Cupids Playground Hop!

Hosted by Readers Confession

Since we are making up all of our own playgrounds for Cupid...tell us who you would love to have Cupids arrow hit for you!!
If there is a list of them and you want a harem that's okay too. :-P Who would you pick and why? Do they have anything in common?

Cupids arrow?  *Sigh* At last, my heart is taken.  I wouldn't want Cupid hunting down another guy on my behalf.
However, back in my hay day, I may have lusted after one fictional character or two.So I'll hand the question of the hour over to the author of today's novel.  

Heroes and Hunks

As an author, I'm naturally in love with all the heroes I create for all my books, but being quite fickle towards my fictional characters, I'm always most drawn to my latest hero. Kethan Hilliard, the hero in A Fall of Silver, is my particular favorite because he combines so many of the things that draw women to men. (He's also an awful lot like my husband in terms of character, which makes him doubly attractive to me.)

Kethan is a “reformed” very bad boy which means he's got that terribly sexy vibe without the annoyance of having to work on his transformation, myself. Sure that means I'm lazy, but there you are. He is also a good listener and can read people really well. If I were the love of his life, I could count on that to save me the trouble of explaining just why I suddenly lost my temper with him, and who wouldn't love that? He is also extremely intelligent and I'm a sucker for intelligence, particularly combined with a sense of humor. That's a killer combo for me.

He can also cook! Yes, that's right--he makes a scrumptious chicken curry in A Fall of Silver (which happens to be my favorite dish) and who wouldn't like that? Not to mention that he's a neat housekeeper and completely housebroken. Sigh. Frankly, I can't imagine a better guy to have hanging around, protesting his undying love for me.

So if I could have Cupid shoot his arrow at someone, it would definitely be Kethan. And I just noticed that pretty much everything I've said reveals more about me than Kethan, because it all boils down to one thing: I'm chronically lazy. Having a guy like Kethan would save me an awful lot of “relationship” effort, leaving me free to write more.

Hmm. Maybe I should have made a New Year's resolution to stop being so lazy, but I was just too, uh, busy this year to make any resolutions.

The Novel:

A Fall of Silver
by Amy Corwin
ebook, 318 pages
Published January 26th 2013

Allison “Quicksilver” Bankes has a simple philosophy is: the only good vampire is a dead vampire. After a brutal encounter with the undead, Quicksilver wants revenge and she’s about to kill one of the undead to save a young woman’s life when Kethan Hilliard confronts her. Kethan promises peace and redemption for both vampires and humans in exchange for an end to the slaughter, but Quicksilver knows that’s not going to happen.
Someone is killing both humans and vampires, and sweet words aren’t going to end the nightmare.As events spiral out of control, terrible secrets from Quicksilver’s past awaken, and she’s forced to turn to Kethan to prevent more deaths. This time however, she’s determined not to make the same mistakes and with Kethan’s help, she hopes to silence the horror, forever.

Excerpt from A Fall of Silver

When she glanced up, his dark eyes caught her gaze. She didn't notice his body tense until it was too late. He grabbed her wrist in a single, smooth movement, catching her off guard. The warm, human strength of his hand enveloping hers surprised her, delaying her recognition of the unrelenting strength of his grip.

"What are you doing?" She jerked her arm, but he didn't release her. Instead, he  pried the whip handle out of her hand. Then his brown eyes caught her gaze again and held it with the intensity of a master vampire.

Her eyelids fluttered in an attempt to break the connection. She wanted to look away, she had to, but couldn't force herself to look away. After a breathless moment, she stepped back. Her left hand tightened on her second whip. She had a spare--a third whip--and she wouldn't be caught by surprise again.

He couldn't control her. No one could. Never again.

Kethan threw the whip handle to Jason, allowing him gingerly to unwrap the silvery monofilament coil from around his neck.

"What are you doing?" Her voice rose shrilly as Jason fumble with the unfamiliar weapon.

Kethan barely glanced at her as he wrapped a handkerchief around his bleeding hand. "Defusing a difficult situation."

"Watch out! She's got another one!" Jason stammered, blinking rapidly as if on the verge of tears. He fumbled and dropped the whip when a single drop of blood slid down his neck. "She broke the truce." He stared at his clan leader, the vampire he had called "Sutton."

