite group of Family investigators, are sent to the Isle of Smythe under the orders of Bach’s father to find artifacts stolen by the humans. They’re to find the artifacts at any cost. Among the empirics is Bach’s old friend, the stunning Alba, who has learned about Bach and Wisteria’s secret relationship, and surprisingly accepts this. With no one else in the Family to turn to, she becomes Bach’s ally and confidant, but possibly more.

As the empirics start to take over the town, Wisteria is torn between trusting Bach and the safety of the humans on Smythe. She soon realizes that she and Bach are on opposite sides of the war between the Family and Humans, and there is no middle ground. One of them must choose a side.

Enjoy an excerpt from "Myopia":

“I promise when I know for certain what is going on, I will tell you and we will help Coles understand, but right now my father has gotten involved and that makes everything more complicated.”

“Why?”

“For one, if he finds out I am communing with a free human.” He shuddered. “I do not know what he would do.”

“Probably not any worse that my mum, if she finds out you’re here right now,” she joked and stopped playing. “She’ll kill you and your dad will murder me.”

Pulling the guitar out of her arms, he put his arms around her.

They’d spoken about the gravity of their relationship a few times, but they’ d never been able to figure a way out that would result with one of them walking away unharmed. The threat wasn’t her mother. Although she didn’t like Bach, since Major Coles had welcomed him into the island, the worst her mother could do was lock Wisteria away.

His father was a different story. Bach’s father was the Sen of the Third Pillar within the Family. He was a powerful leader who on more than one occasion had killed free humans for communing with members of the Family. There was no vice considered more heinous, disgusting and malicious as willingly loving a human. The price of that was blood—human blood.

Both factors resulted in them meeting in secret for the last four months. They settled on the church clock tower, weeks before he’d left for Jarthan.

“Do you want me to tell Coles you’re back?” She stretched herself across the lush rug. “Did you get him a present too?”

“There is a lorry full of ammunition parked at the end of the bridge, leading to town. I am sure Major Coles knows I have returned. I also brought him some medicine he said the hospital needed.” He pointed at several white boxes which sat in the corner.

“Bullets and pills,” she murmured. “Nice. Anything for my mum?”

He looked at her as if she were insane. “She would shoot me in the face if she ever saw me. The only reason she would not torture me is because I saved her life.”

“So basically, you’re saying my mother isn’t good enough for a present?” She glared at him.

Rubbing his temple with his right hand, he tried to explain. “Listen—”

Laughing, she hugged him from behind and laid her head against his back. “I’m joking.”

“That is not funny.”

She kissed the back of his neck, and then lay back down.

“Your mother is…” He turned to talk to her and saw her adjusting her skirt over her legs.

He was taken aback by how beautiful she was. Many people, human or Family, couldn’t see it for some reason, but she was the most beautiful woman he knew.

She finally noticed his stare and bit her plump bottom lip. “What’s wrong?” Frowning, she sat up.

He shook his head. The thoughts he was having were not something he could share with her.

“Are you all right? You’re completely red and you never turn red.” She touched his face tenderly.

It seemed to burn him and he backed away. “I am fine.” The images in his mind changed to what he’d like to do with her. He wondered how many escorts she’d had and what it would be like for him to really love her.

More pictures flashed through his mind and some didn’t make any sense. The last one was of him and the Seven Elders standing over the cliffs overlooking the Astolat River, as his brothers tried to drown a tanned half-human half Famila baby—Their baby. Did this actually occur and he was just now remembering it, or was it a fear he had harbored, should they ever conceive a child? “I have no intention or interest in a physical relationship with you,” he abruptly blurted out. Nothing good could come of anything like that happening between them.

She gave him a blank stare. “Okay.”

“You mentioned earlier that we had not talked about something. I am guessing that is what you meant.”

“Um, yes,” she said quietly.

“It cannot happen between us,” he replied.

