Pages

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Tuesday Teaser.

It's been a while since I did a Tuesday Teaser and I thought with my cover reveal coming up in December, I should really get on these teasers. Get everyone slightly interested in my novel.

I want to thank the wonderful Dani Morales and Rachel Walter for helping me with the slight edits of this chapter. You two are amazing!

I will not keep you waiting, so here is the first chapter of Provoke the Darkness, Book One in the Grave Marked Series.


Chapter One
Dream State

It's late. Much later than what I originally thought. This is probably the reason why the streets are empty of all life, with the exception of the lost souls that wandered the streets at night looking for something, anything to make them feel alive. I keep my head down, so that they don't think I'm looking for something I'm not. That's all it takes, isn't it? Just one glance, and they come at you like vultures to a carcass. A shiver runs down my spine as I think about it, just keep walking Ethan, I think to myself. The sooner I get off of these streets, the better. Just a few more blocks and I'll be where I need to be, in the safety of a place I've called home.
No need to knock, I know I'm always welcome here, as long as Matilda is home. Her mother doesn't care for me all that much, She say's I'm a bad influence on Maddie and that I tempt her with everything bad in life. You know, boys, drugs, and alcohol. Boys? Hardy. Drugs? Not a chance, I don't touch that shit and I would kill Maddie if she went near it. Alcohol? Okay yeah, that was me. In my defense though she was stressing out over finals last year, so I took her mind off of it and took her to a small party. It's not like she got totally wasted, just enough to take the edge off.
I've known Matilda my whole life. We grew up as neighbors and were inseparable. Our families didn't want us hanging out with each other. Each of them saying that the other family had a “strange vibe” to them or that they were just “plain weird”, but that never stopped the two of us from spending most of our waking hours together. She's the only person that I can fully be myself around, and not fear being judged.
I head up the stairs and to her bedroom, it's the only place she feels safe, in her mothers house. I stand there in the door way, and I watch her as she's working on something at her desk, probably tomorrows assignment. She always did wait for the last minute to get it done. She crumpls up the paper and throws it to the waste bin that's barely four feet away, and missed. The reason she didn't play any sports. She glances over her shoulder at me, and I smiled. She didn't do or say anything to acknowledge my presence, she just went back to the new blank piece of paper in front of her.
After several long minutes she gets up from the desk and walks over to her bed, taking the piece of paper with her. She places it on the bedside table and takes a few sleeping pills. Everyone knows that Maddie had problems sleeping. It's because her mother would stay up all night crying about her father. Her father had left her and her mother for someone who was only a few years older than we were. It's not that I blame him for what he's done to this family, but what can you do? He could not put up with being with Marie – Matilda's mother- when he fell out of love with her. He left without saying goodbye to Maddie, only leaving a note for her mother. It's been a hard life for the two of them, and I try to be there for Maddie whenever she needs me.
She sets the glass down and crawls into bed, pulling the covers up almost over her head. She looks so small in the large bed. She looks to the ceiling and I swear I see a tear glide down her cheek. I open my mouth to say something, anything, but nothing comes out, I've seen her cry many a times before, but this? This seems different. She looks to me, sadness filling up the bright green eyes that I used to know and whispers faintly so I barely hear what she says.
“I'm sorry, Ethan.” Another tear slowly makes its way down to her pillow.
Sorry? Sorry for what? There is no reason for her to be apologizing to me, she's never done anything wrong. Confusion runs through me, as I replay the past few days, trying to find a reason for this, but I come up blank. Nothing. No reason for this madness.
“What are you apologizing for?” I ask, my voice sounding distant. A chill runs down my spine, and Maddie's eyes flicker something more than sadness. She turns over and pulls the covers up over her head, ignoring the question I had asked.
“Fine, I know when I'm not wanted.” I say, pain in my voice. “You should be sorry Maddie. You've never once shut me out before, why start now?” I turn and storm from her bedroom, making my way back down the stairs and out the door.
The nights have grown shorter now that winter is no longer on us and summer has taken over. The cool summer nights are what I live for. Sitting down by the river and watch the days go by, peaceful and satisfying. And that is just what I do, I head down to my favorite spot by the river and I lay there, thinking. Is there really a reason for Matilda to be acting the way she was, and if so, what is the reason?
I jerk upright, breathing heavily and soaked to the bone. Was it all just a dream, I think to myself. I scramble out of my bed and rush over to my phone hoping to have a message from Maddie. No messages! That's strange, Maddie is always awake before I am and she always sends me a 'Good Morning' message to make sure I'm having a good day. I sent her a quick message, and wait for a response. After waiting for two minutes I hit speed dial one. It rings, and rings.
“Hello, you've reached Matilda's voice mail. I'm currently unable to come to the phone, probably for many reasons, so leave me your name and number and I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as I possibly can.” Her cheery recording flows into my ear.
