Over the Mountain and Back by Marie Astor - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Please welcome author Marie Astor on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions today. We're featuring an exclusive excerpt from her YA fantasy adventure book, "Over the Mountain and Back". The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment here and follow the rest of her tour to increase your chances of winning!

With his father gone missing and his mother losing her grip on reality, Peter Bailey’s life is no picnic. Peter’s gray existence changes unexpectedly after he takes his new snowboard for a ride in the mountains of Colorado and is stunned to find himself in Transadonia – a hidden world that coexists alongside with the Earth.

Lara Grover never listened to her elders, so warnings like “do not talk to strangers” mean nothing to her. When a boy from an unknown world saves her from an avalanche with the aid of a snow dragon, Lara is not stunned in the least. Instead, she joins Peter on his quest to help him realize the purpose behind his arrival to Transadonia.

Together, Lara and Peter embark on an adventure filled with perils, trickery, betrayals, and unexpected alliances.

Jasper returned with a shimmering silver snowboard in his hands. The aggressive cut and shape of the board was unlike any snowboard that Peter had ever seen, and he assumed that it must be a new model that he had not heard of before.

“Wow!” gasped Peter, unable to contain his amazement. “You’re going to let me ride this?”

“That is if you can you can ride it, pal,” replied Jasper. Noticing Peter’s questioning stare, he continued, “Five different customers bought this board, and all returned it – no one could ride it! They claimed that the minute they got on the board, it would not glide, and no matter how hard they tried, it would not budge. The funny thing is that the snowboard does look like it’s never touched the snow…”

“Where did you get it from?” Peter asked, enthralled by Jasper’s story.

“I found it outside the store the day the new shipment came in and assumed that it was part of it. I didn’t give it another thought until all the complaints started coming in, and then I pulled up the paperwork and guess what – it wasn’t in it! So I say, if you can ride it, it’s yours.” And with that Jasper thrust the snowboard into Peter’s hands.

The snowboard was made from some unknown material that looked like mercury and had an appearance of being liquid, but when Peter touched the board’s surface, he was stunned to discover that it was perfectly solid. In Peter’s hands, the snowboard felt sturdy and light, and its edges were so aggressively cut that they seemed capable of providing traction even on sheer ice.

As Peter touched the silvery surface, a strange sensation ran through him; it was a sense of wonder mixed with a foreboding of a great change.

Then the most unbelievable thing happened. For an instant, the snowboard glowed with a flash of blue light. It all happened so quickly that for a moment Peter was tempted to think that he had imagined the entire thing, but he knew what he saw, and he could not wait to get to the bottom of it.

“Thanks, Jasper,” said Peter, doing his best to keep his voice casual. “I’d better go and get some practice now - only one day left until the competition.”

Jasper did not see the flash since he was busy rearranging the snowboard display and his back had been turned toward Peter.

“Good luck.” Jasper smiled. “I hope you’ll be able to ride it.”

Me too, thought Peter, as he left the store, clutching the silver board under his arm.

Dear Reader,

Thank you very much for joining me for Over the Mountain and Back blog tour. The story of Over the Mountain and Back began over twenty years ago when I was fourteen years old and decided to write a novel as an anniversary gift for my parents. It was going to be a fantasy adventure about a boy named Peter and a girl named Lara set in a magical country, Transadonia. I remember writing studiously on the pages of an ornate notebook I had acquired especially for the occasion. Back then computers were not yet widely used, so I had to pay extra care to my handwriting. A year later, Over the Mountain and Back was completed, or at least I had thought so at the time. Needless to say my parents were very surprised with their anniversary gift.

Years passed; I finished high school and went on to college. Lara’s and Peter’s story faded from my mind, replaced by the hustles and bustles of everyday life. Then, one day – the day that happened to be my thirtieth birthday, my parents presented me with a gift: it was oblong in shape and wrapped in shiny paper. After I opened the wrapping, I was stunned to find the long forgotten story I had written all those years ago.

Long story short, after two years of extensive work, I rewrote and expanded Over the Mountain and Back into a novel of 95,000 words. For me it had been an exciting journey to be reunited with my old friends: Lara and Peter, Forest Witch Ramona, Chancellor Libra, Bookbrownies, and, of course, Carnelion, among the many others.

I hope that you will join Lara and Peter on their adventure in Transadonia.

If you would like to find out more about my books, please stop by website: www.marieastor.com.

