Category Archives: YA fiction

Happy National Book Lovers Day!

Today is National Book Lovers Day!

I happen to love books every day of the year. There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book, whether it’s an ebook or print.

Book
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

How will you celebrate, participate?

There are many genres out there to choose from – crime, romance, erotica, YA, memoirs, creative non-fiction, non-fiction and the list goes on.

All these main genres have a multitude of sub-genres as well, so there is something out there for everyone’s taste in reading.

I write romance, primarily, although YESTERDAY TODAY ALWAYS has a psychological thriller element included. It’s probably my darkest work yet. I remember when I was having the computer read it back to me, my husband entered my ‘writing cave’, and the particular segment scared him. I guess I nailed the creepy, unnerving bit.

You can check out all my books on the novels page on my website. Perhaps, you’ll find a little something to your liking.

In what format do you prefer to read your book?

Are you a hardcover fan? Paperback (trade size or mass market)? E-book (kindle, kobo, nook, or other)? Or do you read from a combination of all of the above?

Leave a comment stating what your favourite genre and format is. I’d love to hear your thoughts and preferences.

Beyond the Hills by Maressa Mortimer

Beyond the Hills by Maressa Mortimer Blog Tour and Review #BEYONDTHEHILLS @vicarioush.ome

What happens when you go Beyond the Hills?
Beyond the Hills

BLURB

Macia Durus, daughter of the well-known Brutus Durus AMP, works hard to achieve a life of honour and prestige in her beloved Elabi. When a so-called “friend” challenges her priorities, Macia’s confusion threatens her carefully constructed plans. And her decision to investigate a forbidden book could have serious consequences for Macia as well as her family, turning their lives upside down.

Beyond the Hills

MY REVIEW

I had to step out of my comfort zone for Beyond the Hills, since it is a Christian/Dystopian type of book. That being said, the book was well-written and left you thinking. What if? Could you live in a strictly controlled society where emotions are frowned upon and faith of any kind was taboo? In some ways, things aren’t all that different in today’s society.

Written for a target audience of young adults, it’s a good read for any age.

LINK TO BUY BOOK

amazon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beyond the Hills
I grew up in the Netherlands and moved to England soon after finishing my teaching training college. Married to Pastor Richard Mortimer we live in a Cotswold village with our four children. I’m a homeschool mum, enjoying the time spent with the family, travelling, reading, and turning life into stories. I want to use my stories to show practical Christian living in a fallen world.

AUTHOR WEBSITE

http://www.vicarioushome.com/

SOCIAL MEDIA LINK

INSTAGRAM/FACEBOOK @vicarioush.ome


Beyond the Hills

 

Hooray for Read a Book Day! #amreading #amwriting

Hooray for Read a Book Day!

Hooray for Read a Book day! Here in North America, it’s our Labour Day weekend, so we can extend our “bookish” holiday into another full day of reading enjoyment.

Hooray for Read a Book Day!
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

What’s your preferred medium for reading? Are you a fan of ebooks or do you prefer print, either paperback or hardcover?

And then there are genres? Which do you like to read? Crime? Thrillers? Horror? Romance? Historical? Or a blend of all of the above.

I’m lucky in that being an author, I’ve met authors from other countries around the world – England, Scotland, Australia, France, the US, and back here at home in Canada.

I write in a number of genres, but my favourite is romance. You can see my books here. To find out more about any particular title, click on the cover and you’ll be taken to the book’s page where you’ll be provided with the description and buy links should you be so inclined to purchase.

possibly a title or two you might be interested in?

My brand “where fact and fiction meet” stems from the fact I take real events and spin fictional stories around them, changing place and characters’ names to protect the ‘guilty.’ 😉

Now before you think this blog post is all about me, I’m going to introduce you to two authors you might not have heard of before.

I’ll start with Chris Longmuir. Chris and I first met virtually in early 2001 when she contacted me asking permission to use a photograph. We met in person later that same year and see each other as often as possible.

Another is Wendy H. Jones. I’ve not known Wendy as long, but she Chris and I make up the Princesses of Pandemonium. While their books are crime – gritty, humourous or historical – we have a great time when we get together.

