Eggcerpt Exchange: Shocking Finds by Tracey Clark

Beware of Shocking Finds, an older YA/NewAdult novel by Tracey Clark, on the 2016 #Eggcerpt Exchange.  Not typical of the stories you find here, but the YA genre is growing up fast.

First, a bit about Tracey:

I am a country-twang gal from the bluegrass state. Kentucky is a hot bed of horses, cave systems, and whiskey. And I love all three. With my pugs and bossy kitty cat, I spend my days writing and working social media. I write with the help of the voices pushing me to create worlds for them to live in. Fantasy Romance, Contemporary Romance, and eventually some cowboys (because cowboys live in a group all their own, yummmm)… These are the genres that I love best. Oil paints, crafts, dealing with Multiple Sclerosis, and writing into the dead of night… this I my life!!!

 

Now, for a peek at Shocking Finds:

An act of rebellion, Marin doesn't think that running into the new store in town will hurt anything. Her aunt will never know... right? One car wreck later, her aunt is hospitalized, Marin is forced to spend her twenty-first birthday fighting for her life, and magic - the very thing her aunt has always sworn to be for fools - is real. And so is the irresistible Fae dedicated to Marin's protection.

Kyland has searched Earth-side and all the other realms, looking for a missing Fae child. A child his Queen prophesied would be able to one day save the Fae people from the Danshue, as the evil Fae threat tries to overwhelm the entire Supernatural Community. A child that would know nothing of her blocked gifts, or her Fae heritage waiting to be claimed. A child that has grown into a curvy, delicious morsel he would love to taste

Together Marin and Kyland will fight Fae assassins, overcome betrayals, and if they're lucky ... they will find the Danshue responsible for their plight. That's if Marin doesn't shock him to death with her erratic new gift, and her out of control emotions.

Ready to Sample? Here you go:

Excerpt: (from chapter two Shocking Finds)

Marin needed answers. Like why had they been targeted? The parking lot hadn’t exactly been lacking for vehicular violence victim contenders. There had been a group of at least four women, standing by their cars, chatting. If there was a target more deserving of vehicular rage, it had definitely been that group of women. They had finished shopping, and courtesy demanded that their parking spots were to be relinquished as soon as possible. Why not them? 
 
The man—and Marin was only guessing that the driver was a man—had bypassed those without parking lot etiquette and zeroed in on Lindal. If she had continued her slow progress through the parking lot, would Marin be in this horrible room with its beeping monitors and bleached air instead of Lindal. 
 
Staring down at her aunt’s unmoving form, Marin tried to find a place to rest her hand. She needed to touch her. She needed to know that the only person willing to take her in, after the death of her mother, was really here and still alive.
 
“They will find him, Lindal. He won't get away with this,” Marin made her vow as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb Lindal's recovery.

Glancing up to keep tears from falling from her eyes, Marin noticed something swinging off of Lindal's oxygen line. “What the...” It looked like a Barbie doll with wings, perhaps six inches tall. The odd little creature wore a loin cloth and sported some overly obvious male attributes. Was it wrong to be checking out the abs of someone no larger than a child’s toy?
 
His arms tugged and his muscles bunched as he attempted to make a knot in Lindal's oxygen line. His silver skin tone went beautifully with his tri-colored wings— a mix of light purple, maroon, and gold. The little man didn't seem to realize that Marin was staring at him. 
 
“Stop,” Marin shouted. Dammit, this was a hospital. She needed to lower her voice. She also needed to go upstairs to the psych ward. Head trauma, shock, or hallucinations...something wasn’t right. If she told Lindal about this, her aunt would call her every kind of fool. 
 
Hallucination or not, she grabbed the little man by the wings, pulled him from Lindal’s oxygen line, and tried to speak more calmly. “What do you think you’re doing?”
 
She finally had her figment’s attention. A striking, though small, pair of lavender eyes glared at her through overly long sandy brown bangs. On closer inspection, she could see that his hair was actually multicolored. It seemed to go from crystal white sand to bronzed gold.
 
“Well, answer me. What do you think you're doing?”
 
“Waiting for you, of course.”
 
“What are you?” She was losing it. The buzzing in her temples was increasing. And she was now speaking to a figment of her imagination. Yep, she needed to be medicated. 
 
