Showing posts with label spotlight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spotlight. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Pinkaboos by Laura & Jake Gosselin Spotlight & Giveaway

Helping Children Fight Fear Since May 2014!




Be Sure to Check out the Fearless Giveaway Below! Enter just by commenting!
(see details below this post)


This is going to be the best year ever for best friends Bitterly, Abyssma and Belladonna as they are starting a new school year at Fright School! As young frights they'll learn how to chase aware the fears of little human girls by entering their dreams and teaching them how to overcome nightmares. 

But when Bitterly, the most promising fright, is faced with a school bully and some nightmares of her own, she finds help from the last place she expected-the little girl whom she has sworn to protect. Pinkaboos is an empowering new chapter book series for girls and young readers (6-9) that presents the challenges of childhood through the thrilling and magical world of the Pinkaboos. 

Praise for the Pinkaboos chapter books from the author of Monster High: "Facing fears has never been so much fun. The Pinkaboos are ah-dorable!" -Lisi Harrison, author of The Clique, Alphas, Monster High, Pretenders.

(Chapter book for ages 6-9)


PURCHASE THE PINKABOOS


Laura Gosselin - After receiving her undergraduate degree in English from Cal State University Long Beach in California, Laura Gosselin completed her MFA at Stony Brook Southampton. She has since served as a reporter for a local newspaper in New York, an editor for a national magazine in Vancouver, Canada, as well as senior copywriter for a marketing firm. She currently lives in southern California with her husband and daughter where she works as a creative consultant for Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.

Jake Gosselin completed his undergraduate degree in Anthropology at the University of Toronto before heading to New York where he finished his MFA in English and Writing at Stony Brook/Southampton College of Long Island University. He currently lives in Southern California where he works as an author, freelance writer and website producer for FourSeasons.com.

Connect with The Pinkaboos Team at their:

** AWESOME GIVEAWAY **


One lucky reader will win a Kindle along with a Kindle copy of The Pinkaboos!
For a chance to win the Kindle,  share your best anecdote on how your child overcame fear!

-We don't need a novel, just simply share how your little hero conquered their biggest fear or helped someone else conquer fear.-

In addition to the Kindle, each blog on tour will be giving away 5 copies of The Pinkaboos: Bitterly and the Giant Problem just for leaving a general comment below!

And don't forget to leave a way for us to contact you if you win!

Monday, April 14, 2014

Resistance by Jena Leigh Spotlight & Giveaway



Resistance (The Variant Series, #2)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Check out on Goodreads!
Purchase on Barnes & Noble and Amazon!

Synopsis: Alexandra Parker might be the most powerful Variant the world has ever seen—but even that won’t get her out of finishing her junior year of high school. 

The challenge of keeping her abilities under wraps during class is daunting enough, but throw one surly, sandy-haired Jumper into the mix, and things can get downright complicated. 

Declan’s new job? Watch over Alex while she’s at school and do everything in his power to keep her from losing control. But as sparks of every kind begin flying between Alex and her new bodyguard, she's left feeling more unstable than ever. 

When avoiding her abilities results in a surprise visit from her parents’ killer, Alex’s worlds collide with a bang that nearly levels Bay View High. 

With her freedom now squarely in the Agency’s crosshairs, Alex will be faced with the fight of her life… and a decision that could forever alter the course of her destiny.



Sneak Peek

Kenzie drummed her fingers idly on the top of her desk. Slouched in her seat, she stared unblinking at the black hands of the clock mounted to the wall above the whiteboard. All around the room, students waited in small groups for the bell to release them and their weekend to begin.

Three minutes until the final bell.

Three minutes, and she’d be free.

Three minutes, thought Kenzie, and I’ll be on my way toward my next coffee fix.

That bell really needed to hurry itself up.

She had places to be.

Kenzie sighed. The longer she went without a fix, the harder it was to silence the thoughts emanating from the sea of humanity around her.

Caffeine meant focus.

Focus meant an easier time of keeping the walls up and the voices out.

