Giveaway; At What Cost by J. Andersen

 

 

Book Description:
 

During her junior year, sixteen-year-old Maggie Reynolds expected to shop for prom dresses not maternity clothes. Now, instead of studying for the SATs, she’s reading, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Maggie’s ‘Mother Dearest’ lives in fear that Maggie will somehow taint the family name, so Maggie can’t turn to her for help. Meanwhile, her father is oblivious to anything but his 9-9 job. And her boyfriend, Justin? She’s pretty sure he’ll stay by her side.

While Maggie wrestles with her options, Justin offers a solution: abortion. It would solve all her problems quickly, easily, and effectively. And her parents would never know, which means they won’t throw her out and cut her off like they’d always threatened if she got herself knocked up. Now Maggie must decide which choice she can live with: abortion or teenage motherhood. Either way, it’ll be a tough road to travel.

Goodreads Link:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15705792-at-what-cost

 

Excerpt: Ch 1

 

Maggie pulled out her calendar, and flipped past July and August, which were filled with her work schedule and penciled-in date nights with Justin. “No,” she whispered, turning to the month of September. “No, no, no, no, no.” The blood drained from her face, and she sucked in a deep breath, trying not to pass out.

“No, it can’t be,” she whispered again. Count again.

“Mags, what’s wrong?” Lauren Weaver, her best friend, leaned over from her seat with a look of concern on her face.

Maggie glanced at Lauren, and shooed her away with her hand. She flicked her eyes back to her calendar, flipped to the month of August and counted the days from the little ”X” she’d made at the beginning of the month.

Lauren interrupted her deep concentration. “Maggie,” she whispered, smacking her gum.

A bead of sweat trickled down Maggie’s hairline. Finally, she looked straight at her friend, whose eyes squinted in confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing.” Slapping her notebook closed, she packed up her books long before class was over. “Nothing, I’m fine.”

But she wasn’t. “Ms. O’Donnell, I’m not feeling well,” she said as she gathered her books and dashed to the nearest bathroom down the hall, where she locked herself in the handicapped stall and sat on the toilet trying to suck in a full breath. It wasn’t possible. The calendar she’d just used moments before stared at her from the top of her pile of books, but she ignored it for a while longer, choosing instead to read the graffiti on the walls. Jenna & Cade 4ever. Mr. Brackenrich bites! Not very creative. Staring at the puffy lettering scratched on the wall, her vision grew fuzzy until her brain pulled her into the present again.

She had probably counted wrong. Yeah, that was it. Grabbing the little book, she looked for the mark telling her what day she’d started last month. Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty…forty-one…forty-one...forty-one.

Numbness spread through her limbs and mind as she sat on the toilet. Her arms slack at her side, she didn’t have the strength even to close the notebook, which still lay open on her lap. She was late. Two weeks late. She’d been late before, but only a couple of days, never two weeks. Forty-one days. No, that couldn’t be right. One more time. Count one more time. But it was no use. All six times, she came up with the same number. She was late. Late enough to be—

Without warning, her stomach heaved, and the acid rose.

 

 

 

About this author:

Jessie Andersen lives in a small town in Western New York with her husband and three kids. A former English teacher, she now spends her time writing while the kids are at school and the baby is sleeping. She volunteers at the local library and sings in the church band.

 

You can find information about her books at jandersenbooks.com, and you can follow her blogs at Therabidwriter.blogspot (Personal blog) andReadbetweenthelinesbookclub.blogspot.com (Book blog). You can also follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jvdlandersen and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jandersenbooks.

www.Jandersenbooks.com
www.Therabidwriter.blogspot.com
www.readbetweenthelinesbookclub.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/jandersenbooks
www.twitter.com/jvdlandersen

 

 

   ~Giveaway~

J.Anderson is giving away 3 e-book copies of At What Cost. Fill out the Raffle copter below for a chancce to win. 

 

 

 

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Interview & Giveaway: FIELD OF SCREAMS by J.D. Gordon

 

 

 

 

I have author J.D Gorden here with me today! Let's get to know him a little better.

 

Let's start with some fun questions. 

 

J.D do you prefer .... Milk chocolate or Dark?  

Milk

 

Coke or Pepsi?

Pepsi

 

Almond Joy or Mounds? 