The creature put its tiny fists on narrow hips. “A Sprite, of course. Don't you know anything? I have my work cut out for me.” Now she was being insulted by her imagination. Great.
 
“Nope. Too Much,” Marin said and tossed the little man with wings out of the hospital window. She needed coffee. Either that or a large dose of Thorazine. Maybe both.


Where to Find Tracey and her books:

Author Page (Main)
Goodreads Author Page
MS Page
Facebook Author Page
Twitter Page


Amazon  
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Indigo
Smashwords
 

Meet MG Author Darlene Foster

Carpinello's Writing Pages welcomes MG author Darlene Foster.

First, a bit about Darlene:

Brought up on a ranch in southern Alberta, Canada, Darlene Foster dreamt of travelling the world and meeting interesting people. She's dabbled in writing since she was twelve, and her short stories have won a number of awards. She is the author of the exciting adventure series featuring spunky 12 year-old Amanda Ross who loves to travel to unique places. Readers from seven to seventy plus enjoy travelling with Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another. Darlene and her husband divide their time between the west coast of Canada and Orihuela Costa, in Spain. She believes everyone is capable of making their dreams come true.

Why did you pick to write books for Middle Graders?

I write middle grade books because this is my favorite age. These are the tween years; they are not little kids anymore but not yet grown up either. I love the innocence of this age. This is also when children start to question issues and want to try new things. They begin to crave independence, but at the same time wish to stay in their comfort zone. It is a confusing time for many. Some will say I never really got past twelve myself.

What types of books do you like to read?

I like to read historical and contemporary books featuring strong girls and women who are not afraid to step out of their comfort zone. I read a wide range of genres.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

When I am not writing, I love to travel, read and meet new people.

Tell us about Amanda in Alberta – The Writing on the Stone and how the story came to be.

I got the idea for this book while doing a reading at a school in Medicine Hat, Alberta. One of the students asked me why I didn't write about Amanda in Alberta. I thought, ¨What a great idea!" I have always loved the fascinating geography and history of the province I was brought up in, so I created a mystery for Amanda and Leah to solve there. My aunt and I used to collect unique stones found on the prairies when we were kids, so a stone with a mark on it was ideal to create a mystery around.

Here's a peek at Amanda in Alberta-The Writing on the Stone:

Amanda is delighted to show Leah around Alberta during her visit from England. They take in the Calgary Stampede, go on a cattle drive, visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, spend time with the dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, and explore the crazy Hoodoos. When Amanda finds a stone with a unique mark on it, she doesn't think it's important until everyone seems to want it - including a very ornery cowboy. Is this stone worth ruining Leah's holiday and placing them both in danger? Spend time with Amanda as she explores her own country while attempting to decipher the mysterious writing on the stone and keep it from those determined to take it from her.



Have you written other books? If so, tell us a bit about them.

I have written three other books in the Amanda travel adventure series.

Amanda in Arabia—The Perfume Flask: Amanda goes to the United Arab Emirates where she makes a new friend, Leah, and has an adventure of a lifetime that includes a mysterious perfume flask, a beautiful princess, a loyal camel, and a chase across a dangerous desert.

Amanda in Spain—The Girl in the Painting: Amanda goes on a holiday with Leah in Spain, where they help a young girl, who looks a lot like a girl in a famous painting, find her beloved pony and escape the clutches of a mean horse thief.

Amanda in England—The Missing Novel: Amanda visits Leah in England where they get lost in a maze, hide in an underground tunnel and ride the London Eye while searching for a missing vintage novel with the help of Rupert, a Maine Coon cat.

I have also written a medieval story Pig on Trial/Cerdito a juicio which has been translated into Spanish and is sold as a bi-lingual book. Frederick, the family pig, has been arrested and Sebastian doesn't know how to save him.

What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

I have completed Amanda on the Danube-The Sounds of Music which will be published in 2016. Amanda and Leah go on a picturesque river cruise which takes them through Germany, Austria and Hungary. Amanda is entrusted with a valuable violin by a mysterious young musician, and struggles to keep it from being taken from her.

I have just began writing Amanda in New Mexico-The Ghost Hotel. Amanda has many more adventures to go on.

What advice do you have for other authors?