Here we are outside the Old Town Jail in Stirling, Scotland.

And inside one of the cells.

I hope you enjoy Read a Book day, and maybe even discover some new-to-you authors.

National Book Lovers Day

Think this girl will get through that stack of books today?

 

 

It’s National Book Lovers Day!

Today is National Book Lovers Day!

National Book Lovers Day
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

How will you celebrate, participate?

This year on National Book Lovers Day, I currently have two books on the go – one fiction, one non. Thunder Bay by Douglas Skelton is a crime novel set in Scotland.

The non-fiction is Marketing Matters by Wendy H Jones. Right now, I need all the help I can get in this department.

In addition to reading, I’m also working on Book 3 in my It Happened series set in the village of Percé on the Gaspé Peninsula of the province of Quebec.

Since the COVID-19 lockdown, I’ve struggled with writing, but my reading has flourished. According to my 2020 Goodreads challenge, I’m nine books ahead of schedule. That should give you an idea of how I’ve been spending much of my spare time.

Some of these books were already on my TBR (to be read) list having languished on my shelves or Kindle for some time. Others were new purchases that I just “had” to get. Still, others were review copies.

What to read?

There are many genres out there to choose from – crime, romance, erotica, YA, memoirs, creative non-fiction, and the list goes on.

All these main genres have a multitude of sub-genres as well, so there is something out there for everyone’s taste in reading.

I write romance, primarily, although YESTERDAY TODAY ALWAYS has a psychological thriller element included. It’s probably my darkest work yet. I remember when I was having the computer read it back to me, my husband entered my ‘writing cave’, and the particular segment scared him. I guess I nailed the creepy, unnerving bit.

You can check out all my books on the novels page on my website. Perhaps, you’ll find a little something to your liking.

What format do you prefer to read?

Are you a hardcover fan? Paperback (trade size or mass market)? E-book (kindle, kobo, nook, or other)? Or do you read from a combination of all of the above?

Leave a comment staying what your favourite genre and format is. I’d love to hear your thoughts and preferences.

THE BEAUTIFUL ONE by Frances Thomas #historical #YA #fiction

beautiful

The Beautiful One

by

Frances Thomas

beautiful

Genre: Historical Fiction, YA Fiction

Release Date: 8 September 2017

Publisher: S Books

Even as a small child, Helen, princess of Sparta, knows that there is something special about her; men come from far away just to catch a glimpse of her beauty. Also there are those rumours that her real father was someone more important than King Tyndareus of Sparta. But her beauty is to cause problems; her sister Clytemnestra is jealous of the attention she gets, and even her magical brothers, Castor and Polydeuces, can’t protect her from the predations of a brute like Theseus of Athens. Still, as she grows up, and knows she’ll have to find a husband, she thinks a good deal about love, and what it might mean to her.

Amazon UK https://goo.gl/KNrJsd

Amazon US https://goo.gl/FaLRCJ

EXTRACT

And that was when the terrible thing happened. There was no swan’s feather on my pillow that morning, but I woke up with a strange sensation that something soft was brushing my cheek. When I sat up and looked around, of course, there was no one there. Phyllis and my sister were still asleep. But I couldn’t help feeling anxious all day, though there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. If Castor had been there, I’d have confided in him, and he might even have been able to save me from what came later.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BEAUTIFUL

Frances Thomas was born in Wales during the war, though she has lived most of her life in London. However, some years ago, she and her historian husband retired to a beautiful part of mid-Wales. She’s written many books for children and adults, her most recent being a trilogy about the girls of the Trojan War.

For many years Frances also used to teach dyslexic children. She enjoys reading, sketching, cooking, and looking out of the window at the changing colours of the countryside. She has two grown up daughters, and two grandchildren.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frances.thomas.94

Twitter: https://twitter.com/francesbooks

Blog: http://blog.francesthomas.org

Author Website: http://francesthomas.org

Publisher: http://sbooks.co.uk

 

WHEN THE MERMAID SINGS by Helen Hollick #historical #YA

Helen Hollick

When the Mermaid Sings

by

Helen Hollick

 

Helen Hollick

Genre: Historical adventure, YA

Series: The Sea Witch (can be read as a standalone)

Release Date: 29 September 2017

Publisher: S Books

An early coming-of-age tale of the young Jesamiah Acorne set in the years before he becomes a pirate and Captain of the Sea Witch.