She wondered, briefly, what telepaths did before the discovery of caffeinated beverages. The thought made her shudder. Control without stimulants in the bloodstream was possible, of course. But it was far from a pleasant way to go. Especially in populated areas.

Wham!

Kenzie jolted upright, the sudden movement causing her desk to bang into the back of the seat in front of her.

Something had just slammed into her mental walls with enough force to send a stab of pain through her temple.

What the crap was that?

Around the room, the steady flow of conversation dried up.

It wasn’t just Kenzie. That pulse had hit everyone.

Even the norms.

Kenzie got slowly to her feet.

A funny thing happens when norms experience Variant abilities firsthand. Instead of seeing the supernatural for what it is, nine times out of ten, they will translate their experience into something that better fits the rules of their reality.

The brilliant light of a jumper’s teleport becomes a camera flash, the telekinetic movement of objects through the air gets blamed on a strong gust of wind, and mental assaults are automatically translated into something external.

“Did you hear that?” asked a freckle-faced blonde from across the aisle. “Sounded like a sonic boom, or something.”

“Yeah! I heard it, too!” said another. “Wonder what it was?”

She supposed the better question was not what was it, but who was it?

The wave came again, this time with twice the strength behind it. Kenzie grabbed for the back of her seat to keep from losing her balance.

Fear.

The wave wasn’t a thought, it was a distilled emotion. Someone, somewhere, was absolutely terrified.

Judging from the nervous expressions on the faces of the students around her, that fear was not only being broadcast to the rest of the school, it was also creeping its way into their subconscious.

Kenzie sifted through the residue of the psychic onslaught in an attempt to identify the source.

The second she caught a glimpse of that all too familiar thought signature, she cursed—loudly, to the surprise of the students standing stock-still beside her—before sprinting toward the door.

Halfway down the locker-lined hall the ground began to shudder, the floor practically roiling beneath her feet.

Earthquake? she wondered.

But this was Florida. Florida didn’t have earthquakes.

Declan appeared at the other end of the hall, running in her direction.

“Where is she?” called Kenzie.

Her brother ducked through a swinging door just ahead of her.

The girl’s bathroom?

Kenzie followed him in.

“Oh my god.”

Alex was on her knees in a shallow sea of water, dripping wet, her hands clutching the sides of her head.

Water flooded the room. The porcelain sinks lining the wall lay shattered and in pieces on the ground. A large, spherical indentation was blasted into the wall behind Alex and what could only be burn marks scorched onto the ceiling above.

As Kenzie watched in amazement, strands of water began swirling around her friend, encasing her in a glittering sphere of liquid before losing form and crashing back down around her.

A shimmer of light rippled across Alex’s body, distorting her appearance like a mirage on desert sand.

“I can’t…” Alex was sobbing. “There are too many, Declan. I can’t make them stop!”

Declan edged as close to Alex as he dared, his expression grim.

Alex finally lifted her head to look at them.

Kenzie took an involuntary step backward. She had seen the way a jumper’s eyes changed color, the brilliant violet light causing their eyes to glow brightly in the moments before and after they teleported, but Alex’s normally gray eyes were now shifting colors with every beat of her heart.

Jade.

Violet.

Ruby.

Azure.

Black.

Alex collapsed.

The rumbling in the floor intensified, sending Declan into action. He sloshed through the water, reaching down to grip Alex under her arms.  

“Get the door,” he called over his shoulder.

Kenzie held the door for Declan as he dragged Alex into the deserted hallway.

“Take my arm,” he ordered, maintaining his hold on Alex. “Let’s go, Kenzie.”

Terrified of being this close to Alex during a meltdown, but knowing her brother would leave her behind if she didn’t act fast, Kenzie lurched forward and grabbed Declan’s upper arm.

They jumped with the sound of the final bell ringing in their ears.

MAKE SURE TO ALSO CHECK OUT REVIVAL (The Variant Series, #1)!


Check out on Goodreads!
Purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

Synopsis: Possessing the uncanny ability to fry a television set from twenty paces can really wreck a girl’s social life.

