New Release from Clean Teen Publishing: The Awakener by Amanda Strong

awakener
A simple touch will change their lives forever.

Seeing Micah for the first time in years, fifteen year old Eden wants nothing more than to run and hide, but instead in a moment of sheer embarrassment, she throws her arms around his neck; unaware she just changed her childhood friend forever.

With eyes’ opened to the realm of angels and demons, Micah discovers he has become the Seer, called to save the world from an impending fire. Shy and awkward, Eden stumbles through high school clueless her guardian angel shadows her every move, keeping her safe while she unknowingly “awakens” others to their spiritual gifts. Micah will need those Eden touched to complete his mission which began long ago in the ancient City of Enoch and its secret underground temple.

With angels and demons fighting around them, both Eden and Micah must find their own personal courage and faith in order to know what to do for the battle that awaits them, one they must triumph or risk losing everyone they love.

Excerpt:

She bit the inside of her cheek, the instinct to duck behind the two girls intense.  Spine tingling with adrenaline, she pushed her glasses up.  Down the corridor, sandwiched between two girls and a guy, was her childhood best friend, Micah.   Though no longer a lanky boy, she still recognized his light blue eyes.  The mop of black hair he had as a kid was now short, little longer than a buzz.  Eden was drawn to his smile, even if it was meant for the blonde girl at his side.  A good foot shorter than him, the girl craned her neck up as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

Got to be his girlfriend, she decided.   A stocky jock-type boy with chestnut brown hair and a tan girl with jet-black hair stood next to them.  The jock slugged Micah’s shoulder as his bellowing laugh made its way down the hall to Eden.

Then the scene was gone as jeans and myriad of different colored t-shirts blocked her view.  She sucked in a deep breath, her lungs burning from holding it too long. Sweat was beading at the top of her forehead as she prayed she could pass Micah’s entourage unnoticed.  If I can’t see him he can’t see me either right?  She hoped.

The stair case loomed nearer.  I’m going to make it, she thought wishing the kids in front of her would move faster.

“No way dude. Coach always gives you the ball Micah,” a male voice boomed.

Eden glanced over.  Micah’s group was directly left of her now.

He hasn’t noticed me, just keep moving, she told herself.

Face ducked down, she lifted her leg up only to have her foot land sideways and to the left.  Her weight uneven, she feared toppling over, but a pressure on her left side held her up.  Confused, she again attempted to move away, only this time, her body made a ninety degree turn, bringing her a foot away from the blonde girl.

Horrified, Eden’s legs stepped one in front of the other, heading straight towards Micah.  Within seconds she stood dead center, stopping his small group of friends short.  Sky blue eyes swam in front of her vision before she was lunging forward, throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him.

Funny the things you notice in a moment of sheer humiliation, she thought, as time dropped into neutral, prolonging her torture.

There was a hiss-like sound from the short blonde.  Yep, definitely his girlfriend.

A male was chuckling.  Not Micah. Must be the jock.

Arms wrapped around her hugging her back.  Oh my gosh!

She shifted her weight back, trying to detangle herself from Micah’s arms.   Pulling her face away from his neck, the memory of his scent automatically tucked away in her mind, she met Micah’s raised brow line, wide eyes, and even wider grin.

“Eden?  Is that you?” he asked, as they separated further.

Aware his hands still held her forearms she was forced to remain and maintain eye contact. She nodded, terrified to speak.strong

“Wow! How the heck are you?  It’s been forever!” Though his face appeared delighted, she couldn’t help but notice how un-delighted his girlfriend was, as her amber eyes glared up at her.

PURCHASE AT AMAZON!

Born in Dekalb, Illinois, Amanda Strong has called Utah, Arizona, Hawaii, Virginia and now New Mexico home. Amanda has been spinning tales since she was a child. Her family still remembers finding young Amanda with her bright pink glasses, hiding in random corners of the house while scribbling away in one of her many spiral-bound notebooks. You could say that some things never change since Amanda is still writing today. Amanda began her writing career when she uploaded The Awakener, her first full-length novel, on Wattpad where it received over 430,000 reads in four weeks. She was blown away and humbled by the reader support and feedback she received. Because of The Awakener’s success as a non-published book, she was asked to talk on 1400 KSTAR about her story.

In September 2013 Amanda Strong signed with Clean Teen Publishing for publication of The Awakener, which is scheduled to release in late October of this year. The Awakener is the first book in an all-new young adult paranormal romance series called: The Watchers of Men.

