Friday, February 1, 2013

Stephanie Parent Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal:
Forty Days (Neima’s Ark, Book One) by Stephanie Parent!

Forty Days
(Neima’s Ark, Book One)
By Stephanie
Parent
Release Date:
02/12/13
Genre: YA
Cover Artist: Najla Qamber

Summary from
Goodreads:
The entire
village knows Neima’s grandfather is a madman.
For years the old man has prophesied that a great flood is coming, a
flood disastrous enough to blot out the entire earth.  He’s even built an enormous ark that he
claims will allow his family to survive the deluge.  But no one believes the ravings of a lunatic…

…until the rain
starts.  And doesn’t stop. 

Soon
sixteen-year-old Neima finds her entire world transformed, her life and those
of the people she loves in peril.
Trapped on the ark with her grandfather Noah, the rest of her family,
and a noisy, filthy, and hungry assortment of wild animals, will Neima find a
way to survive?

With lions,
tigers, and bears oh my, elephants and flamingos too, along with rivalries and
betrayals, a mysterious stowaway, and perhaps even an unexpected romance, Forty Days is not your grandfather’s
Noah’s Ark story.

Forty Days is approximately 45000 words, the length of
a shorter novel, and is the first installment in a two-part epic story.  It does contain a cliffhanger ending.
Readers looking for a traditional, religiously
oriented version of the Noah’s Ark story should be warned that
Forty Days may
not appeal to them.  The novel will,
however, appeal to lovers of apocalyptic fiction, historical fiction, and
romance, as well as anyone who’s ever dreamed of having a baby elephant as a
pet.

About the Author:
Stephanie Parent
is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC and attended
the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major. She moved to Los Angeles
because of Francesca Lia Block's WEETZIE BAT books, which might give you some
idea of how much books mean to her. She also loves dogs, books about dogs, and
sugary coffee drinks both hot and cold.

Author Links:

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Digitus 233 Tour: Guest Post



Let's welcome Digitus 233 author, Kim Emerson. She's sharing her best writer moment with us today, and we're thrilled to have at YA Reviews and News. Be sure to check out Digitus 233. The book will be available for $1.99 for the duration of the tour! And we all love a good deal!

Guest Post:

Have you ever had a moment, even if it was a split second when someone noticed you for the unique person you are or complemented you on a job well done? Do you remember what that feels like in your heart? Some people have never experienced that. Perhaps they grew up in an environment where they had been abandoned or abused and for some reason got locked into that pattern.   
I’ve been lucky enough to have a few golden moments and I am so grateful for each one. They have sustained me through hardships and given me a golden thread to hold on to in the dark night of my soul when it seemed I was alone and forsaken.
Every published author has a different story. Some stumble upon publication and are kind of surprised they became an author, some work for many years toward that goal. For me, it has been my one life-long dream from the age of five; it was the only thing on my so called “bucket list.”
My first great writer’s moment happened when I was about twelve. After reading one of my stories, my sister-in-law told me I had a gift from God and that I should pursue my dream of being a published author. That meant so much to me as a girl because I came from a family of people that believed in being practical. They tried to downplay my outlandish dreams hoping I would “settle down” and go into nursing or something real people did. I tried that route, but somehow my path always led back to the things I loved; writing, music, and theatre.
The second great writer’s moment was in my first year of college. During my first semester my writing professor wrote on the top of my first short story assignment in red ink, “you’ve really got what it takes.” Those words, written by a stranger, in bold red print burned into my soul and although I took a long and lonely path away from writing for many years they popped up into my heart over and over.
There have been other great moments such as hearing a theatre packed with people roaring with laughter at one of my plays or winning awards, but for some reason it is always the words spoken from an individual that stand out in my mind. The words of affirmation that are given by a colleague or loved one.
I have to laugh because as I am writing this blog post I am having one of the best writer’s moments of my life. I used to be a high school teacher and several of my old high school students found out I have just published Digitus 233. As I am typing this blog post I am receiving text messages from them telling me how excited they are to read it, then texting me they found it, and then finally texting me that they are reading it and already love it. It is an awesome feeling knowing that I finally did what I told them to do all along and that is to live your dream. Don’t let anything stop you. If you are a dancer, but come from a family of coal miners, don’t let it stop you. If you are a pie maker, but come from a family of lawyers, don’t let that stop you.
I believe deep in our souls we know what we are here on earth to do, but many times that gets stomped on or people try to convince us that we are foolish, so we forget the deeper meaning of our personal journey.
May you all live your dreams and in living your dreams you will have happiness – K. D. Emerson, author of Digitus 233, the first in the Digitus Series

Book Blurb:
Digitus, the world’s dominant corporation, has studied human nature for centuries. They are experts who expand on a human’s natural gifts and talents to create supreme world leaders in all major areas of science, art, religion, music and leadership. A select few young adults are handpicked each year to join the elite.
As a final test of induction into Digitus, Zander’s team finds themselves ejected from a Learjet and land on a barren arctic island. They come together in an effort to survive and escape. Unfortunately, escape is short-lived when a nuclear powered, ballistic missile submarine rescues them, and a computer malfunction threatens an all-out nuclear attack on North America.
Time is running out as Zander’s brother Zeph struggles to uncover the truth behind the corrupt organization that holds the future of the world in its grasp.
Tick Tock.


