Waiting on Wednesday (3/7/2012) Way To Go

Author: Tom Ryan
Expected Release Date: April 1, 2012
Summary from Goodreads:

Kierce has a rule for everything, not to mention his whole future planned out. Jay has bad grades, no plans, and could care less. As for Danny, he’s stuck somewhere in the middle and can’t stop stressing out about it. His dad keeps nagging him about his post-high school plans, his friends won’t stop bugging him about girls, and a run-in with the cops means he has to to get a summer job – about the last thing he had planned. Worst of all, the secret he’s been keeping for years is threatening to spill out into the open. 

Just when he’s beginning to wonder how he’ll get through the summer, let alone survive another year in Deep Cove, Danny meets Lisa Walsh. Lisa is dynamic, beautiful, and different from any girl he’s ever known. She’s also from New York City, which is about as far from Deep Cove as the dark side of the moon. For the first time in a while, things begin to look like they might turn out all right after all – that is, if friends, family, and reality don’t get in the way. 

WAY TO GO is Tom Ryan’s first novel.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we (bloggers) are anxiously awaiting. So what book are you excited about right now?

Teaser Tuesday Ember by Madison Daniel

"You play music!" he shouted again and I couldn't help but laugh. So I decided to have a little fun with him. 


"What gave it away? The concert tee I was wearing? The headphones I have sticking out of my ears?" I leaned into him a little. "Or was it the giant guitar I have strapped across my back?" I finished with a polite wink. He stood there pondering what to say for a moment.


"Your fingers. I know an ax man's fingers when I see them." He was quickly and easily excited. 

Teaser from page 47






Summary From Goodreads:
Love never dies...but it can kill.

Ember is the story of Max Valentine, a teenager with secret abilities and many inner demons. His life revolves around music and his love for it. When his father dies he seeks answers with his last living relative, his fathers brother Frank. Frank lives on the island of Maui and eagerly takes Max in as his own. Max soon learns that healing his past will be more difficult than he could have ever believed. Two major complications will tempt and torment him as he tries to make sense of his abilities.

The first temptation comes in the form of a mysterious island girl. Asia Lyn Michaels is rich, spoiled, angry and beautiful. Her path crosses with Max on the beach one afternoon, forever changing both of their lives. Max saves her life and she discovers his secret. From that moment on they are connected, no matter how much they fight it.

The second temptation will test Max’s very soul. Samantha Ann Summers is sweet, artistic, smart and confident. She will help Max find his smile again and maybe even heal his past mistakes. She is possibly his soul mate and Max will fight that with every fiber of his being.

Max’s temper and indecision with the girls will send in motion events that will cost him dearly. He will test the limits of his powers and the new relationship with his protective uncle. He will gain a powerful love and lose another.

Miz B hosts Teaser Tuesday every week, check her out for the official rules.  I never seem to be able to stick to the rule about only 2 sentences.

I love reading teasers so let me know where I can view yours in the comments. Have a great day!

Neurotic Thoughts on Mark of the Seer

Author: Jenna Kay
Release Date: March 16, 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Published by: Crushing Heart and Black Butterfly
Source: Bewitching Book Tours
Summary from Goodreads:


CLARITY MILLER always thought of her life as semi-normal. She had friends that would do anything for her, a boyfriend that was madly in love with her, and a roof over her head that she shared with her aunt.
Everything seemed to be falling into place. That is, until the day she met Sam.
When Sam informs her that he’s her guardian angel and that she has been given the gifts of a Seer, her life starts spiraling out of control. She wants nothing to do with the spiritual realm.
All she wants is to have a normal life as a teenager, but when a tragedy occurs that causes the whole town of Garlandton to fall to its knees she realizes that she has a very important decision to make.


Should she embrace the life of a Seer?
Only time will tell . . .

I think this may be one of my favorite angel books ever! I loved the fact that Clarity already had a love interest and that her romance wasn't with her guardian angel. Forbidden love is great and all but well, let's just say been there done that. This book is set in the south and I love that the author wrote the characters with a noticeable southern accent. The voices of these teens actually sounded like teens without being over the top dramatic. I also enjoyed the fact that Clarity wasn't even sure she believed in angels. She has been so mad at God for so long for the death of her parents that she doesn't even know if she believes in Him. While she struggles with her own faith she is thrown into a war between the angels and the demons and she has to decide quickly what her role in the war will be. (All of this happens without being preachy in any way.)

The characters in Mark of the Seer are great. They are gritty and definitely not perfect. They make lots of mistakes and act like real people, not perfect imaginary book characters. Clarity is loyal, witty, and a bit wild. Not quite as wild as her best friend Kora whom I loved. Kora has not had the easiest childhood and has had to take care of not only herself but also her alcoholic mother. The story doesn't go into Kora's past overly, the author gives you just enough information to understand why she is the way she is.

