Guest Post: A YA Author’s Guide to Holiday Gift Giving by Sharon Huss Roat

Title: Between the Notes

Author: Sharon Huss Roat
Release Date: June 16, 2015
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 382

When Ivy Emerson’s family loses their house—complete with her beloved piano—the fear of what’s to come seizes her like a bad case of stage fright. Only this isn’t one of her single, terrifying performances. It’s her life.

And it isn’t pretty.

Ivy is forced to move with her family out of their affluent neighborhood to Lakeside, also known as “the wrong side of the tracks.” Hiding the truth from her friends—and the cute new guy in school, who may have secrets of his own—seems like a good idea at first. But when a bad boy next door threatens to ruin everything, Ivy’s carefully crafted lies begin to unravel . . . and there is no way to stop them.

As things get to the breaking point, Ivy turns to her music, some unlikely new friends, and the trusting heart of her disabled little brother. She may be surprised that not everyone is who she thought they were . . . including herself.

Debut author Sharon Huss Roat crafts a charming and timely story of what happens when life as you know it flips completely upside down.

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A YA Author’s Guide to Holiday Gift Giving

by Sharon Huss Roat

Books for everyone this year! (Seriously. Go to one store and find something for every single person on your list. How awesome is that?) To make your shopping easier, I’ve put together a few suggestions:

For teen girls who love to read: BETWEEN THE NOTES by Sharon Huss Roat (ahem, moi.) People are saying it’s “unputdownable” and “stunning” and “the best book you’ll ever read” (okay, I may have made up that last one). My neighbor really liked it, though, and she’s a teenage girl.

For teen boys who love to read: Also BETWEEN THE NOTES! Girls read about boys all the time, yet boys are somehow expected to read only “boy books?” That’s just wrong, folks. Boys need to read about girls, too. And they would if y’all would stop telling them, “That’s a girl book.” I am not the first to say it: There are no boy books or girl books, just books.

For teens who feel misunderstood: You’ll never believe this, but Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) actually suggested BETWEEN THE NOTES for just those readers. They wrote, “Teens who feel misunderstood by their parents or their friends, and feel slighted by the world at large, will find a true champion in Ivy.” What can I say? This is getting embarrassing. 

For anyone who likes music: Did you happen to notice the piano keys in the window on the cover of BETWEEN THE NOTES? In addition to playing the piano, Ivy also makes friends with a badass clarinet player, listens to Swedish death metal with the boy next door, and fights off an ‘80s playlist with Broadway show tunes! What more could a music-loving reader want?

If one book is not enough for the avid readers on your list, please be advised that BETWEEN THE NOTES pairs up nicely with any number of other YA novels. Here are few of my favorite reads of 2015 that would also make amazing gifts:

DENTON LITTLE’S DEATH DATE by Lance Rubin

THE ONE THING by Marci Lyn Curtis

A SENSE OF THE INFINITE by Hilary T. Smith

THE SACRED LIES OF MINNOW BLY by Stephanie Oakes

HONOR GIRL by Maggie Thrash

UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee

A WORK OF ART by Melody Maysonet

Happy holidays!

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About the Author:

Sharon Huss Roat lives in Delaware with her husband and two kids. When not writing books for young adults, you might find her reading (YA of course), planting vegetables in her backyard garden, or sewing costumes for a school musical. BETWEEN THE NOTES is her first novel.

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Guest Post: How to Deal with Writer’s Block [Fear] by Lily Velez (w/ giveaway!)

Title: The Secrets We Kept

Author: Lily Velez
Genre: Contemp, Romance, YA 

Release Date: November 8, 2015

One year. That’s how long it’s been since childhood sweethearts Sully Graham and Cadence Gilbertson broke up, since one adoption and one out-of-state move turned their worlds upside down.

Suddenly, Cadence is back in New York City, but something’s different about her. The light in her eyes, the music in her laughter, the warmth in her smile—all of those things have entirely vanished. In their place stand the makings of a girl Sully can’t even begin to recognize, much less understand.

Still, despite the collective history of heartbreak between them, he’s convinced he can win her trust again, and he’s committed to proving the invincibility of their love no matter what it takes.

But Cadence is quietly harboring secrets of her own. Dark secrets. Ugly secrets. Secrets that could break a person. And though broken herself and unbearably lonely, she’s determined to protect Sully from her terrible, biting truths. Even if it means locking him out of her life forever.

The only problem is it seems her heart hasn’t quite received the memo. One glimpse of him is all it takes for her to trip into familiar (and, she’ll admit, addictive) feelings that threaten to all but consume her. Now her biggest fear is that her secrets will begin to slowly unravel one by one…long before Sully’s resolve ever does.

The Secrets We Kept is a moving story about first love, friendship, and forgiveness, and the enduring bonds that forever connect us and give us our strength.