Regards, Marie Astor

Books by Marie Astor:
For Young Adults:
Over the Mountain and Back – a fantasy adventure novel
http://www.amazon.com/Over-Mountain-Back-Adventure-ebook/dp/B008WF1Y78/ref=la_B004EBDX9Q_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1348537570&sr=1-6

Kindle link:
http://www.amazon.com/Over-Mountain-Back-Adventure-ebook/dp/B008WF1Y78/ref=la_B004EBDX9Q_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1348527276&sr=1-6

For Adults:

To Catch a Bad Guy – romantic suspense
http://www.amazon.com/To-Catch-Bad-Guy-ebook/dp/B008W1L5IA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1348537512&sr=8-5&keywords=marie+astor

This Tangled Thing Called Love – a contemporary romance about overcoming one’s inhibitions, learning to tango, and finding one’s true love match.
http://www.amazon.com/This-Tangled-Thing-Called-ebook/dp/B0078IPNCW/ref=la_B004EBDX9Q_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1337972977&sr=1-3

Lucky Charm – a humorous contemporary romance about love, luck and friendship.
http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Charm-Contemporary-Romance-ebook/dp/B005BZL3L4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336842915&sr=8-1

On the Rim of Love – a contemporary romance about the unexpected power of love.
http://www.amazon.com/On-Rim-Love-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B005TOWI7K/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

A Dress in a Window – a collection of short stories about love, coincidences, and fate.
http://www.amazon.com/A-Dress-Window-ebook/dp/B004E112TO/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.marieastor.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marieastorcollection
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4665230.Marie_Astor
Twitter: @marieastor

Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh - Virtual tour and giveaway

This review is done in conjunction with the author's tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. Trisha will be awarding two $5 Amazon Gift Cards and one $20 Gift Card GC to randomly drawn commenters during the tour, so leave your thoughts here and you're entered! If you want more chances to win, visit the rest of her tour stops here.

Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh
Post-apocalyptic Young Adult
389 pages
Rated: 5 Stars

In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots.

Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone.

Then she meets Lucas, everything changes.

Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race.

It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.

And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good

My review:  First, I would be remiss if I didn't gush a bit about the cover with I love, Love, LOVE!!  Kudos to the cover designer, because I honestly asked to review this book based on the cover alone.

I am thrilled to say I loved this book as much as I did the cover. Seriously.  I could not put it down, read it while I was cooking, cleaning, eating, walking ... yes, I thought it was that good.

The author is crazy talented.  She truly paints a picture with her words and from the first line ("Before my eyelids crack open I know I’ve traveled again.") I was well and truly hooked.  Her characters, all of them, are well constructed and three dimensional -- a tough feat, really, since this is a book told in first person and frequently this means secondary characters aren't as fleshed out as readers would like. That's not the case here.  I was as interested in our protagonist, Althea, as I was in truly minor characters like Greg and Leah.  They were all unique individuals and I knew them all.

 As clearly as I saw the people, the place was equally well drawn.  From cell to home to park and even the bowling alley, a full color movie played in my head as I read.  The plot was engaging and I've already told more than one person to GET THIS BOOK.  I'm heading over to see if I can get the next book in the series (and truly hope the author is writing frantically so I won't be left hanging long -- there are four seasons, but only two books released so far).

So, yes:  I give this five stars and a very enthusiastic recommendation!

Raised by a family of ex-farmers and/or almost rock stars from Northeastern Iowa, I’ve always loved to tell stories. After graduating from Texas Christian University with a degree in Film, I began to search for a way to release the voices in my head. IWhen I attempted my first YA novel, which would become Whispers in Autumn, I was hooked. I knew then my heart lay with telling stories about and for young adults, and for anyone who loves to read and recapture those fleeting “first” moments.

My spare time is spent reviewing television and movies, spending time with my large, loud, loving family, reading any book that falls into my hands, and being dragged into the fresh air by my dogs Yoda and Jilly.

Links:
http://www.trishaleigh.com
@trishaleighkc
trishaleighkc.tumblr.com
http://pinterest.com/trishaleighkc/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/trisha.ziegenhorn
The Last Year – Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Last-Year/135691733234724

WHISPERS IN AUTUMN, my post-apocalyptic YA novel, is available for
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Autumn-Last-Year-ebook/dp/B008NFVDTQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343871707&sr=8-1&keywords=whispers+in+autumn

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whispers-in-autumn-trisha-leigh/1112185846?ean=9781475235944

iBooks: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/whispers-in-autumn/id547017689?ls=1

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Whispers-in-Autumn/book-J98yTcHujkGR9kJkNbeM0A/page1.html?s=2W156r5aJUy25FwqT74Vcg&r=1

and in paperback!! http://www.amazon.com/Whispers-In-Autumn-Book-Volume/dp/1475235941/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1343916972&sr=8-2&keywords=whispers+in+autumn

A Part to Play by Jennifer L. Fry - Virtual tour and giveaway

Please welcome author Jennifer L. Fry on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions today. We're featuring information about her YA book, "A Part to Play". The author will 2 of each 8x10 autographed print of an original illustration of one of her characters to randomly drawn commenters on the tour, and a grand prize of an 11x17 autographed set of all three main characters in the book. (US/Canada only) using the Rafflecopter entry below, so comment here and follow the rest of her tour to increase your chances of winning!

