Month: February 2012

Random Ramblings, YA Indie Carnival

Lovin’ the Name of this New Girl

Check out Dead Radiance from my fellow YA Indie Carnival author T.G. Ayer!

For as long as she can recall Bryn Halbrook (Bryn, great name, right?) has seen a golden aura around certain people, and it is only when her new best friend Joshua dies that she understands the glow means death. Bryn struggles to adapt to a new town and a new foster home while trying to deal with the guilt of being unable to save her friend. Until mysterious biker-boy, Aidan Lee arrives.

When Aidan unexpectedly takes off he leaves behind a shattered heart, a tonne of unanswered questions and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn is a Valkyrie. Bryn is faced with questions about Aidan’s real identity, the real reason he came to Craven, and that Odin, Freya and Valhalla just might be real.

As if accepting her new wings, new life and new home in Asgard isn’t difficult enough, Bryn is forced to find and return the precious necklace of the Goddess Freya. The only problem is – if she fails, Aidan will die.

The mystery of a Mythology is easy to enjoy. The reality is much harder to accept.

Get your copy at: http://amzn.to/yqRmMa

Read more about T.G. Ayer at: https://tgayer.wordpress.com/

If you’ve already read it, let me know what you think below.

YA Indie Carnival

YA Indie Carnival: Name that Tune

We’re cranking up the calliope for this week’s YA Indie Carnival while we talk about the music that inspires us. But first, a disclaimer…

I was a mass communications major in college. Part of my course study was a stint in the university’s tiny radio studio where the radio waves were all mine for one hour every Thursday night. It was the best. I played whatever I wanted. I love music, but I’m really not choosy. There’s a format type called “middle of the road” which is typically top 40 stuff that everyone likes. Well, my fellow classmates teased me that my style was more “all over the road”. I’d play country and hip-hop, showtunes and metal. I loved it all.

So that’s the reasoning behind my wild list below. Some are old favorites while others are newly discovered. These are the songs that have inspired me over the past months when I lock myself in the office and write…

Faith, Hope and Love – Beckah Shae (from the Midnight Child book trailer)

Wicked soundtrack – Original Broadway cast

Haunted – Taylor Swift

Hard to Handle – The Black Crowes

Sexy and I Know It – LMFAO

Bella’s Lullaby – Taliesin Orchestra

Dirty Little Secret – The All-American Rejects

Somebody’s Heartbreak – Hunter Hayes

Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard

We Found Love – Rihanna

Beautiful Liar – Beyonce & Shakira

Evacuate the Dance Floor – Cascada

Set Fire to the Rain – Adele

Proof that I’m a creative person. Who else would put Adele and Def Leppard on the same list?

Midnight Child, YA Indie Carnival

YA Indie Carnival: Kiss & ______

This week’s Indie Carnival is all about Kiss and Tell. No doubt, my fellow indies have posted kissing scenes from their brilliant works. They are a very talented bunch, so be sure to check them out.

I posted my kissing scene excerpt too. This is an excerpt from my newest novel, Midnight Child, which releases TODAY!

But you know what? I’m all about the mystery of romance and I’m just a tiny bit mischievous. Therefore, I’ve strategically placed blanks in the excerpt to leave you guessing. Muwahaha!

If you want to make a game of it, put your guesses for the blanks in the comment section for everyone to see. Keep your mind out of the gutter and remember that these books are appropriate for pre-teens as well as teens (as should be anything posted in the comment section or else it will be trashed). If you want a peek at the answers, read the full excerpt. Enjoy!

Excerpt From Midnight Child (Midnight Guardian Series, Book 3)

“You take me back. Take me back,” she screamed.

She pounded against _____’s chest, while he stood calm and still. Her eyes were _______ and her cries more like _______.

“Take me back,” she repeated over and over yet he remained ______.

She grabbed his hand and tried to mimic the motion of opening a threshold. Without his will behind it, her attempts were useless.

“Take me back,” she demanded again.

He turned her around without a ______ and pointed up to the _____ above. Green and blue _____ danced in the sky above the water. It resembled the ________ _______.

Keira wiped a ______ hand across her eyes as her breathing slowed back to normal. The sky was magical and ________ and beautiful. ______ brushed his warm hands over her shoulders and down the _______ of her arms.

He leaned to her ear and whispered, “_____ _____ with me.”

Keira closed her ______ and ________ed.

Brun softly kissed her _______.

She _____ slowly to face him as he put a _______ on the side of her ______. It was ______ and flushed from anger. He closed his eyes and lowered his _____. He could feel the _______ of her breath on his lips. Then, for the second time in her young life, Keira ______ed Brun Gammen, high prince of the Mogdoc Empire.

Wow, that was fun. Now for the rest of the carnival…

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series 2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self 4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga 6. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 8. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series 10. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11. Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews 12. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13. M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping 14. Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15. Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls 16. Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter 18. TG Ayer
19. Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy 20. Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21. Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover 22. Courtney Cole Writes
Uncategorized, YA Indie Carnival

YA Indie Carnival: Some Like It Hot!

Steamy Excerpts are in the big top for this week’s YA Indie Carnival. I’ve got a special one for you from fellow indie author T.R. Graves, I present the following excerpt from Guardians of the Cross.

CAUTION! May be TOO HOT TO HANDLE for some readers.

Inside and with the door closed, I noticed his bathroom mimicked the black-and-white color scheme dominating the bedroom. The only exceptions were the periodic hints of lime green in the form of towels and decorative soaps. The contrasting colors were perfectly balanced and, somehow, striking. As I admired it all, I turned on the water – extra hot – in the over-sized slate and glass shower. While I waited for Continue reading “YA Indie Carnival: Some Like It Hot!” →