“Maddie, it's Ethan” I practically yell into my phone. “Call me, or message me as soon as you get this. Please! I just had the strangest dream, and I need to talk to you about it.” I end the call and put the phone down, glancing over at the mirror that hangs on the back side of my door. My hair is stuck to my face with sweat, and the bags under my eyes are ridiculous. It looks like I haven't showered or slept in a few days. I peel off my soaked clothes, which is just a pair of briefs, and grab the towel that hangs on the back of my computer chair. Opening the door a crack and peeking out to make sure that my room mate is not in the hallway, it looks clear so I make my way out while holding the towel in front of me, to give myself some sense of decency. I make it to the bathroom and close just in time to hear the turning of the lock of the main door.
“Hey dude, are you up yet?” my room mate yells from the front door. “You know if you're late for school once more, they're going to have to send you to detention, or something. Just because you're eighteen and it's your senior year of high school doesn't mean that you can slack off. How do you expect to get into a good college?” I roll my eyes at this. My grades are great, even with the missed days, and he knows it. I hear him drop the keys onto the side table that we have near the door. I lean on the bathroom door and run my fingers through my hair. He's getting home late. Must have been out to the club last night and went home with one of the the sleazy chicks that are always hanging off of him. Marcus is a very handsome man, with short blonde hair that he always has done up in one of those faux-hawk styles. His bright green eyes and great bone structure is what catches the attention of all the girls. That and he has a rockin' body, I don't think I've seen someone with such a great body. I don't know how he does it either, he eats non-stop and hardly works out.
“Yes Marcus, I'm up and about to get into the shower.” I yell back “Thank you for being so fatherly, I should be able to get to school on time today.” I crank the hot water and the bathroom steams up almost instantly. I pull back the shower curtain and climb in, standing under the stream of water. It burns as it pelts the back of my neck.
The door clicks, and a gust of cool air is forced into the heat of the bathroom. “Sorry dude,” Marcus apologizes, with a laugh “I really had to take a leak, and I didn't know how long you were going to take.” This is nothing new to me, he does this more than not. It seems every time I take a shower, he needs to use the bathroom. He finishes up, flushes, and washes his hands. My hot water turns ice cold and I let out a yelp while trying to get out from under it before the chill goes to my bones. He bursts out in laughter and rushes out of the bathroom before any profanity comes from my mouth.
“Asshole!” I yell after him.
After several more minutes under the the comfort of the hot water, I turn it off and grab for my towel, only it's not where I set it down. I pull open the curtain and prepare for the blast of cold air that rushes over every inch of my naked, wet body. Shivering, I quickly scanning the floor, but my towel is no where to be found.
“Marcus!” I shout, as I climb out of the bathtub. The roar of laughter makes its way up the stairs and to the bathroom. I glance to the left and see that there is a note marked into the fogged up mirror. Ethan, I'm sorry. -M. My heart drops into my stomach, and I rush out of the bathroom and to my bedroom.
When I reach my room, my phone is blinking with a message. I grab it and flip to my messages. None of them are from Maddie. They're all from my mother. I put my phone down and go to grab another towel from the closet, glancing to the pictures that I have tacked up on my wall. Pictures of Maddie and myself. She's my only real friend, nobody else understands me the way she does.
I pick up my phone again and shoot her another message. I might as well check the message that mum sent, I think to myself. It's been far too long since I've talked to her, it'll be nice to hear her voice.
Ethan, I know you don't like people calling you, and that is why I'm sending you this text message. Please call me when you read this. It's urgent!
I read the message twice before I start to debate with myself, if it's as urgent as what she thinks it is. Should I call her now, or could it wait until I am home from school? I punch in her number and listen to the phone ring in my ear. Two rings. Three rings.
“Hello?” my mothers voice whispers into my ear.
“Hey mum, it's Ethan,” I state, remembering that she doesn't have caller ID.
“Oh Ethan,” she cries. The sound of a chair screeching as it's dragged across the floor. She sighs before starting again. “I'm so sorry.”
“Mum?” I ask, glancing towards the door to my bedroom. The fogged up mirror flashes in my mind. “What's going on?” I bark at my phone, growing impatient. I hear my mother sob on the other line, I've never seen my mother cry. She was always the rock in any situation that brought tears to everyone around her. She would be that shoulder of support, but here she was, crying. I don't know what else to do, or say. “I'm sorry mum, I didn't mean to make you cry.” I whisper, tears forming in my own eyes. “It's just been a really weird day.
“It's about Matilda,” she says in between sobs. “She killed herself last night.”
Silence. My mind goes blank. I'm unable to think, unable to respond. I hang up and toss my phone to the bed. I look around, and everything seems out of place. The vivid colors of life have seemed to fade into shades of gray. The dream replays over in my mind, and then I see the bathroom mirror, again. I look down at my hands, but all I see is the floor rushing up to me.