Bisi Leyton was born in East London in 1978. She grew up in London, Nigeria and the States, listening to the stories life and love from aunts, cousins and big sisters.She lives in London, but has worked around Europe including France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium and the Czech Republic. She has a fondness for reading graphic novels.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Wisteriabooks
Current Blog: http://bisileyton.blogspot.com/
Old Blog: http://bisileyton.wordpress.com/
@bisileyton
http://www.goodreads.com/Bisileyton
BookTrailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_TWuWK_bbY&feature=context-cha and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvC9iJckrs4&feature=context-cha

Free Paranoia short story for anyone who signs up on my mailing list (from Smashwords)

The Arts - Angels Track 1: Drawn to You by Janel Rodriguez Ferrer - virtual tour and giveaway

Today we're visiting with author Janel Rodriguez Ferrer on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the YA novel, "Drawn To You".

Janel will be awarding Winner's Choice of a $25 gift card to iTunes (music) or, Capezio (dance), or Utrecht (art supplies) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a really cool prize!

Janel was brave enough to share five things about herself we might not know. Let's get the ball rolling ...

1) When I was around twenty, I had my hair cut very short and dyed red. 

Everyone knows me with long, dark hair. But when I was about nineteen or twenty years old, I had a Miley Cyrus moment and decided to have my hair chopped really short. And once I had it done, I decided that on top of that, I was going to dye it red, because I loved the color of Dr. Beverly Crusher’s hair on Star Trek: The Next Generation. (Only in Season One, though, when it was a serious red. It got lighter and blonder as time went on. That color would not look good on me! ) Since I have a lot of hair, dyeing it when it was long, I knew, would require a few boxes of color. So dyeing it while it was short seemed like great timing.

A co-worker of mine, however, started calling me “Molly Ringworm.” (Ha-ha, you’re so funny, Thomas! >:-( ) And eventually, when I was growing it out, it wasn't pretty. I was "Q-Tip Head” for a while.

Hmmm. You know, I really liked that hair color. It made me feel more fun and outgoing. I wonder . . . is it time to give that hair color (but not haircut) another try?

2) I’ve sung on the Carnegie Hall stage—live—in front of an audience— in Japanese.

I was in junior high. My school had an extensive arts program and I majored in both art and vocal music. So the truth is, while I did sing onstage, it was along with maybe a hundred singers from the school choir, and a live, professional orchestra. (They sounded great.) The event was all part of some New York project that I can’t recall now. I can still remember an eensy bit of the tune and some of the lyrics (which we sang phonetically). I found out later that we had sang some kind of bordello song. Awk-ward.

3) I once toyed with the idea of becoming a hand model.

I had pictures taken and cards made up and everything. And then I dropped it, even though I had been advised by a photographer to not be lazy and go after it. While I believe every job experience I’ve ever had I actually had to have, as each has helped shape me into the person and writer I am today, and led to my meeting people and forging wonderful relationships and all that, I sometimes think it would have been nice to have made some good money as a hand model. Oh, well.

4) I was once so super-shy that one time in the fifth grade when I was supposed to give a presentation in front of the class, I just left the room and hid in the bathroom until presentations were over.

Some people know I’m still technically an introvert. I am the kind of person whose energy drains when I'm around other people for too long, and I need to be by myself for awhile to recharge. But since many people have known me as a teacher, a receptionist, or some kind or public speaker, they don’t know that there was a time in my life that any kind of public speaking or standing up in front of a group—or even in front of just one other person—was kind of torturous for me. My teacher was sensitive enough not to say anything upon my return. Maybe she just “got” it.

5) I am hooked on watching reruns of The Suite Life on Deck.

Recently my family went through a difficult time involving health emergencies, hospital stays, surgeries, and permanent, life-altering situations. During this time, when I felt all wound up and needed to “de-frag” as my big sister would say, I found The Suite Life on Deck on the Disney Channel. Being a twin myself, I am naturally drawn to shows, movies, and books about twins. And Suite Life on Deck appeals to the same audience that I write my books for. So, having never watched it before, I didn't change the channel and gave it a chance. Now I’m hooked on its brand of fun silliness. I find it therapeutic, actually. Thanks Zack/Dylan and Cody/Cole for making my life just a little bit gentler and sweeter when I needed it to be!

Rock Your Destiny!