Keep writing. Don't let setbacks discourage you. Go to conferences, take courses, join a critique group, and read, read, read.

Anything else you want readers to know?

Don't hesitate to be a child again. Many adults enjoy Middle Grade books. One adult reader planned her holiday in Alberta around all the places Amanda visited! I read MG books and then give them to my grandchildren. We have interesting conversations around these books. They call me the book grandma.

Where can readers find you and your books?

Darlene:

Website
Blog

Books:

Amazon
Kobo

More Writing Tips & 73rd Kid Lit Blog Hop

Carpinello's Writing Pages is back this Hop with more tips from the Children's, Middle Grade, and Young Adult writers I've interviewed. These are from June, 2015. Feel free to leave your own tip in the comments.

There are so many wonderful resources for authors to be found online. I am amazed by the generosity of authors who share their learning and experiences and I heartily suggest reading as much of it as you feel you need to. But always remember you have to find your own way. The right thing for you is whatever works – for you. So try out different things, see what feels right, see what doesn't, and make sure that you always trust yourself...Dan Davis, author of the MG fantasy White Wind Rising.

Enjoy yourselves, life is too short to stress about writing, or anything for that matter.
Other than that, keep reading, believe in yourself, and never give up...

And Now,

 

Welcome to the 73rd Kid Lit Blog Hop. This exciting Hop, now monthly, is where we develop an engaged group of people who love everything that has to do with children's literature.
 

On this Hop, Carpinello's Writing Pages interviews

YA Paranormal author

Jessica Therrien

and

MG author
Darlene Foster

Remember, you are always more than welcome to join us by popping in a post and hopping around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors!

Simply make a post and add it to the linky. (Please make sure to add your direct post only) 
Once you are done, then hop around to visit others. Please visit at least the two people above your link. Please leave a comment when you do visit, we all like those.

Also, it would be appreciated if you grab the Kid Lit Blog Hop Badge and display it on your blog and/or your post.

Our next Hop will be April 20, 2016.

Happy Hopping!

Co-Hosts:

Reading Authors, Hostess

Julie Grasso, Author

Cheryl Carpinello, Author

BeachBoundBooks

Pragmatic Mom

The Logonauts

A Book Long Enough

Hits and Misses

 Spark and Pook

 

 

Meet YA Paranormal Author Jessica Therrien

Carpinello's Writing Pages welcomes Jessica Therrien, a YA author from California.

First, a bit about Jessica:

Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult paranormal fiction series Children of the Gods. Book 1 in the series Oppression became a Barnes & Noble best-seller shortly after its release. Aside from her wildly popular trilogy, Jessica’s work can also be found in a published collection of flash fiction stories called Campaigner Challenges 2011. Out of over 350 submissions, her story The Soulless won first place for people’s choice and fourth place in the judging round. After growing up in the tiny town of Chilcoot, CA, population 108, Jessica currently lives in Irvine, CA, with her husband and two young sons.

Why did you pick to write books for Young Adults?

YA books are fast-paced, engaging, and let us relive a time in our lives when we were young and in love.

What types of books do you like to read?

I love to read YA when I’m writing YA, but, in general, I like books that aren’t too depressing. I love to be transported to a different world.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

I’m a mom, so mostly I play with my kids. If I had more free time, I would love to play my guitar, scrapbook, garden, sew, and make jewelry.

Tell us about the Children of the Gods series and how the story came to be.

After the YA genre exploded onto the scene, I read through pretty much everything I could get my hands on. I searched for that next “it” book but couldn’t find anything that grabbed me so I decided I’d write it myself.

Here's a peek at Redemption, Book 3 of Children of the Gods:

Lead Council member, Christoph, is dead by Elyse’s hand, and Descendants have begun to emerge, exposing their secret to the world. Some see this as the prophecy come to fruition, but the prophecy carries a heavy consequence. It was never meant to be as peaceful as most had hoped.



Humans and Descendants struggle to live together in a world that isn’t ready for such a change. America is divided. Those who glorify the supernatural race believe Descendants truly are the gods they claim relation to. Others see them as a threat.



When Elyse gives birth to the next generation oracle, she sees one final vision—war. The destruction of the country’s major cities, and the end of America as we know it.