Mounds

 

Romance or a Thriller?

Thriller

 

Mystery or Horror?

Hmmmmm good question…..a mixture perhaps?

 

Can you tell us about yourself?

I’m a 41, almost 42 year old fella born and raised in the city of Chicago. I now live out in the burbs with the family, a wife and two kids, a son and daughter, my girl is 9 and the little guy is 7. I’ve been writing for about ten years now. My first choice of career was that of a professional firefighter/paramedic. I stuck with that gig for about 14 years. I left the service due to injuries sustained in the line of duty. These days, I do the writing. I umpire high school baseball and take care of the kids, even with the injuries I feel that I’m a pretty lucky guy.

Did you always want to be an author?

 

No, never in a million years did I think I’d be writing books. I was the dude in the back of the class avoiding the teachers gaze. I did my homework on the school bus and in study hall, always made sure I had at least one of those during the day. It took ten years to finish two years of college. It really started as a challenge, in a way. When folks ask me how I got into writing I respond with, I fell into it, literally. I tumbled from the side of a train breaking my knee in the process. I needed surgery and would have to be away from the firehouse for quite some time. During a visit my peers asked what I would be doing with all of my time away, cause healing didn’t cut it right, physical therapy and all that. I had always been a big reader and for some reason, I might write a book popped out. My shift mates laughed their asses off, and with good reason. At the time the only thing I ever needed to write were reports for the calls I responded to. I wrote them in all capital letters and skipped on most of the punctuation. I felt challenged, hate backing down to those. I went home, fired up the computer and started typing, here we are now….

 

What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?

 

Growing up, authors were nothing more than enjoyment, a pastime type of deal. My tastes wandered, as they still do. Example, my two favorite books…The Hobbit and Brave New World, total opposites, I think anyway.

 

Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer?

Well, obviously my family is supportive and on the top of the list. But, at this point in my life I really don’t a lot of encouragement. I enjoy doing it, exercises my mind. Otherwise, as I mentioned, I never set out to be a writer. It’s just something I do. Will I always and forever? We’ll see.

 

What is your writing atmosphere like? 

I think we come in right around 21% oxygen. No, um I write on a lap top so the environment changes often. However, I do must of my writing during the day especially during the school year. I don’t write much in the summer. My kids won’t be little forever, they still like spending time with their parents so I guess I feel I should take advantage of that while I can. At the same time my wife works from home quite often. When she does she hogs the ‘official’ computer space. She’s on the phone blah blah, I need to get out to concentrate. So I head out for a quiet spot, my favorite local saloon, yeah, real quiet there huh? It works, they save a place for me at the end of the bar. I like the background noise. I’ll join in on conversations when I need a break, I’m not totally isolated from the world. It works, it’s a noise but a different kind I have going on at home.

 

 

What is your favorite aspect or writing? Your Least Favorite?

Least favorite, editing, re writes. Favorites, fan mail, emails from readers, meeting folks at book signings.

  

Your current book your promoting is? 

Field of Screams!

 

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

BLURB:   

While baseball is the game of the day for Andy Biggs, an evil force lurks beneath the old Maryknoll Stadium. A ghostly witch doctor is turning teens into zombies to help summon the demon Jumlin into humanity. It’s up to Andy and his band of paranormal sidekicks to save the world and thwart the witch doctor and even Jumlin himself!

  

REVIEW SOUND BYTES 

"The perfect follow-up to Kritterkreep, Field of Screams is the book you'll find your child reading under the bedcovers with a flashlight. And if truth be known, you'll be reading it when they're done."
— Kerry Frey, author of Buried Lie: A Young Ace Roberts Adventure

"Jimmy has taken every boy's baseball fantasy of being in the big game and taken it to an entirely different world!"
— Dan Griffin, president, Glen Ellyn Little League

"Andy Biggs and his best friend, Juan, are at it again, fighting off a triple play of zombies, ghosts and evil spirits. But will they be able to save the girl, save the day and still save the game?"
— Lisa Motola Hudon, author of Watch Your Step At The Wishing Well and Just Another Day In Paradise

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Firefighter and paramedic-turned-author Jimmy (J.D.) Gordon was born and raised in Chicago where he developed a taste for the finer things that the Windy City has to offer - pan pizza, live blues and the Cubs. 