Gina Santiago is a thirteen-year-old "Nuyorican" with rock star dreams, so when she's accepted into the prestigious New York Academy of Arts and Talents for art instead of music, she's crushed. To make matters worse, the student body at the Upper East Side school is divided into "schollies" (students on scholarship, like her) and "dollies" (rich kids with "dollars"). But Gina discovers that there is one thing that brings schollies and dollies-and dancers, singers, actors, artists, and musicians-together: music! Maybe she can make her dreams come true after all....

(FROM Chapter 6: Can't Run, Can't Hide 3:59):

That Friday morning, I met Michiko at the lockers. “Hi—” I began.

“Watch your back,” Michiko broke in, pulling me closer to the wall. “Today is Rookie Day.”

“What’s that?”

Michiko looked apologetic. “The day when all the new kids get a special ‘welcome’ by the upperclassmen.” “Dare I ask how?”

Michiko sighed. “...Usually it’s something like being sprayed with silly string or pelted by eggs. At least, that’s the tradition.”

“Tradition?” I echoed. “Even in a school like NYAAT? But wait a minute… I'm not a seventh-grader. I'm a transfer student. Does that still make me a rookie?"

“Well,” Michiko began, “you do look kind of mature for an eighth-grader …. Still, you’ll probably be safe. Unless there’s someone who knows you’re new and for some reason wants to get you.”

I groaned. Great.

Michiko led me away from the lockers. “And then there’s always the ‘Rookie Assassin’ to watch out for. If he ends up coming back again this year.”

“The who?

Michiko’s tone was completely serious. “Last year someone dressed up like a ninja and attacked the new kids.”

My eyes widened. “Attacked? How?”

“He leaves marks on his victims. You know, tags them with paint and stuff. Last year he spray-painted a big silver ‘N’ --for ninja, I guess—on people. On their hair, their backpacks, their butts, even their faces.”

“He graffitied people? And no one caught him...?” Dread prickled down my back. “Well, he’d better not try to get me." I adjusted my knapsack straps on my shoulders. “Or he’ll be one sorry little ninja.”

Like her main character, Gina Santiago, Janel is a Nuyorican who attended a Manhattan high school of the arts as an art major.

Unlike Gina, she isn’t very good at guitar and doesn’t have a rock band to call her own.

Truth be told, she never dreamed of becoming a guitarist. Instead, from the time she was a tween she dreamed of becoming a published author of a book series. And since you're reading this, you can see that her dream has come true!

Her first hint of an idea for the Arts-Angels series began way back when she received a pendant of St. Michael the Archangel for her sixteenth birthday.

She lives with her twin sister, Jennifer (who got a pendant of St. Joan of Arc that same birthday but hasn’t written any books about it), in New York City.

Website: www.theartsangels.com
Blog: http://janelrodriguezferrer.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JanelRodriguezFerrer
E-mail: janelrodriguezferrer (at) theartsangels (dot) com.

LINKS TO PURCHASE THE BOOK:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Arts-Angels-Track-Drawn-You/dp/1936214911/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355357021&sr=1-1&keywords=janel+rodriguez+ferrer

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Arts-Angels-Track-Drawn-You/dp/1936214911

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-arts-angels-track-1-janel-rodriguez-ferrer/1113051508?ean=9781936214914

Alibris: http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=23571060

Australia: https://www.betweenreads.com.au/book/the-arts-angels-track-1-drawn-to-you.do

India: http://books.indiangiftsportal.com/book/artsangels-track-1-janel-rodriguez/9781936214914

Wolf Sirens: Forbidden by Tina Smith - Review tour and giveaway

(Full length, paranormal YA)

This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions.

Tina will be awarding jewelry in theme of her book (wolf charms, charm bracelets etc), 3D book marks in shifter themes (Wolves, tigers, panthers etc) and Sun catchers (beaded glass and crystal) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow the tour (if you click on the tour banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win an awesome prize!



When Lila unwillingly moves to the country town of Shade, she can’t imagine the life-altering events that lie in wait for her. Shade has a curfew and has always been surrounded by myths. A central feature of the town is its famous statue of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, whose spirit is said to protect the innocent.

