Excerpt: Free to Fall by Lauren Miller

A bell above the door jangled as we stepped inside. It was split-level, with the counter at ground level and seating space in a loft above it, overlooking the river. For a place with thousands of bad reviews, it was awfully packed. I didn’t see a single empty table. When we stepped up to the counter, I understood why. There was a laminated sign stuck to the register that read IF YOU LIKE US, LEAVE US A REALLY CRAPPY REVIEW ON FORUM. SHOW IT TO US, AND YOUR NEXT DRINK IS ON US!

“You didn’t fall for it,” I heard a male voice say. “Or you just like shitty coffee.” I looked up. The guy behind the counter was about our age, and he might’ve been cute were it not for the tattoos covering his bare arms and peeking out from the collar of his white V-neck T-shirt. I didn’t have anything against tattoos in general—Beck had a hanja character behind his left ear—but this guy had that whole my-diffuse-body-art-makes-me-countercultural-and-thus-cooler-than-you vibe about him. The Mohawk on his head didn’t help.

“I was brought against my will,” I said, and the boy smiled. His eyes, pinned on mine, were dark brown, almost black, his pupils shiny like wet paint. “Let me guess—first-years at the academy?” There was something dismissive in his tone, as if our affiliation with Theden was a mark against us.

“I’m Hershey, and this is Rory,” Hershey said, stepping up to the counter. “Maybe you can show us around sometime.” The boy didn’t respond. “Cool ink,” she cooed, touching her fingers to his forearm. There were lines of text drawn there, each one in different handwriting. They looked like lines of poetry or quotes from books. The writing was small and I definitely wasn’t about to lean in for a closer look, so it was hard to be sure. “What’s your name?” she asked him.

“North.” His eyes still hadn’t left mine. They were doing that rapid back-and-forth thing that eyes do when they’re studying something. Or, in this case, someone. Heat sprung to my cheeks. I cleared my throat and looked past him to the chalkboard menu. Beside me, Hershey pulled out her Gemini.

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Free To Fall by Lauren Miller

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 13th 2014

Blurb:

What if there was an app that told you what song to listen to, what coffee to order, who to date, even what to do with your life—an app that could ensure your complete and utter happiness? What if you never had to fail or make a wrong choice?

What if you never had to fall?

Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision making for the best personal results. Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is following what Lux recommends. When she’s accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school. Then she meets North, a handsome townie who doesn’t use Lux, and begins to fall for him and his outsider way of life. Soon, Rory is going against Lux’s recommendations, listening instead to the inner voice that everyone has been taught to ignore — a choice that leads her to uncover a truth neither she nor the world ever saw coming.

You can purchase Free To Fall at the following Retailers:

   

  

  

Author Bio

I grew up in Atlanta.  I went to college at Yale and law school at Berkeley, then I got married and moved to Southern California to practice law.

I liked it.  But after about a year, I got the itch to be doing something more creative.  The itch got stronger.  I found myself typing out random bits of dialogue on my Blackberry (remember those?) and pitching story ideas to my co-workers.  One of those ideas became a script for a TV pilot.  When it didn’t sell, I wrote another one and another one.  Soon, I was ducking out of work to go to pitch meetings at studios and networks.  It felt like I was getting somewhere.  

Then I got pregnant. Unexpectedly.  This freaked me out.  Not because I didn’t want kids (I did), but because I was afraid (ok, convinced) that motherhood would zap my creative potential.

To prove myself wrong, I resolved to write a novel in the first 100 days of my child’s life and blog about it, an experiment I called “embracing the detour” (if you’re looking for an embrace the detour fridge magnet, I’m your girl.  If you’re looking for old embrace the detour blog posts, click HERE).  At the time, it seemed like a brilliant idea.  Looking back, it makes me laugh at the childless version of me.

Then again, she’s the reason the current version of me ended up with a two-book deal at HarperTeen.  And my very first script sale (but that’s a whole other story).