In a blur of movement, Sutton circled Kethan. Before the humans could react, he stood at Quicksilver's back, one hand gripping her upper arm, the other forcing her head to the right.

About the Author:

Amy Corwin is a charter member of the Romance Writers of America and recently joined Mystery Writers of America. She has been writing for the last ten years and recently left a career as an enterprise computer systems administrator to write full time. She writes paranormal romances, mysteries, and Regencies/historicals. To be truthful, most of her books include a bit of murder and mayhem since she discovered that killing off at least one character is a highly effective way to make the remaining ones toe the plot line.

Amy’s books include: paranormal romances, Vampire Protector and A Fall of Silver; Regency romantic mysteries, The Necklace, I Bid One America, The Bricklayer’s Helper, and Escaping Notice; Regency mysteries, The Vital Principle and A Rose Before Dying; and the cozy mystery, Whacked!.

Join her and discover that every good romance has a touch of mystery.

Links:  Website | Blog | Twitter | FaceBook

There will be 6 winners:
1 hardcover (signed): Whacked! {US only}
and 5 ebook copies of A Fall of Silver {US & International}

This hop runs 2/13 to 2/18.  
Winners will be contacted via email and must respond within 48 hours.

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Tour Stop {Guest Post/Giveaway}: Oxford Whispers by Marion Croslydon

The story behind the covers of OXFORD WHISPERS By Marion Croslydon

My original idea for the cover of Oxford Whispers was directly inspired by the covers of the Twilight saga. I loved its simplicity and symbolism. I have to admit not being a big fan of the stereotyped romance novel covers: half-naked dude next to an almost-as-naked chick. So we went for a simple red rose (which plays a role in the story) on a black backdrop. I liked it, but I knew deep down it lacked vibrancy and didn’t really match the story and the characters.

That was when I met (online) the fabulous Claudia McKinney at PhatPuppyArt. I loved her covers. Lately she’s done the absolutely unforgettable cover of On Dublin Street by Samantha Young, which features a couple about to kiss each other! I normally don’t like that, but with her it was so tasteful and sensual at the same time… She introduced me to her photographer Teresa Yeh. These two ladies have been truly amazing to me and I’m forever grateful.

They directed me towards a more modern feel by carefully choosing models, while keeping the mystery element of the novel through the digital work on the background, lights etc…

The first cover shows Madison only. I wanted it that way because the book is about a girl’s journey first and foremost. I wanted a really modern feeling to it and the photo does capture that, IMHO. For the second and third book, we have both Rupert and Madison. My favorite part in this process: choosing the models! Going through their portfolios was so much fun.

About The Author

In addition to being an author, I work as an entrepreneur, wife and mother-of-one but spend a good deal of time with books, DVDs and listening to my mp3 player; all for the sake of inspiration, of course.
My debut series, The Oxford Trilogy, has been a blast to write because I can indulge in my favorite types of music: Country and English rock.
My main goal as a writer is to make readers dream bigger and cause their hearts to beat a little faster.
Since my writing is all about sharing dreams and stories, I love connecting with fellow readers and authors.

Website | Twitter | FaceBook

About The Novel

Oxford Whispers 
(The Oxford Trilogy #1)

by Marion Croslydon
GoodReads | Amazon

Paperback, 324 pages

Published October 8th 2012 
by Carlux Publishing

Madison LeBon is dead set against the dead.
Her fresh start at Oxford University is a brand new beginning. She finally has a chance to turn the page on her psychic powers and cumbersome voodoo heritage. Snakes, dolls, ghosts, and spirits: Farewell…
Not quite.
When the tragic lovers in a painting—the subject of her first history class—begin to haunt her, she must accept her gift before life imitates art. The lovers warn her against their own nemesis, a Puritan from the English Civil War. Unfortunately, said nemesis is now going all homicidal on Madison.
College becomes more complicated when she falls hard for Rupert Vance, a troubled aristocrat and descendant of one of the characters in the painting. With the spirit of a murderer after her, Madison realizes that her own first love may also be doomed…

(1) Print Copy of OXFORD WHISPER - International, 

and (8) eBook copies of OXFORD WHSIPERS - International 

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This Tour Stop is courtesy of AToMR Tours!