Lila falls in with a group of intriguing teenagers with luminescent eyes and soon she is drawn into the shadowlands of fantasy and reality, where destiny collides.

A mysterious local girl, Cresida, warns her to stay away, but Lila is drawn to them like a moth to a flame.

Cresida knows their fatal secret and she is honour-bound to protect those who are endangered. But she underestimates Lila’s passion for the mysterious and charismatic clan of youths. Lila begins to feel a call she cannot ignore. Yet her heart is filled with vulnerable desires that begin to turn the underworld upside down, for both hunter and hunted, as she learns they have been waiting for her…

Inspired by the legend of the mythical femme fatale, Wolf Sirens is an intimate tale of unrequited and forbidden love in the underworld, a masterpiece of romance fantasy.



I wasn't entirely certain what to expect from this story, but I do love a good shifter story, and thankfully this was just that.

Our heroine, Lila, is a typical teen who gets mixed up with an interesting crowd of teens at her new school.  They're a little strange, oddly obsessed  with tumbling and dance and clearly hiding something.  Of course, the quirky Cresida isn't much better.  I didn't know who was the right person for her to end up being friends with!

Lila is sometimes fun, sometimes unlikable, but mostly interesting and believable.  I didn't like the group of girls she initially hung out with, and couldn't understand why she did (honestly, they kind of gave me the creeps), but on the other hand she was a new girl in town and I could understand how she craved acceptance.

The author has done a decent job of creating a unique backstory as to how werewolves are created, and the pack dynamic that's a bit different from the norm, which is good.  Her writing is clear and descriptive and, while she's occasionally verbose and the book narrative heavy in places, the plot kept me turning pages.  Add in an unexpected ending, and you have a winning start to a new series that's both interesting enough and unoffensive enough I'd recommend it to my young teenager without hesitation.

4 flowers -  This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends.



Treat yourself to an excerpt:

Sam flitted about as usual making sure all was well. She made sure her best friend’s funeral ran smoothly and I thought it was a pleasant touch that she insisted Lily’s favourite music was played, though I’m sure the gathering thought it was odd that a teenager would love Elvis and the Supremes.

I hoped, though I couldn’t be sure, that the rest of the pack, her real family, had a private funeral. One without the orchestration, one where their feelings were real. I didn’t cry at the funeral. Maybe I tried but my eyes were dry. In the night as I lay my head on the pillow I remembered sections of the funeral and as I thought of Sam laying the flowers on her coffin my eyes swelled and all the pain that was absent or numb was real again. I had no one to hold me, but neither did Lily. I wanted the world to swallow me up whole. After missing two weeks of school in the morning we hit practice - now for Lily’s memory or at least that’s what Sam told the concerned faculty. But really it was for herself, to save her own skin; did she feel guilty like me? We all had to attend group counseling in which we all agreed to continue to practice for calisthenics dance finals, in Lily’s memory. And for a time she indeed did haunt the school hall in which we practiced. As a temporary memorial an enormous portrait photograph marooned in flowers leant crookedly against the stage. And she smiled at us with a blank look in her eyes while we danced without her, over the spot where she had died.

Tina Smith is an herbalist, dog lover, Piscean and mother with a fondness for strong female protagonists. A love of the fantasy genre and the deep exploration of dark and evocative subjects inspired Wolf Sirens Forbidden. The sequel Fever further unfolds the tale of the heroine femme fatal, on her journey in the underworld between the lands of myth and reality.

“Rich, complex, and deeply fascinating. Smith’s creation stands apart from other books in the genre. Wolf Sirens has raised the bar for paranormal romance.”- Kevis Hendrickson, author of Rogue Hunter

"Smith weaves a thrilling and beautifully crafted tale that sinks its fangs in and refuses to let go."- Michael Alexander, author of The Vessel

“Fever does not disappoint! Tina Smith captures her readers on the first page and leads them on a fast-paced journey full of suspense and adventure as heroine, Lila, struggles towards the truth.” - Beverley Eikli, author of A Little Deception

Ebook Wolf Sirens Forbidden. Discover the Legend.By Tina Smith.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GG06AS

http://www.amazon.com/Sirens-Forbidden-Discover-Legend-ebook/dp/B009GG06AS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354969345&sr=8-2&keywords=wolf+sirens%3Aforbidden

http://www.goodreads.com/TinaSmith

Like me on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wolfsirens.