Throughout childhood, Jesamiah Mereno suffered the bullying of his elder half-brother. Then, not quite fifteen years old and on the day they bury their father, Jesamiah hits back. He flees his home, changes his name to Jesamiah Acorne and joins the crew of his father’s seafaring friend Captain Malachias Taylor aboard the privateer Mermaid.

Jesamiah makes enemies, sees the ghost of his father and hears the mysterious voice of a Cornish girl in his mind. But can he avoid the beguiling lure of a sensuous mermaid…?

EXTRACT

As followers of Jesamiah Acorne’s various nautical adventures know, the series of Sea Witch Voyages starts in January 1716 with Jesamiah, not yet a Captain of his own ship, about to take part in a pirate ‘Chase’ and a fight at sea with a prospective Prize.

He is aboard the Mermaid, with Captain Malachias Taylor in charge, and the opening scene, set off the coast of Africa, leads the way to what will be a turning point in Jesamiah’s life.

But what of his life before the events of Sea Witch? We know from the backstory that he fled his home in Virginia to escape the vicious bullying of his half-brother, Phillipe, and then crewed with Taylor, but how did that happen?

How did he learn to be the experienced seaman – and pirate – that he is?

How did he learn to fight?

What adventures, and risks, did he face in those days of his youth?

How did he develop from the frightened boy of not quite fifteen years old, to the cocksure, confident Captain that he became?

EXCERPT

“You alright, son?”

A man was bending over him, taking his arm, half-shaking it, half-assisting him to rise. Jesamiah looked up into a face with weatherworn, tanned skin, several teeth missing and a beard that was more grey-grizzled than the brown it had once been. Bright eyes sparkled beneath a three-corner hat that sprouted a feathered plume.

“You alright?” the man asked again.

“Yes, I think so,” Jesamiah answered, scrambling to his feet. He was at the harbour – how had he got here? Three ships, in addition to Anna, rested at anchor, the nearest sporting a splendid figurehead with carved seaweed hair draped over her bare breasts; her fishtail curled as if clinging to the bow itself. Mermaid.

“You sure?” the sailor asked again, his hand still clasped to Jesamiah’s arm.

“Just a bit dizzy, that’s all.”

“Not surprising,” the man said with a nod and grim smile. “That’s some cut to your head. You came down quite a wallop.”
Touching his fingers to his temple, Jesamiah looked at the sticky smear of blood left on them.

“I saw you take the tumble as I were coming ashore. Noticed you earlier, too, with Tom Markham?”

Jesamiah nodded, then wished he hadn’t. “Aye, from Anna over there.” He pointed her out.

“Stannis still her bosun?”

Not risking another nod, Jesamiah confirmed that he was.

“Nasty piece of work. I’d as soon shoot him as serve with him.”

Not making a comment that could land him in trouble, Jesamiah answered, tactfully, “You know him, then?”

The man indicated a scar on his face. “We had a serious falling-out a few years back.”

The dizziness clearing, Jesamiah took a deep breath and was grateful that the man made a grab for him as he again tottered precariously. He attempted a jest: “I’m not sure if it’s the wound or not finding my land-legs yet. The ground’s pitching as much as the deck did.”

“Ah, you’ll soon adjust, son. Your pa always takes a few hours to do so.”

That cleared Jesamiah’s head as efficiently as a dousing with a bucket of cold seawater. “My pa?”

The man studied the boats at anchor in the harbour. “Aye. I take it Charles is not here? No sign of his vessel out there. Has he sent you off to sea?” The man chuckled. “’Bout time, if you ask me.”

Unexpected tears swam in Jesamiah’s eyes. He rapidly blinked them aside. “My father passed away a few months ago.”