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How to Deal with Writer’s Block [Fear] 
by Lily Velez

This is probably one of the most popular questions an author receives, and I’m happy to share my insights about writer’s block in hopes that more aspiring writers will know the truth, which is that writer’s block does not exist. 

What we refer to as ‘writer’s block’ is instead typically one of three things: fear, resistance, or lack of planning. In this guest post, I want to especially address fear because I believe it’s something that every writer faces, but it’s also something every writer can overcome.  

Writing is like translating your secrets into written words, secrets that up until that point have only existed as precious thoughts within your soul. As such, this story you’re aching to share is dear to you, and chances are you’ve envisioned the final draft of your words in every form imaginable countless times. 

Then you sit at your computer and start to type, and the words you string together are nothing like the magnum opus you’ve dreamed of. Far from it, in fact. 

So fear sets in. 

You fear that what you create will fall leagues below the expectations you’ve set in your mind. You fear that you’re too inexperienced to tell the story in a masterful way. You fear that you’re incapable of crafting it so that it’s nothing short of brilliant. You fear that you’re not good enough to be the storyteller. You fear what people will say, what people won’t say, and what either scenario says about the value of your contribution to the world. 

Take a look at this quote: 

“Stop here for a few breaths and think about this because it is the key to making art, and very possibly the key to finding any semblance in life. Every time I have set out to translate the book (or story, or hopelessly long essay) that exists in such brilliant detail on the big screen of my limbic system onto a piece of paper…I grieve for my own lack of talent and intelligence. Every. Single. Time. Were I smarter, more gifted, I could pin down a closer facsimile of the wonders I see. I believe that, more than anything else, this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers. Forgiveness, therefore, is key. I can’t write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing. Again and again throughout the course of my life I will forgive myself."  

—Ann Patchett, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage

Do you need to forgive yourself? 

The secret is: everyone feels this way! When it comes to writing, sharing your message, and baring your soul for all the world to see, we’re all scared out of our minds. But my belief is this: if you’ve been given a message or story that’s burning in your heart, a story you know people need to hear, then you have an obligation to share it with as many people as possible. 

It doesn’t matter how small you feel, how inadequate you feel, how incapable you feel, etc…people are depending on you to courageously step forth and shine your light and touch their hearts with your story. And to them, it doesn’t matter whether you sound like a J.K. Rowling, a John Green, a Suzanne Collins, or any of the present greats—they just want to feel something as a result of reading your words. 

So the next time fear creeps in and your courage has its tail between its legs, remind yourself of this: This is my story to share, and I have everything I need to tell it in the way that only I can tell it. 

At the heart of everything that you’ve ever read that moved you, touched you, changed your life, there was a writer’s fear. And a writer’s determination to say what he had to say in spite of that fear.

—Jeff Bulas

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About the Author:

Lily Velez has been writing stories since she was six years old. Not much has changed since then. She still prefers the written word and her overactive imagination over the ‘real world’ (though to be fair, her stories no longer feature talking dinosaurs). A graduate of Rollins College and a Florida native, when she’s not reading or writing, she spends most of her days wrangling up her pit bulls Noah and Luna, planning exciting travel adventures, and nursing her addiction to cheese. All this when she isn’t participating in the extreme sport known as napping. You can learn more about Lily and her books at www.lilyvelezbooks.com.

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Guest Post: The Songs of Finding Perfect by Kendra C. Highley

Title: Finding Perfect

Author: Kendra C. Highley
Genre: Contemporary YA 

Release Date: Sept 14, 2015

How far will you go for perfection?

For “Perfect Paige” Westfield, today is “D” Day. As in, she just got one on her calculus test. With her dreams of Stanford, her reputation, and her parents’ expectations at stake, Paige needs to find a way to save face before everything she’s worked for goes up in flames.

Ben Franklin (yes, he’s related) is from the wrong side of town, with the wrong clothes and the wrong kind of life. He also knows an opportunity when he sees one, and he’ll be happy to tutor Paige—if she makes him into the kind of guy her best friend, the hottest girl in school, will date.

It’s the perfect arrangement. And Paige is determined not even the inconvenient—and utterly imperfect—attraction simmering between her and Ben will ruin it…

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The Songs of Finding Perfect

I’m one of those writers who has to have music in order to write. But it’s more than that—I have to have a playlist, specific to each book, complete with songs that the major characters. The playlist for this book was really important: Paige is all about her music, and Ben loves it, too. I needed songs that pointed to who they were, inside and out. So what did I listen to? Here’s fifteen songs from the list:

1. “Demons” by Imagine Dragons
2. “Radioactive” cover (Imagine Dragons) by William Joseph
3.  “Here With Me” by Susie Suh and Robert Koch
4. “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay
5. “Oblivion” by Bastille
6. “I Lived” by One Republic
7. “Stolen Dance” by Milky Chance
8. “Love Love Love” by Of Monsters and Men
9. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” by The Police
10. “Every Breaking Wave” by U2
11. “Heartlines” by Florence + Machine
12. “Iridescent” by Linkin Park
13. “Stay” by Rihanna (feat. Mikky Ekko)
14. “Fix You” by Coldplay
15. “With or Without You” by U2

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About the Author:

Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to four self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most critical job. She believes in everyday magic, extraordinary love stories and the restorative powers of dark chocolate.