Thanks to to Kristyn Keene at ICM and Sarah Landis at HarperTeen, my debut novel, Parallel, hit bookstores on May 14, 2013.  My second novel, Free to Fall, came out on May 13, 2014!  You can watch the trailer for the book and read the first 50 pages free at freetofallbook.com

Embrace the detour was my foray into blogging.  Over time that morphed into this.  Whatever this is.  Not a blog exactly.  A life-log of sorts.  A place to remember and reflect.  And, yes, a place to update readers about my novels.  So if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the right place!  Follow me on Twitter to keep up with the latest.  Or email directly to say hi, which you can do HERE.

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Waiting on Wednesday: Beware the Wild and Lies We Tell Ourselves

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

Here are my WoW picks this week (click title for the Goodreads page):

Beware the Wild
 by Natalie C. Parker

Release date: October 21st, 2014
 Publisher: HarperTeen
 Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

It's an oppressively hot and sticky morning in June when Sterling and her brother, Phin, have an argument that compels him to run into the town swamp -- the one that strikes fear in all the residents of Sticks, Louisiana. Phin doesn't return. Instead, a girl named Lenora May climbs out, and now Sterling is the only person in Sticks who remembers her brother ever existed.

Sterling needs to figure out what the swamp's done with her beloved brother and how Lenora May is connected to his disappearance -- and loner boy Heath Durham might be the only one who can help her. 

This debut novel is full of atmosphere, twists and turns, and a swoon-worthy romance.

A southern-mystery/dark-fantasy-romance. I fall for this type of books and I know when I delve further into the story I'm gonna be suck right up. The cover itself is enticing and eerie at the same time. It also has a swoon-worthy romance, how can I say no to that? ;)

Lies We Tell Ourselves
 by Robin Talley

Release date: September 30th, 2014

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever.

Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily.

Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town’s most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept “separate but equal.”

Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.

Boldly realistic and emotionally compelling, Lies We Tell Ourselves is a brave and stunning novel about finding truth amid the lies, and finding your voice even when others are determined to silence it.

It's not the type of story I usually read but I think Lies We Tell Ourselves is going to be gut-wrenching that might change the way we view of things and I guess it'll be a challenging read. "Boldly realistic and emotionally compelling". It is sort of intimidating and intriguing.

Blog Tour: Mad Love by Colet Abedi (with Excerpt and Giveaway)

I almost trip over my feet when I see him walking toward the bar looking so hot in tan khaki shorts and a baby blue t-shirt that stretches out nicely over his broad shoulders and happens to match his eyes perfectly. His hands are tucked in his pockets and he’s talking to Eduard and one of the women he came with. I notice with some jealousy that she looks like she wants to devour him alive.

Okay. The night just got interesting. I wonder what time it is. Shouldn’t he still be at his villa having a party? I look down and push my long hair away from my face and am ready to pretend like I don’t see him when I lift my eyes and they clash right into his stormy blue gaze. He stares at me long and hard, and if I were to guess his mood, he doesn’t seem too happy. I watch as he coolly looks me over. His gaze lingers on my bare legs, making me acutely aware of just how short my dress really is, and then meets my eyes again.

Heat.

Holy Jesus, do I feel heat. But it’s so weird; there’s a certain aloofness to him that’s as evident as the heat. It’s almost icy. And I don’t understand it. But hell, I can’t even decipher my own psyche—how do I expect to unravel his? I awkwardly nod at him in a silent hello and rush toward the restroom.

It’s tucked nicely away from the restaurant, down a path facing the sea, hid- den and lit up by tiki torches. I practically run in, looking for any haven from Clayton and, lean over the sink to catch my breath. What the hell is wrong with me?

I look in the mirror and barely recognize the face staring back at me. I’m flushed, practically panting, my pupils dilated as I try to slow my breath. My hair is wild around my face in long waves. I look almost—hot?? Am I drunk? Yes. But the way he stared at me made me feel really good. I use the restroom quickly, wash my hands, take one last look at myself, and then walk out. Ready . . . or not.