After her daughter is born, Elyse finds herself without the ability she needs to predict the future. Desperate to save the world from such conflict, she puts her faith in the hope that Descendants are the key to survival. After all, they have the power to supply a broken society with the means to survive.



Only from the ashes can a new world be born.

Have you written other books? If so, tell us a bit about them.

Of course, Books 1 & 2, Oppression and Uprising, in the Children of the Gods. I’m working on a children’s book and an adult novel as well.

What advice do you have for other authors?

Don’t write to make a living. Write because you love it.

Anything else you want readers to know?

Oppression was the #3 Teen best-selling novel on Barnes & Noble when it came out, right behind The Hunger Games. I hope you give it a shot!

Thanks for the interview!!

Where can readers find you and your books?

Jessica Therrien

My books:

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE 

Finding Thor Book Debut Blast

Have you found your Thor? Kai Strand wants to help with that. Be sure to check out the giveaway below.

International intrigue hits small-town America.

Tragedy has left Cara Cassidy broken and the only thing keeping her from giving in completely is her guilt. Until Nik Rock.

Nik stirs up feelings in degrees she has never experienced, and causes her to do things that most assuredly give him the wrong impression – like kiss him before their first date. Somehow, he breaks down the walls around her emotions until she has no choice but to forgive herself and feel again.

But a mysterious, troubled past follows Nik, and Cara may prove to be his weakest link.

When a royal princess shows up looking for Nik, and an international gang arrives looking for missing jewels, Cara lands in mortal danger. Will she be able to save herself? What will happen to her newly repaired psyche if she loses Nik?

Romance, mystery, and high stakes – just another day in high school.

Excerpt:

A deep voice, as rich and warm as homemade hot chocolate, said, “Let me assist you.”

A charming retort of gratitude already forming on her lips, Cara looked up to find the boy from the park crouching to pick up her spiral notebooks. She gaped as fear doused her like a bucket of briny seawater. Her hand, reaching for a textbook, quivered like a leaf in the wind. Somewhere in her mind she recognized that his expression and mannerisms were non-threatening, but she wanted nothing more than to flee.

She scurried to the back of the room, slid into her chair, and scrunched down, wishing she could disappear.

As the boy returned to his own seat at the front of the class, the tilt of his head seemed to indicate all his senses were tuned to her. She could almost see his ears expand to take in every sound she made. Really, she couldn’t see his ears, because his silky black hair fell in shiny waves to just above his shoulders.

When she sucked in her breath, because she realized she’d been admiring his hair, his chin angled toward her ever so slightly. Raking a hand through her own hair, she looked around the room to see if anyone was as wary of him as she was, but everyone else ignored him.

Finding Thor is available in print or electronic format from the following:
Amazon| Barnes & Noble| Whiskey Creek Press| All Romance| BookStrand|
Add Finding Thor to your to-read shelf on Goodreads

When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

Mailing List| Facebook| Twitter| Instagram|

Swag alert! Looking for your Thor? Look no further, Kai’s got you covered. Enter to win a custom tote bag for all of those books you like to carry with you, and a Thor baseball cap. Easy entry for those in a hurry, or many other ways to earn more entries for contest junkies. The Finding Thor swag pack can only be shipped in the United States. If winner is International, an Amazon gift card will be substituted and another winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Perihelix by Jemima Pett Book Blast

The Perihelix by Jemima Pett

Book 1 of the Viridian System Series

• Published by Princelings Publications
• Genre: science fiction/scifi-adventure/space opera (for grownups, although I wouldn't describe it as adult)
• Words/pages: 83,800 / 360
• Formats: all ereaders and paperback
• Price: ebook currently on special offer at 99c (rrp $2.99): paperback rrp $10.99

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Blurb:  Two asteroid miners, three women, one spacecraft, and five pieces of a legendary weapon scattered around the galaxy. Big Pete and the Swede are rich, or so they discover after bringing their latest haul of orichalcum in from the asteroid belt. So some well-deserved vacation awaits them. It starts out just fine, with one of the men winning the big flyer-race of the season, but they start to receive odd messages, and despite the attentions from the girls, both realise that someone is trying to drag them back to their pasts, pasts they have tried hard to erase. As they set out to discover who’s bugging them, they are kidnapped by some particularly nasty aliens, which leaves the girls in a mess –stranded on the spaceship with very little idea how to fly it.

