Spell Fire Spotlight

Blurb

New school. New friends. New reputation. High school sophomore Ainslie Avalon-
Bennett works hard to hide her Crazy Girl past. But as long as her best friend’s disappearance remains unsolved, she can’t shake the depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder that once landed her in a mental ward.
Ainslie’s tenuous control over her life shatters when her warring parents ditch her at Christmas. While they take a cruise to “work things out,” Ainslie must spend the holiday in Palm Springs with her aunt and uncle, owners of a struggling Mystery School and occult store. Plunged into the world of fire fortunes, dragons, entity eaters, and an ailing spell book, Ainslie is well beyond her comfort zone. Then she meets a boy who spikes her pulse and calms her OCD. But will she lose him once he discovers her past? Or will his deadly secret, hidden in plain view, be their undoing?

Excerpt

My body elongated, and I swore I grew six inches. Inside the cafe, there was no line. Another miracle. I paused beneath the fern‑painted ceiling fan and scanned the wall menu. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but a weird craving fueled my search.
The dragon exerted pressure between my shoulder blades, prompting me. "A Scorpion's Nest smoothie."
Morningstar leaned over the high counter and gave me a once‐over. "You feeling okay?"
I licked my lips. "Absolutely." I had never tasted an orange juice, vanilla ice cream, and peanut butter combo, but I slapped the countertop and said, "I'm fine. Hit me."
Morningstar tilted her head to one side and studied me.
Oh — crap. Maybe I'm dragon drunk.
I wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth stood straighter. I could do this. I could act normal and in control. Behind me, the dragon blew on my hair. I clawed back the stray locks. "Strong ceiling fan."
Morningstar glanced up. I held my gaze steady on her face and tried to remember if the fan was actually on. I couldn't hear the whir of its motor or feel the stir of cool air. I can't feel anything. I went for distraction and slipped a ten across the counter.
Morningstar leveled her gaze, then handed me my change. "I'll bring the smoothie to your table."
"Cool." My eyes crossed. I pivoted and fell out of my right flip‐‑flop. Fortunately, the place was almost empty, and I didn't think anyone saw me stumble. Still, my face heated as I chose a table with plenty of space behind it for the dragon and my invisible wings.
"Mind if I join you for a minute?" Morningstar asked when she brought my drink.
"Please." I giggled, giddy with dragon energy. I was a bright, beneficent angel among earthlings. I was — as crazy as my parents feared.

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Author Bio 

Ariella Moon writes about magic, friendship, secrets, and love in her Young Adult novels, Spell Check, Spell Struck, and Spell Fire, Books 1, 2, & 3 in The Teen Wytche Saga. Ariella spent her childhood searching for a magical wardrobe that would transport her to Narnia. Extreme math anxiety, and taller students who mistook her for a leaning post, marred Ariella’s teen years. Despite these horrors, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at Davis. An author and shaman, she now lives a nearly normal life with her extraordinary daughter, shamelessly spoiled dog, and an enormous dragon.

Connect With Ariella Moon

http://www.ariellamoon.com

http://ariellamoon.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/ariellamoon.author

http://www.goodreads.com/AuthorAriellaMoon

http://www.pinterest.com/ariellamoon/

The Knights of the Caers Book Spotlight

Book Blurb:

An ominous storm brews over The Northern Kingdoms. Edric, a young man, has wandered through the kingdoms alone and forlorn for years, ever since a tragedy forced him to leave his village. A fateful encounter brings Stephen to his campfire with inspirational news; war looms on the horizon of the realm of Osmér and King Herus has called for skilled swordsmen to come to the Knight’s Academy. The news brings Edric some desperately needed hope and he risks everything to escape the past that haunts him.

The students in the Academy train hard, pushed to their limits and beyond. Edric struggles with his past, but becomes close to the other students. While they train, war breaks out along the realm’s borders and the aspiring knights are needed more than ever.

As their training comes to an end, the storm breaks and disaster strikes the heart of the realm. Edric and his companions are thrust into conflict and calamity. Although they are well trained, they face adventures and hardships that none of them had ever imagined; death and despair confront them at every turn…

Bio:

R.L. Drembic has loved reading from an early age. It wasn’t until shortly after high school that he got the idea for a book of his own. Inspired by a friend’s courage to try and get her own novel published, Drembic began writing and has continued through his college career. Drembic has plans for a dozen more books and hopes for a chance to share these adventures with avid readers everywhere.

Links:

http://www.friesenpress.com/bookstore/title/119734000002441596/R.L.-Drembic-The-Knights-of-the-Caers

http://drembic.weebly.com/the-knights-of-the-caers.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Knights-of-the-Caers/151638944908817

In Shadows of Magic by Alison Prince

BE BRAVE!