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Guest Post: The Eight Things You Need to Know About The Solarversia Player's Grid

Title: Solarversia:
The Year Long Game

Author: Toby Downton

Release Date: August 31, 2015
Pages: 441

Solarversia is the story of an epic year-long game played by 100 million people inside a virtual world modelled on the real world Solar System. Given three lives, three vehicles, and told to master The Science of Solarversia to stand a chance of winning, players compete for the £10m grand prize, and the chance to help design the next game, starting in 2024.

Nova Negrahnu and her friends Burner and Sushi cannot wait to start playing. But when an international terrorist organisation sets its sights on the game and it’s creator, Nova finds her life turned upside down, as the line between simulation and reality blurs. Can she navigate between playing the game, coping with all the issues an eighteen-year-old girl faces and avoid the very real and present danger mounting outside Solaversia?

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The Eight Things You Need to Know About The Player's Grid

Toby Downton’s new book, Solarversia, is about a year-long game played in virtual reality in the year 2020. He plans to make the game for real, to launch on the same date, so that people can experience the game for themselves. To promote the book, and his plan to make the real world game, Toby created something called the Player’s Grid, and it’s got a lot of people really excited. 

Here are the eight things you need to know about it:

1) The Number of Squares in The Grid

The Player’s Grid is composed of 100 million squares, each of which is numbered (from 1 to 100 million). That means the Grid is 10,000 rows wide and 10,000 columns deep.

2) How The Squares Are Arranged Within The Grid

Square number 1 is in the very centre of the grid, squares 2-9 are situated around it, squares 10-25 around them, and so on. The numbers spiral outward in this fashion all the way to 100,000,000. For the geek’s out there, this pattern is know as an Ulam Spiral.

3) What The Squares Look Like

The squares act like player profiles. They contain the player’s avatar name, number, vehicles, nationality, catchphrase and shortcode. Here’s some early concept artwork showing Nova’s profile square (Nova’s the protagonist of the story and her Player Number is 515,740).

4) The Purpose of The Player’s Grid

Each player has three lives in the game. Lives are represented by a coloured band that surrounds their profile square (this isn’t shown in the above picture because the concept hadn’t been introduced when the artwork was done). A violet band represents three lives, a green band represents two lives, and a red band represents one life. When a player loses a life their profile squares flashes a few times as the band changes colour. When they lose their last life the square flashes are then goes black, extinguished like a candle being blown out. The Player’s Grid therefore acts like a giant score board.

5) The Location of The Player’s Grid Within Solarversia

The Grid is located in a flying palace known as Castalia. This is the place the game starts, and it’s the place players return to whenever they log off or die. Castalia is situated over the southern Atlantic ocean, although it moves a couple of times during the year. Here’s some early concept art for Castalia:

6) The Grid Comes to Life

Although the Grid features a lot during the book because of its role as a giant scoreboard, there’s another scene where it features prominently. Toward the end of the year the remaining players are subjected to seven final rounds, one of which takes place inside the Player’s Grid itself when the 100 million squares become cubes. The remaining 500,00 players start in one of the corner cubes and have to solves puzzles that appear on the cube faces, making their way toward cube number one in the centre. This round is known as Race to the Origin, and it pushes players to their puzzle-solving limits.

7) The Golden Grid

Part of the story of Solarversia is told from the perspective of Spiralwerks, the company behind the game. It’s mentioned that Spiralwerks selected a 10x10 section of the Player’s Grid and used it for marketing purposes leading up to the start of the game in 2020. Because author Toby Downton plans to make Solarversia for real, he’s created the Golden Grid for real. Here’s what it looks like:

8) The Amazon Reviewers Game

The 100 squares in the Golden Grid are going to be assigned via a series of competitions and charity auctions. You might have noticed that the square in the bottom right-hand corner looks a bit different? That’s number 994 and it will be the first square to be won by a lucky reader (winners will receive a Golden Ticket, a signed copy of the book, and the square itself). Anyone who leaves a review on Amazon in the first month after publication will be eligible to play (31st August - 30th September, 2015). It’s known as the Amazon Reviewer’s Game, more information can be found here.

Solarversia is published on the 31st August. Toby is giving away copies until then to anyone who signs up to the newsletter on his site. Current reviews can be found on Goodreads here.

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About the Author:

Toby's first novel, Solarversia, about a year-long game played in a virtual world, will be self-published through Amazon on the 31st August 2015.