As I step out the door and start to walk back up the path toward the restaurant, I’m stopped by a voice.

“You didn’t show up at my party.”


God.


My heart slams against my chest. I look around and see Clayton leaning against a palm tree smoking a cigar. He’s lit by the moon and looks sexy as hell. I can’t seem to find my voice. I just stare at him. He takes a puff and blows it out. I’m entranced.

“You didn’t answer my question.” His accent is more pronounced now and sounds very English, I wonder if that’s because he’s been drinking. I find my voice.

“It sounded more like an observation than a question.”


He smiles. “Both.”


He watches me like a lion ready to pounce. His gaze moves over my legs again.


“Your dress is too damn short.“


I immediately try to pull it down to cover more of my thighs, but it’s impossible, so I stop myself.
 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think the length of my dress is really any of your business.” 

Really, what does my dress length have to do with him?
I don’t think he likes my response because his eyes narrow and he has that predator look on his face again. I feel like I’m some tasty morsel he’s ready to take a bite out of. He looks me up and down, taking his time, examining every inch of me. If he’s trying to make me nervous, he’s succeeding.

“I always get what I want, Sophie.”

    

Mad Love by Colet Abedi

Publisher: Bird Street Books

Release Date: March 11th 2014

Blurb:

23-year-old aspiring artist Sophie Walker can think of no better place than the exotic paradise of the Maldives Islands to escape the wrath of her controlling parents, the monotony of her boring legal work and her passionless boyfriend. With her two best friends along for the ride and to help her find herself again, Sophie is not prepared for the enigmatic Clayton Sinclair. Clayton comes from another world of privilege that seems like a fantasy to Sophie.  Can this man introduce her to the passion & seduction she never realized she was desperately searching for? Sophie quickly becomes ensnared in Clayton's seductive web until a shocking treachery makes her question her judgment and actions...

You can purchase Mad Love at the following Retailers:

 

  

  

Author Bio

Colet Abedi has been an entertainment industry executive for over ten years. In addition to working on many television programs for NBC, ABC, FOX, and most cable networks, she is best known for her work as head writer for the telenovela serials American Heiress and Fashion House, the latter of which starred Bo Derek and Morgan Fairchild, on the FOX-owned MyNetworkTV. Abedi currently has one television series in syndication, Unsealed: Alien Files, and has completed Five Souls, her first feature film. She is also the co-author of young adult fiction novel, FAE. Book one was released July 2013 by Diversion Publishing Group and was an instant online bestseller. The Dark King, the second in the planned FAE trilogy, was released May 2014. FAE was recently optioned by Ridley Scott. Colet is a native of California, graduated with a B.A. in English literature from the University of California at Irvine, and currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three dogs.

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Interview with Michelle Krys, Author of HEXED + Giveaway (INT)

Today we're very excited to have Michelle Krys on the blog to answer questions about herself and her debut novel, Hexed, which came out on June 10th. Read on to learn what inspired Michelle to write Hexed, how she celebrated her first book deal, and more!

Dea: First of all, we would like to congratulate you on the release of your debut novel, Hexed! The cover screams “mysterious” but I have to admit it was the tagline and blurb that intrigued me the most; it sounds like a fun and action-packed read full of magic and adventure. How did the idea of writing Hexed come about? Did something/someone influence you to write about witches?

First of all—thank you!

I got the idea for Hexed from my sister, who is also a writer. One day she told me about an adult historical novel she wanted to write, which she’d planned to call The Witch Hunter’s Bible. I loved the title, and it immediately gave me all of these ideas for a YA novel about a missing witchcraft book. When my sister later decided to ditch the adult historical and write another book instead, I asked her if I could use the title for the novel I’d been planning. She agreed, and I got to work writing Hexed. (Obviously the title changed. Funnily enough, the one that had inspired the book wasn’t the best fit for the finished product. It still holds a place in my heart though!)