If you’re looking for proof, just ask sixteen-year-old Alexandra Parker. After catching her boyfriend in the arms of the prettiest girl in school, she made the journey from social elite to social pariah in a haze of electricity and exploding electronics. But finding herself at the bottom of Bay View High’s social hierarchy was nothing compared to the shock of discovering who—and what—she really is.

After being zapped out of a burning bookstore by the mysterious Declan—a hero nearly as handsome as he is infuriating—Alex finds herself under the protection of the powerful Grayson family. It’s through them that she learns the truth: that the world she’s always known is nothing like it appears to be... and that she has far more in common with them than she might want to believe.

Now, on the run from a fire-wielding hit man and a secretive government organization, Alex must navigate a strange and treacherous new world filled with superhuman mutants known as Variants. As she begins to unravel the many secrets of her family’s past, she uncovers the real reason for her parents’ death twelve years earlier—and finds out that the threat to her family, and to everyone she cares about, is still dangerously real.


Giveaway 

**Must be 13 or older to enter**
**1 winner will win a SIGNED paperback copy of REVIVAL and RESISTANCE**
**3 winners will win an ecopy of REVIVAL and RESISTANCE**
**Ends 4/21/2014 at MIDNIGHT**

a Rafflecopter giveaway
ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Jena Leigh spent ten years in the mountains of North Carolina before returning home to the lightning capital of North America. A shameless geek, she loves bad sci-fi movies, Skittles, writing cracktastic e-mails to friends and taking shenanigan-filled road trips to faraway concerts. She has a degree in English from Appalachian State University. REVIVAL is her first novel. 


Blog Tour Brought To You By TeamNerd Reviews
 

Please check out other tour stops:
 
April 14
TeamNerd Reviews (Tour Page/Resistance Week Special on TeamNerd)
Pink Fluffy Hearts (Book Review, Resistance)
Relaxed Reads (Guest Post)
Every Free Chance Book Review (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek)
Mom in Love With Fiction (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek)
April 15
Lindzee Armstrong/Lydia Winters (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek)
The Book Addict (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek)
April 16
Bookwyrming Thoughts (Guest Post)
Book Bliss (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek + Author Interview)
Once Upon a YA Book (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek + Top Ten List)
April 17
Kindle and Me (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek)
The Phantom Paragrapher (Book Review, Revival)
Musings of a Writing Reader (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek + Guest Post)
April 18
Indy Book Fairy (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek)
Dazzled By Books (Book Spotlight + Author Interview)
April 19
Lindsay and Jane’s Views and Reviews (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek)
Geeky Chiquitas (Book Review, Revival)
April 20
Lili Lost in a Book (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek)
Always Jo Art (Book Spotlight + Sneak Peek)
April 21
Tammy’s Tea Time (Book Review Revival + Resistance)

Friday, February 21, 2014

Shady Deals by Cindy McDonald Spotlight



Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Pages: 196

Purchase at AMAZON

Kate West and Dr. Holden Reese have put their troubled past behind them and are ready to set a wedding date. There;s only one thing in Holden’s way: a powerful drug Lord at Keystone Downs Thoroughbred Race Track has Holden under his thumb, and he’s not letting go!

Kate’s family is determined to get to the bottom the of horse drugging ring, and when the West’s get too close to the truth the Drug Lord sends them a brutal message that can’t be misinterpreted.  Now Holden is on the run, and he’s dragging Kate with him.

Can he escape his indiscretions?

How long can he keep Kate in the dark?

