Exclusive Excerpt Blog Tour GUARDIAN by COURTNEY COLE @Court_Writes #Giveaway

SECTION 2:

The blue had been in motion, a blur on the edge of my periphery. It hadn’t made any noise, but there had been movement right next to me. I’m sure of it. 

Aren’t I?

I step inside the door and sink to the dirty gym floor, still scanning the room suspiciously.

Brightly colored championship pennants hang motionlessly from the ceiling. The huge digital scoreboard is dim and dark.  The only noise in this room is the persistent ticking of the wall clock behind me.

There are no voices. 

No one is here. 

Is it possible that my emotions are causing me to see and hear things?  I’m suddenly dizzy again, and I rest my chin on my knees, hugging my legs.

“Whitney?” Brady’s voice echoes from across the gym. “Are you alright?  What’s wrong?” 

He emerges from the boys locker room door and crosses over to me, wearing a black t-shirt that stretches tightly across his chest.   He must’ve had the same idea as me about washing his hands because he smells like soap.  

Excerpt Hop Schedule:

September 1-Excerpt 1

The Novel List-Section 1
TSK TSK What to Read-Section 2
Roxy’s Reviews-Section 3
What’s Beyond Forks-Section 4

September 2-Excerpt 2

Book Drunk Blog-Section 1
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club-Section 2
Becky on Books-Section 3
Tales of the Ravenous Reader-Section 4

September 3-Excerpt 3

I Heart YA Books-Section 1
BookHounds YA-Section 2
Reads All the Books-Section 3
Twin Sisters Rockin’ Book Reviews-Section 4

September 4-Excerpt 4

Such A Novel Idea-Section 1
The Book Beacon-Section 2
Short and Sassy Book Blurbs-Section 3
Tissues and Tomes Book Blog-Section 4

September 5-Excerpt 5

Desert Divas Book Addiction-Section 1
In My Secret-Book-World-Section 2
Resch Reads and Reviews-Section 3
Lulo Fangirl-Section 4

September 6-Excerpt 6

Readers Live a Thousand Lives-Section 1
The Phantom Paragrapher-Section 2
Stuck in Books-Section 3
Rhi Reading-Section 4

GUARDIAN Synopsis:

  Sometimes, things that go bump in the night are real. 

My name is Whitney Lane.  I’m sixteen years old and at first, I thought I was crazy. 

I kept seeing shadows move along walls, and hearing whispers around corners, but whenever I looked, there was never anything there.  

Until one day, there was. 

Our world isn’t what we think.  There are things around us, good things, bad things, scary things.  

Things that we tell ourselves aren’t real, but they are.   

They’re very real, and they’re terrifying. 

I’ve been swept up now, in a battle of good and evil, confused about love and what is supposed to be love, but isn’t.  I don’t know what to think anymore.  I can’t trust my emotions and I don’t know what is true.  

There’s only one thing I know for sure. 

Nothing is what it seems.

BUY LINKS:

Barnes & Noble ** Kobo ** Amazon ** iBooks

 ABOUT COURTNEY COLE:

Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.

Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.

Links:

Website |Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp | Pinterest  | Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Blast THE WINTER PEOPLE by REBEKAH PURDY @RebekahLPurdy @EntangledTeen

An exciting new release from Entangled Teen!  

Check out The Winter People by Rebekah Purdy

 About The Winter People:

Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn’t forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.


Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, he takes Salome's life in a new direction. A direction where she’ll have to decide between her longtime crush, Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin, who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop.

An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

Find The Winter People Online:

Amazon   B&N:  Goodreads: 

 About Rebekah L. Purdy

I was born and raised in Michigan (just look for the mitten-shaped state on the map). I’ve lived here most of my life other than the few years I spent in the U.S. Army.  At which time I got a chance to experience MO, KS, SC, and CA.

I work full time for the court system and in my free time I write YA stories. Pretty much any genre within the YA realm is game for me, but my favorites are fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, thrillers, light sci-fi, and some time travel.

I also have a big family–I like to consider us the modern day Brady Bunch. When my hubby and I met and got married, he had 3 children from a previous marriage, I had 2 and we have 1 together. It’s a lot of fun though.

And I can’t forget my other family members–yep, we’ve got some pets: 4 dogs, 3 cats,  and 1 turtle. Everyone in the family has one…I won’t bore you all with their names (unless you really want to know). Okay, you talked me into it! Jack, Pearl, Grr…(yes that’s my dog’s name), Callie, Shadow, Mooshoo, Grouchy, and Sorbert. Other than writing some of my other hobbies include: reading (mostly YA of course), singing, swimming, football, soccer, running, camping, sledding, church, hanging with my kids, and traveling.