There are times that you may feel afraid.  Do you let that fear hold you back?  Confident people are brave.  By confronting their fears, they grow as people, gain new experiences, and become stronger individuals.

What are you afraid of?  Maybe you have been wanting to ask your crush out on a date, but you're scared of rejection.  Perhaps you want to try out for the soccer team, but you are afraid you will make a fool of yourself.  It's possible you want to write a book, but you're too afraid to show anyone your work.

Although Mandy McKinney is the most popular girl in school, she is afraid that she is not good enough.  She worries that any wrong move she makes will negatively effect her social status.  She is falling in love with her good friend, but she doubts that he feels the same.

Everyone is stunned when Mandy dyes her blonde hair to red.  She was finally brave enough to do something that she always wanted to do, without letting fear of what everyone else will think stop her.  Now will she be able to find the strength to tell the boy she loves how she feels?

Mandy's twin sister, Brianna, has never had any luck when it comes to dating.  All the boys have always used her to try to get closer to her beautiful sister, and then dumped her.  When Brianna finally meets the right guy for her, she is terrified of getting her heart broken again.

Will Brianna find the courage to let down her walls and fall in love?

If you don't take the chance, you never know what you will miss out on!  So go ahead and ask your crush out on a that date.  Try out for the soccer team!  Stand up in front of a crowd and read your writing!  If there is something you want but you've been letting fear hold you back, take a deep breath and go for it!  Remember:  you miss 100% of the shots that you don't take.

Join witches Brianna and Mandy on their magical journey of self discovery in the new Young Adult Paranormal novel by Alison F. Prince, In Shadows of Magic.

Mandy McKinney lives the charmed life. She is beautiful, athletic, popular, dating the hottest jock in school, and certainly doesn't have any time for her loser twin sister. But Mandy also has a secret. When the truth is unveiled, her world is twisted upside down, and her very life is at stake.

Mandy's twin sister, Brianna, has never had any success in the dating department. When Brianna finally meets the guy of her dreams, it turns out that he has secrets of his own. Dangerous secrets. Just her luck.

The twins are about to be swept away into a world of beauty and power beyond their wildest imaginations where nothing is what is seems, danger is lurking in the shadows, and their only chance of survival is finding themselves, and each other, once again.

To learn more about In Shadows of Magic and author Alison F. Prince, check out these links!

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AlisonPrince13

Tumblr:  http://alisonfprince.tumblr.com/

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7172856.Alison_F_Prince

In Shadows of Magic Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/InShadowsofMagic

Wordpress:  http://alisonfprinceauthor.wordpress.com/

In Which I Come Clean

I just signed my sixth and seventh contracts--almost exactly one year from the time I signed my first contract. Hurraaaaaaay!
 *happy dance*

But I must come clean. People tell me I'm on fire, or that it's amazing how much I've written in such a short amount of time. And sort of, I have. Really. I have.
But here's the thing--Feudlings took me two years to write, and one year to find someone who wanted to publish it. In that time, there was A LOT of rejection. And how do I deal with rejection? I hide from it--in my writing.
So I wrote. Lots and lots during that year. I wrote Feudlings in Flames. I wrote Shattered Assassin (a lovely story that is so messed up that I probably will never publish it. But it's got a giant wolf in it. It's awesome). And then I signed the contract for Feudlings and I was so excited and so ready to start on the next step of my writing journey...and there wasn't anything to do. Apparently, it takes editors time to actually, ya know, edit.
So I wrote more. And the more I wrote, the faster I got, and the more confident I was. So I published 4 1/2 (one was a short story) novels this year, but two of them were already written, and the rest were already in my head.
Next year, I'm also hoping for five novels. I have a short story and a full-length already contracted. I have the sequel to Warrior Beautiful well on its' way (oh all right. It's got 7,000 words written so far).

And here's the other thing--the real reason that I put out so many stories. I have SO MANY ideas in my head, so many wonderful characters and I want to get them all out on paper before I forget because I'm so uber-forgetful, so I write as fast as I can, finishing one story at midnight and starting the next at 6 am. I don't take breaks very often. I don't take vacations. I am driven to get these stories out of my head and onto paper. Some people can write the plot down and it will wait patiently for them.
Mine won't.
So. Now you know my secrets. Not all of my secrets, because that would just be awkward. But some. You know some of my secrets.

Bad Boy ANON Blog Hop!

I'm so excited to participate in this blog hop! My bad boy is Hunter Millen from my Feudlings series. He's tough and blunt and frightening, but he's also loyal and protective. LOVE HIM!

