Buckle your seatbelts, y’all, this is going to be a long post! It seems like all my writing friends have some type of book-related excitement happening today. Okay, maybe not all of them, but a lot of them. It’s actually kind of weird that there are so many releases and cover reveals today. Something in the air? Halloween magic? I don’t know why, I’m just happy great things are happening for writers I adore, and that I can share the news here.
First up (in alphabetical order) is Martina Boone, who is an online friend who became a real-life friend and is now kinda sorta my boss. Her YA Southern Gothic Compulsion releases today and has been getting fantastic advance reviews. And since it’s set in Charleston, I can’t wait to read it.
Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.
All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lived with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt's South Carolina plantation instead–a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.
Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn't what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.
Next up is my local writing friend S.K. Falls with a bit of a déjà vu cover reveal. I shared a cover reveal and release post for a previous version of this novel when S.K. indie published it. Then an agent found it, read it, loved it, and offered representation, and now it’s going to be traditionally published on January 13th, 2015! So it has a new title and cover to go with the revamped story. It’s now called One Last Song, and you can find it on Goodreads.
I was seven when I swallowed my first needle.
My mom freaked out and rushed me to the emergency room.
She stayed by my side all night.
I never wanted it to end. When you spend your whole life feeling invisible-when your parents care more about deals and deadlines than they do about you-you find ways of making people take notice. Little things at first. Then bigger. It's scary how fast it grows. Then one day something happens that makes you want to stop. To get better. To be better. And for the first time, you understand what it's like to feel whole, happy . . . loved. For the first time, you love someone back.
For me, that someone was Drew.
The next novel release is from Jessie Humphries, who is my Pitch Wars mentor. I read her first YA mystery Killing Ruby Rose at the suggestion of a friend who knew I was having trouble in my own WIP balancing a humorous voice with dark events. Jessie does a great job handling that balance, so I was excited when I saw she was a Pitch Wars mentor, and I entered hoping for the best. I couldn’t believe it when she picked me as her alternate – there was lots of happy dancing. She’s really helped me identify the places where I took the funny too far when it should be more serious. Now the second book in her series is being released today called Resisting Ruby Rose.
FYI – there are some spoilers from the first book in this description.
Still reeling from the heartbreaking events that unfolded on Grissom Island, Ruby Rose is trying to come to terms with the fact that she’s gone from a vigilante in killer shoes to a stone-cold killer. Everyone from her therapist to her smoking-hot boyfriend keeps trying to convince her that she hasn’t crossed over to the dark side, but Ruby isn’t so sure. It doesn’t help that her nemesis, Detective “Mastermind” Martinez, is still out there, waiting for another chance to take her down.
When an alleged CIA agent named Skryker shows up and asks for a meeting, Ruby figures it just means more questions about her case. But he has information of an entirely different nature and a job offer: join an elite force of young assassins, including Skryker’s right-hand guy, Quinn Donovan. Quinn is distractingly charming, handsome—and deadly. Ruby resists becoming a killer again, but as she becomes more ensnared in a web of deceit, no one around her is safe.
Leah Rhyne is another local writing friend who has made past appearances on my blog for the release of her zombie novels. Today is the cover reveal for the third and final book in the Undead America series called Jenna’s War. The book will actually be released this Friday because a story this scary must be unleashed on the world on Halloween.
Jenna Price knows how to survive in Undead America:
Kill zombies;
Find food;
Most importantly, don’t trust strangers.
It’s a bleak, meagre existence in the Nebraska countryside, but Jenna Price is willing to make it work. That is, until her feud with Michael explodes. Only then will she risk everything with Sam, Will, and Rosie, leaving Nebraska behind in search of a pipe dream: a cure to the zombie virus that plagues them.
So begins their journey east. East is where the old cities lay, sleepy relics of a world long gone. Controlled by a power-hungry warlord from Sam’s past, it seethes with zombies, alive and undead. East is where the future may lay, but it’s also where the worst things can happen.
For war is coming to Undead America. When her time comes, and the survival of her beloved family depends on her trusting a strange man with an ominous name, will Jenna Price be ready to fight?
And finally there’s my online friend Emma Scott. We met through the forums for the NYC Midnight Madness writing competitions, and her stories were always amazing and her critiques helpful and supportive. Since she lives on the West coast, we’ve never met, but we’ve kept in touch via Facebook, cheering each other on in our writing journeys. Her main project is an epic fantasy she wants to get traditionally published, but in the meantime, she’s written a fun side novel she’s decided to self-publish in order to explore the process. So today she’s releasing her new adult romance Love Beyond Words.