Author Links:
Find me on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/kimmutch.emerson 
On Twitter I am: https://twitter.com/MstrKoda
The website and personal blog for my Digitus Series is here: www.digitus233.com
And the Amazon link for US: http://amzn.to/12JsPkx and UK: http://amzn.to/UAoT1S



Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday




Where It All Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
Available Feb. 19, 2013 from Simon and Schuster
Synopsis: (Taken from Treeline)

 An accident puts everything into shocking perspective in this darkly funny, “searing portrayal of power, privilege, and betrayal in the hills above Los Angeles” (Publishers Weekly).


Gabby lived under the radar until her makeover. Way under. But when she started her senior year as a blonder, better-dressed version of herself, she struck gold: Billy Nash believed she was the flawless girl she was pretending to be. The next eight months with Billy were bliss...Until the night Gabby woke up on the ground next to the remains of his BMW without a single memory of how she got there.

And Billy's nowhere to be found.


All Gabby wants is to make everything perfect again. But getting her life back isn’t just difficult, it’s impossible. Because nothing is the same, and Gabby's beginning to realize she’s missed more than a few danger signs along the way. It’s time for Gabby to face the truth, even if it means everything changes.


Especially if it means everything changes.

Why I want to read it: 

Amnesiac stories are the best! Some of my favorite movies have memory loss themes. Recently, a friend showed me photos I don't remember taking because the night before I danced with a beast by the name of tequila (Never again!). Just forgetting a couple hours of my life blew my mind and shook me. Imagine if something significant had happened during that time period. This book is going to be amazing!


Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Review: Charade by Nyrae Dawn

Synopsis (Taken from GoodReads):

Nineteen-year-old Cheyenne tries to portray the perfect life to mask the memories of her past. Walking in on her boyfriend with another woman her freshman year in college threatens that picture of perfection. 

Twenty-one-year-old Colt never wanted college and never expected to amount to anything, but when his mom's dying wish is for him to get his degree, he has no choice but to pretend it's what he wants too. 

Cheyenne needs a fake boyfriend to get back at her ex and Colt needs cash to take care of his mom, so they strike a deal that helps them both. But what if Cheyenne’s past isn’t what she thought? Soon they’re trading one charade for another—losing themselves in each other to forget about their pain. The more they play their game, the more it becomes the only thing they have that feels real.

Both Cheyenne and Colt know life is never easy, but neither of them expect the tragedy that threatens to end their charade and rip them apart forever.

My Review:

Charade starts off with an intense moment from the very first page, a scene in which an emotionally fragile college girl finds her boyfriend in a compromising position with another woman. And this is where Nyrae Dawn shows her real talent and power as a writer: The intensity does not let up until the very end! Charade is a roller coaster that only goes until the brief last chapter. The protagonists, Cheyenne and Colt, are two hopeless college students who use sex to medicate the pain they are experiencing from serious mother issues (She was abandoned. His mother is terminally ill.) In their own words, she is "weak," and he is an "asshole." They are desperately trying to survive their grim here-and-now and change themselves. Surrounded by death, the two doomed and despondent young people gravitate continually that timeless embrace that I'll call "the dance of life." The sex scenes are passionate, descriptive and tinged with sorrow. So few modern writers can do what Nyrae Dawn has done, which is take dark moments and broken characters and turn it into something truly beautiful and worthy of the name "art."

Buy Links: Amazon
                B&N
                Author's website

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Review: Doppleganger by Milda Harris





Synopsis (Taken from author's website): Citrus Leahy is having a really bad day. First she's late to school. Then she runs into the girl who drives her nuts because she always calls her Orange instead of her name. To cap it all off, though, when Citrus finally makes it to class, she sees herself already inside. Wait. What? Citrus Leahy has a doppelganger! It's probably aliens taking over the world and her life has just turned totally upside down! Goodbye, normal. Hello, paranormal! Luckily, her crush Aedan has the exact same problem!

My Review: Milda Harris has done what previously seemed impossible by stitching together intriguing paranormal happenings, edge-of-your-seat action scenes, a juicy mystery (Who are the Doppelgangers, and what do they want?), charming humor from the adorably neurotic Miss Citrus Leahy, a ribbon of romance and a truly unforeseen twist- all into one cute little package. 