The man removed his hat, wiped his hand across his mouth and nose, sniffed loudly and blinked as rapidly as Jesamiah had done. “I’m sorry to hear that, lad. Right sorry. He was a good man.”

Taking a step backwards, the man held out his hand. “You are, of course, Jesamiah? You are the image of Charles. Got your ma’s dark Spanish eyes and hair, though.”

Initially tentative, Jesamiah hesitated, but took the proffered hand and gripped it in a firm handshake. “My apologies, but you are…?”

“Taylor. Captain Malachias Taylor of the Mermaid, yonder.”

 

BUY LINKS

Amazon US – http://amzn.to/2zqcFCI

Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/2A5TC4n

ABOUT HELEN HOLLICK

 

Helen Hollick

Helen Hollick moved from London in 2013 and now lives with her family in North Devon, in an eighteenth century farmhouse surrounded by fields and woodland. She owns variety of pets including horses, Exmoor ponies, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks and geese.

First published in 1994 her passion now is her pirate character Captain Jesamiah Acorne of the nautical adventure series The Sea Witch Voyages.

Helen became a USA Today bestseller with her historical novel The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK). This is the story of Saxon Queen Emma of Normandy. Her novel Harold the King (titled I Am The Chosen King in the US) explores the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings. Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy, set in the fifth century, is widely acclaimed as a more historical version of the Arthurian legend.

She has written non-fiction books including Pirate – Truth and Tales, a book about smuggling (due to be published 2018) and Discovering the Diamond, a short advice guide for new writers interested in self-publishing which she co-wrote with her editor Jo Field.

Helen is published in various languages including Turkish and Italian.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelenHollick

Blog: https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.co.uk

Website: www.helenhollick.net

Newsletter: http://tinyletter.com/HelenHollick

Publisher: http://sbooks.co.uk

NEW ENGLAND DREAMS by Pia Fenton #guestpost #excerpt #giveaway

New England

New England Dreams

by

Pia Fenton

 

New England

Genre:  YA contemporary romance (US high school setting, UK heroine)

Release Date:  25th July 2016

Book 4 of the Northbrooke High series (can be read as a standalone)

When opposites attract, can dreams come true?

Staying in New England for a few months is just what Sienna Randall needs after all the family problems she’s been dealing with at home in London. Romance is the last thing she’s expecting, so it’s a total surprise when she ends up kissing a guy she meets on the flight.

Kyle Everett is Sienna’s complete opposite –  he’s clean-cut and preppy, she has piercings and pink dreads. But he can’t resist making out with her. He is, after all, Northbrooke High’s number one player. Except Sienna’s different from other girls. He’s definitely expecting to see her again – until they’re separated by irate airline officials before he can get her number.

Then fate throws them together once more, but when Sienna turns up in Kyle’s home room, neither admits to having met before. The chemistry between them is still there though – should they let it have free rein or should the attraction stay in their dreams?

EXTRACT

Kyle smiled and changed the subject. ‘You got any more piercings then? You know, hidden ones?’ He wiggled his eyebrows at her and it looked so stupid she couldn’t help but smile back.

‘None of your business,’ she told him.

‘Oh, so you do? Now I’m curious.’

‘I do not. And even if I did, I wouldn’t show you.’

‘Oh, yeah? Hmm. So tell me, how does it feel to kiss with snake bites?’ He was suddenly staring at her mouth intently and Sienna felt a shiver run through her. God, but he was hot. Seriously hot. And he was so close. She was very tempted to just reach over and grab him.

And why not? No one would ever know.

She shook herself mentally, but some devil made her smile again. She looked up at him from under her lashes, the way she’d seen other girls do when they were flirting. She’d never managed it because she was too shy, but for some reason, she had no trouble doing it now. ‘You tell me,’ she said, the challenge clear in her voice.

His eyes opened wide and he drew in a sharp breath. Then he grinned. ‘Okay, you’re on.’

The next thing she knew, he had bent his head slightly to the side and captured her mouth with his in a long, slow kiss that almost melted her bones. He ran his tongue over the snake bites, nipping at one playfully, then kissed her again, properly, deeply. When he stopped he brought up a hand to cup her cheek. ‘I like it,’ he whispered. ‘A lot.’