***
Thump!
The sound was so loud I thought the house was coming down. I rush from my room to see that the living room and the kitchen look untouched. “Ethan!” I shout. No response. I rush to his bedroom, not even bothering to knocking, just run right in. My heart drops and my stomach clenches so tight that I might puke. Ethan's half naked, in nothing but his underwear, face down on the floor. Blood spewing from his nose, and tears streaking his cheeks.
What the hell, I think to myself, race back to my bedroom for my phone, grabbing the white shirt that I had lying on my bed and made my way back to his room, as quickly as I could. I punch in the number that I need without even looking at the phone. It rings twice.
“9-1-1, what's your emergency?” A woman answers
“ I need an ambulance!” I shout into the phone. “My room mate is lying face down on the floor, bleeding. I don't know what happened,” I rush to explain in my panicked state. Kneeling down, I use the tee shirt to wipe the blood from the floor and from Ethan's face. Trying to be as careful as I possibly can, and even then I can see that it's hurting him. “It's going to be all right buddy, you're going to be alright” I sob.
“What is your address, Sir?” the woman asks, and I can hear her typing it into her computer as I tell her. “The ambulance is on it's way. They should be there shortly.”
I end the call, throwing my phone onto the bed. I roll Ethan over and rests his head on my lap, getting the last bit of blood from his face. It looks like his nose has decided that it were done bleeding, which is good, because I don't think I've ever seen so much blood come from anyone's nose.
A knock at the door breaks the trance that I fell into since hanging up with the operator, staring into nothingness. I gently set Ethan's head down on the floor while I get up, my knees weak under the weight of my body and rush to get the door. Red and white flashing lights shine through the thin curtains, forming shadows on the walls. Tearfully, I open the door. Since I cannot form words so I just point to the hallway. I watch the E.M.T. guys move quickly down the hall with a stretcher in hand.
I stand there by the front door, watching a small crowd of people forming along the sidewalk, trying to see what all the commotion is about. The paramedics pull Ethan from the hallway on the stretcher, and through the front door to the ambulance. I follow behind them, and am thankful that they allow me to sit in the back with Ethan. I reach out and grab a hold of his hand, his skin as cold as ice.