I belong to a fabulous writing group called YA Fiction Fantatics (YAFF) and you guessed it we all write YA!

Find Rebekah L. Purdy Online:

Website: http://rebekahlpurdy.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebekahLPurdy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebekahlpurdyauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4615084.Rebekah_L_Purdy

Review Interview Giveaway MY YEAR OF EPIC ROCK by ANDREA PYROS @AndreaPyros @JabberwockyKids

MY YEAR OF EPIC ROCK by ANDREA PYROS 

ABSOLUTLEY LOVED IT

Nina Simmons is twelve and just starting the new school year in an epic downward spiral.  Her BFF, Brianna, has always had her back and protected her from the evil food she is allergic too. But now, Brianna has moved on and is now besties with Shelley, the most popular girl in school.  As Nina is exiled to the "allergy table", she starts to interact with her fellow outcasts and when the group realizes they all play instruments, the decide to form a band for the Halloween talent show!  She is still hurt by Brianna's desertion, but as the group clicks and practices, she start to lose her feelings of hopelessness. 

My heart broke for Nina, as she lost her best friend, Brianna, but in her loss, she comes to realize that she is stronger without Brianna. Brianna was a force of nature, always a leader, so Nina just followed.  The group Nina is now in, respects her, and she now has her own voice. She has even discovered that people like her for herself, not as Brianna's friend.  The band comes together and Nina finds herself with Evan, the cute boy from kindergarten that has caught Brianna's eye as well.  It was great to see Nina's confidence grow as the band praticed and supported each other, both socially and allergically.  

This book totally rocked!  There are extreme highs and lows for Nina, just like any twelve year old girl.  The story was believable and I am so glad I never have to relive being that age again!  Allergies are no laughing matter, as Nina tries to adjust to peer presure and ends up with a major reaction when she tries to eat like everyone else.  She realizes that her true friends are always looking out for her. She triumphs at the end by trying something new with her band, The EpiPens.  I loved the fact that Nina is a drummer!  Parents:  this is a nice clean read that should appeal to the whole family.  

I have to include the song that Nina rocked out to with her band since it is one of my all time favorites!

Nina Simmons’ song would be “You Can’t Always Eat What You Want.” (Peanut allergies, ugh). But that’s okay, because as her best friend Brianna always said, “We’re All in This Together.”

Until the first day of the seventh grade, when Brianna dumps her to be BFFs with the popular new girl. Left all alone, Nina is forced to socialize with “her own kind”–banished to the peanut-free table with the other allergy outcasts. As a joke, she tells her new pals they should form a rock band called EpiPens. (Get it?) Apparently, allergy sufferers don’t understand sarcasm, because the next thing Nina knows she’s the lead drummer.

Now Nina has to decide: adopt a picture-perfect pop personality to fit in with Bri and her new BFF or embrace her inner rocker and the spotlight. Well..

Call Me a Rock Star, Maybe.

Amazon B&N Powells

About the Author

Andrea Pyros is an experienced writer and former teen magazine editor. She's also had jobs waiting tables (hard!), baking cookies (delicious!), steaming clothing (hot!) and interviewing celebs (terrifying!). But other than a brief period wanting to be a private detective like Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden, she's dreamt of being a writer all her life. A native of New York City, she now lives in New York's Hudson Valley with her husband and their two children. This is her first novel. Visit her at www.andreapyros.com.

Website * Twitter 

PLEASE WELCOME ANDREA TO BOOKHOUNDS 

1. What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child? 

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. I was so enthralled that my mother let me stay up late to finish it in one sitting. 

2. What are you reading right now?

I have so many books piled up by my bed, and I am dying to read them all. Next, I’m finally getting to Veronica Roth’s Insurgent. Yay! 

3. How does your garden grow?

If I can get reading time, down time + family time every day, I feel very lucky and very happy. 

4. What is the last thing you Googled?

How did any of us ever live without Google? In the past 30 minutes, I’ve already looked for driving directions; where buy eco-friendly school supplies; and how to make egg-free blueberry muffins. 

5. What makes you cringe?

Nails on a chalkboard—forever awful. Although that terrible news story about the woman whose eyeballs were eaten by amoebas may be the worst, cringiest thing of all time.

WANT TO WIN THIS AWESOME BOOK? 

Ends 9/9/14 

Open to anyone with a US mailing address!

Open only to those who can legally enter

Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary.

You must be 13 or older to enter .

The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified.

The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.