The book was created by Toby to showcase the world of Solarversia, a game he plans to launch in the real world in the year 2020.

If you like sci-fi, think of yourself as a gamer, and are interested in the coming virtual reality revolution, this is a book you can't afford to miss!

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Guest Post: What makes an amazing hero? by Chris Malburg

Title: A Pirate's Time Served

Author: Chris Malburg

Release Date: July 22, 2015
Pages: 234

Careful what you wish for...

Sarah Schilling’s twelve year-old brother is wicked smart. But this? Pure genius. Brian snagged an invitation to spend the summer with their favorite aunt and uncle on St. Croix. Uncle Jack tells them, “There will probably be some swimming, some diving. We like to run. There’s a range, so maybe you’ll learn to shoot. Cooking. Your Aunt Helen is a classically trained chef. You knew that, right? There’s the Mallard seaplane, so maybe you’ll learn something about flying. That sort of thing.”

That sort of thing sounds like too much work for Sarah Schilling’s summer on the beach. Until Brian’s scuba regulator mysteriously fails sixty feet underwater. Her training snaps into laser focus. During Brian’s rescue they unearth the 250 year-old secret of Black Bart—the pirate and his ghost. The discovery launches them into a hurricane of peril at the hands of modern-day pirates. The Schilling family will not survive unless Brian and Sarah discover the most powerful weapon that is within themselves.

A Pirate’s Time Served is a YA thriller of a ghost story. It shows how two teens can dig deeper than they thought possible, discovering what it means to lead, to follow, and to never ever give up—especially on family.

A Pirate’s Time Served is my third novel. I wrote it while attending Stanford’s Writers School, Continuing Education. My second novel, God’s Banker, reached number eight on Amazon’s suspense list. I have also written eleven business books published by Simon & Schuster, Putnam, McGraw-Hill, Wiley, and Adams.

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What makes an amazing hero?

by Chris Malburg

There are a number of ingredients that I strive for when creating the heroes used

in my books. First, the person must have a solid moral compass. Readers need to

trust the hero—even a flawed one—to do the right thing. However, in the

action/adventure genre, the hero cannot be too good. They’re going up against

some pretty unsavory types. So they are often somewhat flawed. This allows for a

certain redemption—authors call it an epiphany. We want to see the hero grow

and change in some significant way.

In A Pirate’s Time Served Brian and Sarah Schilling are two teens who turn into

amazing heroes. My readers have developed a relationship with their uncle, Jack

Schilling, over the first two books in the Enforcement Division series—Deadly

Acceleration and God’s Banker. Like Uncle Jack, Brian and Sarah are consistent

throughout and true to the values of justice and faith in themselves and their

teammates. These are core values on which readers can always count.

I chose Jack Schilling as the two teen’s primary coach because he’s

extraordinarily competent, from the training of his early days as a Navy SEAL

and later in the SEC’s Enforcement Division. Jack carries none of the swagger

and self-righteousness that some authors give their lead characters, making them

something of a walking cliché. Instead he is humble and focused on his people

and his objective. These are the qualities he and Helen Schilling teach Brian and

Sarah. In my interviews with those having such a background in real life, every

one of them has such qualities. I have had the privilege of spending time with men

having Schilling’s background—they are the best of the best. Knowing them is

quite an experience. Jackson Schilling is modeled after these extraordinary

individuals.

There’s a converse to what makes a great hero. That’s what makes a great villain.

After all heroes need villains to go up against. Great villains are tough for me to

create. I have no frame of reference for people who would do such awful things as

shown in A Pirate’s Time. But I’m a fast learner. What helps me most is to think

of how I would react in that situation, then do exactly the opposite and ramp it up

to inflict the most pain and misery.

Some characters start out as villains and have an epiphany. By story end they are

every bit as loved as those characters who maintain their hero status wire to wire.

Black Bart is just such a character. He begins the story as the villainous ghost of

the most notorious pirate who ever was. But he changes—partly due to Brian and

Sarah.

I crafted Bart so that readers can see inside him to his point of view and how he

rationalizes his past. To me, this is the key to creating both great heroes and

villains. Readers need to see inside the person. Their behavior must be consistent

with the person they are portrayed to be. Their actions must logically follow from

this construction of the person. Anything other than this confuses everyone and

creates a less believable character.

When done right heroes and villains alike become unforgettable characters.

They’re strong enough to appear in book after book and to carry a series—as 

Jackson Schilling has done for three books with a fourth now in production.

Oorah, Jack!