Jimmy dropped into the world of literature, literally. After falling off a train and breaking his knee Jimmy had to spend quite a bit of time recuperating. While visiting the firehouse his peers asked what he planned to with all that time away. This when Jimmy said the words that he now claims to have changed his life. "I should write a book."

Despite some skepticism from his peers ("You don't even use punctuation on your run reports!"), he completed a novel, Island Bound, and made it a point to use punctuation throughout.

Another injury, sustained on the job, ended his career in the fire service. Aside from writing Gordon spends his Spring and Summer as an umpire for high school and youth baseball. He now lives with his wife and children in Glen Ellyn IL, a suburb of Chicago.

LINKS:

www.jimmygwrites.com

http://www.facebook.com/jimmy.radzinskijdgordon?ref=tn_tnmn

http://www.newleafbooks.net/

http://www.amazon.com/Field-Screams-J-D-Gordon/dp/1930076142/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341550396&sr=1-4&keywords=field+of+screams

 ~ Giveaway~

 J.D. will be sending to one randomly drawn commenter an autographed copy of each book in his backlist, an autographed copy of a book his daughter wrote, a $20 Barnes andNoble gift card, and his/her name used for a character in the next book in theseries!

 

Wow, that is a great prize! To enter to win just leave a comment with your email addres below.

 

For more chances to win folow the FIElD of  SCREAMS Tour:

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/virtual-book-tour-field-of-screams-by.html.

Spotlight: Careful by Isobella Jade

AfterEstella Montclair is killed in a texting and driving crash, what remains of herface and body is devastating. But not all of her has died. During the firstmonth after her death, Estella's spirit travels among her living friends andfamily. Her best friends Zara, Eva and Jett show her how pain and sorrow canbreak apart or strengthen a bond. She also sees for the first time that losscan spark revenge, catastrophe can come without warning, and we all havesecrets. She wonders if her chance for love with Phoenix has passed her by, andif out of sight truly means out of mind. And maybe one day the girl who causedher death will admit her mistake. While adjusting to a new state of being,Estella struggles to face the limitations that come with death, but blossoms byrecognizing she can still touch the lives of the people she once knew so well.





Buy Links:  Amazon    Barnes and Noble   IndieBound

Excerpt:

That night the clouds looked grayish purple as I glided toward Willow Lake and rested under the first willow tree I saw. The willow tree’s branches were droopy from the snow and rain, and ice dangled off of them like half-frozen snakes. I spent the rest of the night there among the rain, earth, and wind, pondering if I was using my energy fully and in the right ways, and trying to understand exactly what I was.

At first, it was difficult for me to come up with a clear resolve as to what I had left to offer the living. Maybe it was too early for me to fully know. In the cold of the night air surrounding me I focused on the liveliness I felt, the energy running through me. I considered what was keeping me going and what I might have gained in death.

I was still able to feel emotions about the things I saw and the people I knew. The feelings charged through me intensely. I still had my ability to care; it was always with me, as if it never left me, even after death. 

What did it mean?

It had to mean something.

I could feel that there was more to do and give, but without an instinct as to how. I hadn’t thought much about my purpose when I was alive, and I wasn’t sure what my purpose was now, but I decided in that moment of emptiness and loneliness under the willow tree to give finding my soul’s purpose a try.

When I was alive, it seemed that my purpose had been based around maintaining my body and keeping it toned and lean, keeping my stomach muscles tight and legs strong in preparation for the next track meet.

Now, absent of an earthly body, I had to discover myself beyond my verbal and physical attributes.

I had tried to brush up against, curl up next to, and be close to my friends and family, but my warmth obviously wasn’t something that skin could feel so easily. There was a barrier of muscle, vessels, glands, and bone between us. Their nerve endings hadn’t felt the pressure of my touch or registered that I was near them. I realized I had been expecting the wrong things, trying to be what I wasn’t, and not noticing the right path.

Somewhere deeper within them, in a place that I could relate to better, was where they’d feel and hear me.

When my soul did interact with another’s soul, I wondered if I could speak to it and be heard. Maybe I could send a vibe of my compassion outward, like an electron traveling through a circuit, and it could reach them. I wanted my aura to have a positive effect on others.