Excerpt

“Take your clothes off.” Dr. Holden Reese said, as he closed the door to his veterinarian office at Keystone Downs Thoroughbred Racetrack. His hot gaze slid over Kate West’s slender curves. He dropped the deadbolt into the locked position. A shiver skittered down Kate’s spine as she turned to him. She wore a red tank top and a pair of tight Levi Jeans. Her long blonde tresses were pulled back into a ponytail. The florescent lighting glinted off the silver hoop earrings that dangled from her ear lobes.
While her full lips parted, her eyebrows rose. “Ever heard of sexual harassment, Dr. Reese?” Kate put in.
He strode toward her unbuckling his belt. He took the vet box from her hand to set it on a nearby shelving unit, and then pushed her against the block wall. Holden was six-foot-two of solid muscled male. His deep brown eyes burned into her baby blues. Caging her between his arms, he reached back to pull the band that held her hair letting it spill like a golden waterfall about her shoulders. He fisted his fingers through the locks tilting her head back to hold her in place. He said, “Oh, I’ve heard of it, Miss West, and I have every intention of taking you on my desk,” he nipped at her earlobe making his way slowly down her neck, “do you want to scream?”
Kate’s fingers splayed wide on the wall that she was pinned against. Everything female in her clenched at his teasing nips and licks and the way he smoothed his lips over her heating skin. She could feel her nipples pushing to stiff peaks against the inside of her bra. She swallowed hard letting go of a groan from deep in her throat. She rasped, “Do you want me to scream, Dr. Reese?”
Holden smiled against her shoulder. He whispered, “When I make you come.” He pressed his lips to hers pushing his tongue into her mouth savoring the taste of her, tangling his fingers tighter through her hair, possessing her. Kate wrapped her arms around his waist pushing up on her toes to capture more from the kiss, when suddenly Holden let go of her hair grabbing her by the shoulders. Kate blinked back, astonished that the kiss had ended so abruptly.
“You were stripping...” he said, stepping back to take in the show about to start. Kate planted her hands on her hips, biting her lip. His gaze never wavered as he unbuttoned his jeans, while urging, “the desk is waiting, my pretty little assistant.”
“And if I refuse? Will you fire me?”
He lowered his zipper with slow unerring precision, “You won’t refuse.” He stated. He whipped his T-shirt over his head tossing it to the floor, baring his sculpted biceps and abs, while sporting a sinful come-on look that should’ve been in the category of a felony.
“That’s not fair!” Kate blurted.
His mouth curved into a wicked smile. “I’ll use whatever weapons at my disposal to get you naked. I’ve been fantasizing since yesterday about doing it on my desk with my sexy little employee.” Glancing at the desk, Kate noted that it had been cleared for the event. Holden added, “You won’t mention this to your boyfriend, will you?”
Kate rolled her eyes at his suggested role-play. Quirky. What fun. She went along. “He’s the jealous type, you know. Not to mention that he could probably beat the snot out of you.”
“I’ll take my chances.” Holden rolled his right index finger in the air at her, “Let the stripping commence.”
Knowing that he rather enjoyed a demure display, she peeked at him through her lashes. Kate slowly slipped her tank over her head, tossing it to the floor, leaving him to ogle her dainty blue lace bra. She unbuttoned her jeans, lowered the zipper bit by bit, and then she shimmied her hips until they slipped down her legs to pool at her feet, swiftly she kicked them aside. She could see the column of his erection bulging from his boxer brief through the open fly of his jeans, as she stood before him in a tiny lace thong and the lace bra. He licked his lips. She was driving him crazy. She liked it. Her lips curled at his delicious anticipation.
Slowly she reached back to unhook the bra, but rather than allowing it to fall to the floor, she cupped her breasts in her palms holding the bra in place. Holden sucked in a deep breath while he watched her bite her lower lip as she kneaded her breasts in a circular motion, until she slowly let the bra slip down her arms to fall at her feet.
Holden grabbed her hands restraining them behind her back before she could hook her thumbs through the bands of the thong. Sealing his mouth over hers, he kissed her hard while pulling her against his arousal. “Leave a little for me,” he snarled, releasing her hands to grab her buttocks and lift her until she wrapped her legs around his waist. Lips locked, he carried her to the desk, setting her down gently. He murmured, “I don’t want to hurry my fantasy. I want to savor it, baby.”
Kate pulled away from the kiss. She whispered, “I don’t know, my boyfriend will be coming to pick me up soon for the bonfire party at our farm tonight. He doesn’t like it when I’m late.”
Holden’s eyes brightened. “I almost forgot about that,” he brushed a lock of hair from her cheek with the pad of his thumb. His eyes narrowed when he asked, “Is the whole party taking place outside?”
Kate cocked her head, confused by the question considering the position they were presently in. She answered, “Yes...”
“No one will be in the barn?”
“No...”
Carefully he laid her across the desk admiring her dusty pink nipples standing at attention waiting for him to nip. Thoughtfully, he ran his fingers along the inside of the elastic band that secured her thong. Kate’s tummy tightened at the sultry tickle. The sinful grin returned to his handsome face. “Mmmm, another fantasy just came to mind, Miss West: The rugged cowboy breezes into town and seduces the sassy cowgirl in the hayloft. At first she isn’t willing, but soon she succumbs to his cowboy charms.”
Shaking her head, Kate chuckled, “Please, one fantasy at a time or I won’t be able to keep up, cowboy.”
She was right. So he decided to fulfill this fantasy right now. There would be plenty of time this evening for the other—if he could get her alone in the loft. He smiled to himself thinking of a clever way to lure her into the barn loft of her father’s Thoroughbred farm, Westwood.
 Dropping both of his hands on either side of her, he lowered his face to kiss her between her breasts, when the cell phone in his hip pocket began to ring and vibrate. He groaned.
Kate giggled. “That’s a mood killer.”
“Not for me,” he said, running his tongue over her stiff nipple.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
“No.”
“Holden, someone could need the vet. You should at least look at the number.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“See, I knew there was a good reason that I proposed to you. You keep me on track. By-the-way, have you told the family about our engagement?”
“Answer the phone, Holden.”
He let out a frustrated sigh as he yanked the phone from his pocket to look at the screen: Chip Walker. Shit. Reaching across her body, he grabbed the handle to the middle drawer of the desk, pulled it open, flipped the phone in, and then slammed the drawer shut.
“It’s nobody important enough to interrupt this moment.” He looked into her crystal blue eyes full of desire. Raking his fingers through her hair, he said, “Nothing is more important than you are.” His fingers slipped from her hair, down her neck until he cupped her breast in his hand. “Now where was I?”