Enjoy the day,

Chris Malburg

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About the Author:

Chris Malburg is a widely published author, with work spread over 11 popular business books--including How to Fire Your Boss (Berkley) and Surviving the Bond Bear Market (Wiley, March 2011).  In his other life, Chris is a CPA/MBA, a former investment banker and now the CEO of Writers Resource Group, Inc., providers of professional financial literary content to corporations (www.WritersResourceGroup.com).  That’s the professional side of Chris’ career.  The fun side began when UCLA’s Writers’ school taught him to transition from biz-speak to fiction. GOD’S BANKER and the first installment in the Enforcement Division series, DEADLY ACCELERATION, both combine Chris’ natural talent for story telling with his professional command of the high-stakes investment world and what money and power do to some people. 

GOD’S BANKER  came to fruition from Chris’ hospital bed while recuperating from an athletic injury.  As a long-time endurance athlete, Chris is no stranger to the surgeon’scalpal.  Over 130,000 words later, GOD’S BANKERwas complete.  “It just poured out me,” says the author.  “I carried my note pad to physical therapy; made plot notes during the hours in the gym doing rehab; even while on my long bicycle rides through the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean where we live.  Slowly endurance returned and with it, GOD’S BANKER.”

Chris Malburg lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Marilyn.  Their hobby is raising service dogs for Guide Dogs for the Blind.  As of this writing, they have raised eight Labrador retrievers and have had three make the cut for placement with their disabled partners.

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Guest Post: The When, Where, What, Why and Who of Push Me, Pull Me by Vanessa Garden (w/ Giveaway!)

Title: Push Me, Pull Me

Author: Vanessa Garden

Release Date: August 25, 2015
Genre: Contemporary, YA

Since Ruby Milton’s mother committed suicide, she’s forgotten what it’s like to be seventeen.

Saddled with taking care of her toddler brother and alcoholic father, Ruby has no time for fun. She also can’t shake the growing resentment she feels for her mother’s decision, which left her unable to grieve without anger and regret.

Then she meets blue-eyed musician Byron Black, who challenges everything she believes.

Byron refuses to let anyone control his life—or his death. When he left the city behind, he was in search of somewhere where nobody knew his secret. What he didn’t expect was to meet a beautiful redhead whose views conflict so completely with his own. But as their romance deepens, he begins to doubt his choices and decides to return to the city…for one last chance.

When Byron disappears, Ruby will stop at nothing to track him down.

Upon finding Byron, Ruby discovers his devastating secret, and a battle of wills begins. Byron doesn’t want her to know this part of him. He has to deal with it by himself, even though the idea of losing her tears him apart.

Will they be able to see each other through the darkness?

Or should they save their hearts and just let go?

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The When, Where, What, Why 
and Who of Push Me, Pull Me

by Vanessa Garden

When did you decide to write Push Me Pull Me?

I decided to write Push Me, Pull Me while I was waiting to hear back from publishers who at the time were looking at my first Young Adult novel, Captivate.

For a while I'd been tinkering around with an idea for a contemporary YA set in a small town (I'd only written books with fantasy elements up until then), and, needing a complete break from the fantasy series I'd been writing, I dived head first into Ruby and Byron's story. 

Where did you write it?

I wrote the first draft of Push Me, Pull Me in two of my local cafes. Seeing as a lot of the story is set in a bookstore cafe, being in that environment really helped me to lose myself in the story. The daily coffee and cake helped too!

What is your favourite scene from Push Me, Pull Me?

Without a doubt the explosive kiss scene, where Byron and Ruby lock lips in the rain during a thunderstorm! It's sizzling!

Why did you decide to include a bookstore in the setting of Push Me, Pull Me?

I was working at a lovely bookstore at the time and this greatly influenced the one in Push Me, Pull Me. Plus, I'd always wanted to write a meet-cute set in a bookstore. Now I have! :)

Who is your favourite character?

This is like asking who your favourite child is! I love all the characters in Push Me, Pull Me, but I'd have to say Ruby, because she is such a strong individual and I really admire her for her strength despite the many difficult situations she faces. But I love Byron too! He is so beautiful and mysterious and... he's a musician! *sigh* I'll always have a bit of a crush on him...

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 About the Author:

A bookseller and Young Adult author, Vanessa loves nothing more than immersing herself in the exciting world of books. When she is not gushing about her favourite reads with customers, or mentally casting actors to play the characters in her books, Vanessa enjoys hanging out with those she loves most.

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Guest Post: Phrases American Girls Should Know Before Dating An Aussie Bloke by Pepper Ellison (& Giveaway)

Title: All At Sea

Author: Pepper Ellison

Release Date: July 15, 2015
Genre: NA Romance

When eighteen-year-old American Amelia Beauchamp arrives in Honolulu for a three-month stay on her family’s yacht, the only thing she has on her mind is conquering her fear of water and hopefully—for once in her life—making a few friends. The last thing she expects is to fall for cocky surf instructor, Kody Murdock.

Twenty-two-year-old Kody has fled Australia. Kody’s not looking for love, he’s not looking for a hook-up, he just wants to surf. But when pale, awkward Amelia comes walking down the beach he can’t help but think she’s kind of adorable. The pair strike up a complicated friendship.