So did Sienna, but she didn’t get a chance to reply, because he started kissing her again and this time he didn’t stop. Which was just as well, since she didn’t want him to. In fact, she didn’t come to her senses until some air steward pulled Kyle off her and she realised with flaming cheeks they’d ended up lying across all four middle seats, making out thirty thousand feet up in the sky.

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ the crewman hissed, looking from one to the other.

Sienna wondered the same thing. She must have lost her mind.

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

**********

Have you ever …

… done something really crazy?  And then wondered afterwards what on earth you were thinking and if you’d lost your mind?  That’s what the heroine of my new YA book, New England Dreams, does.  She’s on her way to the US for some time out from family problems, when she happens to be sitting next to this really hot guy her own age.  They have zero in common – he’s clean-cut, she’s grungy with piercings – but there is plenty of attraction between them so she ends up making out with him.  And then wondering what the heck she’s done when the airline staff aren’t too happy about it!

I think we all do crazy things sometimes – being impulsive is human nature after all.  We don’t all think before we act.  And although we try to repress it, the temptation to try something just once, or to just say ‘to hell with it, I’m going for it’ is often impossible to resist.  I’m no exception and here are some of the idiotic and/or impulsive things I’ve done so far in my life:-

  • Ridden on back of a motorcycle with a guy who was driving at over 200 km/hr (that’s about 125 mph in English terms) – although it was exhilarating, I did start to get a bit scared towards the end before he listened to me and started slowing down!
  • Dived off a pier into shallow water – yeah, this was probably THE stupidest thing I’ve ever done. I didn’t check how deep the water was, just assumed that because it was the end of a pier there would be lots, but actually I was lucky I didn’t break my neck!  Ended up with a scraped nose and forehead, which made me seriously think I have a guardian angel (and I didn’t believe in those before that)
  • Tried taking snuff – the Swedish variety, which is like a huge wad of tobacco you stick inside your upper lip.   Makes you feel really sick and dizzy.  So never doing that again!
  • Tried smoking a cigar – ditto! (How can people seriously enjoy that??)
  • Kissed a stranger on an airplane – yes, confession time, that plot line came from a real life experience, but sadly for me I never saw the guy again although he did write to me twice (as he lived in Alaska and I lived in Sweden at the time, there wasn’t much chance of long-term romance)
  • Locked someone else’s door so they couldn’t get into their own house – I was only five, and was in someone’s house with my mum, and for some reason decided to lock the front door which meant the husband couldn’t get in. He stood outside shouting at me (no one else heard him or the bell) and I was too scared to open the door LOL – got told off royally when my mum found out
  • Bribed a friend’s brother to take me to prom – desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Not my finest moment, but hey, I got to go to the prom and we had fun
  • Jumped off the 10 metre diving board – I consider this crazy even though I know lots of people do it, but for someone like me who is terrified of heights, it was tantamount to insane. I had to do it for a swimming diploma I was doing, without the jump everything else I’d done would be null and void, so I did but … never again, I’m telling you!  Never!
  • Broken my little toe (the same one) twice in one week – not so much crazy as careless perhaps? But although I am a klutz, I think this counts as too stupid for words, even for me
  • Touched a hot iron to see how much it hurt – uhm, yeah, what can I say – I was, like, four years old maybe? And a bit too curious for my own good …

Okay, so those are my confessions – how about yours?  What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?  I’d love to know!

ABOUT PIA FENTON

New England
‘Promote Me!’ portrait

Pia Fenton (who also writes as Christina Courtenay) is a chocoholic and confirmed couch potato, allergic to exercise of any kind (except maybe swimming). Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden so she was a bit of a mixed up kid. When she was a teenager, she moved with her family to Japan. From there she had the opportunity to travel in the Far East and other parts of the world, which was great fun. She also got to go to an American high school in Tokyo, together with kids of 138 other nationalities, and had the best time of her life!
Pia loves: reading and writing (YA obviously, but also anything historical, time slip and paranormal), dogs, genealogy, listening to rock music and doing various craft projects very badly. (It’s the trying that counts, right?)
Pia’s first YA novel New England Rocks (published by Choc Lit, Aug 2013) was short listed for The Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Award for Best Romantic Young Adult novel 2014. She’s also won some awards for her adult historical books.

