Ruby's First Scene from My WIP, Glitch by Wendy Russo

Parvana’s song faded out to let the dramatic opening chords of The Phantom of the Opera play through. Ruby rolled her eyes and inhaled sharply at the sound of the ringtone. She reserved that tune for Lorelei.

She paused with her finger over the “Ignore” link as the Phantom banged the organ keys again. A photo of two girls hugging each other cheek to cheek lit up her phone screen. Lorelei was the ginger on the left. She didn’t leave the house without lots of make-up hiding her freckles. Between the flash and the green lighting in the room at the moment they snapped the selfie, the girl appeared ill. Ruby’s coffee-and-cream skin fared better. Green light shifted it toward olive and made her Asian traits stand out more than usual.

She smiled a little at the photo, just for a second. They snapped it at the back-to-school dance, before everything changed.

The Phantom’s chords repeated a third time. She mulled letting the call go to voice mail. Sighing heavily, Ruby pressed her thumb down on “Answer”.

“Hey, Lora.”

“Roo! I’ve been texting you. Why aren’t you answering?”

Because texting means you want something and I’m busy. “My phone’s muted. I’m at the hospital.”

“What! Why? Are you okay? Can you—”

“I’m fine. Thank you for asking. No, it’s Micah.”

“Oh, okay.” Hearing relief in the girl’s voice, Ruby glared at the phone. “The committee's meeting at 7:45. Usual place. Don’t be late.”

Suddenly, Ruby remembered why she and Lorelei rarely spoke these days. Micah slept in a hospital bed. His mother blamed her for his seizure. Her parents had kept quiet so far, but their faces said it all when they learned the boy collapsed in their kitchen. She broke a rule and they were not happy about it. On top of that, the Advanced Placement Chemistry test would hit Ruby’s desk in ten days and she wasn’t remotely ready for it.

A best friend helped girls get through problems like these, but Lorelei didn’t know about any of them. A question and a minute would get them caught up, but no. Prom mattered more.
She supposed she should feel flattered. Lorelei needed her to help solve a problem. She knew the girl too well to believe it. There were a dozen people on the committee, and if the Devil offered his hand, Lorelei would ditch them all and run off with him.

“I’ll be there.” She wanted to tell Lorelei to kiss off, but held her tongue. The call terminated on the other end.

Ruby removed the earbud from Micah’s ear, then her own, and wrapped the thin cables around her fingers before shoving them into her front pocket. She slipped her phone into a back pocket and then leaned over to kiss sleeping beauty’s cheek.

“I’ll see you later.”

She grabbed her book bag and swung it over her shoulder as she spun around toward the door. There she stopped. Looking back at the last minute, she bit down on her lip and thought, Please wake up.

Glitch is the first book of a YA Science Fiction Romance series, set in an alternate timeline, that meshes the angelic war, high level string theory, and immigration policy to turn Lucifer's story on it's ear.

Tuesday Teaser: SHADES OF AVALON by Carol Oates

The Shades Series (book #2)

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

Paranormal Romance

Summary

Ben Pryor grew up as an average kid in Camden, Maine, unaware of the supernatural storm brewing in his Celtic blood. However, at nineteen, as the last born in the royal line of the beings that once ruled Atlantis, Ben has eagerly embraced his newfound abilities and birthright.

When Caleb, his sister’s mate, goes missing under suspicious circumstances, the prime suspect is the last remaining member of the overthrown corrupt Guardian Council.

With the discovery that an old acquaintance has been keeping secrets and the future Ben was so sure of shifting before his eyes, the situation becomes more complicated, the ransom for Caleb too high.

In the sequel to Shades of Atlantis, Ben will delve deeper than he ever imagined into the magical old ways of the Guardians, the secrets of Excalibur, and the truth behind the legend of King Arthur.

Goodreads

Excerpt

“I can teach Amanda how to use a bow,” Emma suggested. “Two weeks isn’t much time, but we can do something with it. I can throw a sword about too if I have to, but my strength is archery.”

“You can use a broad sword?” Amanda asked, wide-eyed. We didn’t have much call for using swords growing up in Maine.