She thought the best love affairs only happened in books…
Traumatized by the deaths of her parents three years earlier, Natalie Hewitt lives an introverted life, going to school during the day and working as a barista in a small coffee shop at night. Natalie uses the writing of world-famous, reclusive author Rafael Melendez Mendón to assuage her grief. His words are her refuge, his characters better company than anyone she could meet in real life… until Julian Kovač walks into the café one summer evening. A handsome, wealthy, quiet young man, Natalie feels an immediate connection.
But Julian has a secret that is both the most wonderful revelation she could possibly imagine…and the very thing that could tear them apart.
Whew, I told you it was a lot! Now go check out the books by all these lovely ladies. But before you leave, here are my 15 Minute Tweet Tales for the week:
10/22 – After a steady diet of MacGyver reruns as a kid, Bob's ability to extemporize helps him survive the zombie apocalypse. TV IS good for you.
10/23 – Coach didn't homologate harassment of the girl on team but didn't stop it. She transfers to rival school. Leads them to state championship.
10/24 – The director's a demiurge because he wants all the acclaim when his movie wins an Oscar. Satisfyingly, he gets all the blame when it flops.
10/25 – As the light left her eyes, an enigmatic "Oh!" whispered past her lips. He obsessed over what she'd seen until it was his turn to go.
10/26 – He mocks her remodeling ideas, so she drugs him and immures him in the dividing wall she wanted. He only criticizes it a few more days.
10/27 – Whenever her stepmom mutters something, Suzy thinks it's a malison. Dad says she's read too many fairy tales. Until Suzy wakes up a frog.
10/28 – Knowing her grades wouldn't get her in, she took an ad hominem approach to college essay. Google told Admissions her sad story was lies.
Do you look forward to reading any of these books? Play along and write tweet tales for the above words. If you’re willing to share, post them on twitter with the hashtag #15tt or add them below in the comments because I’d love to read them. Any thoughts about this week's tweet tales or #15tt words?
Buckle your seatbelts, y’all, this is going to be a long post! It seems like all my writing friends have some type of book-related excitement happening today. Okay, maybe not all of them, but a lot of them. It’s actually kind of weird that there are so many releases and cover reveals today. Something in the air? Halloween magic? I don’t know why, I’m just happy great things are happening for writers I adore, and that I can share the news here.
First up (in alphabetical order) is Martina Boone, who is an online friend who became a real-life friend and is now kinda sorta my boss. Her YA Southern Gothic Compulsion releases today and has been getting fantastic advance reviews. And since it’s set in Charleston, I can’t wait to read it.
Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.
All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lived with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt's South Carolina plantation instead–a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.
Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn't what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.
Next up is my local writing friend S.K. Falls with a bit of a déjà vu cover reveal. I shared a cover reveal and release post for a previous version of this novel when S.K. indie published it. Then an agent found it, read it, loved it, and offered representation, and now it’s going to be traditionally published on January 13th, 2015! So it has a new title and cover to go with the revamped story. It’s now called One Last Song, and you can find it on Goodreads.
I was seven when I swallowed my first needle.
My mom freaked out and rushed me to the emergency room.
She stayed by my side all night.
I never wanted it to end. When you spend your whole life feeling invisible-when your parents care more about deals and deadlines than they do about you-you find ways of making people take notice. Little things at first. Then bigger. It's scary how fast it grows. Then one day something happens that makes you want to stop. To get better. To be better. And for the first time, you understand what it's like to feel whole, happy . . . loved. For the first time, you love someone back.
For me, that someone was Drew.
The next novel release is from Jessie Humphries, who is my Pitch Wars mentor. I read her first YA mystery Killing Ruby Rose at the suggestion of a friend who knew I was having trouble in my own WIP balancing a humorous voice with dark events. Jessie does a great job handling that balance, so I was excited when I saw she was a Pitch Wars mentor, and I entered hoping for the best. I couldn’t believe it when she picked me as her alternate – there was lots of happy dancing. She’s really helped me identify the places where I took the funny too far when it should be more serious. Now the second book in her series is being released today called Resisting Ruby Rose.
FYI – there are some spoilers from the first book in this description.