Pia Fenton (who also writes as Christina Courtenay) is a chocoholic and confirmed couch potato, allergic to exercise of any kind (except maybe swimming).  Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden so she was a bit of a mixed up kid. When she was a teenager, she moved with her family to Japan.  From there she had the opportunity to travel in the Far East and other parts of the world, which was great fun.  She also got to go to an American high school in Tokyo, together with kids of 138 other nationalities, and had the best time of her life!

Pia loves:  reading and writing (YA obviously, but also anything historical, time slip and paranormal), dogs, genealogy, listening to rock music and doing various craft projects very badly.  (It’s the trying that counts, right?)

Pia’s first YA novel New England Rocks (published by Choc Lit, Aug 2013) was short listed for The Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Award for Best Romantic Young Adult novel 2014.  She’s also won some awards for her adult historical books.

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

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay

group twitter https://twitter.com/paisleypiranhas )

Goodreads Author Page:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4112359.Christina_Courtenay

Instagram:  paisleypiranha

Blogs:   http://christinacourtenay.com/?page_id=278

              https://paisleypiranha.wordpress.com/

Websites: http://christinacourtenay.com/

                  https://sites.google.com/site/paisleypiranha/

Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/piacourtenay/

GIVEAWAY


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REFLECTION POND by Kacey Vanderkarr #YAFantasy

Kacey

Kacey

Kacey

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release Date: Torch Rock April 1, 2014

Publisher:  Urban Fey Press

Sometimes you find home, sometimes it comes looking for you.

Callie knows a lot more about pain than she does about family. She’s never belonged, at least, not until she falls through a portal into her true home. The beautiful faerie city of Eirensae doesn’t come free. Callie must find her amulet and bind herself to the city, and most importantly, avoid the Fallen fae who seek her life. Seems like a small price to pay for the family she’s always wanted.

Then she meets cynical and gorgeous Rowan, who reads the darkness of her past in her eyes. He becomes Callie’s part-time protector and full-time pain in the ass. He has secrets of his own for Callie to unravel. What they don’t know is that the future of Eirensae lies with them, and the once peaceful city is about to become a battleground for power.

Kacey

CHECK OUT THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:

Poison Tree – Book 2

Kacey

The road to the City of War is dangerous.

With their home in ruins, Callie and Rowan are Eirensae’s last hope of stealing the cauldron back from Fraeburdh. They must travel into the human world where the Fallen hide. The banished fae wait for Callie, desperate to sacrifice her before she comes of age.

If Callie and Rowan survive the journey, something worse looms in Fraeburdh. Rowan is destined for a dark family legacy too horrifying to accept, and his father is anxious to welcome him home. Once the truth is revealed, will Callie ever look at Rowan the same way?

Trapped between feuding cities lost in a centuries-old war, Callie and Rowan will face their biggest rivals yet, and neither of them will make it out unscathed.

Kacey

Torch Rock – Book 3

Kacey

War is coming, and she takes no prisoners. Faced with an impending battle Eirensae cannot win alone, Rowan journeys to Macántacht to seek allegiance from its leader. The City of Honor is beautiful, still untouched by conflict, and full of surprises that bring Callie’s darkest experiences to the surface.

With her friends’ lives at stake, Callie must confront her past, and accept help from a faerie whose face torments her memories. Reconciling the power beneath her skin has never been more painful.

Amid persistent threats from Fraeburdh, an old enemy reemerges with deadly force. Even with Macántacht fighting beside her and Rowan at her back, the odds are insurmountable. Callie’s biggest trial will come not on a blood-soaked battlefield, but in the quiet moments when she must choose.

