The Headhunters Race by Kimberly Afe *Blitz Tour*

 

Welcome to Kimberly Afe's The Headhunters Race Book Blit. This is a Young Adult Fantasy that you won't want to miss. Check it out!

 

 

 Series: Headhunters #1

Release date: January 3rd 2014
Publisher: January Sky Publishing
Purchase: Amazon
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Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Avene was sentenced to prison at thirteen for a crime she didn't commit. Now she has a chance to win her freedom back – if she enters the Headhunters Race. Second prize isn't so bad either, an upgrade to the Leisure Prison if you make it to the finish line. To win either prize, Avene and the other prisoners must navigate one hundred and fifty miles of dense forest, desert, and worst of all, cannibal territory.
With a mechanical collar timed to strangle the prisoners if they're not back in nine days, Avene allies herself with seventeen-year-old McCoy, another prisoner that insists on helping her at every turn and a boy she's trying hard not to fall for. Together they battle nature, other prisoners, and the timed death collars to win the coveted prize. But when Avene is tested with one deadly conflict after another, she realizes there is more at stake than winning her freedom – first she has to survive.

 

This excerpt is from the day the race starts and Avene is getting ready.

Hours later, when the birds start chirping, I know it's almost time to wake up. I get out of bed and change into my special clothes. The ones I've been saving for this day: a sturdy pair of jeans and a man's blue flannel shirt. Underneath I wear my white fitted tee-shirt, depicting a crudely drawn skull. I added the crossbones bearing a set of daggers with a nearly dried-up marker I found a year ago. It represents my mantra for the race: stay away from me or I'll kill you.

I tie my sheath around my thigh, re-lace my boots with longer and sturdier cord I found on a pair of men's boots in the goodie two shoes clothing pile, and then gulp down several handfuls of water. I wipe the droplets from my mouth while I pace like a caged panther. A few minutes later I slug down another five handfuls before I remember to fill my water bottle.

Zita leans up on her elbow. "You're sure you want to do this?"
"I have to, Zita. It's our only way out. The only way we'll be free."
She throws off her cover and leaps to her feet. "Well, we better do something with that hair. They'll start calling the prisoners out soon."
Zita snatches our slop container from the table. She fills it with dirt from the corner and mixes in a bit of water. "I'm not sure how well this will work," she says, stirring it with her finger. "Sit."
I sit on the ground cross-legged at her feet. She kneels beside me, takes a small lock of hair, and rubs mud all through the strands. The stringy tresses stick together, cold and wet against my cheek. After one side of my head is finished, she steps back and surveys her work. "Nope, this isn't working. Your roots are still too light."
"Why don't you wash her whole head in it?" says McCoy.
I stiffen. Leave it to him to think of dunking my whole head in mud.
"You're a genius!" says Zita. She grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. "Help me," she says to McCoy and I cringe at the thought of him touching my head when I'm a direct competitor. He might send his ninja blade across my neck.
He grabs the sink, half full of water, water I need to drink, and dumps three quarters of it into the corner. "Hey, I need to drink that!" I say.
"You can drink ours," says McCoy.

Right. I'm not going to drink theirs. He'd love that. Especially now that he's going to have to hunt on his own and the only way he knows how is by poaching off me.
Zita stops short of pouring in handfuls of dirt. Instead she goes to the fire pit and scoops out gobs of ash. She swishes it around with her fingers, stares at it like she's not satisfied, and goes ahead and dumps in a handful of dirt anyway. "Okay, bend over, girl."
I lean over the sink while Zita pours the murky mixture over my hair and massages it in. It's gritty and gross. "Hand me that old shirt in the corner," says Zita. 

I'm looking upside down at McCoy while he retrieves the old shirt she uses as her dust rag. She wrings out my hair and then places the shirt over top and squeezes out the excess water. "I wish I had a comb," she says, flipping my head up and steering my behind back to the ground.
"It's okay, I can use my fingers," I say.
McCoy dashes into their room. "Boom has one, hold on."
I lean my head back in defeat. He's determined to help me, to make me feel obligated to help him in return, but his niceties aren't going to work on me.

 

Kimberly Afe loves to read and write young adult and middle grade fiction. She especially enjoys science fiction and fantasy of every kind. The Headhunters Race is her debut novel.

Find her: Website     Goodreads     Twitter     Facebook     Blog   Amazon

 

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Zombie West by Angela Scott *Blog Tour*

Get the Zombie West Omnibus on Amazon. Add the Zombie West Omnibus to your Goodreads to-read shelf!

ZOMBIES! The Wild West! Romance! Mayhem!

Angela Scott's Zombie West Omnibus has all this, and more!