Still reeling from the heartbreaking events that unfolded on Grissom Island, Ruby Rose is trying to come to terms with the fact that she’s gone from a vigilante in killer shoes to a stone-cold killer. Everyone from her therapist to her smoking-hot boyfriend keeps trying to convince her that she hasn’t crossed over to the dark side, but Ruby isn’t so sure. It doesn’t help that her nemesis, Detective “Mastermind” Martinez, is still out there, waiting for another chance to take her down.
When an alleged CIA agent named Skryker shows up and asks for a meeting, Ruby figures it just means more questions about her case. But he has information of an entirely different nature and a job offer: join an elite force of young assassins, including Skryker’s right-hand guy, Quinn Donovan. Quinn is distractingly charming, handsome—and deadly. Ruby resists becoming a killer again, but as she becomes more ensnared in a web of deceit, no one around her is safe.
Leah Rhyne is another local writing friend who has made past appearances on my blog for the release of her zombie novels. Today is the cover reveal for the third and final book in the Undead America series called Jenna’s War. The book will actually be released this Friday because a story this scary must be unleashed on the world on Halloween.
Jenna Price knows how to survive in Undead America:
Kill zombies;
Find food;
Most importantly, don’t trust strangers.
It’s a bleak, meagre existence in the Nebraska countryside, but Jenna Price is willing to make it work. That is, until her feud with Michael explodes. Only then will she risk everything with Sam, Will, and Rosie, leaving Nebraska behind in search of a pipe dream: a cure to the zombie virus that plagues them.
So begins their journey east. East is where the old cities lay, sleepy relics of a world long gone. Controlled by a power-hungry warlord from Sam’s past, it seethes with zombies, alive and undead. East is where the future may lay, but it’s also where the worst things can happen.
For war is coming to Undead America. When her time comes, and the survival of her beloved family depends on her trusting a strange man with an ominous name, will Jenna Price be ready to fight?
And finally there’s my online friend Emma Scott. We met through the forums for the NYC Midnight Madness writing competitions, and her stories were always amazing and her critiques helpful and supportive. Since she lives on the West coast, we’ve never met, but we’ve kept in touch via Facebook, cheering each other on in our writing journeys. Her main project is an epic fantasy she wants to get traditionally published, but in the meantime, she’s written a fun side novel she’s decided to self-publish in order to explore the process. So today she’s releasing her new adult romance Love Beyond Words.
She thought the best love affairs only happened in books…
Traumatized by the deaths of her parents three years earlier, Natalie Hewitt lives an introverted life, going to school during the day and working as a barista in a small coffee shop at night. Natalie uses the writing of world-famous, reclusive author Rafael Melendez Mendón to assuage her grief. His words are her refuge, his characters better company than anyone she could meet in real life… until Julian Kovač walks into the café one summer evening. A handsome, wealthy, quiet young man, Natalie feels an immediate connection.
But Julian has a secret that is both the most wonderful revelation she could possibly imagine…and the very thing that could tear them apart.
Whew, I told you it was a lot! Now go check out the books by all these lovely ladies. But before you leave, here are my 15 Minute Tweet Tales for the week:
10/22 – After a steady diet of MacGyver reruns as a kid, Bob's ability to extemporize helps him survive the zombie apocalypse. TV IS good for you.
10/23 – Coach didn't homologate harassment of the girl on team but didn't stop it. She transfers to rival school. Leads them to state championship.
10/24 – The director's a demiurge because he wants all the acclaim when his movie wins an Oscar. Satisfyingly, he gets all the blame when it flops.
10/25 – As the light left her eyes, an enigmatic "Oh!" whispered past her lips. He obsessed over what she'd seen until it was his turn to go.
10/26 – He mocks her remodeling ideas, so she drugs him and immures him in the dividing wall she wanted. He only criticizes it a few more days.
10/27 – Whenever her stepmom mutters something, Suzy thinks it's a malison. Dad says she's read too many fairy tales. Until Suzy wakes up a frog.
10/28 – Knowing her grades wouldn't get her in, she took an ad hominem approach to college essay. Google told Admissions her sad story was lies.
Do you look forward to reading any of these books? Play along and write tweet tales for the above words. If you’re willing to share, post them on twitter with the hashtag #15tt or add them below in the comments because I’d love to read them. Any thoughts about this week's tweet tales or #15tt words?