Giveaway was organized by BookHounds and sponsored by me.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SIGN UPS NOW OPEN Books to Movies Giveaway Hop!

Announcing the Books to Movies Giveaway Hop

October 2nd to 10th

Hosted by Mary from Bookhounds &  I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

This hop features books that have been made into movies or TV shows.   

Some blogs will be giving away the book, some the movie & others both!

Hop Rules:

• You must host a giveaway on your site, you are responsible for obtaining a prize for giveaway and taking care of the shipping charges.
• You must giveaway a book that has been made into a movie or TV show, or a copy of the movie/show or something that ties into books that have been made into movie/TV shows.
• Your giveaway post must include the hop image &  linky (or links to the host’s sites if you can’t get the linky to work).
• Please only 1 mandatory entry – all others must be optional – Keep It Simple! No long lists of things for people to do. If you have dozens of things for people to do I will delete your blog from the linky.
• Your post must be live by 9:01 A.M. EST on October 2nd
• The giveaway must be specifically for this hop.
• Please include Books to Movies Hop in your post title
• Please include the above graphic in your post so that it is easily identifiable as part of the hop.
• Your site must be family friendly – no erotica or 18+ sites. Your site & giveaway must be free of steamy images and book covers. If it would embarrass me to have my teenagers see it, it can’t be on your site.
• It is your responsibility to check the linky on October 2nd to be sure you are still on the linky and that your link is accurate.
• We ask that once your giveaway is live AND accepting entries that you send us a direct link so we can update the linky.

To sign up to host a giveaway add your blog to the linky. Please include your shipping info in parenthesis following your blog name (US) (US/Can) (INT) – if you don’t include shipping info we will assume you are shipping to the US only.

This is a Blog Hop!

SEPTEMBER SEQUELS Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to the 

SEPTEMBER IS FOR SEQUELS GIVEAWAY HOP

September 2nd to September 9th Hosted by  Lisa Loves Literature   &     IAmAReader 

There are a bunch of blogs participating in this one so be sure to stop by each one. Each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.  



HERE IS WHAT I HAVE FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER:

(click on the image for details) 

WANT TO WIN THIS AWESOME BOOK (ARC)? 

 

Ends 9/9/14 

Open to anyone with a US mailing address, PO Boxes OK!

Open only to those who can legally enter

Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary.

You must be 13 or older to enter .

The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified.

The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.

Giveaway was organized by BookHounds and sponsored by me.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Giveaway GUARDIAN by COURTNEY COLE @Court_Writes @InkSlingerPR

  

 EXCERPT:

Sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real. 

Happy birthday to me. 

 I close my eyes and burrow into my pillow as I try to sleep, as I try to escape this life. 

It’s a life I never thought I’d have, a life I most certainly don’t want. 

I’m still feeling sorry for myself as the blackness of sleep finally overtakes me. 

I don’t know what time it is when I shoot straight upward like a rocket.  Something had yanked me from the oblivion of sleep, something loud and shrill scraping my window.

My room is completely dark and I glanceat my clock in confusion. 

3:00 a.m.

As my heart pounds hard against my ribcage, I quickly scan every corner of the room.

 In the last few hours, dark shadows had migrated onto my pink walls, but they’re familiar, nothing out of the ordinary, although in the night, they seem twisted and scary.  

I remain motionless as I allow the sleep-induced fog to clear from my brain.

As I sit, I feel common sense and logic slowly returning.

Of course nothing had touched my window because my bedroom is on the second floor. Nothing can reach it.  And there are no trees near enough to brush against it.  It was just a dream.

It was only a dream.

I chant it silently to myself like a mantra as I consciously slow my breathing down, hoping that my racing pulse will soon follow. It was only a dream.

But just as I’m calming down, I hear it again.

A high-pitched shrill shriek, reminiscent of fingernails on a chalkboard, scraping down my window. I gasp and pull my feet up to my chest, which is when I notice the temperature. 

I notice because I can see my breath.

Timidly, I blow a puff out again, watching the way my breath turns white in the air. 

Holy crap.  Oh my God. 

What the hell?

The sound stops and stillness surrounds me once again, the silence so loud that it echoes in my ear.

Nothing moves around me, the shadows are perfectly still as they twist across my wall.  They look like mangled fingers and arms and legs, but they don’t move. 

My legs are weak and shaking, but I know I have to move.   I have to move off my bed because it feels like something is under it.  Something terrifying. 

With a leap, I bound across the room, my feet hitting the floor several feet away from the edge of my bed. 

The floor is ice cold, as though it had been covered in a blanket of snow. 