When Amanda isn’t writing, you can find her chasing her three rambunctious children around the house and spending time with her wonderful and supportive husband. On some occasions you can still find Amanda with her not-so-pink glasses, hiding in a corner reading her favorite young adult fantasy novels or working out only to blow her diet by eating ice cream.

Like Amanda on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoramandaestrong

Follow Amanda on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aewstrong

Add The Awakener to Goodreads

Circle of Lies by Sara Dailey and Staci Weber

Circle of Lies
Aiden Wright is trying to figure
out who he really is, but the truth could cost him his true mate—or his life.
Life has always been easy for
Aiden Wright. He’s smart, athletic, funny, and the ladies adore him. But when
tragedy strikes, Aiden discovers the truth about who he really is, and his
whole world comes crashing down around him. Aiden thought that being a teenage
werewolf was going to be awesome, but it might just cost him the one girl who
could make him whole.
Since her mother’s disappearance, Teagan Rhodes’s life has been littered
with her father’s empty beer cans and his hollow promises to change. Convinced
that others would only let her down, she keeps everyone at arm’s length—but
resisting Aiden’s charm is proving to be more difficult than she thought. Throw
in a psychotic werewolf hunter out to terminate the species, and one wrong
move, one wrong decision could destroy everything.
 
CHAPTER 1
 
Teagan
“I’m taking off, guys. Have a great Thanksgiving,” I yelled to my coworkers as I pulled off my
Sephora apron and slid into my winter coat. 
     “See you later, Teagan. Happy Thanksgiving!” Janie replied as she finished up restocking
the lip gloss. 
     I’d been kind of hoping that we would be busy, that the store managers would be forced to
ask me to stay and work a double, but no such luck. Guess all the shoppers were waiting for
Black Friday. I really could have used the extra money, but more importantly, the work would
have kept me out of the house a little longer. Holidays are not so fun around there these days. It’s
safe to say this is my least favorite time of year. 
     New Mexico. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the weather here. And I used to think it got
cold in San Antonio! I guess when you grow up in Texas, you don’t really know the true
meaning of winter. As I stepped outside the mall, a rush of cold November air hit me so hard it
forced my teeth to chatter uncontrollably. Zipping up my coat, I ran as fast as my frozen legs
would carry me to my beat-up Toyota Corolla, circa sometime before I could walk. I always hear
kids talk about how much they love their junked out “classic” cars, how those cars have
character. Well, my car doesn’t have character. It’s a piece of shit. The damned thing’s heater doesn’t even work. But, at least I have something, and when you have to buy it for yourself at
seventeen you can’t afford to be picky. I could only imagine what it would be like to depend on
dear ol’ Dad for transportation. 
     By the time I got home little icicles were forming on my eyelashes, and as I walked up the
front steps to our house I saw that evidence of my father’s ever-growing habit littered the porch.
By the look of things, he should be fairly close to passing out if not already face-down on the
couch. A girl could hope. An entire case of empty beer cans and countless cigarette butts
surrounded the wooden rocking chair that my mother bought just before she disappeared. 
     “Disappeared.” That’s the belief my father holds on to—or at least he pretends to hold on to
it. Me, I know the truth. Only a fool wouldn’t see what really happened. She was miserable at
home, hated my father, and had clearly found someone new. Her sudden interest in late-night
drives were enough proof for me, but I’d followed her anyway one night just to be sure and
ended up at a Motel 6 near the highway. No, she just up and left one day. We moved to Red
Ridge, New Mexico, and in just over a month Mom went MIA. No goodbyes, no see-ya-laters;
she was just suddenly gone. Life isn’t a soap opera where beautiful, mysterious captors abduct
women with miserable lives and carry them off to happier ones, though. No, women have to
choose to leave. They pack a bag, snag your favorite family portrait from the mantel and just
walk out of your life. Out of their children’s lives. Out of everyone’s life. 
     So, that’s what really happened. Only an idiot like my father would believe anything else.
Hell, he likely believed that Paris kidnapped Helen of Troy. No way. Helen just took off with
that hot younger guy, leaving her sorry-ass husband Menelaus alone. Life would be so much
easier if my father would just accept that Mom chose to leave. Then maybe, just maybe, he could
move on. 
     I have. I sometimes wonder, though, if the face that launched a thousand ships left a
daughter alone with a drunken father. Who knows? Maybe she did. My Greek mythology is a bit
rusty, as Mrs. Shultz wasn’t the most fascinating teacher ever when we studied it in class last
year. 
     The inside of our house wasn’t much better than the porch. More empty beer cans, full
ashtrays, and the dishes from the night’s dinner welcomed me back, which meant Dad was really
messed up. Being a retired Army captain, he’s anything but messy. The house was always clean
and orderly, sir! Unless he was drunk. And he never, ever smoked in the house. Something must
have really set him off. 
     I put my bag down and hung my coat in the hall closet. The sooner I picked this place up,
the sooner I could lock myself in my room and just crash. 
     “Oh…hey…when did you get in?” Dad asked as he stumbled inside from the backyard. 
     “Just now, actually,” I replied as I grabbed a trash can. Trying to avoid confrontation, I
walked around the kitchen and living room picking up the mess. Unfortunately, this only seemed
to irritate my father. 
     “Don’t do that. I’ll do it tomorrow,” he slurred. 
     “Dad, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I need to clean up so I can attempt to cook this year. I told
you that, remember?” 
     “I know damn well what tomorrow is,” he grumbled. “You think I can’t remember what
tomorrow is?” 
     There was no use trying to talk to him like this. Instead, I handed him the trashcan and said,
“Fine. Have it your way. I was just trying to help.” 
     He didn’t reach for the trash can, so I let it drop to the floor and spill out even more evidence
of his drinking binge. At first he looked shocked, but that shock soon turned to rage. Maybe I shouldn’t have done it, but come on, who was the parent? I was sick and tired of trying to make
things better all the time when all he did was screw things up. 
     He just stood there, anger boiling inside him. I saw it in his eyes just before he snapped. He
kicked the trash aside and tried to grab my arm, but I stepped out of the way just in time and Dad
lost his balance and fell to the ground. He wasn’t hurt, though, just defeated. The look of failure
on his face as he lay there was almost worse than the anger. I reached out to help him up, but he wouldn’t let me.   
     “Don’t touch me! Just leave. Leave like your goddamn mother did,” he yelled. 
     “Come on, Dad. Let me help you,” I said. 
     “Get out! Get the hell out of my house!” 
      So I did. I grabbed my bag and coat and left. 
      Leaving the house like this wasn’t new to me. It’s not like it happened every day, but I’d
walked out quite a few times over the past couple of months so I knew where to go and how long
to stay away. The 24-hour diner on the other side of town was always open, so I figured I’d go
there and order myself a nice, greasy burger and a few sodas. I was hungry, and in a few hours
my father would be good and passed out. Then I would drive home and pretend that nothing ever
happened. Just like I did every other time Dad kicked me out.