Tour Stop {Book Excerpt/ Guest Post/Giveaway}: Gilded Wings by Amy Lignor

Gilded Wings 
by Amy Lignor 
Published November 1st 2012 by Tribute Books
Amazon | B&N | iBookstore | Smashwords | PDF

The Beloved Angel-Warrior Team from Until Next Time Returns!When Matt and Emily are sent on their second mission they have no idea how truly dark human nature can become...
Emily never wanted to face humans again. With the heartache that went on down below, she’s still trying to figure out how to save souls that don’t deserve saving. The only one she wants to see again is Jason - the young man she fell in love with who became the soulmate she simply can’t forget...
Matt was trained to protect and defend the souls down below. Longing to feel the heartfelt emotions that come from being human, Matt wants nothing more than to have just one life - one chance - to live and love the girl of his dreams...
The powerful team find themselves in a brand new century, living in the Gilded Age of New York City. Emily takes over the body of Anya, a young Russian girl who arrives on Ellis Island after a hideous tragedy. There she meets up with a strangely familiar young man by the name of Drew Parrish, who helps Anya survive in an unknown world of luxury, snobbery and…obsession.
What Anya’s inner angel doesn’t know is that the soul she loves is also back. This time around Jason goes by the name of Max Carrow. Once a quiet and kind boy, he’s now part of the ‘Four Hundred Club,’ and wants nothing more than to be among the most admired as he climbs the shaky ladder of society’s elite.
As two worlds merge, Emily and Matt struggle under the weight of their “Gilded Wings.” Not only will they have to figure out who they should fight to save, but they must also face a romantic choice that could destroy them both. 

Anya woke with a start. Her dreams were horrible, even though the peaceful luxury surrounding her should have completely calmed her anxiety.

Rolling over on the finely-pressed sheets, Anya stared at the dying embers in the small hearth. A scream stuck in her throat when she noticed a pair of unfamiliar blue eyes peering over the foot of her bed. When Gregori’s face popped up beside the stranger, Anya immediately relaxed.

A blond-headed boy stood beside him; his angelic face was an exact match to the cherubs in the glass window that had greeted her on her arrival to the Carrow household. The young boy had a mass of curly hair that framed his gleaming sapphire eyes; his small nose was underlined by a pair of full lips sitting above a finely shaped chin. And when he smiled, two deeply cut dimples appeared in his soft pink cheeks. “Good morning, lady.”

Gregori giggled beside him. 

“You must be Myles.” Anya smiled. “I see that you’ve already met Gregori.” 

The children pounced on the bed. “I call him Greg.” The little boy grinned. 

Gregori explained quickly, “It sounds tougher—like Wyatt.” 

“Ah, a sheriff’s name.” 

Gregori nodded. “I told Myles about the West and that I’m going to wear a silver star someday. He wants to go with us.” 

Anya laughed. “I think his father may have something to say about that.”

Authors & America

When I began Book II of The Angel Chronicles, I knew I wanted Emily and Matthew to

be a part of the U.S. of A. this time around. I wanted them to come from other countries

and learn how amazing it is to live here. Back in the late 1800’s when they both arrived on Ellis Island, they were arriving in a land that was said to be prosperous and thrilling and give everyone the chance to be a success. Now, yes, America certainly had its moments (and still does) where poverty and pain come into play on a daily basis - BUT, America is still the one land that offers a great deal of hope.

I love history, and when I began my study of Ellis Island and learned what it was like to

work there (in Matthew’s case), and to arrive there (in Emily’s case), I was more than

touched by the stories that people told. I was intrigued by the very famous names on

those manifests - from Chaplin to Roosevelt - people who had a huge hand in shaping our

history. But the one thing that stood out - and will always stand out for me - is the first

thing the immigrants saw when they headed into the harbor.

The Statue of Liberty is far more than a monument. She is that symbol of freedom to

millions around the world, and the ideals she represents should never be forgotten or

diminished. In Gilded Wings, Matthew goes to work and sees her every day. He believes

in the chance and the inspiration that she gives. In fact, even when he and Emily go up

against greed versus poverty, love versus gilded romance - America is the one place that

Matthew understands and respects.