Emma shrugged. “I guess everyone has something in their blood. John showed me a few things when I was a kid. I know there’s more to it, but stance and keeping the sharp end away is a good start. I guess I gravitated more to Robin Hood than King Arthur. No offense.” She raised an eyebrow and wrinkled her nose when she addressed Arthur.

He bent his head respectfully. “No offense taken.”

I was partial to the idea of Amanda with a bow in her hand if it meant keeping a distance from any hand-to-hand combat. Like Emma, she didn’t possess the speed and agility to match a Guardian.

“The mist thing,” I said, thinking about the guys in the park. If they travel as mist, why couldn’t we?

“Is there more to that particular statement?” Guinevere prompted helpfully.

“Well, yeah,” I replied with the obvious. “I want to know how to do it.”

“I can teach you,” Merlin offered without missing a beat, although he continued to watch his dancing fingers. “Forgotten ways are not lost ways. As I told you, mountain, you have no idea what you are capable of. None of you do.”

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Tuesday Teaser: An Excerpt from My Tethered Soul by Dorothy Dreyer

Today I’m sharing a teaser from the second book in my Reaper’s Rite series, My Tethered Soul. Before you read the excerpt, let me fill you in on the book’s synopsis.

MY TETHERED SOUL

Reaper's Rite Book Two

Expected Publication August 19, 2014, from Month9Books

It’s been months since Zadie faced her sister’s Reaper, months during which she’s been under her mentor’s magical protection. But now that she’s turning seventeen, that protection is about to run out.

When dark forces lure Zadie to wander at night, she’s manipulated into committing unspeakable acts. With her friends and family at risk, Zadie must try to use her powers to break free from the Reaper’s grasp, or surrender to the Reaper’s Rite, which can only lead to death.

Excerpt

“Leave me alone!”

As an answer to my shout, a low guttural growl filled the room. The floor began to shake, knocking items off the bathroom shelves and rattling the shower curtain. I backed up, searching the room for the shadow. My foot caught a patch of water and I fell backwards, landing on my back. A sharp-sounding crack filled the room as the back of my head hit the floor.

Cringing in pain, I grabbed my head. A shadow floated across the ceiling.

“Mara!” I screamed, unable to move.

The shadow swept across the wall, the form of the Reaper almost concrete now.

“Mara!”

The doorknob jiggled.

“Zadie, the door is locked!”

I turned my head, and was punished by blurred vision. I hadn’t locked the door. This was the Reaper’s doing.

The growl came again.

Be sure to add MY TETHERED SOUL to your Goodreads shelf.

And don't miss book one in the series, MYSISTER’S REAPER

Read MY SISTER'S REAPER today

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Hungry for a chuckle? Check out a sample of Kym Brunner's ONE SMART COOKIE!

CHAPTER ONE

While hiding out in the back room of our family-owned Polish bakery, I spy my mother's therapist––the June issue of Cosmo––lying on a shelf next to the flour. I flip through it, searching for my favorite feature, the relationship quiz.

My mother’s voice terminates my bliss. “Sophie! Come here. It’s getting busy now.” Her Polish accent isn’t nearly as thick as my grandma's, but it’s still undeniable.

“Be right there!” It can’t be that big of a rush, so I’m staying put until I finish this month’s quiz, which is titled, “What’s Your Guy-Q?” Given that I’ve only gone on three dates in my sixteen years––one with a moron, one with a liar, and one with a perv––I’m pretty sure my knowledge of guys will rank somewhere between dumbass and totally clueless.

Source

Too bad my best friend Teegan wasn’t here now, because she’s had a smorgasbord of boyfriends. She’d ace this quiz for sure. Luckily, she tells me everything. I concentrate on what she’s confided to me in the past, zipping through the first eleven questions. I can’t believe how easy it is to figure out which answers will give me the highest points. If only school were this easy, I’d have straight B’s.

Five minutes later, Mom’s slacker alarm goes off. “Sophie, let’s go!”

“One second!” I answer the last question and tally up my points. Hmm…weird. A thirteen. Must be one of those quizzes where a low score is better. I scan the ratings on the bottom and see that a thirteen puts me into category D: In Desperate Need of Help. Thanks, Cosmo. I know that’s just another way of saying Shitty. How can I expect to snag a decent guy when my Guy-Q is the pits?