Can these two people from different worlds find a way to interact without strangling each other? And what, or whom, is Kody running from?

A surfer romance told through text messages and emails, ALL AT SEA will appeal to fans of Meg Cabot’s THE BOY NEXT DOOR and Alyson Noel’s LAGUNA COVE.

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Phrases American Girls Should Know 
Before Dating An Aussie Bloke

by Pepper Ellison

For an American girl, if you’re going to date an Aussie guy, it’s not just the accent that is hard to understand. They seem to speak a language that is not English. Your guy might lean to you and say, ‘Stone the crows! How blotto is that bush pig from whoop whoop?’ Or, ‘I’m totally spewing that I missed those cracker bumnuts smornin.’ 

Never mind. Pepper is here to translate for you.

‘Chuck a sickie’ is to feign sickness, this is also called ‘bludging’. ‘Chuck a u-ie’ is to make a u turn in traffic. To ‘chuck a wobbler’ means to throw a tantrum, just ‘chuck’ on its own means to vomit. ‘Spewing’ on the other hand means feeling disappointed.

To ‘wear the wobbly boot’ means to be drunk. You can also be ‘blotto’. ‘Off your chops’ means to be intoxicated. To ‘carry on like a pork chop’ also means to throw a tantrum. To have ‘chops’ means to be a skilled musician.

‘Sinking’ generally means drinking, as in ‘sink a coldie’, ‘sink a tinny’, ‘sink a brew’. These are all drinking beer, so you are likely to hear them a lot. (‘Sink a knuckle’ means something else…) You can also ‘crack a tinny/coldie/brew’.  (To ‘crack a fat’ means something else…)

If something is a ‘cracker’, that means very good. A ‘ticker’ is your heart. To ‘have ticker’, means to be courageous.

Your freckle is… Well, your freckle is your bum – as in ‘don’t fret your freckle’.

‘Whoop whoop’ means a long way away. ‘Within cooee’ means not far from here. It’s equivalent to a ‘stone’s throw’. ‘Stone the crows’ means, ‘I am astonished!’

‘Smornin’ is a contraction of ‘this morning’, and later in the day is ‘sarvo’.
Having a ‘Barry Crocker’ (shocker) means having a bad day.
‘Pig’s arse’ means ‘I find your story unlikely’. However, ‘rat’s arse’ means ‘I don’t care’.

A ‘boogie’ is a half-sized surf board that you ride on your belly. A ‘booger’ is snot. (Either way you don’t want to date this guy, because boogie boarding is not real surfing.)

A ‘blue’ is a fight. Most red heads are also called ‘Bluey’, or ‘bloodnut’. Your ‘nut’ is your head, unless it’s a testicle – you can assess this from context. …usually. 

‘Bum nuts’ are eggs, as are ‘cackleberries’ and ‘googs’.

To take a ‘slash’, a ‘wet’, a ‘snake’s hiss’, or to ‘drain the lizard’ all mean to urinate. Females might ‘split the whisker’.

A ‘bush pig’ is an unattractive woman. She might have a face ‘like a busted arse’.

A ‘servo’ is a petrol station. A ‘servie’ is a napkin.

‘Dommies’ are condoms.

Aussie males also have a tendency for rhetorical questions. For example:
‘How good is this brew?’
‘Doesn’t that Bluey have a cracker of a coin slot?’
‘How blotto is that bush pig from whoop whoop?’

You are generally not required to answer, but you could say something like, ‘I don’t give a rats. I’m going to split the whisker. Don’t fret your freckle. I’ll be within cooee.’

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About the Author:

Pepper Ellison was born in 1991 on a Royal Navy ice patrol ship stationed near Ross Island along the coast of Antarctica. Currently, she divides her time between Waipahu, Hawaii and Sydney, Australia. She has worked as a marine science research assistant, specialising in sea mammals, a brand ambassador for a craft beer company, and most recently, a Harley-Davidson joy-ride driver out of Kings Creek Station in Central Australia. She is a keen surfer and gymnast. ALL AT SEA is her first novel.

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Guest Post: The Story Behind The Water Crisis Chronicles by Amber Garr (& Giveaway!)

 Title: Waterfall 
(The Water Crisis Chronicles, #1)

Author: Amber Garr

Release Date: June 2015
Genre: NA, Dystopia

The water is gone. The wars have begun.

Clean water is a luxury most can no longer afford. Climate change, industrial sabotage, and greed have turned country against country as each one tries to provide for its citizens. Terrorist groups target desalinization plants and frustrated governments hunt those who work against them. Rationing, sequestering, and patrolling have become routine at a time when there are too many people and not enough resources.

While the world around them disintegrates into chaos, Zach and Vivienne hope that their life in a government-run complex will retain some semblance of normalcy. But when attacks on their water supplies bring war to their sheltered community, they must accept their new fate. Stay and fight or flee and endure—it’s a difficult decision with lasting consequences.