I’m trembling as I race to the far wall and check the thermostat.  Because that’s the only explanation.  I must’ve bumped it earlier, I must’ve turned the AC way down. 

But the luminous numbers stare at me in contradiction. 

74 degrees. 

It must be broken.  It has to be broken.

My breath is coming in pants now, terrified, anxious pants. 

My fear isn’t logical.  I know there’s nothing here.  I’m the only one in this room. 

Or am I?

The air seems to push at me from all around, something dark, something heavy, something real.  Something unseen. 

My fingers shake, my legs tremble, and then all of a sudden, they can no longer support my weight.  I go down like a pile of bricks, collapsing onto the floor.  I lie still because I can’t move, because something seems to sit on my chest, holding me down. 

The shadows start to move, to slither across the walls, to reach and pull and dance. 

I struggle to focus, to see what it is. 

But all I can see are the numbers on the thermostat suddenly moving, rapidly counting down from 74 to 20. 

Twenty degrees?

The air is frigid as I suck it in, as I try to pull the ice crystals into my mouth so I can breathe. 

All of a sudden, there’s a blackness in front of me.  It hovers over me, a shapeless mass, sucking in the cells of the air, the atoms and the molecules.  It’s darker than the blackness of my room, blacker than the blackest black. 

Something is here. 

With me. 

“Dad?” I whisper in a white puff.  Because what else could it be?

I reach out a finger to touch it, and then I can’t see anything else, because the darkness of it surrounds me, bleeding into everything else, even my vision.   The shriek is back, screaming into my ears, bleeding into my brain. 

Then there’s nothing.

We are absolutely over the moon excited about the Release Day Launch for Courtney Cole's GUARDIAN!!! GUARDIAN is a YA Paranormal Romance, and a book close to Courtney’s heart. Not only is this fabulous book back in a big way, it's Courtney's birthday! To celebrate all of the awesome she is making a few select titles only .99 TODAY ONLY! Grab them all and thank us later.

Barnes and Noble  ** Amazon **  iBooks ** Kobo

Add to your Goodreads shelf!

GUARDIAN Synopsis: Sometimes, things that go bump in the night are real. My name is Whitney Lane. I’m sixteen years old and at first, I thought I was crazy. I kept seeing shadows move along walls, and hearing whispers around corners, but whenever I looked, there was never anything there. Until one day, there was. Our world isn’t what we think. There are things around us, good things, bad things, scary things. Things that we tell ourselves aren’t real, but they are. They’re very real, and they’re terrifying. I’ve been swept up now, in a battle of good and evil, confused about love and what is supposed to be love, but isn’t. I don’t know what to think anymore. I can’t trust my emotions and I don’t know what is true. There’s only one thing I know for sure. Nothing is what it seems. 

To celebrate the release of GUARDIAN and Courtney's birthday the following books are on sale for .99, today only!

GUARDIAN
Confessions of an Alli Cat
Dante's Girl
Mia's Heart The Minaldi Legacy Soul Kissed Soul Bound

ABOUT COURTNEY COLE: 


 Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people. Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.    

Website |Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp| Pinterest

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SIGN UPS NOW OPEN~! Banned Book Week Giveaway Hop!

Announcing the 4th Annual Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

Hosted by BookHounds & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

September 21st to 27th

This will run similar to the hops I usually host but will have a requirement that you give away a banned or challenged book or include information about Banned Book Week as part of your giveaway post.The dates for the hop are September 21st to 27th.

RULES:

1. The Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop Images needs to be part of your post.

2. Include the linky list with all the participating blogs at the end of your post OR link to Bookhounds &; IAmAReader.com

3. You giveaway must be related to Banned Book Week – You can giveaway a book that has been banned or challenged or if you are giving away a gift card you must post some information about Banned Book Week.

4. Keep It Simple!! Keep the way to enter your giveaway as simple as possible. 1 Mandatory entry and no more than 5 optional extra entries. All entries must be able to be done on one visit to your blog – Entries such as tweet once a day are NOT allowed (tweeting once is fine).
You must turn off word verification/CAPTCHA if you are requiring more than one comment for entries – If you are concerned about spam then enable comment moderation. If you are using Rafflecopter you can only have 6 possible entries per person.

5. This must be a giveaway specifically for this hop and must run only the 7 days this hop is scheduled.

6. Keep your giveaway easy to find for the entire 7 days this hop is open.

7. Your blog needs to be “family friendly”.

To sign up to host a banned books week giveaway just add your blog or website to the linky below. Please include your shipping information after your blog name.  Mary from Bookhounds is running this hop so please email her with any questions, linky changes, etc. maryinhb @ gmail.com