"...this is one of the most unique concepts I've come across." --Brian, Amazon reviewer

"These books had me on the edge of my seat and at one point in book three I had to set the book down and pull myself out of the story so I wouldn't cry." --Emily Pearce, Amazon reviewer

"This series is one that will stay with you for a long time, prompting you to want to read it again and again." --Tracy Haidle, Amazon reviewer

About the Zombie West Omnibus

 

The Wild West is hard enough to survive with its native territory, wanted outlaws, and harsh terrain, but with a plague turning civilized people into brain-eating monsters, survival becomes nearly impossible. Red has lost everything to the fast-spreading disease: her family, her trust in mankind, and her hope for a better tomorrow. When she meets Trace, a smooth-talking gambling man who’s more city boy than cowboy, she’s forced down a path she’d been avoiding for years. Until his arrival, she’d lived by a certain set of rules—don’t ask names, keep to yourself, don’t let anyone too close—but the jackass of a man won’t let her be, and he has an uncanny knack for appearing at all the wrong times and in all the wrong places. Each, with a secret of their own, will need to learn that only by working together do they have any chance of surviving The Zombie West. That is, if they don’t kill each other first. [Angela Scott’s Zombie West Omnibus includes the three books in the Zombie West series WANTED: DEAR OR UNDEAD, SURVIVOR ROUNDUP, and DEAD PLAINS. Find these books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Smashwords.] Genre classification: YA/Western Romance/Action and Adventure/ with added zombies for utter mayhem. 

Excerpt. 

Red lost track of how many bullets she'd fired, until the dreaded click of an empty chamber. She knelt on the ground, with an eye on the approaching mob, and slipped her hand inside one of her saddlebags in a frantic search for more ammunition, but came up empty. Damn it. 

She searched the other saddlebag, and though the cool metal cartridges graced her fingertips, she had to let them go. The zombies fell upon her. Swinging the rifle above her head, she slammed the butt of the weapon into the face of the closest walker, breaking its bloody jaw, but failing to hinder its progress. She swung again and connected with its skull, which bust open and sent the zombie sprawling to the ground at her feet. One down, but six more ready to destroy her, each aiming for a limb, an organ, a bit of flesh, a chunk of her existence.
"Reload." Wen yelled. The blade of his machete sung through the air and sliced through the neck of the nearest zombie, separating the head from its body. "Do it! Now!"
He beheaded two more as she grabbed a handful of bullets and jammed them into the rifle, her hands shakier than normal. She cocked the gun in one swift movement and fired just left of Wen, taking down the decomposed walker.
"Jeez, watch it!" Wen eyed her as if she was crazy.
To prove she was a better shot than both of the men, she fired once more to the right of Wen, within inches of his shoulder, sending a bullet into the zombie he planned to decapitate.
He whipped around. "Okay, I get it!"
No more time for games. She rolled onto her side and fired more bullets as the band of walking dead crept nearer.
Wen sliced through heads with a skill that impressed her, and held them at bay while she reloaded—a team effort she highly appreciated.
Red had no idea what Cowboy was up to, but heard him firing off shots of his own. She worked with Wen to kill the crowd of wagon zombies that advanced upon them. Mothers, fathers, teamsters, small children—it didn't matter. Sentiment had no place in zombie annihilation. She didn't miss a single target, as each forehead was penetrated and the dilapidated bodies collapsed to the ground.
When no more approached from her direction, she waited for a second to be sure, and then rolled onto her belly to take on any coming from behind. Only there weren't any. A pleasant, yet unexpected surprise. Cowboy stood there, watching and waiting with his rifle raised. Wen held his machete across his chest, ready as well. Silence prevailed, but for the sound of their own rapid breathing. As quickly as it had begun, it ended, but none of them were willing to let their guard down just yet.
"Everyone okay?" Cowboy asked, the butt of his rifle still pressed against his shoulder. "Anyone bit? Hurt?"
Wen shook his head. "I'm good. I'm real good."
Red slowly stood, her rifle shaking in her hands. "I'm good too."
"Perfect." Cowboy lowered his weapon and smiled. "Couldn't have gone better."
"We need to burn the bodies. Pile them. Set them ablaze. But"—she indicated the bloody mess that covered her from head to toe with an unnatural tremble in her fingers—"I need to get this off of me."
Cowboy scanned her body and lingered on her bare legs poking out from under her night shirt.
"Go." He turned away out of respect. "We'll keep an eye out and start putting them in a pile. Get cleaned up."
Red stepped over the zombie corpses littering her path and returned to the wagon that had provided such peace the night before. Her hands twitched more now, but she managed to toss the remaining dead zombie out onto the ground before sinking onto a clean area of the mattress.
She inched up the bottom of her soiled night shirt to reveal what she knew was there all along—a gaping hole on her thigh, several inches deep. The bite mark bubbled and spilled red, foamy droplets onto the mattress below. She didn't know which zombie had bit her or when it happened, not that the details mattered, only that the pain was excruciating and its liquid heat radiated through her veins. She balled her fist and punched the mattress once, then twice more.
Damn it.
With nothing more to do, she leaned her head back against the side of the wagon and waited.