Will they choose what’s safe? Or will they choose to survive?

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The Story Behind The Water Crisis Chronicles

As you probably already know, I work as a scientist in my other life. Over the years, my research has often focused on the conservation and restoration of aquatic species. And a lot of that time, their issues have stemmed from contaminated water or excess pollution in the environment.

For several years, I’ve wanted to write a book about what would happen to the world when humans began fighting over drinking water. And I say began, but really, it has already begun. Do you know you have to purchase water rights in some states out west when you buy property?

Have you ever experienced water restrictions in your neighborhood? Or did you know that several countries are already considered water-stressed? It’s happening, and just to show you how scary it is, here are some facts to consider: 

1)      1 billion people currently don’t have access to clean drinking water.

2)      3.4 million people die from water related diseases each year.

3)      By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in a water-stressed county.

4)      An American taking a 5 minute shower uses more water than the average person living in a developing country uses in an entire day.

5)      Over 260 river basins are shared by two or more countries without adequate legal or institutional arrangements regarding water utilization.

6)      By 2020, California will face a water shortage as great as the amount they consume today.

Worried yet? I know I am. So anyway…back to Waterproof.  What will happen when the water disappears? How will society react? What unique science may evolve out of this type of tragedy? All questions I’ve asked myself for years and then had a chance to answer (or hint at) in this book.

I also wanted to highlight the idea of friendship and romance rising up out of the chaos. At a time when the survivors have to fight for every second of their life, I thought it would be nice for them to find some type of comfort in their closest friends. No time for love triangles or petty games when you’re being hunted!

So as you read this book and start thinking more about the water shortages (as I did!), check out these sites to see what little things you can do so that some day we aren’t deserters running for our lives!

100+ Ways to Conserve Water

25 Ways to Conserve Water in the Home and Yard

*Sources: www.water.org; www.worldwatercouncil.org; www.fao.org
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About the Author:

Amber Garr spends her days as a scientist and nights writing about other worlds. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell. Amber is a multiple Royal Palm Literary Award winner, author of the bestselling novels The Syrenka Series, the award-winning Water Crisis Chronicles, The Leila Marx Novels, and the Death Warden Series. When not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie. Find out more at www.ambergarr.com.

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Guest Post from Rebekah L. Purdy, Author of Daisy and the Front Man (& Giveaway!)

Title: Daisy and the Front Man

Author: Rebekah L. Purdy
Release Date: June 16, 2015

Hell hath no fury like a fangirl scorned...

When Daisy Morris finds out she's spending the summer with her dad, bodyguard for Seconds to Juliet--the hottest boy band around--she knows it couldn't be more perfect. But not because she's a fan. Oh, no. Because ever since front man Trevin Jacobs completely humiliated her by standing her up for homecoming, Daisy is out for a little revenge. Yup, Trevin Jacobs is goin' down...

When one of his bandmates bets Trevin he can't make Daisy--the gorgeous but surprisingly ice-cold daughter of their bodyguard--fall in love with him, it's a bet he can't resist. Sure, Daisy won't give him the time of day for reasons he can't understand, and her dad's hell-bent against his little girl spending time with a superstar. But the terms are set, and Trevin is determined to make Daisy fall...hard.

But every front man should know never to trust a girl with a pretty face...

This Entangled Teen Crush book contains adult language, sexual situations, and seriously hot boys. It may cause swoony daydreams involving a certain super-cute front man.

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How to Prepare to Write a Book About Boy Bands:

Okay, so this whole book series started out as an idea on twitter. Basically throw in a few authors talking about their love for boy bands on the net and BOOM, a book series proposal is born. But before we could start writing our books, we had to discuss, how many guys we wanted in the band and who wanted to write what guy/girl combo. 

And once we had a general idea of what kinds of storylines/tropes we each wanted to write, we had to pitch it to an editor. Which, lucky for us Stacy Abrams at Entangled Publishing loved our idea to take 5 authors and each write about a guy in this super famous (made up) boy band.

To prepare ourselves to write this series, we created a google group/google docs page where we had to update information on where we wanted our tours to be (dates/venues etc). But this was a place to also list our characters and their information (descriptions/likes-dislikes/friends/what part of the tour we wanted to write/names of fake songs/also backstories for some of our people).

We also had to depend on pictures of insides of tour buses, photos of famous people who reminded us of our characters to post and give everyone kind of a visual of how we saw our guys/girls. We shared playlists and numerous emails back and forth asking one another stuff like “Hey would your guy do something like this?” And sometimes we wouldn’t all agree on one thing, like our band name (LOL). We were glad to have some help naming our band from readers and our editor. 