Here's the blurb for his book, Feudlings in Sight:

Boys of war suck at romance.

    Charity Delyle has lived in the shadow of her Prodigy cousin and his powerful Guard since the     day she was born. And she doesn’t mind—really. Except that being in Hunter’s shadow      means that he can’t see her. And she’d like that to change.

 Hunter has one purpose in life: Protect the Prodigy, or die trying. That means a social life, school, and even Charity come last until the war is over. For the most part, he’s okay with that—he can lose everything if he has to…except his seer.

 Starting at a new school should be much safer than living in a war-ravaged Carules headquarters. But this new school is different than the others. Friendships are forged and destinies are questioned, and Hunter’s decision could cost them all everything they’ve been hoping for.

Little Known Hunter Facts:

His personality is based on my husband, who rarely talks but he growls quite a bit. He's also fiercely protective and very loyal, just like Hunter. They both love football and Adorable Husband would have played quarterback if he'd ever not been working. AND, they both love the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Speaking of Pittsburgh Steelers, Hunter's appearance is based on Heath Miller, who plays the Steelers wide receiver. 

You can buy Feudlings in Sight at Astraea Press's website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever ebooks are sold. It is coming soon to paperback! 

OR you can win it here! Enter below! And then hop on to the next blogs to enter for more great prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway Now here's the linky list! Go forth and enter!

My Warrior Beautiful Release Day!

I love, love, love, LOVE this book. So much. I'm so excited it's here and I can share it with everyone! Check out this gorgeous cover by AM Design Studios!

*dies happy*

Here's the back cover blurb:

Working with the ex you secretly love to save the souls of the innocent is almost as bad as working with a mighty battle unicorn who would be thrilled to watch you plummet to your death.

Scout is used to pain. Her body has been broken, her heart has been broken, and the only thing keeping her together is her relationship with her younger sister. Lil Bit believes in unicorns and terrifying monsters she calls soul stealers. But unicorns and monsters aren’t real…are they?

When Lil Bit falls prey to the mysterious disease sweeping the country, Scout has two options – believe the doctors who say it’s a pandemic or believe Lil Bit, who says it’s the soul stealers. She chooses her sister and goes looking for the unicorns who are supposed to save them. What she finds aren’t the cute pastel mythical creatures she expects. Battle unicorns are big and tough and full of attitude. Who knew?

Unicorns are real and so are the monsters. Soul stealers are reaping the souls of the innocent, and the unicorns are fighting to stop them. But to save the world, they need the help of humans – the enemy they’re dying to protect. And first to sign up for the fight is the ex-boyfriend Scout’s heart won’t stop loving, no matter how determined she is to hate him.

And here's one of my favorite parts in the book:

She tipped her head, and the candlelight glinted against her silky, honey-brown waves. Her hair had always been his undoing.

When they’d been together, he couldn’t keep his hands away from

her hair. Or her face. Her lips, her eyes…

“What was that on your shoulder?” She was speaking and

he had to drag his mind away from the past and try to figure out

what she was saying.

“My shoulder?”

She crossed the short space between them, hesitating, and

touched his shoulder. “Here.”

He nearly choked. She wasn’t supposed to see that. But now

the sea foam-green eyes were watching him with open curiosity

and her lips were parted... he couldn’t tell her ‘no’. Not then, not

now, not ever. He looked away, staring at the floor as he rolled the

black sleeve of his shirt.

“Forgive me,” she read in a whisper, her finger tracing the

hard black letters tattooed on his arm. Without looking from the

words, she said, “When did you get this?”

“After… while you… before you left the hospital.” His entire

body shook against her soft touch as she traced the ‘F’ again. Did

she realize what she did to him? What she still did to him, even

after all this time? No other girl had ever affected him the way she

did with just the barest touch of her fingertip.

You can buy Warrior Beautiful anywhere ebooks are sold, and print is coming soon!
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Astraea Press

The Ways in Which Being a Writer have Ruined My Life

I love writing. SO MUCH. I get to bring my daydreams to life, and there are people out there who love to read my daydreams. BEST JOB EVER!

But there's a seedy underside to it. And here's why:

1-I can't daydream properly anymore. I used to daydream while I was in the car, in the shower, standing in line, or going to sleep. Now, I try to daydream. I have a fantastic idea. It's going along great and BAM! I come up with something I think is genius and instead of continuing the daydream, I must write it down. Or I sit and stress about the fact that I will forget said genius in a matter of seconds if I continue. It's sad, really.

2-I can't read properly anymore. Everything I read, I'm editing. Oh, my favorite author used the same word twice in a sentence! Oh dear, that sentence is a tad awkward. OR I'm comparing myself to what I'm reading and of course, I'm lacking. After which, I think about throwing myself under a bus. Or never writing again.