It is also the one place that, despite all the problems we have (and I’m not trying to have a

political debate here whatsoever), still offers the chance. The option that if we work hard

and believe, then we can become anything we want to become.

Writers are in need of freedom and that chance. And with the age of technology growing

rapidly each and every day, there are more chances for authors than ever before. It used

to be that there were ONLY the ‘Big Houses’ and that without them, you were nothing.

You wouldn’t make it. No one would read your stories ever. Well…not so anymore.

EBooks, online publishers, indies, small presses - we have millions of paths we can take

that will help the author bring their tales to the rest of the world. And it’s an amazing

inspiration to know that we - like the people who descended on that Island - have the shot at being a published author.

When those planes went through the Twin Towers on September 11th, I remember what

Jon Stewart said that evening. He was going off the air for two weeks, but he wanted to

make sure that all the ‘horrific’ people out there who were somewhere celebrating what

they had accomplished, knew they hadn’t accomplished anything. We were still America.

We will always be America - whether you like us or not - and that right outside his

window he could see The Statue of Liberty in the harbor. She IS us. She IS the symbol of

inspiration, class and the will and determination resting in our souls people to rise above

anything.

So when you take Matthew and Emily’s second journey (and I hope you will), and you

see the ‘underbelly’ of the time period…I hope you also take away the fact that a writer

by the name of Emma Lazarus once penned a sonnet that read:

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

And they are still the best words ever written!

Until Next Time, Everybody,

Amy

About The Author:

Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.
Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller,Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.
She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.
Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico.

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Blog | GoodReads

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{Guest Post}: Twisted Lit Series by Kim Askew & Amy Helmes

Tempestuous: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's The Tempest (Twisted Lit #1)
by Kim Askew & Amy Helmes
Hardcover, 224 pages
Expected publication: December 18th 2012 by Merit Press

Recently banished, unfairly, by the school’s popular crowd, former “it girl,” Miranda Prospero, finds herself in a brave new world: holding dominion amongst a rag-tag crew of geeks and misfits where she works at the Hot-Dog Kabob in the food court of her local mall. When the worst winter storm of the season causes mall workers and last-minute shoppers to be snowed-in for the night, Miranda seizes the opportunity to get revenge against the catty clique behind her social exile. With help from her delightfully dweeby coworker, Ariel, and a sullen loner named Caleb who works at the mall’s nearby gaming and magic shop, Miranda uses charm and trickery to set things to right during this spirited take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Exposure: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's Macbeth (Twisted Lit #2)
by Kim Askew & Amy Helmes
Hardcover, 272 pages
Expected publication: January 18th 2013 by Merit Press

Double, double, toil and trouble. Sometimes, the quest for high school royalty can be deadly! In this emotionally-charged twist on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a self-conscious shutterbug named Skye Kingston navigates a treacherous school year in Alaska fraught with unspoken secrets and tragic twists of fate. Along the way she encounters three strangely prophetic BFFs; one social-climbing, sociopathic cheerleader; and a heart-stopping hottie named Craig McKenzie: the man who would be Prom King. Can Skye save the boy she loves — and herself — before they get caught in the crosshairs?