Boyfriend, Brenton is not only dreamy but also one of the sweetest book boyfriends ever. I love that the two of them have been friends forever before becoming "involved" and that they know each other so well. I also liked that there is no stress between them in the romance department. They love each other and they know it.

Sam the angel is also another wonderful character. He is supportive of Clarity even when she tries to deny his existence. He is loving in the way that you would expect a guardian angel to be. There is no romantic tension he is strictly doing his job as guardian angel.

The plot line is engaging and dramatic in all the right places. A story that holds your attention and keeps you turning the pages even when you know your favorite shows are on the dvr. A definite recommend for anyone who enjoys reading about angels versus demons. The fact that the Demons coerce humans to do the their bidding seemed more natural than Demons just running amuck and causing problems. As you can tell there wasn't much I didn't like about this book!  Over all a fantastic read!


Just so you know: There is some "language", and mentions of teen drinking and "hooking up" 

Transfer Student Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway

TRANSFER STUDENT is the latest novel from Laura A. H. Elliott and will release on Amazon and Barnes & Noble March 20th. Here’s a little bit about the novel and an excerpt written from Ashley’s POV about her obsession with Rhoe’s best friend, Yuke. Be sure to read to the end to enter to win the EBOOK GIVEAWAY and this week’s SWAG!

Two Worlds––Two Teens––One Wish
Geek Rhoe and Surfer Ashley would never be friends.
Even if they lived on the same planet.
But, they’ll become so much more.
They’ll transfer.


Earthling Ashley’s world revolves around winning daily popularity contests at Beverly Hills High School and surfing competitions with sweet scholarship prizes that will finally help her break free of her control-freak mother. Ashley never loses. Ashley never wishes on stars. But that changes when her senior class takes a field trip to the Griffith Observatory where Ashley’s conflicting feelings about her predatory best frenemy Tiffany, throws Ashley’s carefully-crafted Queen of B.H.H.S. title under the bus.
Meanwhile on planet Retha, Rhoe misses his dad, loves his mom’s home-cooked Glechy crag with a side of Ory sauce, is desperate to heal his sick brother and wants more than anything to win The Retha New Invention Competition. He and his best friend Yuke have worked for the past two years constructing the teleporting telescope Rhoe started building with his dad before an accident killed him. Rhoe’s never kissed a girl. Rhoe’s hero is the eccentric physicist, Ramay. But that changes when the telescope teleports Rhoe across the universe with an unintended side-effect. Ashley and Rhoe transfer––swap lives––when they make the same wish at the same time.
Popular-surfer-turned-boy-geek alien Ashley must handle life on Retha as Rhoe complete with webbed feet, low-gravity, an obsession with Yuke, all the while being hunted by Rethan spies and resenting her hairy, flat chest. Boy-geek-turned-popular-surfer Rhoe must fit in at Beverly Hills High School as Ashley, compete in The Laguna Beach Invitational without becoming shark food, dodge boys’ affections, cool his preoccupation with kissing Tiffany and his new body, on his quest to find the healing rocks he believes will save his brother’s life.
If only it were that simple. Some wishes can’t come true. Some have to. How far would you go for someone you love?


EXCERPT:

Yuke catches up to me. We walk side-by-side in silence through the Golden Meadow. The airboard launch, a sort of gigantic upside-down slide, peeks over a row of Truffula Trees.           “Listen, there are three things you have to remember about soaring. You’ll never soar if your mind is on the ground. Put it up on The Ridge,” Yuke says, pointing to a purple-blue mountain ahead of us. “Rhoe taught me that.”
         The way he says Rhoe I know it’s happened. He knows. He really knows I’m not Rhoe, I’m…Ashley. It’s sunk in. Finally. I stop walking and can hardly breathe. It’s the first time he’s ever seen the real me, and his gaze warms me down to my frog-feet. Yuke spots the question in my eyes.
         “The Ridge of No Return,” he says with a small smile, “It’s the prime place to catch air. But beware The Devil’s Grip. Soar too high and you’ll be caught in The Grip and lost to The Other Side. Forever.”
         He misreads the question in my eyes. Again. I shiver thinking about The Grip and dying in the mythic ice and snow of The Other Side. I stare at my hideous frog-feet, my peds. I don’t care about The Ridge. There’s only one person I care about. One boy I’ll never have. Yuke.
         “What else?” I ask, peering deeper into Yuke’s alien eyes.
         “You’ve got to feel the beat of the wind in your peds. Surrender to the air. And know, deep in your hearts, no one is its master.”
         I hear and don’t hear every word Yuke says. For the first time in my life I can’t speak. I can’t take my eyes off Yuke, now that he knows I’m not Rhoe. He wouldn’t be telling his best friend, an Astral, how to airboard unless he knows I’m Ashley, someone who doesn’t know much about soaring.
         “Your catchers will always stop you if you fall,” Yuke says, filling the silence between us. He raises his arms above his head. Delicate wings expand out from under his arms. Thin pinkish-purple skin stretches over delicate, long bones. No feathers at all. Just smooth, glimmering skin. And it’s crazy. A week ago I wouldn’t even look twice at a guy with a big nose, but now, I’m hot for an alien. With wings. He’s that hot.
         I have to touch him. It’s beyond wanting to. The way Yuke spreads his wings makes his pecs flare and his biceps seize. He’s beyond gorgeous. The way his sheer wings take to the breeze makes Yuke more unreal than he already is to me. He’s everything I never wanted and everything I can’t live without. It feels like we’re the only souls in the universe. The look in his golden exotic eyes melts my ability to stay away from him.
         “You can’t be real,” I say taking a few steps closer to him, holding my hand out to touch his wing. Waiting for him to let me. To know it’s OK. He flexes and lets his head fall back a little inviting my touch. I lay my alien fingers on his smooth taught skin, and run them over his wing’s thin hollow bones. My eyes fill with tears. His wings flutter in a breeze. He’s beautiful.
         Yuke sticks his chest out and when he drops his arms his catchers vanish back into his biceps. “I can’t let you soar. Not now,” he says, the crowd cheers just beyond the trees.
         Only then do I remember where we are. What we’re here to do. A band begins to play a set of songs. The crowd beyond the row of trees cheers again and again.
         “I have to. I’m doing this for Rhoe,” I say.
         Yuke puts his hand on my shoulder. I shudder.
         “And for me,” I say.
         Yuke’s golden eyes focus only on mine, on the Earthling inside of this alien body.
         “And for you,” I say, feeling the beat of my hearts in my throat. “We’re going to win this damn thing.”


GIVEAWAY:
 Here’s how to enter to WIN A TRANSFER STUDENT EBOOK! Just follow @Laurawriting and tweet: [leave a comment here with your link]

Can’t wait to read Transfer Student by @Laurawriting Check out the Blog Tour & Giveaway! #teenreads #scifi #romance #ya http://wp.me/P1J9jx-bs 


THAT’S NOT ALL:Every week all comments are entered to win some great swag too! THIS WEEK’S SWAG: GROOVY NASA TRAVEL MUGS, real meteorite fragments, signed bookmarks, Griffith Park Observatory pen & postcards, Apollo 40th Anniversary commemorative coin and MORE! Check out the weekly swag here: http://wp.me/P1J9jx-bs

THIS WEEK’S GIVEAWAY OPEN UNTIL MARCH 5! 6PM PST. 1 swag winner will be picked. Open internationally!


To find out where in the world Laura is and more about her upcoming books, visit her blog Laurasmagicday: http://laurasmagicday.wordpress.com/ <http://laurasmagicday.wordpress.com/> and friend her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Laura.A.H.Elliott...<http://www.facebook.com/Laura.A.H.Elliott.> If Twitter is your thing she's @Laurawriting <https://twitter.com/#!/Laurawriting> . Or, drop her a line at elliwrite [at] yahoo [dot] com.
Laura is a plume-carrying member of THE PARANORMAL PLUME SOCIETY <http://www.theplumessociety.com/> !  
 

Erratic Thinking on Thursday

For my first erratic thinking on Thursday I thought I would share some of my recent pictures from New York City. I just returned home Monday night so my brain is still half on vacation but I'm slowly getting back to reality!

This first picture is off the teen picks shelf at the giant Barnes & Noble in Union Square. I think this is probably my favorite Barnes & Noble EVER!

My daughter Jessica from Shut Up I'm Reading made it a priority that we stop in Books of Wonder and I'm so glad she did. Kids in NYC are so lucky to have such a magical book store to visit. This is just a picture of what I wrote on the table covered with a chalkboard table cloth in their adorable cafe. 

 This is the front of the New York Public Library. This place is huge and amazingly beautiful. 

This is one of the gorgeous pink marble lions that guard the library. Not sure if this one is Patience or Fortitude. 

This is my daughter Jessica in Central Park.

These are all from Central Park. I really fell in love with it there. It is a beautiful place. I wish we had had more time. We both talked about how great it would be to find some shade and read the day away. I now know why people who live in New York city never want to leave. We also spent a lot of time at the famous book store The Strand. We visited the MoMA, The Central Park Zoo, and we rode the Staten Island Ferry and saw The Statue of Liberty.  We are both looking forward to our next visit. Oh and we only brought one suitcase full of books home:)

Note: Erratic is defined as not even or regular in pattern or movement. Kind of like my thoughts most days. Fellow blogger Jessica over at a GREAT read does Random Thursday which is when she rants, raves or just discusses what strikes her fancy. I loved the idea so much I decided to do something similar here.