BUY HERE  AMAZON   B&N

 

Both Sara Dailey and Staci Weber are avid readers,
English teachers, friends, wives and soccer moms. 
They have been teaching
together for the past ten years and writing together for six.
Born and raised in Houston, TX, Staci Weber is a
graduate of the University of North Texas. Staci is a junior high school
teacher with an addiction to reading romance novels. She considers herself
incredibly lucky to have a close family, some good friends, a fabulous husband
and two beautiful little girls.
Sara Dailey co-authored the Red Ridge Pack Novels with
her good friend and co-worker Staci Weber. She has a degree in literature from
U of H Clear Lake and is a graduate of The Institute of Children’s Literature.
Sara is a native Texan and lives with her wonderful husband and son in League
City, TX
ONLINE LINKS:
 

Gilded Wings: The Angel Chronicles, Book 2 by Amy Lignor Book Tour and Giveaway

gilded wingsThe 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.

Read an excerpt

Mitchell Carrow pulled out a chair. “Please sit. We’re all quite looking forward to getting to know you better.”

Anya sat down between the two young children who’d suddenly appeared in the room. She placed napkins in their laps, attempting to catch the egg yolk that was already leaking down the youngest Carrow’s chin. “Sit up,” Anya commanded softly.

Rolling their eyes, the boys squared their shoulders and followed orders.

Mitchell laughed. “See that, son? She’s teaching you better manners already.”

“And what, may I ask, is all the laughter in here?” Hope breezed through the double doors dressed in a beautiful white lace outfit. Her bright white boots were closed with soft pink laces, and a parasol hung over her wrist.

Anya noticed the sudden glow in Mitchell Carrow’s eyes. “Good morning, Hope. Don’t you look lovely today.”

“I look lovely every day, Mitchell. But it certainly is nice to hear it from such a dashing man.”