Fashion in the Twisted Lit Series

While Shakespeare inspired the books in our Twisted Lit series, the fact that they’re modern-day retellings means the characters aren’t adorned in Elizabethan-era fashions. The guys aren’t wearing tights or, god forbid, codpieces, and there’s nary a ruff (one of those big, frilly white collars) in either Exposure (our take on Macbeth) or Tempestuous (inspired by The Tempest).
That said, we think our characters still have plenty of style!
In Exposure, our redheaded heroine and high school senior, Skye Kingston, is a photographer who prefers to observe the world as an outsider rather than claim the center of attention. She keeps things simple with a favorite daily “uniform” that includes Chuck Taylors, jeans, t-shirts, an army green corduroy messenger bag, and a green hunter’s cap with lambs-wool earflaps.
In classic Prom tradition, Skye transforms from wallflower to goddess after finding the perfect dress at a secondhand shop in her hometown of Anchorage, Alaska. Here’s an excerpt, wherein Skye describes donning the dress on Prom night.
“...I shimmied gingerly into the sapphire, almost-new gown that the manager of Savvy Seconds had brought from the backroom for us the weekend earlier. Looking into the full-length mirror hanging on mom’s bedroom door, I seriously felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.
The dress hugged my body in all the right places, almost as if it had been made for me. I turned and peered over my shoulder to check out the plunging back. Mom had pinned a white orchid to the side of my head, and my hair cascaded down in smooth waves. I could’ve sworn I’d been magically transformed into some sort of Pre-Raphaelite princess. It’s amazing what a little makeup, a curling iron, and one hell of a dress could do, I decided.”
Skye’s nemesis in Exposure is an ambitious (and possibly psycho) cheerleader named Beth who happens to be dating the school’s hockey star Craig MacKenzie, aka Skye’s secret crush.
Beth’s fervent hope is that she and Craig will be crowned Prom King and Queen. Unlike Skye,appearance is everything to Beth. She always has the latest handbag on her arm and pines after designer clothing. On Halloween, she shows up to school dressed as an appropriately wicked devil, while Skye chooses a costume that’s decidedly less “sexy”: Charlie Chaplin.
Tempestuous’s strong-willed heroine, Miranda Prospero, had a long love affair with fashion, but that was all before she lost her allowance--and her place at the top of her school’s social strata after a failed money-making scheme went awry. As punishment, she’s forced to work at Hot Dog Kabob, a corn dog stand in the local mall food court. The worst part of it all? Donning the Hot Dog Kabob’s ghastly regulation uniform. Here’s Miranda describing it in her own words, in an excerpt from the book:
“...and so I was resigned to looking like an escaped circus lunatic in head-to-toe garish blue and yellow stripes. Have I mentioned the worst part? The fake plastic wiener that sits atop the hat, spinning on an axis? It’s basically a fashionista’s worst nightmare come to life, but try telling that to my dad … or the school superintendent who insisted I take a job as part of my ‘reparations.’”
Meanwhile, Miranda’s ex-friends--Rachel, Britney, and Whitney--delight in visiting the Hot Dog Kabob stand to flaunt their latest acquisitions: expensive matching boots and designer sunglasses. When they all get trapped in the mall overnight during a wicked winter storm,Miranda tries to convince her mall colleagues to help her wreak vengeance on her former besties.
If you find Skye, Miranda, and the other characters we’ve introduced intriguing, we hope you’ll check out our Twisted Lit series. Thanks, Katrina, for letting us drop by with a guest post!

The Authors:

Kim Askew (on right) and Amy Helmes (on left) are the authors of Tempestuous: A Modern-Day Spin on
Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Exposure: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare’s
Macbeth. Find out more about their books at twistedlitbooks.com.

Happily Ever After Giveaway Hop: Caught in a Moment by Martin Dukes

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Murphy's Library.

Welcome my stop of the Happily Ever After Giveaway Hop.

This hop runs from October 9th to 14th.

Caught in a Moment
by Martin Dukes
Paperback, First Edition, 261 pages
Published June 2012 by Parola Press
GoodReads | Amazon| Smashwords

Caught in a Moment is the story of Alex Trueman, a teenager who daydreams himself unwittingly into the strange world of Intersticia. This is a world outside of ordinary time, that exists in the slender intervals between instants. From Alex's point of view the world around him freezes into immobility. At first it seems the he alone is free to wander the hushed streets with their motionless cars and people. But he is not alone. Alex soon discovers that he shares the world with others. There are a few dozen fellow daydreamers who share his fate. There is plump, bespectacled Will, pretty brunette Kelly, and the rebellious outcast Paulo. Presiding over them all is the enigmatic Ganymede, and irascible vagrant who distributes food to his dependents and sets them perverse tasks to perform in return.
Alex soon finds that he has rare skills in Intersticia. Most uniquely he can affect the motionless world of 'Statica' around them. He can open doors, help himself to food, and move objects. But this forbidden activity soon sets him on a collision course with Ganymede in which the very existence of Intersticia is put at risk.