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

Some of my most favorite books of all time come from my youth! A Wrinkle in Time, Twenty-One Balloons, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Superfudge, Where the Red Fern Grows, and my number one pick, Anne of Green Gables. The thing I loved about books then, which I still do, is that they took me some place new. They captured my imagination, and made me want to tell my own stories. I thought of the characters in the book as my friends. To this day, they live on in my mind as friends and adventures from childhood.

What’s your favorite sweet treat?

I'm kind of a sweets addict, so it's hard to go wrong with just about any dessert for me. In the summer, I adore fresh strawberries with whipped cream, and in the winter I love to cozy up with a really good cup of hot chocolate. Dark chocolate must be in my house at all times – not just for the occasional indulgence but also because it also keeps me sane (just ask my husband).

What did you want to be when you grew up? Why?

I was sick pretty often as a child so I was determined to become a pediatrician. I wanted to find new ways to perform uncomfortable medical tests so kids wouldn't have to be afraid to go to the doctor's office. But my talent and passion for writing presented itself early on, and there was a time when I couldn't imagine doing anything else. All of my high school friends expected me to become a professional writer. I found I didn't have an interest in journalistic writing, so when it came time to pick a college major, I decided to pursue graphic design, which was another interest of mine. I never expected to be an art major because I had a negative experience in a junior high art class that had me convinced I had no artistic ability, but that just wasn't true. I even put my writing aside for many years while I trained as a designer, and then as an art teacher. And now, I'm back to writing, where I've always felt completely at home.

What would you write in a letter to your teen self?

My debut novel is basically a letter to my teen self – it explores so many of the themes I struggled with during adolescence. Themes such as courage, self-belief, taking risks, confrontation, and moving forward. We can't go back and I don't want to, but it's amazing what life experience does in terms of giving us perspective. Awkward as I was, the character traits I had as a teen were ones that will serve me throughout my life, and the rest of it doesn't matter.

Favorite TV show from your childhood?

Growing Pains was the best! I think I loved that show so much because the family seemed "perfect". My own family life was nothing like the Seavers so I often imagined myself as one of them. I wanted a close-knit family, for my older brother to look out for me the way Mike did for Carol. I wanted my parents to have the same sweet, affectionate relationship, and mostly I wanted the normalcy they seemed to have. Now I realize of course that normal is a relative term and families are as diverse as the people that make them up. But I still feel nostalgic whenever I see a rerun of Growing Pains.

What's your ideal summer vacation?

One to two months traveling in England, Ireland, France, Italy, and Switzerland with my husband. This has been a dream of ours for many years but life always seems to get in the way. I would love to create a series of home exchanges and hunker down in someone's house for a week at a time in each country, living as a local does. I would explore the non-touristy areas, eat amazing food, take photos, and write.

Which of your characters would you most like to meet IRL? Why?

I would meet Isa because she's just the sort of friend I want – she's spunky, she's got style, she's honest, she's funny, and she's loyal to her friends. I love that she doesn't care what people think of her and she doesn't pretend to have all the answers. Not everything in her life has been easy, but she manages to roll with the ups and downs. She would be a good balance for me, as she is for the main character, Lucy.

When fifteen-year-old actress Lucy Carter loses her older sister in a car accident, her mother shuts down and her father can’t hold the family together. Their only choice is to ship Lucy off to the Edmond School for Performing Arts. But boarding school is no cure for Lucy’s grief. With failing grades, wooden stage performances, and curfew violations, Lucy is threatened with expulsion. For the once talented Lucy, it feels as though she has nowhere to turn.

One night, Lucy hears mysterious music drifting through the school’s old heating system. The music leads her to a troubled but passionate songwriter whose brilliance gives her the strength to perform like never before. Yet their intense relationship puts Lucy in a precarious position: if she follows her muse, will she lose herself? And if she breaks it off, can she stand on her own again?

As Lucy sat down in the graveyard against an aging oak tree, she caught her breath and thought of all the ways Kate had helped her to be stronger. She thought of how hard her sister pushed her to go to ESPA because Kate believed in her so much. Lucy knew she'd disappointed her sister when she decided not to go to the school. She told herself it was because it was too expensive for her parents and she would miss her friends and family too much to go, but deep down, she knew it was because she was afraid that she wasn't talented enough and she would embarrass herself and her parents.

Imagining her life going forward without Kate, all she could see was a vast emptiness ahead. A throbbing pain started in her head, her stomach, everywhere all at once. Lucy hugged her knees to her chest and let the tears come as hard and fast as possible. She stamped her feet and pounded her fists into the moist dirt at the base of the tree. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair!