3-I can't properly speak anymore. When I'm writing, apparently it takes all my brain power, so forming a coherent sentence outside of writing is pretty much impossible. I sound more like a lost cave girl than a writer. "Me Wendy Hungry." *rocks back and forth and clutches head*

4-TV shows have been ruined forever. I watch them and their major plot holes that are supposed to go unnoticed but they DON'T, and I'm like, I would get slammed in reviews if I did something like this. They don't. NOT FAIR! And then I throw a tantrum, kicking and screaming on my living room floor.

5-Amazon and Goodreads are no longer my favorite places to hang out. Yeah, okay I had no life before and I loved looking at books on Amazon or Goodreads. Now, visiting each site makes my heart speed up until I'm almost dizzy, wondering what kind of reviews and/or ratings are waiting for me. Even if I'm not even going to visit my book, my subconscious panics and runs screaming.

6-I feel that everyone is judging my grammar...and finding it lacking. I majored in English. I minored in Communication. I should be an expert, yes? Umm, no. I can't spell. I blame my dad, who skipped first grade and never learned to spell and somehow he passed that gene on to me (It makes perfect DNA sense. Honest). Also, commas and capitalization and sentence structure are BEYOND ME. I am hopeless. Please forgive me.

However, seedy underbelly aside, when I write a story and someone tells me they were up all night reading it, or that I made them cry (I am evil. Bwahahah), or that it's their favorite book ever, all of these things, and a thousand others I can't think of because I've been writing so my brain doesn't work, they're all worth it. And if anything in this post is spelled wrong/grammared wrong (that's totally a word), or the sentence makes absolutely no sense, you now know why.

Warrior Beautiful Bookmark Giveaway!

So. I started a new series. I might have mentioned it...once or twice...Ahem.

Anyway, it's called Riders of Paradesos, and the first book in the series, Warrior Beautiful, comes out next week. I have been obsessed with unicorns for...ever. I think even when I was a baby. So you can see why I love this story so much!

It's also about two teenagers, Scout and Trey, who were together once but now she hates him and yet still loves him...it's all deliciously complicated. And let's not forget Lil Bit, Scout's adorable little sister who will one day save the world :)

SOOO. To celebrate the release of Warrior Beautiful, I am giving away signed bookmarks to EVERYONE who buys it in the first week! Just fill out the form below!

A Fantasy Christmas Cover Reveal!

I'm so excited to be a part of this cover reveal. Check it out!

What do Witches, Elves, and Greek Gods (Oh My) have in common? They are part of the romantic Christmas anthology, A Fantasy Christmas, written by Cindy C Bennett, Stephanie Fowers, and Sherry Gammon. This exciting collection of fantasy stories will be available on November 1^st. Click the link to our blog for a sneak peek at a couple of the individual covers and watch for blog tour info!   http://afantasychristmasthenovel.blogspot.com/

Halfling by Cindy C Bennett

Banished from the South Pole, Kara tries to carve out a new life among the elves of the North. It’s not easy with a secret to protect—a secret she's cursed with by the unusual circumstances of her heritage: half-elf, half-fairy. In the North, she’s assigned to work with Seb on a special project. He's the most gorgeous elf she’s ever seen - and the orneriest. 

As if being banished wasn’t punishment enough. 

Seb introduces her to Trystin, a fairy from the nearby fairy forest. Trystin discerns her secret right away and promises to teach her how to use the powers given to her by the very thing she’s fighting to keep hidden.

Aphrodite by Stephanie Fowers

Nothing is simple for Aphrodite’s daughter, especially love. 

Scorned by society in regency England, Affry longs for romance. Upon encountering a dashing nobleman at her aunty's Christmas' ball, Affry gets caught in a lovely intrigue with disastrous results. Worse, she wins the interest of the gods. Now the furies of the underworld and Hades himself are after her. 

When all is fair in war,  Affry must use love as her weapon—but only for the one who’s stolen her heart.

Loving Marigold by Sherry Gammon

Young Marigold Yarrow has a secret. She’s also in love with Jack Mahoney. In the middle of her ninth grade year, Jack's family up and moves to Port Fare, New York, leaving the small town of Sugar Maple, West Virginia - and Marigold - far behind.

Nine years later Jack and Marigold meet again. They join forces to weed out the shady Abbott boys. The unscrupulous brothers are illegally selling moonshine near her home on Sugar Maple Ridge. And they'll do anything to get Marigold to leave the ridge. Anything.

But this time it could be magic that tears Jack and Marigold apart.