Is he dying? It's the only thought running through my mind. He cannot die on me. I haven't had the chance to tell him how I feel about him. And now, now I might not get that chance. 


I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, next week I'll see what I can do about getting you a little bit more about Matilda!

 

Monday 12 August 2013

Cover Reveal

Today is the day that we do the cover reveal of Rachel Walter's first NA novel!

A Message of Flowers (AMoF)


But first, a little bit about Rachel!

 
Rachel lives in Central Pennsylvania, is a stay at home mom, has a wonderful husband, total of 4 kids, 3 of which are step kids. She’s a true Pittsburgh Penguins and Steelers fan. She’s an insomniac that loves coffee, Johnny Depp movies and bonfires, dislikes driving on the interstate, bugs of any kind, and a too quiet house. When she’s not playing with the people inside her head, making her family think she belongs in the loony bin or writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, finding new music, new books, helping someone or plotting something equally crazy with her Critique Partners. Be sure to check out her debut YA Paranormal True Connection.

Also, she's pretty awesome!







                                      Now a little bit about A Message of Flowers!!

 
 White Carnations - pure love, sweet and lovely.
Daisy - Innocence, beauty, simplicity.

To florist, Georgina Nickols, every flower has a meaning and a purpose. Flowers are something she knows, lives, and breathes. But when they start mysteriously showing up on her porch, she’s unsure of their meaning, and of who is leaving them.
What do these flowers mean to the messenger?

An old friend from high school, Corbin Waylay, moves back to town. When he shows up, he stirs up all kinds of trouble for Georgina. Her life-long friend, Sid Trail, hates him and makes that fact clear to Georgina. But despite the warnings from her friend, she just can’t help the feelings that resurface. The feelings she hasn’t felt for anyone since high school graduation, the feelings that only Corbin can induce.

As Corbin moves closer into her life, it causes a rift between her and Sid. The mystery flowers continue to appear and begin to add to the stresses of life.
Love, secrets, pain, and lies surround Georgina, putting her trust to the test.
When the messenger is finally revealed, will the meaning of the flowers be enough to repair the damage of those hidden secrets?

Forget Me Nots - Remember me forever, good memories, hope.
Single Red Rose - I love you.



Also, a GiveAway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway







And the moment you've all been waiting for!!! The Cover!!!  

 

Sunday 4 August 2013

Deviation Blog Tour.




 

 

Blurb

It takes just one week to realize that you’re broken, but not unfixable. ONE week to realize everything doesn’t come with a price. One week to fall in love with love. One week to fall in love with you.
Family torn apart at thirteen by a drunk driver.
Fifteen foster homes in five years.
Determined to keep everything at bay, Nevaeh Rodgers will do whatever it takes to forget.

Until she meets Angel Barajas at a party. He can’t keep his eyes off of her. Saving her from a guy at the party and an overdose, he can’t just let her walk out his door. Determined to help her whether she wants the help or not, he sets out to find her and not a moment too soon.
  It takes ONE day to realize the relationship you’re in isn’t healthy and leave. TWO days to realize you’re as pathetic as the loser you stayed with. THREE days to get a combination of drugs out of your system. FOUR days to wish life would end so you can take matters into your own hands. FIVE days to be saved. It takes a week to realize that everything each and every one of those days has in common, is the vibrant blue eyes that are staring at me right now.