                                                                 ****

Chip Walker thumbed the END button on his cell phone, hard. Doc Reese hadn’t answered his calls or his texts in three days. Reese was getting too independent. He wasn’t respecting his authority. Reese could blow his whole operation to smithereens. The operation had been compromised six months ago, but he had managed to dodge that bullet. He couldn’t afford another mishap. Reese needed to conform. Reese needed to fall in line. Immediately. 

And how damning will the truth be when it’s finally revealed?

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE.

About the Author

For twenty-six years Cindy Mcdonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance: She was a professional dancer/choreographer for most of her adult life and never gave much thought to a writing career until 2005.Suddenly, she felt drawn to her computer to write about things she have experienced (greatly exaggerated upon of course) with her husband’s Thoroughbreds and the happenings at the racetrack.

Why didn’t Cindy write about my experiences with dance? You might ask. “Eh, believe it or not life at the racetrack is more…racy.” Cindy says. “The drama is outrageous—not that dancers don’t know how to create drama, believe me, they do but race trackers just seem to get more down and dirty with it which makes great story telling—great fiction.”

Cindy didn’t start out writing books, The Unbridled Series started out as a TV drama, and the Hollywood readers loved the show. When the series didn’t sell, Cindy recalls, “One of the readers said to me, ‘Cindy, don’t be stupid. Turn your scripts into a book series.’” And so she did!

In May of 2011, Cindy took the big leap and exchanged her dancin’ shoes for a lap top—she retired from dance. “It was a scary proposition,” Cindy confesses. “I was terrified, but I had the full support of my husband, Saint Bill. It has been a huge change for me. I went from dancing hard five hours a night to sitting in front of a computer. I still work-out and I take my dog, Harvey, for a daily run. I have to or I’d be as big as a house.”

Does Cindy McDonald miss dancing? “Sometimes I do,” she says. “I miss my students. I miss choreographing musicals, but I love my books and I love sharing them with readers.”

Visit her website at www.cindymcwriter.com.

Connect & Socialize with the Author: Facebook & Twitter.

Please visit other stops on the Shade Deals blog tour page.


Thanks to Pump Up Your Book for including me on this blog tour.