Anya looked over at Max. Unlike his father, his smile had disappeared at once, as a look of anger sparked in his black eyes. Suddenly he looked like the rude butler’s twin.untilnexttime

So…You Want the Inside ‘Skinny’ on the Warrior? Here Goes…

Hi, I’m Emily. I’m the angel part of this angel/warrior team. And I have to say, when I talk to our creator (no, I mean the writer, not our Creator, creator) I’m always amazed by how many females – and we’re taking teens to grandmothers – want to know about Matthew because they think he’s so great. Well…here are some things you don’t know.

Matthew needs to shower more, especially after we fight in Gabriel’s pit. Even though we’re talking about Heaven, we are still talking about a soul who’s in need of soap and water to make his scent livable again.

team matt

Matthew is also a questioner. Now, I know that you would think I would be, considering the fact that I do it a lot in our stories, but Matthew is the really annoying one. Sometimes he’ll hold his head up, turn his neck back and forth so fast it’s like he’s found something odd to smoke in St. Francis’ field, and he’ll start asking about everything. When he sees a new animal, a new piece of technology, a new wardrobe choice that Mark makes (even though Mark likes the tuxedo the best, he tries on a lot of different outfits), Matthew has to know all about it. He also asks Michael all about the ins and outs of thoughts, magic, reading minds, teleportation – which I still don’t think will ever be invented but, whatever. He even got into this kick recently where he wanted to know about vampires. I’m sure it’s because the library suddenly became full of books about ‘fanged’ creatures, but Matthew wanted the lowdown on whether or not they were real. Turns out, they… Sorry, I forgot, I’m not supposed to give anything away.

Matthew also likes to fight. He’s always throwing himself into the pit to go against Gabe, our teacher. He loves all the swords and shields, and all the ‘ancient’ weapons the best. I think he wants to be King Arthur, or something. But I told him that already happened so he was out of luck.

But…I suppose he learns a lot. His questions and his battles have made him just about the best at this ‘business’ as anyone could possibly be. And the people he’s helped and the jobs he’s done made him the biggest-hearted person I’ve ever met. And, yes…I suppose he’s handsome, if you like that sweet/oddly rugged warrior thing and the bright blue eyes. Well…I’ll give him that one…the eyes are amazing. Anyone can be drawn into those eyes in seconds.

The loyalty and honesty he has are large benefits too, you could say. He is so loyal to his job, his friends, his decisions and…to me. I know people got mad at me in our first life when Jason became my first love, but I really don’t have any idea about soul mates. I mean, we’re taught about them all the time, but I’m still trying to figure out how it would be possible to have two?

team jason

Anyway…yes, Matthew is a hero. And, yes, he’s definitely the guy you want on your side. But you may want to bring duct tape with you or have one of those iPod things so that you can put it in you ear and drown him out after a while.

Oh, and in Gilded Wings, Matthew becomes even more of a warrior than what you…or I, thought he was.

Until Next Time, Everybody,
Amy

thankyou

eBook
ISBN: 9780985792220
ISBN: 9781301335541
Pages: 275
Release: November 1, 2012

Gilded Wings: The Angel Chronicles, Book 2 buy links:

Kindle buy link – $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009K4KUMK?tag=tributebooks-20


Nook buy link – $4.95
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gilded-wings-amy-lignor/1113106076?ean=2940015537970

iBookstore buy link – $4.99
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id567467882

Smashwords buy link – $4.99
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/241186?ref=tributebooks

PDF buy link – $4.95
https://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=1863196

Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles, Book 1 buy links:

Kindle buy link – $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071LLL2M/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tributebooks-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0071LLL2M

Nook buy link – $4.95
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=dcSBhG3Rj8w&subid=&offerid=239662.1&type=10&tmpid=8432&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%252Fw%252Funtil-next-time-amy-lignor%252F1108191925%253Fean%253D2940014052627%2526itm%253D1%2526usri%253Duntil%252Bnext%252Btime%252Bthe%252Bangel%252Bchronicles

iBookstore buy link – $4.99
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=dcSBhG3Rj8w&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fbook%252Funtil-next-time%252Fid497998203%253Fmt%253D11%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30

Smashwords buy link – $4.99

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/126226?ref=tributebooks

PDF buy link – $4.95
https://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=1554857

amylignorAmy 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.