The sequel Wolf Sirens Fever. Many are Born, Few are Reborn By Tina Smith.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16120233-wolf-sirens-fever-many-are-born-few-are-reborn

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/248222

http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Sirens-Fever-Reborn-ebook/dp/B009Z9EDQ4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352189289&sr=1-1&keywords=wolf+sirens+fever

Youtube Videos

http://youtu.be/lxH8XWa5_RM

http://youtu.be/J5dkXaXXKCc

http://youtu.be/5HE-6oALPng

Emily's Trial by Natalie Wright - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Today we're visiting with author Natalie Wright on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the YA Fantasy novel, "Emily's Trial".  The awesome cover and the excerpt to this book intrigued me so much, I've actually bought the books to read (and most likely review) later down the road (I just didn't have time to do it for this tour ... sorry!).

Natalie will award an autographed copy of "Emily's House", a handmade Celtic-inspired armlet, similar to one worn by Emily in the books and book swag to one randomly drawn commenter (US only -- an eBook of "Emily's House" will be substituted as the prize for an international winner), so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a really cool prize!

The author opted to be exceptionally brave and share five (illustrated!) things about herself we might not otherwise know. The floor is yours, Natalie.

1. I have an undergraduate degree in Art Education. I haven’t used my four years of college art classes since graduation, except that my drawing skills (though rusty) come in handy from time-to-time to draw sketches of characters. Here’s an early sketch of Dorcha, one of the characters in Emily’s Trial.

2. I have a fascination with horror and science fiction B movies from the 1950’s and 1960’s. One of my favorites is Mothra vs. Godzilla.

3. In elementary school, I dreamed of being on the Mickey Mouse club show. The fact that I couldn’t dance, sing or act was a bit of a set back ;-(

4. I was born to working class parents without wealth, title or college education. But I count as my ancestors William the Conqueror (aka ‘The Bastard King’), Grom the Old (first historically recognized King of Denmark), and Kings and Queens of France and Scotland. An explanation for how my ancestry went from European royalty to me? A series of women marrying badly!

5. While I didn’t marry a man of wealth, fame or power, I married well. We’ve been married for almost 25 years, and when he kisses me, I still feel my insides turn to jelly. TMI? *G* He snores, I want to staple odor eaters to his feet, and he has an unending ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. But one brush of his lips on my neck – or a smoldering look into my eyes – and I’m as lost to him now as I was 25 years ago.

Two years ago, Emily’s journey began. She learned the ancient magic of her Celtic ancestors,and became a modern Celtic Priestess. The golden torc, forged by faerie hands, is still wound around her arm, fused to her soul. She was entrusted with powerful magic – secret knowledge.

But even a Priestess can feel desire – temptation – and the quest for love. Will passion entice Emily to use her sacred magic in a forbidden way? Can new love take root in a world of nightmares? And will her friendships survive Emily’s Trial?

The Journey Continues . . .

The Apocalypse didn't start with four horsemen, harbingers of the horror to come. It didn't start with a plague, or pestilence, or even zombies rising from the dead.

It came slowly, and without warning. It crept up on people in the shadows, no more than a vague darkness that spread like an unseen cancer.

And it wasn't set into action by a divine hand. A teenage girl was the catalyst for the End Times.

I should know. I'm the one that started it.

I didn't plan to. I didn't want to start the End Times, and I'm not evil.

Madame Wong taught me to tell the truth, and so here it is. I'm the one responsible for the Apocalypse. And this is the story of how I unwittingly unlocked the door to the darkness; of how a Priestess of the Order of Brighid, entrusted with powerful magic that was supposed to be used for the benefit of all humankind, unleashed a force that would destroy it instead.

And it all began with desire.

Natalie is the author of The Akasha Chronicles, a young adult fantasy trilogy. When not writing, blogging, Facebooking, Tweeting, Wattpadding or eating chocolate, Natalie nurtures her young daughter, feeds her dog too many treats, and can’t resist watching Ancient Aliens, no matter how absurd the show becomes.