Her life came down to a before and after. Before accident, the bright world full of laughter, and after accident, the muted world through fogged up glass. Just when the glass started to clear up, something reminded her of all that she'd lost.

Jennifer L. Fry is a writer, artist, and teacher in Marin County, California, where she lives with her wonderful husband, two adorable dogs, and orange tabby cat. Though she has been writing since she was young, A PART TO PLAY is her first novel.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-L-Fry/394827827250769

Twitter: https://twitter.com/frygurl

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/JenniferLFry

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/jenniferlfry

Author Website:http://www.jenniferlfry.com/home/

Buy the print book from publisher: http://shop.roguephoenixpress.ieasysite.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=APARTTOPLAYPOD

Buy the ebook from publisher: http://shop.roguephoenixpress.ieasysite.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=APARTTOPLAY

Kindle version: http://www.amazon.com/A-Part-to-Play-ebook/dp/B008VSW614/ref=la_B0092SNYK4_1_1_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1347493717&sr=1-1

Nook version: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-part-to-play-jennifer-l-fry/1112451468

Book Video:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Drasmyr by Matthew D. Ryan - Virtual Review Tour and Giveaway

This review is done in conjunction with the author's tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a set of metal miniatures: 3 Nosferatu Vampires (US only) to a randomly drawn commenter, so leave your thoughts here and you're entered!

Side note: This book is FREE on Amazon, BN and Smashwords

Drasmyr by Matthew D. Ryan
Paranormal, Fantasy
360 pages
Rated: 5 Stars

We vampires do not make easy prey. Our weaknesses are few, our strengths many. Fear is something we do not know, and death but a distant memory. So tread softly, pray to your god, and gird yourself with silver when the moons arise and night’s dark prince awakens. We fear not the wizard, nor the warrior, neither rogue, nor priest; our strength is timeless, drawn from darkness and we know no master save the hot lust of our unending hunger. We long for blood, your blood and no blade, nor spell, nor clever artifice, can keep us long from our prize. Feel our teeth at your throat, your life ebb from you, and know as darkness comes to claim you that the price of your folly is your everlasting soul.

***

In Drisdak, the city on the Sea of Sorrows, the citizens have much to dread. Unease and foreboding has always been associated with the local wizards guild; peasants have an innate distrust of magic and those who use it. But now, something else is on the rise. A mysterious fire at the guild has left two men dead and a third missing. A small matter, you say? Well, one of those men was the guild master, and his successor wants to know what happened to him. Enter Coragan of Esperia, the renowned bounty hunter. If anyone can unravel this mess he can. But is even he prepared to challenge the horrible evil that lurks at the heart of the mystery? An ancient vampire by the name of Lucian val Drasmyr.

My Review:  This book was a surprise from start to finish. This vampire, Lucian val Drasmyr, does not sparkle nor does he drink animal blood.  He is the originally imagined vampire of old:  murderous, bloodthirsty, with super strength and speed, ruthless and virtually immortal.  He has no redeeming qualities. We aren't meant to like him or admire him at all (and I didn't).

I wasn't certain what to expect from this, which may have been a good thing.  No preconceived notions to affect my enjoyment.  Admittedly, it was a bit confusing to jump from one point of view to another. The story is told from many:  the vampire's, a bounty hunter, a wizard and more.  But really, once I became involved (which didn't take long), it wasn't hard to keep them straight.

This isn't a "feel good" book. It's hard core fantasy, with all the action, excitement and blood.  We have castles and wizards and heroes.  It's fast paced and truly well written.  The author is skilled, and his story doesn't have any hiccups, but moves from one scene to another, easily keeping my interest.  Had I not had other obligations, I easily could have spent the entire day with this book, reading it from cover to cover.

I wouldn't recommend it for younger teens. It's complex and a bit bloody.  But older teens and adults who are fans of fantasy are sure to enjoy this from page one.  I highly recommend it.

Matthew D. Ryan is a published author living in upstate New York on the shores of Lake Champlain. He has a background in philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. He also has a black belt in the martial arts and studies yoga. He has been deeply involved in the fantasy genre for most of his life as a reader, writer, and game designer. He believes he saw the legendary Lake Champlain Monster (a.k.a Champy) once and he has a cat named Confucius.

Author’s Smashwords Page: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/matthewdryan
Author’s Book Page: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/131156
Author’s Blog: http://www.atoasttodragons.com
Author’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000038781652
Author’s Twitter Handle: @MatthewDRyan1
Author’s Goodreads Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/579148.Matthew_D_Ryan
Author’s Shelfari Page: http://www.shelfari.com/matthewdryan/shelf

The book is available on Smashwords, Amazon, BN and elsewhere for free.