Gilded Wings Twitter hashtag:

#GildedWings

Gilded Wings Goodreads page:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15725493-the-angel-chronicles-book-2

Until Next Time Goodreads page:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13319888-until-next-time

The Angel Chronicles web site:

http://www.the-angel-chronicles.com

The Angel Chronicles Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Angel-Chronicles/168932393209654

Amy Lignor’s Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/alignor

Amy Lignor’s Twitter:

https://twitter.com/#!/HelloWritersAmy

Amy Lignor’s Website:

http://www.thewritecompanion.com/

Amy Lignor’s Blog:

http://hellowriters.wordpress.com/

Amy Lignor’s GoodReads:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5222068

Tribute Books website:

http://www.tribute-books.com

Tribute Books Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176

Tribute Books Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks

Visit http://the-angel-chronicles.blogspot.com/2012/10/gilded-wings-blog-tour-schedule.html for your chance to enter and win great prizes:

  • 50 gifted Apple iBookstore versions of the “Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles, Book 1” ebook
  • $10 Amazon.com gift card
  • t-shirt featuring Matt on the “Gilded Wings” cover
  • t-shirt featuring Emily on the “Until Next Time” cover
  • poster (12″ x 18″) featuring Matt on the “Gilded Wings” cover
  • poster (12″ x 18″) featuring Emily on the “Until Next Time” cover

Read along at these other blogs!

<!– start InLinkz
script –>

<div id=wpImg200196><a href=“http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=200196”><img
style=”border:0px”  src=“http://www.inlinkz.com/wpImg.php?id=200196”></a></div><script
type=”text/javascript” src=“http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=200196”></script>

<!– end InLinkz script –>

 

gilded wings banner

Guest Book Review: Underworld by Meg Cabot

Genre: Young Adult

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

Paperback: 308 pages

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books

ISBN-13: 978-0-330-45387-5

Rating: 4 stars

(Available from Amazon)

Imagine if your boyfriend is actually the ruler of the underworld, yep, that’ll be Hades. Now imagine that having died and been revived by him in the past, you’re back in Hades, faced with a choice of – do I stay or do I go? Keep imagining because things are going to get worse! Your grandmother is possessed by a Fury, yes, an evil creature from Greek mythology. She’s trying to kill you so as to punish your boyfriend. Hurting you will hurt him. Now imagine, your cousin Alex is going to be trapped in a coffin on the night when everyone in your hometown of Isla Huesos (which, by the way, means Island of Bones) celebrates a kind of Festival of the Dead tradition. This festival involves lots of coffins … and your cousin is going to suffocate in one of them. Oh, did I mention that a fabulous necklace, given to you by your hunky (dead) boyfriend actually contains the Persephone Diamond, which turns black when Furies are about.

Pierce Oliviera has an extraordinary life. Although she started out as a normal girl, family events took a strange turn. In Book 1: Abandon, Pierce died but was brought back to life by John Hayden, ruler of Hades. Now she finds herself half in the world of the living and half in the world of the dead. Underworld is the second book in the series and expands upon the Hades/Persephone Greek myth, where (if you’ve done your homework) you’ll remember that Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds while in the underworld. As a result, she must spend six months on earth, and six months with her dark consort.

In Underworld, Pierce finds herself more intrigued than ever by the mysterious John Hayden and his smouldering good looks. He is everything a seventeen-year-old girl could want … or maybe not? John has a guilty secret that’s eating him up because basically he is lying to Pierce. Pierce also finds out more about the convoluted and corrupt relationships between the aristocratic and wealthy families on the island. Their histories are intertwined with John’s previous human life. Unfortunately, the rich and powerful of Isla Huesos stop at nothing to keep their secrets safe and their wicked future plans on track. If this involves killing people, then so be it. John, Pierce, and their friends find themselves targeted at every turn by enemies, both human and eternal.

This enchanting and surreal reworking of the Greek legend will definitely intrigue romantic teens as John and Pierce develop their relationship. After all, it’s not every day that a girl says goodbye to the land of the living. The author depicts a plausible underworld, which also has a cast of eccentric characters to assist John as he ferries souls from life into death. Although this is the second book, the author filters enough back history into the story, enabling readers to get the picture. John and Pierce’s otherworldly romance continues in Book 3: Awaken.

No monetary compensation was received for this review.

Reviewer’s bio: Fiona Ingram is an award-winning middle grade author who is passionate about getting kids interested in reading. Find out more about Fiona and her books on www.FionaIngram.com. She reviews books for the Jozikids Blog.