Guess I shouldn’t be too shocked. “Shitty” pretty much sums up my life, period. We live in a shitty apartment above our Polish bakery, my job is shitty, school is shitty except for off-campus lunch and my friends, my shitty father left when I was a bun in the oven, and the icing on the shit cake is that today is the first day of summer vacation and Cosmo says I won’t be changing my social media profile to In a Relationship anytime soon.

Source

I fling the magazine back onto the shelf. Screw Cosmo. I’m going to meet the perfect guy this summer and my Guy-Q will skyrocket to category A:  Professor of Loveology. Maybe even today, who’s to say? This morning at nine-thirty––okay, probably more like ten if we’re on Teegan-time––Teegan is going to pick me up in her kinda-old-but-still-gorgeous black convertible. We’re going to cruise to Oak Street Beach, find two boys who are also best friends, and double date all summer. And while I know that the likelihood of that happening is roughly equivalent to my mother randomly handing me fifty bucks, Teegan and I are determined to try. We’ve made double-dating our top priority this summer.

All we need are a pair of normal guys––one who wants a cute, sarcastic, medium-chested, five-foot-seven-inch blond with an average body, like me––while his friend is hoping for a petite, stunning, D-cup, perky brunette like Teegan. What’ll undoubtedly happen is that the tanned, gorgeous star of the baseball team with minty breath will fall for Teegan, while I’ll be stuck with his awkward, smelly buddy with Cheetos scum between his teeth.

What can I expect as a card-carrying member of Category D?

READ MORE THIS SUMMER - ARRIVING JULY 15th from Omnific Press!

***COVER UPDATE: Guess what?? One Smart Cookie's book cover is coming soon!! It's in the final stages and it's absolutely perfect!! *gazes off into space, smiling happily. Can't wait to show you.
Kym Brunner

Wanted: Dead or in Love, Merit Press, May 2014
One Smart Cookie, Omnific Publishing, Spring 2014
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Bio:
Kym Brunner's method of creating a manuscript: write, procrastinate, sleep, repeat. She's addicted to Tazo chai tea, going to the movies, and reality TV. When she's not reading or writing, Kym teaches 7th grade full time. She lives in Arlington Heights with her family and two trusty writing companions, a pair of Shih Tzus named Sophie and Kahlua. She's repped by Eric Myers of The Spieler Agency.

Tuesday Teaser: ASCENDANT by Rebecca Taylor

For my “teaser” post, I thought I would share the selection from ASCENDANT that I recently read at the Colorado Book Award Finalist Reading. The winners will be announced at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 13, 2014, at the Hotel Jerome, 330 E Main St, Aspen, CO 81611—Wish me luck!! This scene is from chapter eight and Charlotte is just getting ready to meet her uncle for the first time:

I followed Emerick down a dimly lit hall connecting the study to his private offices. The narrow hall was lined with oil portraits illuminated with individual brass art lamps. A few of the portraits I recognized right away: Einstein, Beethoven, and George Washington, an odd portrait to be hanging in an English gentleman’s home. Others I recognized when I caught sight of their nameplates: Emerson, Thoreau, and Henry Ford. Hanging just outside his office door was a strange portrait that caught my attention more than any of the others. A man sat on a throne with his face obscured by a dramatic mask, half comic, half tragic. The nameplate read Sir Francis Bacon aka Shake-Sphere. 

  

I stopped and starred at the portrait. “Mr. Wriothesley?”

Emerick was just opening the door. He stopped and turned, “Yes?”

I pointed to the nameplate, “What does this mean?”

He looked to the plate and then back to me. “What does it mean to you?” Emerick gazed at me. Like in the morning room the day before, his expression was confusing—his mouth was smiling but his eyes were scrutinizing. Measuring me. Teachers had the same look when they were waiting for you to disappoint them with the wrong answer.

It didn’t mean anything especially to me, but it had struck me. The aka Shake-Sphere reminded me of Shakespeare. And anything even remotely related to Shakespeare grabbed my attention.

“Um…” being asked outright, I felt foolish for the association I had made. I shook my head and shrugged. “I guess it just made me think of William Shakespeare. I’m sure that’s not what it meant.”

He stared a moment longer before turning on his heels. “I am sure you are correct either way.” He entered the office ahead of me.