Natalie enjoys travel, good wine, and excellent food shared with family and friends. She was raised an Ohio farm girl, now lives in the desert Southwest, and dreams of living in a high rise in a big city.

“Books are my friends, ideas my passion.”

Natalie enjoys chatting with readers, so stop by and say hi:

Blog: http://www.NatalieWrightsYA.blogspot.com
Twitter: @NatalieWright_
Facebook: NatalieWright.Author
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468945.Natalie_Wright
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WritesKidsBooks
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/NatalieWright_
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/natwrites/

The Silver Sphere by Michael Dadich - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Today we're spotlighting author Michael Dadich on his tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the YA fantasy novel, "The Silver Sphere".

Michael will be awarding a $75 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during this tour and his reviews tour, so comment today AND follow his tour (if you click on the banner above, it'll take you to a list of his tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

Shelby Pardow never imagined she could kill someone. All she wants to do is hide from her troubled father… when she is teleported to awaiting soldiers on the planet Azimuth. Here she is not a child, but Kin to one of the six Aulic Assembly members whom Malefic Cacoethes has drugged and imprisoned. He seeks to become dictator of this world (and then Earth by proxy).

His father, Biskara, is an evil celestial entity, tracked by the Assembly with an armillary device, The Silver Sphere. With the Assembly now deposed, Biskara directs Malefic and the Nightlanders to their strategic targets. Unless….

Can Shelby find the other Kin, and develop courage and combat skills? Can the Kin reassemble in time to release or replace the Assembly, overthrowing Malefic and restraining Biskara?

I’ve been writing since first setting pencil to steno pad at age 8. A year later, I began developing the world of my current series-in-progress, and even created its title, The Silver Sphere. Now, with the support of years of experience, those early maps and back stories have progressed into what I hope is a fresh and entertaining take on the classic young adult fantasy adventure.

Despite my frequent escapes into parallel worlds, I root myself firmly in my very real family and community. When not pacing the yard maniacally after every few pages of writing, I spend as much time as possible hanging out with my studly 9-year-old son, and my inspirational wife Jenna. I also coach several local youth sports teams in Beverly Hills, and alternate between yelling at my two crazy Corgis and hiking with my trained German Shepherd.

For more, join me in my favorite fantasy worlds, from Lord of the Rings to the creations of C.S. Lewis, Anne McCaffrey and Terry Brooks. Even more importantly, stop by and say hello on my Facebook page at AuthorMichaelDadich, tweet me at @MichaelDadich, and stalk my website at http://www.thesilversphere.org.org.

Spotlight on: Lycaon Press - Virtual tour and giveaway!

Lycaon Press is celebrating the release of two awesome young adult stories with a virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions and we're helping to get the word out.

Every comment on this post (and all the others during their one week tour, click on the banner above to find out all their tour stops) earns you an entry to win a $20 Lycaon Press Gift Certificate! So comment here, and all the stops -- and tell a friend. A deal like this is too awesome not to share!

Resolved: The Shalean Moon, Book 6 by J. Lilley

When Shaleans fight Shaleans nothing is simple. With the help of true friends can good overcome evil?

To save Shalea, so much depends on so few people, that nothing is certain. It's not even clear just which side some of them support, and the Sept is getting weaker.

Brios and his friends must save their world, but time is running out. To make things worse, the identities of some people might just result in no resolution at all.

Can everything become clear and good triumph over evil before the next Shalean Moon, or is Shalea as they know it over?

Tony started to talk about Marok again.

"All we can hope is that Marok continues to recover, and that he knows more about what's going on. I'm not happy or comfortable with anything at the moment."

Rach still thought there was a lot more to worry about than Marok's recovery; her dad wasn't the only one uncomfortable, but she didn't say so. It wasn't like her dad to be so negative, and it worried her. Not just that, Aibhlinn worried her as well. It had been during those long scary hours they'd spent together that she'd begun to get to know the other girl, and found she liked her. She suspected her aloofness was in all probability due to the situation she'd found herself in. What she hadn't found out was what Aibhlinn's involvement was with the Shalean-turned-Rogue, Struan Scott. In Rach's opinion that was crucial to help her understand what had taken place and might occur in the future.