Feedback by D. L. Richardson - Virtual Tour

Please welcome author D. L. Richardson on her tour with Bewitching Book Tours today. We're featuring information about her book, "Feedback".

Feedback by D L Richardson

Genre: YA Sci-fi/Fantasy

Publisher:   Etopia Press

Number of pages: 208

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/vEluhYM8WNw  

Amazon   Barnes and Noble  OmniLit

Book Description:

Listening to your inner voice can get you killed.

Ethan James, Florida Bowman, and Jake Inala are three teenagers who receive much-needed organ transplants. Two weeks later they are inadvertently recruited by the CIA when a spy dies halfway through his mission. Three bacteria bombs are set to detonate, spreading illness and death across the planet, and it’s up to Ethan, Florida, and Jake to deactivate them.

Except that they have no idea where the bombs are located.

Kidnapped for information they can’t possibly know, and fuelled by the spirit of a dead CIA agent, Ethan, Florida, and Jake must look deep inside themselves if they are to finish the mission and save millions of lives. But they’re being held captive in a strange place by a man who believes in Feedback, the theory that information is retained in the memory of organs–in this case those of a certain dead CIA agent donor. And their captor will stop at nothing to get the information retained in their newly transplanted organs.

EXCERPT:

Wednesday, November 9th, Ethan James

AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” blared through the speakers. Apt music considering the weather conditions. Rain pounded the windshield of the Lamborghini. Crushed beneath the noisy rain, the music took a beating, too. I flipped the volume control to the max, drowning out the steady slap of water on the roof.

The dark shroud of night cloaked the striped lines to my left and right. Street signs blasted yellow warnings to drivers to slow down on wet roads. I ignored them.

Instead, I pushed the car to 120 miles per hour. Coming around a curve in the road, I flew up on a van and sharply jerked the wheel to avoid ramming the Lamborghini up its rear end. I owed my life to my quick reflexes.

Pity.

I drove for another half mile at suicidal speeds, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel to the rhythm of the guitar riff. Another half mile. Then another. Just when the buzz of the ride plunged to a level of indifference, the car hit a pothole, veered me across three lanes, and like a punch from nowhere, it was game on.

A tsunami-sized wave of water fell from the sky. Momentarily blinded by the useless wipers, I sucked in my breath when two rows of lights cut through the haze. Two white lights on the bottom and six or more yellow ones on top—the bright circles headed straight at me.

Semitrailer. Not good.

Gritting my teeth, I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. The truck swerved at the last second, missing killing me by about half that length of time. The driver blasted four long bleats of the horn.

I laughed out loud as I spun around.

I accelerated till the car caught up to its former 120 miles per hour. The chorus kicked in, and I helped with the backing vocals. “Thunder. Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na. Thunder.”

Whether driving under a dome of blue, or a sky darkened by storms like tonight, I liked to push cars to their limit. It didn’t matter what sort of car, but slow cars tended to break apart sooner under extreme pressure. Fast cars handled the punishment of driving at stupid speeds much better.

Speeding made the rush last longer. It filled a void and carried me to a place where I let go of the angst over a waste of a life spent waiting to die of kidney failure. The rush reminded me that seventeen-year-old kids should wish for a professional ice hockey career instead of wishing to still be alive by Christmas.

The song ended, and in that second of silence, my thrill took a dismal nosedive. Images of the hospital I attended every week flickered across my vision. So, I increased the speed. Bad enough the bleak place filled my head and haunted my dreams, but to interrupt my fun—not going to happen.

The next song on the CD kicked in, and it did the trick of hauling me back to the driver’s seat, where I replaced the hospital corridor for a rain-slicked freeway. I figured if I had to die young, I’d do it on my terms. No doubt the doctors would have something to say about this philosophy. If I crashed the car and ended up in the hospital, I’d tell them I reached out to touch life. Better than dwelling on my postpubescent life spent hooked up to a dialysis machine.

I’d probably get pulled over by the cops first, and I couldn’t have that. Aside from speeding, I’d stolen the Lamborghini from a mall parking lot half an hour earlier, and I didn’t have a license.

A crack in my concentration appeared like the lightning bolts streaking the sky. The car drifted into the next lane, and I let it go. A set of lights rushed toward me, and I expertly got the car under control, but at this speed, and despite the car’s sporting capability, the Lamborghini was all over the shot.

Buzzed from pushing the car, I kept going.

At 120 miles per hour, streetlights floated like satiny, white ribbons. The rain-slicked road made it impossible to judge the lines marking the lanes. Curves were hard to anticipate.

Sometimes I oversteered; sometimes I didn’t steer enough and had to yank the wheel to the left or right at the last second. Other drivers blasted their horns. I didn’t care about the rules of the road. Rules were for pussies.