Mary Ann: How did you come up with the title "Hexed"?

Hexed is actually something my editor, Wendy Loggia, suggested. We circled other ideas, but this one kept coming back, so we went with it.

Riz: Can you tell us about your protagonist, Indie, and the very intriguing and sexy stranger, Bishop? 

Indie’s a popular, snarky cheerleader with a football star boyfriend who belongs to a social circle that rules her high school. Her mom is a bit quirky—something that her best friend Bianca doesn’t hesitate to tease her about—but overall, it’s pretty smooth sailing for Indie. But all of that changes when Bishop comes into her life.

What can I say about Bishop? He’s snarky, sexy, has a penchant for leather, has plenty of tattoos, and gets on Indie’s last nerve. Until he doesn’t anymore.

Mary Ann: Is there anything particularly challenging while writing the book? 

Without giving too much away, there are a few chapters in the book where Indie has to deal with grief and loss, and it was a challenge to write those scenes without it feeling like it wasn’t the same lighthearted romp anymore.

Riz: We never pass up an opportunity to read a good paranormal story, but what makes Hexed different from other books in the Paranormal/Fantasy genre?

Hexed doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s fun and kind of campy and I’m told it’s funny.

Mary Ann: Did you learn anything while writing your book and what was it?

Every book teaches me something new. What I learned with Hexed is that a character can be as unlikeable as you want, but they need to be relatable. The reader needs to have some reason to want to root for a character or see some growth from them to really connect.

Dea: Because this is your debut novel, I’m very curious; how did you celebrate your first book deal?

I hadn’t really thought about celebrating the book deal, but my family was having none of that. I was in my pajamas cleaning dog poop in my backyard when they all showed up for a surprise party, wherein they gifted me with a laptop. It was great! (A shame about the pajamas though).

Riz: Books into movies/TV Series has been a hype lately, have you thought of who would be on your dream cast? Are there any specific people you've based your characters from?

I have thought about it! I mean, who hasn’t dreamt about their book being made into a movie?

He’s not an actor per se (he had a recurring role on the reality series Audrina—don’t judge) but Kyle Loza would be a great Bishop, and actually, he’s who inspired the character.

And I don’t know if she’s funny, which is a must, but Gabriella Wilde looks just like the Indie I see in my head.

Dea: Using my stalking abilities, I learned that you have an upcoming book (besides Hexed #2) to be published in 2016 entitled Dead Girls Society. Can you share a little bit about it? Perhaps describe it in a sentence?

It’s about a teenager who escapes her overbearing, helicopter parents by joining a high-stakes dare club, only she discovers more than just thrills: girls are going missing, and she could be next. I would say it’s “The Skulls meets Pretty Little Liars.”

5 totally random things about yourself:

•  I have an identical twin sister.

•  I’m a huge celebrity gossip junkie.

•  I got married in Africa. Tanzania, to be more specific.

•  I also work as a nurse in a neonatal intensive care unit

•  I hate birds. A lot.

Thank you so much for visiting Teen Readers' Diary, Michelle! It was a pleasure getting to know more about you and Hexed!

Hexed by Michelle Krys

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release Date: June 1oth 2014

Blurb:

It’s Bring it On meets The Craft in this spellbinding witchy series debut.

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

You can purchase Hexed at the following Retailers:

    

  

Author Bio

Michelle Krys lives with her husband and son in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. She works part-time as a NICU nurse and spends her free time writing books for teens. Michelle is probably not a witch, though she did belong to a witchcraft club in the fifth grade and "levitated" people in her bedroom, so that may be up for debate. Hexed is her first novel. Visit her at michellekrys.com or follow @MichelleKrys on Twitter.

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1 SIGNED Hardcover copy of Hexed by Michelle Krys
Open Internationally

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