 

About Angela Scott

Angela Scott hears voices. Tiny fictional people sit on her shoulders and whisper their stories in her ear. Instead of medicating herself, she decided to pick up a pen, write down everything those voices tell me, and turn it into a book. She’s not crazy. She’s an author. For the most part, she writes contemporary Young Adult novels. However, through a writing exercise that spiraled out of control, she found herself writing about zombies terrorizing the Wild Wild West–and loving it. Her zombies don’t sparkle, and they definitely don’t cuddle. At least, she wouldn’t suggest it. She lives on the benches of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with two lovely children, one teenager, and a very patient husband. She graduated from Utah State University with a B.A. degree in English, not because of her love for the written word, but because it was the only major that didn’t require math. She can’t spell, and grammar is her arch nemesis. But they gave her the degree, and there are no take backs. Find Angela Scott on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

 

Get the book!

Find the Zombie West Trilogy on Amazon. Don't forget to add the Zombie West Omnibus to your Goodreads to-read shelf. Connect with Angela Scott on her website, 

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Effectuation by Carlyn Greenwald *Blog Tour*

Hello y'all there!

Welcome to my stop in the blog tour for Effectuation by Carlyn Greenwald.

For my stop, I haven a excerpt to share with you, but if you want to know more about this book, head over to Itching for books and check out the full schedule!

THE BOOK

 
Release date: October 16th 2013

Self-Published

Purchase: Amazon

Add to GoodReads

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

On an earth where the spirit world and human world not only comingle but know each other’s deepest secrets, Ewan Trace is an ordinary college senior at a prestigious film school: obsessed with old movies, secretly in love with his best friend Sophie, and looking to forge a career as a writer. Oh—and he also can never go out because his über-agent father and mother are always away and he has to stay home and care for his little sister. But it’s all normal to him…until he finally meets his spirit protector, Zac, and that Terra, the girl he just spent the night with, might be someone far more sinister than she appears.

Now Ewan and Zac are on the trail of a mystery that takes a left turn along the way, diving deep into a conflict between humans and spirits that just may be worse than what they thought was their worst nightmare. And as hearts are broken and people die, the two find themselves strapped to a rocket-propelled adventure far more unbelievable than anything Hollywood could ever imagine.

THE EXCERPT

Late morning the following Monday, Ewan managed to completely let go of the sad but predictable end to his one night stand. He had just taken a luxurious shower and he was ready to move on. With a towel wrapped around his lower body, he sang “Under Pressure,” complete with vocal changes for Freddie Mercury and David Bowie’s parts, as he searched for a pair of jeans.
He managed to sing the end of the third stanza before looking up and realizing he was not alone.
A young man stood in Ewan’s bedroom, his hands clasped together behind his back. He had neat, ear length dark brown hair, ears that stuck out just the tiniest bit more than usual, an oval face with straight eyebrows, full lips, and eyes blue enough that they could be seen clearly from several feet away. He wore a black sweater and jeans, both of which Ewan was fairly certain were his.
“Your Freddie Mercury is pretty good, but I’d work on the David Bowie,” the stranger commented.
It took Ewan a few more seconds of shock before he picked up a nearby lamp and raised it in a defensive position.
The young man’s flippancy melted away, and he pushed his palms forward. “Whoa, whoa, Ewan, calm down.” The young man stepped forward and tried to grab Ewan’s arm, but Ewan jerked away and stumbled backward.
“How do you know my name?” Ewan asked, his voice cracking for the first time since he finished puberty.
The young man hesitated. “You don’t recognize me?”
“No.” For a split second, he wondered if this burglar would let him dress before proceeding.
The stranger shook his head slowly. “Ewan, I’m going to put this down gently: I’m your family’s spirit guardian.”

THE AUTHOR

Carlyn Greenwald is a writer, student, and decently sized superhero, mystery, and animation nerd. She definitely writes for the YA/NA markets, but her genres of choice include contemporary, urban fantasy, science fiction, crime, romance and mystery. Anything that has at least one murder, a nice-looking guy, and some witty banter will do. She lives in Los Angeles with her dogs, cat, and family.

www.carlyngreenwald.com | twitter.com/CarlynGreenwald

THE GIVEAWAY

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Don't Make Me Beautiful Two Day Blitz & Giveaway

Hello y'all!