For each minute I survived this suicidal cruise, I’d get two points. So far, I’d accumulated over two hundred. Fifty were up for grabs, if I made it home alive. I had a lot to lose if I crashed the car. I had nothing to lose if I killed myself.

I jumped in surprise when a car came up on my left and honked its horn, whizzing by in a blur of chrome. “I don’t think so, buddy.”

I accelerated. If the cops wanted to stop me, they’d have to use air support. Getting myself on TV only added to the thrill of the chase.

Concern over my reckless driving should have registered, but it didn’t. The speedometer now read 140 miles per hour. AC/DC screeched about “Hells Bells,” and the rain didn’t lessen. If I lost control now, I’d smash into the concrete barriers lining the highway. It’d be game over. No way I’d survive the impact. What a shame this last train of thought wasn’t on whether I’d survive or not, but on whether I’d care.

Lightning bolts exploded across the sky and lit up the windshield. In that brief flicker of visibility, I spotted the plane on fire, blocking the highway—and the spaceship blowing up a bridge with luminous green laser beams. I let go of the wheel, idly watching the Lamborghini plow into the concrete barrier. Metal fragments and orange flames danced in front of me. The sound of something exploding boomed through the speakers. The words GAME OVER flashed across the television screen.

The plane had been okay, but the spaceship insulted me. For sure, the makers of the game reckoned it’d be a hoot to throw unrealistic obstacles in my path.

I tossed the Xbox controller aside and scratched my numb backside. My life couldn’t get any worse…might as well go to school.

D L Richardson was born in Ireland and came to Australia with her parents as a baby. She went to a public school in Sydney's western suburbs and the books she read were given to her or borrowed from the library. However it was music that first captured her creative interest.

​She joined the school choir at age eight and got her first acoustic guitar at age ten, although she really wanted a piano. In high school she took up lead vocals after the girl she was to sing a duet with failed to show up. After that she told her stage fright to get lost and took up singing with the school band where she performed in many concerts. When she left school she helped form her own rock band where she sang lead vocals, played bass guitar, and wrote all the lyrics. At age 26 she realized she wanted to write novels for the rest of her life or die trying so she sold her equipment, quit pursuing a music career and began writing instead.

​She has two young adult novels published, "The Bird With The Broken Wing" and "Feedback" and is currently writing her third novel "Little Red Gem".

​She lives in Australia on the NSW South Coast with her husband and dog. When she's not writing or reading she can be found playing her piano or guitars, renovating the house, or walking the dog.

Website:          www.dlrichardson.com

Blog:  www.interestteen.blogspot.com.au  

Facebook:        facebook.com/dlrichardsonbooks

Twitter:           twitter.com/#!/DLRichardson1

Goodreads:     http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15910702-feedback

The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell: Hydra's Nest by Fumi Hancock - Virtual Book Tour

Please welcome author Fumi Hancock  on her tour with Bewitching Book Tours today for her fantasy YA"The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell: Hydra's Nest".  The author answered a few questions for me, so sit down and get to know Ms. Hancock.

Why did you choose to write YA?

I have always had a “thing” for Young Adults. As a Social Worker and A Registered Nurse, my passion had always been taking care of Young Adults. I find them fascinating, intriguing and yes, perhaps majority was always in trouble with stories to tell. In addition, 5 years ago, I travelled to Africa alongside my team, The Adassa Foundation… Yet again, the crowd which surrounded me was Young Adults. Because of constantly being around them, I developed a flare for writing stories which would intrigue them. I soon found out that my poems and short stories captivated the young adults on my caseload when I was a Social Worker. Here go, my writing the Adventures of Jewel Cardwell. While many may run away from dealing with Young Adults, I find myself running towards them and wanting to share life with them.

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

I love “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. I am always fascinated by how people move from a known setting into the unknown. Huckleberry travels were very engaging; the descriptions were incredibly vivid that most times, after reading a book; I always felt I had just visited a place. The travels were sometimes scary yet with messages that warm the heart.

What’s your favorite sweet treat?

Yummy Milky Chocolaty Sponge Cake… salivating just thinking about it.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Why?

I have always known I was a writer though life’s journey did take me through Social Worker & Nursing. Let me tell you a story my parents shared with me over 14 years ago. I must have been around 2 years old when this incident happened. Mother always told me that at two while most kids were getting into various things, I had one … it was to write on any paper available at my disposal. My mum told me that it didn’t matter what type of paper it was, I would scribble things on it. At first, it was cute but when I started writing on important documents, they soon did not find it funny. At one point, for almost two weeks, my parents would put me in a room with old newspapers, gave me a marker and told me to go at it until I was tired. They felt that would help me to calm down a little where writing was concerned. They were wrong!