But for me, I started to watch a lot of boy band videos—as in the behind the scenes type stuff. Like what certain bands did while out on tour, backstage stuff (and yes I bought some 1D DVDs and also brought out some of my old New Kids on the Block VHS tapes I still had). I took lots of notes and I read online columns and such regarding tours etc. I tuned into TV shows/specials that had to do with boy bands. I wanted to know everything there was to know about how the different groups ticked and what some of their downfalls were. I wanted to make things realistic, even though this book is about a fictional band.

One of the most fun parts of writing this series with other authors was the emails back and forth, with hot guy pics and links to boy band music videos. And since my character, Trevin, who is Korean American is kind of based off some of the KPOP bands I discovered through my niece and daughter, it was awesome sharing some of those videos with the others. If I got the chance to work with these ladies again, I’d jump on it.

The only sad thing about this series is that this band doesn’t exist in real life (LOL). I LOVE Seconds to Juliet and all our fabulous guys we created: Miles, Ryder, Trevin, Will, and Nathan. 

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About the Author:
Rebekah was born and raised in Michigan where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. She's lived in Michigan most of her life other than the few years she spent in the U.S. Army. At which time she got a chance to experience Missouri, Kansas, South Carolina, and California. Rebekah has a business degree from University of Pheonix and currently works full time for the court system. In her free time she writes YA stories, anything from YA Fantasy to YA Contemporary Romance. Rebekah also has a big family (6 kids). She likes to consider her family as the modern Brady Bunch complete with crazy road trips and game nights. When not hiding at her computer, Rebekah enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing vidwo games, traveling, and hanging out with her family and gazillion pets.

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Guest Post from Brandy Nacole, Author of Uniquely Unwelcome

Title: Uniquely Unwelcome

Author: Brandy Nacole
Date Published: Sept 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal

Racquel is unique. The bloodlines of four of the most powerful beings in the Shadow World are intertwined within her DNA. She has never craved attention. She just wants to be able to live as normal life as she can. But she’s about to find that even though she’s uniquely unwelcome wherever she goes, her abilities also make her the best chance the Shadow World has to stop a threat to all the Shadow races.

Once arriving home, Racquel finds that greater evils exist and that the person she cares for most in this world, her half-sister Addie, has been kidnapped along with other Shadow World beings. Racquel finds herself facing horrible odds with those who would rather see her dead than alive.

As her journey continues, Racquel learns more about herself, what she is capable of, and that not every being looks at her as an abomination. Coy, a human captive that Racquel saves from the Vampires, starts showing kindness toward her. Racquel tries putting distance between her and the human boy but as they spend more time together it becomes harder and harder for Racquel to fight the affection she wants and needs.

But will Coy’s friendship and her new found discoveries be enough to help Racquel unravel the strangest mystery that has ever plagued the Shadow World?

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Why Book Covers Are So Important

There’s this saying, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’ but let’s face it, it happens. When searching for a book the first thing someone is going to notice is the cover. The cover can then draw that person into reading the synopsis. If the synopsis and the cover draw the reader in, they could possibly buy it or put it on their to-be-read list.

My own personal experience with a cover design came with Uniquely Unwelcome. The first edition cover was a hand drawing of a girl looking up at an eagle. While it was a nice drawing, it just wasn’t up to par with other Fantasy covers. It became very apparent to me, especially after a few readers recommended that I change the cover, that a change was indeed

needed.

Why did I decide to use a hand drawing? Well it was kind of a dream of mine. My husband is a great artist. He’s also my support system. Whenever I’m frustrated, stuck on an idea, or just at a complete loss, he’s there. I wanted to pay some tribute to his support and so I thought I would

have him do my first cover. From there, I would go with the “traditional covers” but for my first publication I wanted to incorporate him in some way.

My lesson from that, sometimes we have to let go of the smaller dreams/goals to reach the bigger ones. I felt guilty I guess you could say when I told him I thought it was best if we changed the cover. Being a great supporter like he is, he agreed. He was honored that I had tried and that I had even used his art to begin with. So together we picked out the cover for Uniquely Unwelcome and then again with Blood Burdens.

So yes, books are judged by their covers. I’m not saying that every person does this, but most probably do. I’m happy with the new cover for Uniquely Unwelcome and have a paperback edition of both the first edition with my husband’s cover design and the newer edition so I at least have a small token of my little dream.

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About the Author: 

Brandy Nacole resides in Arkansas where her imagination runs wild. Her obsession is reading but herpassion is writing. She put her dream of becoming a writer on the back burner and went to collegeto become a psychologist. Three years after endless classes in a field she only felt half satisfied with, Brandy picked up her pen once again and wrote the outline to Uniquely Unwelcome. She finished outher degree in psychology but traded her dream of writing for the degree and put psychology on the backburner. Whenever she’s not reading or writing, Brandy is spending time with her family and friends, throwing around crazy ideas, and laughing through the crazy moments.

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