Excerpt
When I come to again the first thing I notice is the fragrance of laundry. It smells just like when it comes out of the dryer. I roll over, shocked to come into contact with a warm, hard, body. I shoot up and scoot across the bed, only to end up falling on my ass on the other side. I bite back a groan and see that I’m only wearing my pink bra and panties. Sober. Shit!  I’m totally fucking sober right now. I crawl around looking for my pants but find nothing. I glance up at the bed and see a guy lying there asleep. I stand up and tiptoe towards the door that I’m hoping is the bathroom. I open it, but instead of a bathroom, there’s a hallway.
 Part of the wall looks like the shape of a door, so I start pressing on it. When it finally opens, I see my clothes on the floor of the bathroom by the tub. Shutting the door behind me, I grab my pants and look for the pills but they’re gone. My backpack is missing too and I’m starting to freak out. I stand up and grab the counter when suddenly the door opens. I can’t even bring myself to look at whoever came in. All my focus is on trying to slow my breathing before I have a panic attack.
“Just take a deep breath in; now slowly release it, deep breath in and out.” A deep voice says as the door clicks shut behind him. He places his hands on my hips and a shudder races through my body. I look up into the mirror and see a face that looks familiar but I can’t place it.  I focus on his blue eyes which are the same shade mine used to be when I was younger. The same blue that reminds me of the innocence and happiness I had in my life before it was taken from me.
“Who are you and where am I?” My voice is shaky from the warmth of his skin on mine.
“Do you remember anything from last night?” He looks concerned.
I try to remember. I remember walking home in the morning, I remember Timo walking in with that bitch, I even remember meeting up with Ice. I shudder. This guy flexes his hands on my hips, and when I look up in the mirror I see him watching me. Click. “You were at the party. I remember staring at you and then I was coming to talk to you when Timo showed up. He was about to punch me-“I stop. He meets my eyes in the mirror, “You stood in front of me and knocked Timo out, right?”
He nods his head yes. I try to understand what’s going on and remember what happened after that but I come up with nothing. “Okay, so why am I here and who are you?”
He sighs, “Well, my name is Angel and you are in my house because you blacked out.”
I blacked out? I guess I took the wrong pill last night. “Okay, but that doesn’t explain why I’m still here. Yeah, okay, I blacked out and now I remember my vision getting blurry but that doesn’t explain why I’m still here-not that I’m ungrateful, but I’m not sure I should be thrilled either.”
He laughs at me. “Well, after I knocked out Timo, your friend said you could stay with her but she was worried Timo would find you. So I decided to bring you to my place.”
Alright. Well that makes perfect sense, I think. I feel myself nodding, “Okay, so…. why am I also half naked?”


A little bit about the Author


Dani Morales is a native Texan currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada with her three boys and her mother.  She adopted the boys in December of 2011 and loves spending every minute playing with them. On her spare time you can find a book in her hand or sitting in front of the computer typing out stories that run rampant in her mind. Her debut novel Entrelacen was released April 2013.

Be sure to stalk Dani at these locations.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6936147.Dani_Morales
Blog: http://www.danimoralesauthor.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/danimorales413
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DaniMoralesAuthor


My Review.

When I got my ARC it wasn't to write a review, it was to bate for the wonderful Dani Morales.

It was within the first few pages when I got hooked. A beautiful woman, and a douchbag of a boyfriend, I was curious as to how Dani was going to play this out.  And she plays it out beautifully!

It's been a while since I have had the chance to read anything like this novel in a while. A wonderful strong female lead who thinks that she can take care of herself, while a passive aggressive secondary male who becomes a main character throughout the novel.

There was only one real thing that I didn't like about this novel, and that was the timeline. I think that Dani could have played with that a little better, but besides that it is a wonderful read! A novel that hooked me early, like a good novel should, and had me guessing until the very last page. There was something about it, something that kept me coming back for more.

Dani is the type of writer that leaves you hanging at the end of each chapter. She can play with the way you think things are going to go, and then surprise you completely! I know that I didn't expect some of the turns that she did with Deviation. 

You for sure have to pick this novel up and give it a read. You will be missing out if you don't, and that's not just my opinion!


Be sure to add Deviation to Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17935534-deviation

US Only a Rafflecopter giveaway International Only a Rafflecopter giveaway