If you asked my parents, they would tell you they knew I was going to be a writer when I grew up at the age of 2! As for me, I can recall back as far as 6 or 7 years old when I started writing poetry.

Sum up your book for Twitter: 140 characters or less.

A Young Adult Fantasy & Romance Fiction based in a Unique setting unfamiliar to many ~ South Africa.

Favorite hot beverage. Why?

I love Steamy hot chocolate….

Ideal summer vacation.

Arghhhhh …. Hawaii is my dream place. Forget summer vacation. How about living by the ocean for a while? … That is a place I have seen so much of in the movies and one day will like to visit.

Which of your characters would you most like to meet IRL? Why?

Jewel Cardwell’s sidekick, Kaya Darkling, the Sorcerer’s daughter was so much fun to write. She is a culmination of what I would love to be in my magical world and some characters I have encountered in my life journey… full of strength with a little darkness and some light of course. She is a character you would love to hate because of what she represents yet her dark and mysterious side draws people to her. She is an unpredictable lone ranger, yet people look for her to help solve their mundane problems. My imagination truly went wild on her. I love her so much, I am seriously looking at starting a totally new series for her. My next book in this series will be featuring her a great deal. I can’t wait. Perhaps, I will take solace in knowing that she is also a part of me.

You’ve just won a million dollars and you’re not allowed to save any of it. What do you spend it on?

I am very passionate about African children. My experience over five years ago when I visited West Africa has been exhilarating. Because of my experience and the need I saw on my trip back… the abject poverty, lack of quality education and health; I returned to the US with determination to make a difference. The Adassa Adumori Foundation (http://www.adassafoundation.org) is a 501( c)3 US organization dedicated to alleviating poverty in Africa. Thanks to my Tennessean friends and my supporters across the US, we have been able to build the very first regional library in West Africa. We are also providing scholarships. Every year, many supporters travel to Africa with me, in the hopes of serving our children in different capacities. Portions of my sales are going to help fund our next project: Building a Youth Center. Now, if I won $1 million, you know where it would go to…

What would you do, if you knew you’d inherited an ancient curse?

What would do, if you found out you were racing against time to save yourself and your loved ones?

And what would you do, if you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a love triangle, amidst the unraveling curse?

******

When free-spirited and more than a little rebellious, seventeen-year-old Jewel Cardwell gained admission to Grayton Preparatory School, a prestigious, girls-only, top-notch private institution nestled in the South African farmlands of Limpopo, little did she know it would begin a trail of mysterious and unfamiliar events, changing her life forever!

At Grayton prep, a battle line is drawn between ‘good and evil’ especially when there’s a full moon and dark forces swirl and turn up in the form of hideous monsters and frightening demons. With her school fr-enemies, rivalry and treachery become the order of the day and Jewel is forced to question everything she thought she knew as she struggles to stay alive in a dubious place riddled with demonic activity!

Armed with a magical secret from her dying grandmother, she sets a new course in motion. In the middle of this whirlwind of events, she is caught between two boys: Darwin Morton, a lad she's known growing up, and Eric Broder, a soccer team leader with a silver spoon in his mouth. Why her love life has to get interesting now is a question she can't answer!

"I welcomed death with open arms, closed my eyes and listened as the aircraft made rattling and shaking sounds through the dreary weather. If this was my time to go, I would embrace darkness, as I had nothing else to lose" -- JEWEL CARDWELL.

Will Jewel be able to solve the mystery before evil is unleashed against those she loves?

PROLOGUE

My weary eyes opened to an ominous sky speckled with dim stars and a huge full moon dappled with unsettling, flaming balls of fire. I was in an unfamiliar setting, an open space surrounded by terrifying, blazing fires, and the humming of a charter aircraft shattered the stillness of the night.

Mum and Darwin hopped out of the car, with me following, and we hastened toward the small aircraft.

“What’s this?” I kept asking, with no answer from Darwin or Mum.

“Are we going on that?” I asked again, ducking a cloud of sand blown from the ground, a result of the blazing fires and rumbling aircraft.

In front of us was a six-foot-tall, dark-skinned man, dressed in a dark blue pilot’s uniform. His eyes showed great anticipation as he struggled to move toward us. No sooner had we closed the distance to the aircraft when we heard the terrifying staccato of gunshots.

Continues... 

Fumi Hancock is a walking example of how an ordinary person from a shackled life of broken promises and shattered dreams can live a fulfilled destiny. After twenty years of dropping her pen, she picks it right back up again by releasing the first in the Grimmlyn Series: The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell: Hydra’s Nest. Though graduated with a postgraduate degree in communication arts, and undergraduate degrees in English studies and nursing, she ascribes her writing to her life experiences, which were many times challenging. According to her, the protagonists and antagonists in her novels often come from the darkest moments of her life—a tribute to the fact that something good can come out of mysterious and difficult circumstances, if we choose to turn our challenges around. Age is merely a number where success is concerned. She also pulls some of her characters from her travels around the world—in particular, exotic Africa—uniquely weaving her tales.