Imagine what it would be like to time travel from 1984 to 2012. You'd struggle to understand a good deal of what people were talking about around you - Wifi, Bluetooth, Google, Facebook, Twitter, iphones, ipads. Huh? What's all that then? And what's this 'web' everyone's always referring to? And there are computers of course, the vital prerequisite for civilised life nowadays. I sometimes feel like a time traveller myself, when I compare my past experiences to my life today. Back in 1981 I recall visiting the head office of the company my father worked for and being ushered reverentially into their new computer suite; two interconnected rooms filled with tall, humming cabinets, reel to reel tapes rotating purposefully, all this served by white clad technicians with white cottons overshoes, going silently about their mysterious business like some kind of temple acolytes. I guess you've got that much processing power in your average corner store pocket calculator today. When I started work at a girls’ school in Birmingham, England in September of 1984 I dwelt in a strange computerless, disconnected, internet free world. I wonder now how I filled the empty hours. I can hardly remember what it was like to pick up a non-mobile phone with a cord connecting the business end with the base unit and laboriously dialling out eight digits on a clicking circular dial. How did I manage without periodically glancing at my (mobile) phone to check for texts? How did I look things up before Google? How did I communicate before email? What is retrospectively weird is that everything seemed just fine at the time! Anyway, that September, long ago, I arrived in a place where I was expected to teach Graphic Design. What! Are you insane? - you might ask. How can you possibly teach Graphics without Photoshop, without computers, even? And indeed it seems unreal to me now. Typography was the real killer. Lots of girls could make pretty pictures but very few could draw 72pt upper case Garamond without making you want to weep.

But those days are gone. The combined forces of Apple and Adobe have ushered in a golden age of artistic accomplishment (at least in my classroom), and my job has become more rewarding with every passing year. I teach girls from 11 to 18 years old. The old premise that all men (or girls) are created equal comes seriously unstuck as soon as you ask them to draw. Some can sketch it out like Michelangelo, others are equipped only for abstract expressionism. Photoshop is the great leveller, since even the most unpromising of artists can suddenly discover an innate flair for composition and image making. We design posters, cd covers and book covers for the most part. I tend to steer clear of packaging because designing toothpaste boxes doesn't float my boat and I doubt it does much for my pupils' boats either. I generally get girls in Year 10 (I've no idea what you guys call it, but they're fifteen years old ) to design book covers. I love books and I like pictures - seems like a good combo to me. I set an imaginary book title to get them all going and they set off to take photos and make drawings, assembling the results of their endeavours attractively in their lovely A3 sketchbooks. Given that each girl pursues their own path towards artistic fulfilment there's usually an individual request for a change of title at some point, to reflect the changing realities of their projects. That's just fine with me. If they were working for a real world graphic studio there'd be some awkward questions asked, but given that they're working towards GCSE exams there's no one to object. All I care about is the look of the outcome and the validity of the artistic journey they have undertaken. Here are some of the most recent crop of designs. Some of them make me wish there was an actual book to go with them. I provide a basic template and the blurb is a generic one I supply them with too, on the basis that Art examiners are rarely, if ever, going to take the trouble to actually read such a thing. Occasionally, when the muse comes upon them, my students write their own to match the content of the cover but this is very much the exception.

I've designed my own book cover too (see below)and in this case I actually do have the book to go inside it. I've been writing for a few years now but at last I think I've completed something that I can put out there with the confidence that it has some value. My book is called 'Caught in a Moment'. This is the synopsis, which I like to think has a fairly original idea at its core:

"Whilst all the world stands still, Alex Trueman wanders alone in the silent streets of the city. All around are the motionless figures of his fellow citizens, solid as marble. "Caught in a Moment" describes Alex’s adventures in the unique world of Intersticia. “He’s a Daydreamer,” states his
school report and no one who knows Alex would disagree. But this mental state, this condition of temporary disassociation from reality is one that Alex has immersed himself in once too many times. He has daydreamed himself unwittingly into a world outside of ordinary time, that exists in the slender intervals between instants. From Alex’s point of view the world around has frozen into immobility. There are delightful possibilities in the hushed streets with their motionless cars and people, but as the hours pass exhilaration is succeeded by anxiety. And he is not alone. Alex soon discovers that he shares this world with others. There are a few dozen fellow dreamers who share his fate. There is plump, bespectacled Will, pretty brunette, Kelly and the lonely outcast Paulo. Presiding over them all is the enigmatic Ganymede, an irascible vagrant who distributes food to his dependents and sets them perverse tasks to perform in return. Alex soon finds that he has rare skills in Intersticia, skills that set him on a collision course with Ganymede in which the very existence of Intersticia is put at risk. Nor are all the inhabitants of Intersticia dreamers. Some of them are dead; spirits lingering on after the instant that was their last on earth. The terrifying Cactus Jack, Death’s delegate in Intersticia, stalks the streets in search of these loose ends. Alex is soon engaged in a desperate struggle to cheat Death of at least one of his victims."