 

Buy links:

Amazon eBook - Amazon PB - Smashwords - B&N - Kobo - iTunes - Book Depository

 

 

Interview with Jemima Pett

Q: How did you come to invent the characters in your new book? It was through my regular flash fiction stories on my blog. We'd had a couple of times when I'd ventured into science fiction, once in a Casablanca/Star Wars mash-up which was called Paradisio, and then those characters got mentioned in a Random Title story called the Orichalcum Library, where two asteroid miners wanted to read real books, so the bar owner on another planet got hold of some which had been swapped for food by some fugitives from the Paradisio story. The asteroid miners turned into Pete and the Swede, and there we go.

Q. Why did they end up with three women? Isn't it a bit degrading to bring in your female characters as escorts? Asteroid miners have a reputation for being hell-raisers when they aren't mining. Pete and the Swede want some female company, and after a while they realised they actually wanted company, good food, people to enjoy their vacation with, as well as bed companions. So when they found escorts who they liked, they rehired them, and if you can afford more company, then why not? As for why are the females escorts, well, in the Wild West women are generally either bar girls (escorts) or pioneer/ranchers' wives, and I didn't have any ranches around. The Viridian system is very much Outback, and although there are a few women in what you might call 'normal' jobs on Sunset Strip, it's not an area that's easy to get to without a sponsor. These girls have quite interesting futures ahead of them, though, as you'll see when you read the book.

Q. What was the most difficult thing about writing the book? Having developed my worlds of Pleasant Valley and Sunset Strip, the two inhabited planets of the Viridian System, in part through the short stories, I then had to check the science for them. I've done a course on planetary science, and to me, getting planets that were physically feasible was important. I wanted Sunset Strip to have two sunsets in a Standard day, which led me to realise the difficulties with that, which I've mentioned in the 'world-building' section on the Viridian series website. Now, sorting those worlds out wasn't difficult. But then I realised ALL the other places they go to on their adventures need to be fully realised as well. Oh, boy! Physical characteristics, society, relationships with other planets, weather, occupants.... and keeping tabs on with all with a huge spreadsheet. But it's great fun. As long as my memory holds out!

Q. How do you keep up with the science? At present it's hard, because in the eighteen months since I wrote the first draft of The Perihelix (at Camp NaNoWriMo) there have been huge developments in the detection of exoplanets - planets around stars outside our own system - and level of detail we've worked out about them. We've also had hugely more information about the outer planets of our own system. What is emerging is that basically, anything goes; a lot of what we thought would be the rule from what we knew of the solar system has been turned on its head. It's really exciting! Most of my updates come from a couple of websites, from other bloggers who report on interesting things, from the Norwich Astronomical Society and from the excellent BBC programmes The Sky at Night and Stargazing Live. And with a #BritInSpace on the International Space Station at the moment, there is more interest in astronomy and space travel in the UK than there has been for years.

Q. What's next for Pete and The Swede? Well, I've already written about 15,000 words of Book 2, some of which are scenes for later in the book. I have a setting, some propositions and some problems, but I haven't got the solutions yet - except there will be a third book, so I don't have to complete the overall storyline yet, just advance the main issues of book 2 to a satisfactory conclusion. No cliff-hangers!

Thank goodness for that! Thanks for talking to me, Jemima.

About Jemima Pett:

Jemima has been writing since she was 8 years old, and reading science fiction since she was about 15. She tried writing a scifi book while at college, but was put off writing entirely by a 'friend' who said it was rubbish. Even with a maths degree, a Masters in Environmental Technology and a Diploma in Earth Sciences, Jemima kept writing – although it was mostly manuals, newsletters and research papers. It was only when she moved to Norfolk, on the east coast of England, that she found characters who inspired her to write fiction again – and that led to the Princelings of the East series, now six books long, with the seventh due later this year. Where Pete and the Swede came from is another story entirely, but she thinks the guys who inspired her would probably be flattered, if they realised

Where to find The Perihelix: 

Buy links:

Amazon eBook - Amazon PB - Smashwords - B&N - Kobo - iTunes - Book Depository