BUY LINKS FOR THE BOOKS

Reflection Pond

Poison Tree

Torch Rock

 

ABOUT KACEY VANDERKARR

Kacey

KACEY VANDERKARR has a penchant for fantasy and frequently listens to the voices in her head–most of whom are teenagers. Her favorite place to write is an old salon chair in her kitchen, with coffee in one hand and adoring cats sprawled across her arms. She prefers her music loud and her skeptics quiet. When she’s not writing, Kacey coaches winterguard, works as a sonographer, and hangs out with other weirdos like her at the Flint Area Writer’s club. In addition to her novels, The Reflection Pond Series, Antithesis, and The Stone Series, Kacey’s short fiction is featured in Sucker Literary Vol III, Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things, and Out of the Green: Tales from Fairyland.

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Under a Purple Moon by Beverly Stowe McClure ~ COVER REVEAL

No Love in the Garden of Eden…

Eden Rose has learned to deal with her mother’s criticism that she can do nothing right. What she can’t deal with are the arguments between her parents. To escape their angry words, she finds refuge in an old abandoned house. She always returns home, hoping her mother will love her one day, even though Eden’s not sure what the word love means.

Three other teens with problems also hang out at the Old House. Meeting Murphy, Toby, and Josh changes Eden’s world, and she begins to have faith in herself. Perhaps she can do something right, after all.

Thanks to the boys, she begins to understand the meaning of love. But will it be enough to save her broken home life?

And now for the cover… are you ready?

Purple Moon
Under a Purple Moon
Release date – March 15, 2016
$17.95 USA, 6×9 Trade paperback, 270 pages
Freedom Fox Press – Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
Fiction/Young Adult – General (JUV000000) / Girls & Women (JUV014000)
Print ISBN 9781939844132 eBook ISBN 9781939844149
$4.99 E-Book available in all formats

~~~~~~~~~~

About Beverly Stowe McClure

purple moon

When Beverly Stowe McClure was a child she hated to read. Even though her eighth-grade English teacher sent her poem “Stars” to the National High School Poetry Association, and it was published in Young America Sings, an anthology of Texas high school poetry, she hated to write. Nevertheless, she managed to squeak through high school, where she played the clarinet in the band, was a majorette and graduated. She attended Midwestern State University, which meant reading a lot of books. She surprised everyone, including herself, by graduating Cum Laude with a degree in education.

For twenty-two years Beverly taught children to read and write. They taught her patience. And along the way, she made an amazing discovery: reading was fun and writing was even more exciting. She gives her fifth-grade students the credit for showing her the magic in books.

Today, she lives in the country with her two fur-babies. She takes long walks and snaps pictures of wildlife, flowers and clouds. To relax, she plays the piano. The cats do not appreciate good music and hide when she tickles the ivories.

She also writes stories for children and teens: everything from contemporary to historical to fantasy. She has twelve books published and three more under contract. Her short stories have been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, as well as leading children’s magazines.

Links:

Blog:   http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com

Website: http://beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/beverlymcclure

Today is “Young Readers Day”

It’s “Young Readers Day”!

The second Tuesday of November (this year it falls on the 10th), is Young Readers Day.

Why not celebrate this day and instill a love of reading into your young person/people? Books are a wonderful way to seek out adventures, learn about far off places, and more!

Tim’s Magic Christmas, a chapter book, was written for the middle-grade age group (ages 8-12).

tmc5_72dpiBlurb:

For Tim Frost, Christmas 2011 is a washout. No Santa. No presents. Nothing. His father lost his job when the mill closed and now the family is on the verge of losing their home.

A chance encounter with Nick Kringle, a modern-day Santa Claus, teaches Tim that the greatest gift you can receive is the gift of giving.

Tim’s Magic Christmas is available in paperback from the author, or for the kindle at amazon.com.

Or if you have older young readers, here’s one that will suit anyone from ages 12-102.

tell a story

Blurb:

Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages; powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him.

Now isn’t that a great story? I think so, but then I’m biased.

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You can buy A Shadow from the Past in print or ebook from:

4RV Publishing
amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

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You can follow me here at Celtic Connexions or at:

Website: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-Robertson-King/221018701298979
Twitter Account: @RobertsoKing https://twitter.com/RobertsoKing
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6543072.Melanie_Robertson_King