If you want to read this it's obtainable digitally in a variety of formats through Amazon and Smashwords. The print edition's on the way too.

This is intended for YA readers. I've been told that I write good dialogue. My home and work circumstances undoubtedly contribute to this. I have two teenage sons of my own and I spend my working days surrounded by teenage girls, bombarded by adolescence and oestrogen. I'm pretty sure something of their speech patterns has seeped into my tissues. I'd be really interested to hear how it sounds to the American ear!

 

 

About the Author

A bit about me - I teach Art and Design at a girls' school in Birmingham in the UK, having taught there for the past twenty eight years. I've been doing a lot of writing in the last few years and I've finally taken the plunge with a novel, securing publication with a small local publisher. Over the course of my career I've taught thousands of girls and my extensive network of ex-students through Facebook has been really useful to me in spreading the word about my book, at least in the UK.

 

Now here's your chance to get "Caught in a Moment"!

Martin Dukes is giving (1) ebook copy a very special winner anywhere in the world.

That's right!  This giveaway is US & International. 

Enter via the Rafflecopter below.

Good Luck! 

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Tour Stop {Book Excerpt/Giveaway}: Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Nerve
by Jeanne Ryan
Hardcover, 1st Edition, 304 pages
Published September 13th 2012 by Dial Books (Penguin)

GoodReads |  Author Link  | Amazon | B&N

A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly
When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it's exhilarating--Vee and Ian's fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they're directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they're playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?
Debut author Jeanne Ryan delivers an un-putdownable suspense thriller.

Excerpt #6 (From chapter four, when good makeup girls go bad.)

 

Matthew leads me over to a small closet at the end of the corridor that doubles as a
dressing room in a pinch. It’s empty. Before I realize what he’s doing, he picks me up by the
waist and spins me around like a sugarplum fairy.

I laugh, feeling all floaty.

He sets me down and taps my nose. Suddenly, we’re back in our delicious zone, where
we’ve been dancing for the past few weeks. I didn’t imagine it. Maybe I misjudged the stage
kiss between him and Sydney. They were in character, after all.

My heart thumps rapidly. “You did a great job tonight.”

“Thanks to you and the rest of the crew.” His arm slides around my shoulders and he
leads me to the mirror. “You were like a little angel, flitting around, helping us get into costume.
And the food you brought looks amazing.”

I sit on the counter as he sinks into the chair. Will he pull me into his lap? The thought
makes my knees tremble.

He takes my hands. “Could I ask for one more little favor?”

“Sure.” Wish I’d put on fresh lip gloss.

He points to his cheek. “I accidentally messed up my makeup. Could you redo it? Syd
says it makes me look rugged, and I think it’ll be cool for the party.”

My shoulders droop. He wants a touch-up? To stay in character because Sydney thinks it
ups his macho factor? I sit there staring at him.

He points to my makeup box, which he must have brought in here before he found me.
Since when has he ever been so prepared? He taps my knees like bongo drums. “Just the basics,
you don’t need to go into a lot of detail.”

I take a breath and stand, trying to calm the rising flush of disappointment. “Sure.”

I whip open the box, grab a pencil and some contouring powder. As soon as I start, he
takes his hands away from my legs. I sharpen his jaw line and nose, and then get to work with
the eyeliner. It isn’t until I’m halfway done with his eyes that I let the hard questions seep into
my brain. Has Matthew ever really liked me? The way I like him? Or am I just a way to get closer
to Sydney?

I dig my pencil into his eyebrow, which makes him flinch.

“Sorry,” I say. The slash mark gives me an idea. I’m tempted to give his new makeup a
subtle shift. There’s a fine line between looking ruggedly intense and psychotic. I can make it so
the other girls at the cast party feel a shade of anxiety when they gaze into his face. My hand
begins to draw the brows just a little closer together.

 

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