He didn’t answer my question. Either he thought I was too stupid or, like most adults, he was trying to inspire me to figure it out for myself. Nearly every time I had tried to get an easy answer from my mother she would reply, Knowledge is sweeter found than given Charlotte. From spelling words to math facts she would answer, Knowledge is sweeter found than given Charlotte. And then I would stomp off to either the computer or the reference section of her private library depending on what I needed. Even though I had come to automatically expect it, my mother’s stock answer to my every question always irritated me to no end. It seemed such a normal way to be with your mother, irritated with her for not giving you what you want when you want it.

I wish I had known I would lose her.

I glanced at the portrait once more and memorized the inscription on the brass plate. Francis Bacon aka Shake-Sphere. Emerick Wriothesley didn’t know me. If he thought I was even remotely like his own son he might be surprised to know I wasn’t stupid or lazy. I would figure out for myself what it meant.

About Rebecca Taylor:

Rebecca Taylor is the young adult author of ASCENDANT, a recently selected finalist for the 2014 Colorado Book Award. The second book in the Ascendant series, MIDHEAVEN, will release in 2014 and her standalone novel, THE EXQUISITE AND IMMACULATE GRACE OF CARMEN ESPINOZA, will be available in 2014. You can find more information about her work at: 

Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Wattpad  

Tuesday Teaser: OLIVER CONROY AND HIS REPOSSESSED SOUL BY L.V. PIRES

My name is Colby Patterson and I’m soulless. Literally. It happened one day when I was in school.  My soul disappeared. I became a raving lunatic, psychopath, craved madman, hell-bent on destroying everything in my path. 

How did this happen? 

Does it have something to do with the scientific experiments being conducted at Velcron Technologies?  Who is Oliver Conroy?  And, how did he steal my soul?

***

Colby woke on the cold floor. Only one of his eyes worked. The other was sealed shut. He pulled himself to sitting, feeling every inch of his body bruised and sore. An ache radiated inside of him like his ribs were broken. Blood dripped from a cut on his lip. He smeared it away with the back of his hand, then looked down at his arms and saw burn marks seared across his flesh. The same red marks covered his legs. Colby struggled to his feet and looked around to orientate himself.

He wasn’t in the room he had been brought to when he first arrived to Velcron. This room was a laboratory—a dimly lit one. The floor was smooth and polished, with a metal table was in the middle of the room. Silver chutes lined one wall, a metal door on the other. He hobbled to the door and tried the handle not really thinking it would work, but determined to escape. He had to get out.

             He remembered the last thing Dr. Wang had said. Take him to the vaporization room. Colby turned around again and saw a shower on the far end of the room—the vaporization shower. He had heard about it before. It was used in prisons to execute criminals. A prisoner would be forced into the chamber and ultrasonic lasers would shoot out of the showerhead, vaporizing the victim into oblivion. Now, they were going to try to execute him without any just cause. He hadn’t even had a trial. There was no jury, no witnesses called forth to testify, no judge to hear his version of the truth. All of it was a set-up, to annihilate him and keep him quiet, but why?

            Searching the room, Colby looked for something to defend himself with, but there was nothing. He scanned the ceiling and sides of the walls for an opening, anything that he could stick his fingers into and wedge open, but everything he touched was polished smooth. He tried to yank one of the legs off the table but it didn’t budge. Each leg was permanently secured to the floor.

A moment later the door squeaked open and the man in the white shirt appeared. “I’m glad you’re awake,” he said, entering with his baton in hand. “I didn’t want to vaporize you without having you awake first.”

            “Why are you doing this?” Colby asked, backing up.

            He shut the door. “You’re a mistake, Colby. Someone already had your soul before you and he wasn’t done with it, so we gave it back to him. That makes you a damaged psychopath. We can’t have damaged psychopaths just wandering the streets now, can we?”

            “What about my trial?” Colby begged. “What about getting to defend myself? Where are the police?”

            The man switched on the baton and laughed. “Police? Now, why would we want to get them involved? We already know you’re guilty.” He stepped towards Colby, waving the baton then prodding him towards the back wall and the vaporization chamber.

Coming Soon:

http://crescentmoonpress.com/comingsoon.html

Find out more about L.V. Pires at lisavpires.com