Fumi loves to write for young adults, particularly urban fantasy, and paranormal fiction with a touch of romance. She aspires to one day write a mystery/detective novel for the adult audience. But for now, she is content with her young adult audience. With her background in nursing, she gently nurses her unusual characters to life for her readers to enjoy.

She lives in Tennessee with her husband, Dr. David Hancock, and her two grown sons, Bola and Demola Thompson. She cherishes her two stepdaughters, who reside in Michigan.

BOOK TRAILER: Trailer
INTERVIEW: "Tea at Home" with Fumi Q&A: Video Reel
Behind-the Scenes: Scenes from the Story
My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheFromscratchtv
Her websites are fumihancock.blogspot.com and worldoffumihancock.com
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fumihancock
facebook http://www.facebook.com/fumihancockgrimmlyn
goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/fumihancock

Current Giveaways:
2 Autographed Copy of the Adventures of Jewel Cardwell
2 Autographed rendition of scenes from The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell: Collector’s Item
3 eBooks: Kindle and /or Nook version

Watch Me Disappear by Diane Vanaskie Mulligan - Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway

Please welcome author Diane Vanaskie Mulligan on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions today. We're featuring information about her YA book, "Watch Me Disappear". The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment here and follow the rest of her tour to increase your chances of winning!

Lizzie knows it isn’t right to eavesdrop, but is it really eavesdropping if her neighbor Maura makes all of her phone calls on her parents’ pool deck in easy earshot of Lizzie’s backyard? And of course it’s wrong to go snooping around on someone else’s computer, but is it Lizzie’s fault that Maura keeps her computer turned on (and logged in to Facebook) all the time?

Lizzie Richard’s father has moved the family around every few years to advance his career, so she has never had a chance to develop the kind of “BFF” relationships she thinks most kids have. She’s bracing herself for another lonely year at her third high school when her new neighbor Maura gets sick of watching her little brother when she could be partying. Thanks to Maura’s plotting, Lizzie becomes everyone’s new favorite babysitter. Seeing her opportunity, Lizzie breaks her strict parents’ rules and uses Maura’s computer to create a secret Email address and Facebook account. She is quickly friended by Missy, a fellow transfer student as eager for a friend as she is. Things are looking up for Lizzie until Maura’s ex-boyfriend Paul sets his eye on Missy. Caught between her new best friend and the neighbor whose friendship promises instant popularity, Lizzie doesn’t know what to do—because she’s fallen for Paul, too.

I like the makeup better when I put it on myself. I apply it more lightly than they had, so it looks more natural. Try as I might, I’m not very handy at hairstyling, though. I can’t seem to tease the roots as Katherine instructed, and I have no luck with the up-dos they showed me. In the end, Katherine produces a small set of scissors and, while I hold my breath, trims some fringy bangs and layers, which we iron flat into a funky style. When we’re done, I don’t look like me, but I look sort of good. And good thing, too, because all the little pieces she cut are never going to fit into a ponytail.

“See,” Maura says. “That wasn’t so hard.”

“Maybe we should come raid your closet and see what we can do with that,” Katherine says, laughing smugly. She has gotten a little friendlier as the day has gone on. When I let her cut my hair, I think that sealed the deal. She is willing to at least consider extending friendship to me.

“You won’t find much interesting in my closet,” I say.

“What, no secrets?” Maura asks, suddenly turning our conversation away from the safe realm of appearances. My heart pounds. I’m not ready for this kind of conversation. Is this where they turn on me?

“No,” I say. “No cute clothes or skeletons.”

“How disappointing,” Maura says. “I thought there was a wild child in you that we had yet to uncover.”

“You’ve met my parents. They don’t allow much for wildness.”

“Exactly. Kids with strict parents are usually the ones who let it all out when they step outside their parents’ grasp.”

“I guess I’m still pretty much within their grasp,” I say.

Maura makes a tsk sound. “I thought for sure there was more to you, Lizzie,” she says.

I shrug. I wish there was more to me, too.

Diane Vanaskie Mulligan began writing Watch Me Disappear during an after-school writing club she moderates for high school students. This is her first novel. She holds a BA in American Studies from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s degree in teaching from Simmons College. When she isn’t teaching or writing, she’s the managing editor at The Worcester Review and the director of The Betty Curtis Worcester County Young Writers’ Conference. You can also find her occasionally strumming her guitar and singing at various bars in central Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband.

Connect with Diane:

Website: www.dvmulligan.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dmvanask
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DianeVMulligan
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/dmvanask
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/pub/diane-mulligan/53/839/124