 About the Author

IsobellaJade is an author, petite model and a wizard of self-promotion. Her modelingmemoir Almost 5'4" is her personal memoir about being ashorter-than-average model in NYC, the ins and outs and highs and lows ofstriving to beat the odds. Her graphic novel Model Life was released inNovember 2009 and Short Stuff is her collection of on-the-job experiences thattook place after Almost 5'4" and includes modeling tips for shorter girls.Her most recent work is a new YA novel called Careful, the first book of theCareful, Quiet, Invisible series.

 

Website

http://www.isobelladreams.com

Twitterusername

@IsobellaJade

Booktrailer:

 http://www.isobelladreams.com/TheCarefulQuietInvisibleSeries.html

Seventeen.com featured the book in their book club:

http://www.seventeen.com/entertainment/reviews/book-review-careful-isobella-jade

I was recently visiting my hometown in Syracuse, NY and chatted with ABCaffiliate News Channel 9 about the book:

http://www.9wsyr.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=3615539

 

~ Giveaway Details ~

The author is giving away 5 signed print copies of Careful(US only) and 5 e-book copies of Careful(International)

Follow her tour!  http://yabound.blogspot.com/2012/08/blog-tour-careful-by-isobella-jade.html

 

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Interview: Drive Back the Darkness by Amy M. Newman

I have Amy M. Newman here today! Let's get know Amy better.

 

Amy, do you prefer  Milk chocolate or Dark? Dark!

 

Coke or Pepsi? Coke, never Pepsi. Ick.

 

Almond Joy or Mounds? Almond Joy.

 

Romance or a Thriller? Romance. I can never really love a book unless there’s at least a hint of romance in it.

 

Mystery or Horror? Mystery.

Did you always want to be an author?

 

Actually, no. I was originally pre-med in college, but I got a C in chemistry, so that killed that dream. I have, however, always, always loved to read. I own over 1,300 books (print, not digital). Even though it took me a while, it wasn’t that big of a leap to realize I wanted to write them as well.

 

 

What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?

 

The first book that made me want to write was Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts. I closed it and thought, I wish I could make other people feel the way this book made me feel. But I’ve always loved YA books, which is why I ended up writing them.

 

Growing up, I loved Tamora Pierce’s books, along with Patricia C. Wrede, The Hobbit, and of course the Harry Potter books as an older teen. It was inevitable that I would end up writing a Young Adult fantasy, although my latest project is actually a contemporary young adult novel.

 Nowadays, I tend to like the heavier, darker YA novels, but I also read a ton of adult literary novels, as well as romance, and a few mysteries

  

Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer?

 

My family, of course. My mom was a teacher and has published teaching materials for children. My dad was a fisheries biologist and has published quite a few articles on Coaster Brook Trout. My sister ghost writes for her company. I’m the only one who writes fiction, but we all write to some extent.

 

 

What is your writing atmosphere like?

 

As long as I’m not tired, I can write through anything; noisy toddlers, blasting TVs, dogs barking etc. I prefer early morning though, because that’s when I’m the least tired. Some days, I manage to get up before my son, have a nice, hot cup of Chai tea or hazelnut coffee (sadly I haven’t been able to have caffeine for a while as I’m currently expecting our second son!), and then work on my laptop in our nice, quiet living room. Unfortunately, I’ve been super tired lately and haven’t been able to do that as much as I like. That means most of my work is done when I’m semi-tired, while my son naps. I used to like writing at night, but now, when bedtime rolls around, I’m too exhausted to even consider it! :)

 

 

What is your favorite aspect or writing? Your Least Favorite?

 

I love coming up with the idea and the characters, writing the character biographies, discovering who they are. I hate revision. It’s necessary and needed, but I still strongly dislike it!

 

 

Your current book your promoting is:

 

Drive Back the Darkness- It’s a young adult fantasy, kind of Cassandra Claire-meets-Lord of the Rings.

 

How did you come up with the story line?

 

Every one of my story ideas starts with what I call a spark; a character, a small bit of plot or dialogue, a situation, something that intrigues me. In this case I had a dream about a girl who was taken from her home and forced to fight for something she wasn’t entirely sure she believed in. The dream was actually a nightmare. I’ve had horrible, vivid nightmares since I was very small. At least now I’m able to do something with all that scariness! About two thirds of my stories start with something I dreamed.