"Well, I still wish I knew what was going on," she said again. Gah, I'm beginning to sound like a stuck record. She was tired but restless, and needed to find a way to solve her problems. She had an idea. "Dad, shall we go for a bike ride? It's not dark yet, and I've got to get some of these jitters out of me. I feel like a volcano about to erupt and it's not nice. I'd shift if I was with Brios or Leira, but as I'm not, well, could we cycle somewhere?"

"I'll hazard a guess you've an idea where that somewhere would be?" her dad asked her. "The Pardes'?"

Rach laughed. "Actually I hadn't thought of that, but if we did go there, maybe I could shift and run a bit, just along one of the tracks. You could watch, you know, keep an eye on me."

She waited and looked at her dad's face as he thought about her request. In general, his face was very expressive. However, this time, she decided, he was not about to let her see anything he thought.

"And maybe we could come back past Ali's," she went on. "And maybe her mum can tell us what's happening, and then maybe..."

"And then maybe," her dad said, "you'll draw breath, and I can say hold on, okay. Why does everything have to start with 'and'? Okay, let's do it. We've got about an hour I'd guess, before it gets too dark to ride with safety. Or." He paused. "I could drive you and you can run for longer?"

She liked the sound of that. "Really? You don't mind?"

Tony shook his head. "It makes sense. I'll jog while you shift and stretch your leopard. I reckon if anyone sees the car, they'll think it'd be natural for you to go and...er, water Shala's flowers for her, or well, something," he finished. He didn't sound too convinced. "I guess. While they're away."

Rach laughed. "Have you seen Shala and flowers? She tends flowers about as well as she cooks. Badly. Leira says that's why they have shrubs, and her dad looks after them. No, I'm going to check on the gerbils."

Now her dad looked bewildered. "She doesn't have gerbils, does she?"

Rach sighed. "Nah, but hell, what else can I think off of the top of my head? Rabbits, hamsters, or god-knows-what. From now on, if anyone asks, Leira's got a pet, even though she doesn't know it. So if we have to, we'll bluff it."

Tony laughed. "Gerbils it is. Okay, lets go."

He picked up his car keys and phone and followed her out of the house. He locked the door and checked he'd done so. Rach grinned. He would never change.

"Paranoid, are we?"

He shrugged. "Well, yeah, do you blame me?"

She shook her head. "Nope, not at all."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elemental: The Rare Sisterhood, Book 1 by Alyce Lewis

Born of magic and created as a weapon, eighteen-year-old quadruplets Anila, Terra, Aydan, and Yara use their elemental powers to battle evil.

The world of Rare Root is about to be forever plunged into darkness, overtaken by a shadowy force, and the last hope for peace comes in the form of eighteen-year-old quadruplets Anila, Terra, Aydan, and Yara. Born of magic and created as a weapon, the Sprites must use their elemental powers to hunt down and vanquish the evil. When the sisters realize their powers are not yet strong enough, they seek out allies. Aided by an Elf prince and a Fairy queen, they face perilous obstacles, traitorous enemies, and prepare for the most epic battle of their lives.

But there's no training manual for love, and when Anila starts to fall for the prince, it forces a rift between the sisters. In order to destroy the threat and restore Rare Root, the four Sprites will need to rally together as one.

Because in a world of darkness, unity is elemental.

Mother Fairy ran her hand along the ledge of her cottage's stone windowsill, tracing the grooves with wrinkled fingers. The smooth stone was cool under her warm, rough skin. It was comforting, yet...it made her tremble. Or maybe it was what was beyond the window.

She opened the azure-colored shutters and a piece of white hair escaped its neat bun and trailed down to her stomach. She tucked it back and slid open the glass of the closed windowpane. A muggy wind rushed over her, and she grimaced. The faint smell of smoke swept over her face and into her nostrils, causing Mother Fairy to wrinkle her nose and cough. Bah, it's at it again, she grumbled to herself. Foul, cursed blight.