The writing is straight forward, and the dialogue in Doppelganger is smart and realistic (well, as realistic as you can be in a world where Doppelgangers are taking over.) So there's no getting bored and skipping pages in this novel. The action is in perfect balance with Citrus's amusing internal dialogue. I know from Milda's website that she's a screenwriter on "Austin and Ally" so I kept envisioning Citrus as a blonde-haired Ally. Citrus has that same quirkiness, sweetness and pinch of insecurity as the Disney Channel character. But Citrus blossoms like an orange flower right in front our eyes as she evolves from timid "normal girl" to daring heroine! We feel her thrill and awe with her own growth as she attempts escapes, kidnappings and rescues. 

Just as you think Citrus might piece together the mystery of the Doppelgangers- bam- the last page announces book #2 is coming soon. Nooooooo! I have to know right now! Well, you can bet I'll be the first in line to get the next in this series. It truly has it all and left me wanting more. Six out of five stars for this fun, paranormal dreamsicle. Because, five isn't enough! 




Author Links:


To Buy Books:

Twitter:
Blogs:
Writer Girl in LA - All about writing and reading! And, I do wacky interviews with Indie Authors!

Life's Like A Movie - My dog Licorice & I explore the world of television and movies!

Short Stories:

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday


Brought to you by Breaking The Spine

A sweeping Gothic thriller based on the spine-chilling "Bluebeard" fairytale
     17-year-old Sophia Petheram has been sheltered by her doting family all her life, until the day her father dies. It's 1855, and with no money and few options, she goes to live with her guardian, the mysterious Bernard de Cressac, at the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey in Mississippi.  
     Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it's as if thread by thread, a silken net is woven around her. And when she begins glimpsing the ghosts of his former wives (all with hair as red as her own) in the forgotten corners and dark hallways of the Abbey, Sophie knows she's in de Cressac's trap. 
     With enchanting romance, chilling suspense, and dashes of the supernatural, Strands of Bronze and Gold is a compulsively-readable debut.
  
This is supposed to be released in March, and I can't wait. Netgalley denied poor little me an ARC. Being a Mississippi chick, I can't wait to see how Bluebeard will be played out in a southern setting so I'll have to pre-order and wait with all the other regular joes!

Friday, January 18, 2013

The Gatekeepers Challenge Book Tour


Reading Addiction Blog Tours



Eva Pohler - The Gatekeepers Challenge - Virtual Book Tour




Ya Fantasy
Title: The Gatekeepers Challenge (Gatekeepers Trilogy Book 2)
Author: Eva Pohler
Date Published: 11/29/12


Ten agonizing months have gone by since Therese faced off against her parents’ murderer at Mount Olympus, and she suspects Thanatos’s absence is meant to send her a message: go on with your life. In cahoots with her new friend, who's gotten in with the Demon Druggies at school, Therese takes a drug that simulates a near-death experience, planning to tell Than off so she can have closure and move on, but things go very, very wrong.

Than has been busy searching for a way to make her a god, and he’s found it, but it requires her to complete a set of impossible challenges designed by Hades, who hopes to see her fail.



Virtual Book Tour January 1 - January 31

January 1 - Reading Addiction Blog Tours- Meet and Greet
January 2 - Jen McConnel - Review
January 3 - Mom With a Kindle - Interview/PROMO
January 4 - Lov Liv Life Reviews - Guest Post/PROMO
January 5 - Marked by Books - Review/interview
January 6 - Andi's YA Books - Guest Post/PROMO
January 7 - The Stuff of Success -Review
January 9 -  Let's Get Booked - Guest Post/PROMO
January 10 - The Library Haunt - Review/Interview
January 12 - Impressions of a Princess - Review/Interview
January 13 - Book Lovin Mamas - Guest Post/PROMO
January 14 - Lovely Reads - PROMO
January 15 - My Cozie Corner - Review
January 16 - I Have Lived a Thousand Lives - Review/Guest Post
January 18 - YA Reviews and News - PROMO
January 19 - Book and Appointment with Wisdom Books - Review/Guest Post
January 20 - Magical Manuscripts - Review/Interview
January 21 - Bibliophile's Thoughts - Guest Post/PROMO
January 22 - Inside BJ's Head - Review/Guest Post
January 23 - Enchanting Reads - Guest Post/PROMO
January 24 - Love in a Book - Review
January 25 - My Reading Addiction - PROMO
January 26 - Reading With Anacrasia - Review/Interview
January 27 - Books, Books, and More Books - Review
January 28 - Beloved Books - Review/Guest Post
January 29 - The Avid Reader - Review/Guest Post
January 30 - Jody's Book Reviews - PROMO
January 31 - RABT Reviews - Review



Author Bio:
Eva Pohler teaches writing at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she lives with her husband, three children, two dogs, two rats, and her very large collection of books.
Twitter: @EvaPohler

Buy Link