 

 

How do you choose your characters names?

 

This is kind of nerdy, but I actually have a “name your baby” book and I go through it until I find something I feel fits!

 

 

 

Drive Back the Darkness

 

 

 

 

On her sixteenth birthday, Ellie Lyons discovers her entire life has been a lie. She’s kidnapped from her home and left in Alladon, a kingdom controlled by an evil man named Morfan, a kingdom that she was born to rule.

Ellie reluctantly faces the impossible tasks confronting her; like learning to control the magic that now roars through her and burns everything she touches, training to become a lethal warrior, or dealing with the fact that Devin, the guy she is irresistibly attracted to, is actually one of the assassins sent by Morfan to kill her.

 

Devin has a troubled past; he has spent the last five years tracking the person who murdered his family. He is dark, dangerous, and deadly serious, but Ellie can see the core of kindness shining deep within him, as well as the fear of getting hurt again that makes him push people away. Though Ellie knows her life might be at stake, she can’t seem to stay away from him, even as her feelings become strong enough that they begin to scare her.

 

Vance, the second assassin and Devin’s best friend, is the opposite of Devin; blonde, charming, seductive. But his heart holds a kernel of darkness, one that makes him dangerously unstable, especially after he realizes that he has feelings for Ellie, feelings he knows Ellie doesn’t share.

 

Ellie can’t let her emotions for the two men cloud her focus, her quest to remove Morfan from power. When Ellie discovers that the children of Alladon have been imprisoned in a secret factory, Ellie knows she can’t fight her destiny any longer. She must claim her rightful place as princess and fight Morfan, or surrender and be slaughtered. Will she be able to survive long enough to save her people from the Darkness?

  

 

AMAZON BUY LINK

 

Excerpt from chapter 1

Today was like every other day of Ellie’s life except for two things: one, it was her sixteenth birthday, and two, she was being stalked. Ellie gnawed on a thumbnail, the sharp, rusty flavor of blood filling her mouth. She had never been a nail biter, but she was now. It seemed to help the constant panic fluttering in her chest. She glanced at the window, a shiver snaking down her back. She knew the woman was out there, waiting.

“Eleanora Lyons.” Mr. Smith, Ellie’s history teacher, called her name. Ellie slid out of her desk, her too-pale legs flashing like sticks of chalk under her swirly skirt, a fact that would have bothered her two weeks ago. Now, it no longer seemed important. She took her test from him, not even bothering to cover the big red A+ with her fingers, like she would have before.

“Freak,” Chris, the quarterback of the football team, fake coughed the words.

Ellie sighed and then glanced at his paper, which had a D inked across the top.

She sat down in her seat, almost too tired to deal with him. Almost. “At least I’m a freak that can manage to remember basic facts.”

Chris frowned and flexed his big, beefy fingers. “Watch yourself, nerd-girl. You don’t want to tick me off.”

Ellie ignored him. She used to wonder why they picked on her, running all the possible reasons through her mind. Maybe it was because she ruined the grade curve, or maybe it was because her skin was so pale you could see her veins through it, when the other girls were all shades of gold. Maybe it was because she had a monster following her like a puppy dog. Somehow, Ellie couldn’t bring herself to care anymore.

The bell shrilled through the room. She shot to her feet and then crashed to the floor, courtesy of the backpack strap that had wound itself around her leg. Apparently, panic made her a bit of a klutz. Laughter echoed behind her as she stumbled to her locker, stuffed a bunch of books into her bag, and then sprinted down the hall. She had to make it outside while there was still a crowd of kids milling around.

The sunshine dazzled her eyes, and she blinked frantically, her heartbeat thudding in her ears. She didn’t see the woman, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t there.

As she started the jog toward home, dead, dry leaves rustled under her feet sounding like creepy voices whispering at her.

“Come on, Ellie, get a grip,” she muttered. She took a deep breath, crouched down, and pretended to check the strap on her sandal. She glanced behind her. The woman let Ellie see her for just a second, before disappearing. A shiver prickled her skin, and she began to run.

 

Author links and image:

 

Author website:  http://amymnewman.com/

Twitter: @TheLiteraryMom  

Publisher link: http://etopiapressblog.wordpress.com/