She squinted her tired brown eyes and looked out at the skies. It was only midafternoon, yet the skies were darkening, and a sizeable shadow was cast over the ground. Looming clouds rolled in overhead, and she fixed her stare on the piece of brilliant blue that was fighting against the dark. The blue faltered and strengthened as it sparred with its opponent. She wanted so badly for it to win. She wanted the darkness to go away.

A flash of movement on the ground caught her attention, and she ducked her head to the side, out of view. The Rot hovered in the distance. It had its black tendrils around some unseen prey, lifting its victim into the air until the feet dangled there, limp, like two noodles. The body went still, and the Rot slithered into the woods, dragging the unconscious form behind it.

Made of misty shadows and reeking of death, the Rot was the darkness that plagued Rare Root.

The haze swirled over Mother Fairy's cottage, as thick as ink. She shivered and looked away from the spot where the Rot had just been hunting. Clutching at the sudden ache in her chest, she rushed to close the window and shutters. She stopped short when screams of agony carried across the wind and into her ears.

Without thinking, the old Fairy brought a hand to her open mouth and held her breath, straining with her declining senses to pick up more sounds. A few seconds later, faint at first, but then louder as they drifted in the breeze, were the pitiful cries of townsfolk begging for mercy. The cries were coming from the direction of Pineglade. If innocent folk were suffering, she could only surmise the Rot was somehow responsible.

Mother Fairy snapped the shutters closed and crumpled down onto her reading bench. She clamped her thin hands over her ears to block out the horrible wails and screams of the fairies in the neighboring town. "No," she whispered, and then started rocking sideways. "Not Pineglade."

She wanted her mind to go numb, but instead found it racing, and her thoughts drifted to her beloved world...and how it was changing.

Two alignments, as different as day and night, coexisted in Rare Root. They were Light and Dark, or the Light Ones and the Dark Ones. The Light Ones valued honesty, kindness, generosity, respect, and selflessness, while the Dark Ones were selfish, unscrupulous beings driven by hatred and greed.

Multiple realms divided the world of Rare Root, each of them occupied by either Light or Dark. As such, a power struggle had existed since the beginning of time. The Rot materialized, seemingly out of thin air, and started building a Dark army. Now, the balance of power was shifting.

Mother Fairy thought about the gallant and honorable Light leaders. They were doing their best to keep the Rot away, but Mother Fairy understood their abilities had limits. Little by little, Rare Root was growing dim. It wasn't just the blue in the sky that fought to shine. It was the pure radiance of the Light Ones whose spirits were fettered, too afraid to hope anymore for the terror to end. Unless something drastic occurred, all the goodness that was Rare Root was fast approaching its end.

Salty tears streamed down the Fairy's cheeks. A strangled sob caught in her throat, and her chest heaved up and down. She stopped rocking and uncovered her ears, making fists with her hands. There was a hard glint in her eyes as she shouted into the silence of her living room, "Not Pineglade! Not anywhere else!"

She raised herself up from the reading bench just as the air around her became warm and shifted into a howling wind. It whipped fast around her tiny frame, and its strength matched the searing heat of rage in her chest. Her withered face, as worn as the great, majestic maple that stood in the middle of her modest home, contorted into an unrecognizable shape in the gusting gale. When Mother Fairy spoke next, it was not in her usual gentle, steady voice, but a near-primal roar.

She held her arms out in the wind and said, "Too long has the Rot threatened our lands and peace of mind. No longer will I let my fellow beings suffer in fear. I make my stand now to ensure this world survives for the pure-hearted creatures that live here. I will leave a gift, a legacy that all the beings of Rare Root, good or evil, will never forget."

As soon as Mother Fairy finished speaking, the wind vanished. To conjure magic through emotions or thought was an ability few possessed naturally. Most magic users in Rare Root were spell casters, and it was typical that incantations or objects aided their spells. It was unusual for Mother Fairy to lose her temper, but when she did, her emotions careened through her body and a whirlwind sometimes erupted.

Now, the evidence of her rage was gone. She put her hands on her knees and doubled over at the waist, desperate to catch her breath. Yet with each exhalation, her energy faded. Tears coursed down her creased cheeks, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. Deep down in her core, Mother Fairy knew that it was time.