Interview with Shannon Duffy, Author of SPECTRAL

Shannon Duffy writes young adult and middle grade fiction. She grew up on the beautiful east coast of Canada and now lives in Ontario, Canada. She is the mom of one boy, Gabriel, her angel. She loves writing, reading, working out, soccer, and the sport of champions-shopping. She is the author of the young adult paranormal romance, SPECTRAL. Her upcoming middle grade fantasy novel, GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA is scheduled for a January 2013 release.

Thank you for joining us today, Shannon. Can you please start off by telling us a bit about yourself?

I’m Canadian, married with one son, and a huge animal lover. I’ve two dogs, two horses, and a canary. I would love to sneak in a few more pets but hubs is having none of that. I also love boating, traveling, and shopping of course. 🙂 

When did you first get bit by the writing bug?

Well, in high school I really remember loving to do writing assignments when most of the other kids would groan about it. And then I used to play around writing bits of poetry. I decided to write an actual novel after I had my son, Gabriel because I wanted to write a story for him. That story is a Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure. 

Why did you decide to write stories for the YA market?

After I finished the novel for my son, I really couldn’t wait to try my hand at a YA. I love to read YA, and I was super excited to have at it. I really enjoyed writing SPECTRAL.

What is your favorite part of writing for this group? What is the greatest challenge?

I love that YA readers get so excited about books they love, and their love of books is super contagious. It’s a great group of people to write for really. Since YA is becoming so wide spread and popular, I think the most difficult challenge is writing something that’s completely original…that will capture people’s attention. So you have to be able to put a spin on the kinds of stories people love. I hope I’ve done that with SPECTRAL. 

Can you tell us what your latest book is all about?

SPECTRAL is about a girl named Jewel who is approaching her 17th birthday. She has been brought up to believe her family is in the Witness Protection Program and that they are on the run from the mob. They move around so often, changing her name every time. She doesn’t have a chance to really make friends, or to have any roots because her family controls everything she does. At this latest location, she meets two hot guys at school that are both giving her attention. When one suddenly shows he has magical powers, claiming to be her guardian, and telling her that everything she has been told is a lie, she has to try unraveling the pieces in her life, find the truth and who she can even believe…and make it to her 17th birthday alive. With kidnappings, a magical Witchcraft book, unexplained powers appearing, and two boys competing for her heart, things get a lot more complicated than Jewel bargained for. 

What inspired you to write it?

I really like books about witches, and having read the witch books by Carolyn MacCullough, I really felt like I wanted to write one. I just think they’re so fun. So, that was my initial inspiration. After that, the idea just popped into my head one night when I couldn’t sleep. Funny how that is.

Where can readers purchase a copy?

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBookstore, Smashwords, Google, and through my publisher, Tribute-Books.com

Do you have a website and/or blog where readers can find out more?

Yes, my website is www.ShannonDuffyLit.com On there you’ll find a soundtrack for the book that I put together, photos of most of the characters, and more about me and my other works.

What is up next for you?

My Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure, GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA is coming out January 1, 2013, and its sequel comes out January, 2014.  Also, right now I’m working on a YA Dystopian.

Do you have anything else to add?

I would like to say thank you for having me on here today, and thanks to everybody who stopped by.

Thank you for spending time with us today, Shannon. We wish you much success.

Spectral web site:
http://spectralwitch.blogspot.com/


Spectral
Twitter hashtag:
#Spectral

Spectral GoodReads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13319632-spectral

Shannon Duffy’s Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001969007586

Shannon Duffy’s Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/ShannonDuffyLit

Shannon Duffy’s Website:
http://www.shannonduffylit.com/

Shannon Duffy’s Blog:
http://1fantasyfairy.blogspot.com/

Shannon Duffy’s GoodReads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3873156.Shannon_Duffy

Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com

Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176

Tribute Books Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

eBook
ISBN: 9780983741879
ISBN: 9781476293585
Pages: 334
Release: April 10, 2012
Kindle buy link – $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007RMZYL4?tag=tributebooks-20

Nook buy link – $4.95
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=dcSBhG3Rj8w&subid=&offerid=239662.1&type=10&tmpid=8433&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%252Fw%252Fbooks%252F1109953082

iBookstore buy link – $4.99
Coming Soon

Google buy link – $3.79
http://books.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&id=Ov0LCe_6RY4C#v=onepage&q&f=false

Smashwords buy link – $4.99
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/145573?ref=tributebooks

PDF buy link – $4.95
https://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=1580735