Welcome to the second day in the Book Blitz for Don't make me beautiful by Elle Casey

Check out the schedule here on Itching for books. And enter to the amazing giveaway!

THE BOOK.

 

Release date: August 31st 2013
Self-Published

Synopsis via Goodreads:
A ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVEL. No one knew a woman lived there or that she even existed. A monster, living in darkness...

At twenty-six, Nicole doesn't even look human anymore. The beast made sure of that. So she hides. A monster consigned to a life of fear and solitude. This is all she deserves, she is quite sure of that.
And then one day out of the blue, the autographed baseball caught by Brian Jensen at the latest Marlins game enters her prison and manages to turn her world completely upside down.
Temptation comes in the form of pity at first, and then perhaps something more.
Does she dare to believe the things she's told, that this is not the life she was meant to live? That being a monster is not her forever-fate? And will she be willing to risk everything, to reach out and accept the helping hands around her? She knows only too well that hands can hurt. Finding out whether they can also heal is a risky proposition, especially when the beast is still out there. Looking for her.

**This story was inspired by true events. If you liked the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy", then you might like this story too. CONTENT WARNING: Violence, foul language, and adult situations. Not meant for younger readers.**

EXCERPT:

Liam’s mother reverses out of the driveway, their young son strapped into the back seat and waving like a maniac out his window.  “Bye, Dad!  See ya later!”

“Bye, Li-Li!  See ya Wednesday!”

“I’ll bring him back before school,” his ex-wife says.  “I have early meetings.”

“Sounds good,” says Brian, still waving to his son.  He waits until he’s out of Liam’s sight before he puts his hand down.  It’s nice to be alone for a few days, but he already feels the pangs of missing his child creeping in.

Standing in the driveway, Brian considers his next move.  There’s an antique armoire in his workshop that needs a final coat of stain and then some clear-coat to protect it.  It took a week to repair and refinish, but he scheduled two. He could do something else if he wanted to…

It can wait.  The issue of the monster lady is weighing too heavily on his mind to let it go.  Ignoring the warning bells going off in his head, he walks to the bottom of the driveway and turns left to go down the street.

“What am I doing?” he mumbles under his breath.  “The guy obviously doesn’t like visitors.”  The fact that the guy also looks like a Bantam rooster spoiling for a fight is not making Brian’s misgivings any fewer.

“Hey there, Brian.  Going for a walk on this fine morning?”  Ethel, his next-door neighbor is out trimming her bushes again.  They don’t need trimming; they’re just a prop to give her a reason to be standing outside, waiting for passersby.

Brian waves.  “Yep.  Just getting some fresh air, I guess.  Seemed like a good idea.”

“Little Liam gone for the week?”

She must have seen him drive by.  She sees everything that happens on this street.  “Just for a few days.  He’ll be back on Wednesday.”  Brian keeps walking, although slower.  If he stops, he’ll be stuck there for an hour and probably end up in her kitchen having an iced tea.  She’s the nicest, most talkative neighbor he’s ever had.  He doesn’t usually mind it; in fact, he’s happy to indulge in a neighborly chat now and again - it’s why he moved to this area - but today, he’s on a mission and he doesn’t have time for gossip or an hour-long discussion about the upcoming weather and whether Mrs. Grandston down the street will ever start recycling.

“Tell him to stop by and see me when he gets home,” she says, poking her clippers vaguely in Brian’s direction.  “I bought some new cookies at the store and I think he’s going to like them.  He’s my official cookie taster.”

“I’ll tell him.  He’ll be really happy to hear that.”

She waves with a gloved hand as he reaches the far side of her property line, and he waves back.

Maybe I should ask Ethel about the guy around the corner.  Brian’s not sure that Ethel knows anything beyond the business of those living on Lodi Street.  She stays pretty close to home, taking care of her husband who’s slowly going downhill with dementia.  Brian’s not looking forward to the day she’ll have to put him in a nursing home.  He has a feeling it will take the spark from her, and she’s fun just the way she is, even if she is a little nosy.

The house comes into view.  As he gets closer, he sees that the window is still broken, but now there’s a piece of cardboard taped over it.  The house is still, with no sign that anyone’s home.  The large black truck that was in the driveway last night isn’t there.  Maybe it’s in the garage.

Brian walks up to the porch, taking the steps slowly as he looks around.  He’s not sure what he’s looking for, but everything seems to be in order.

“What the hell am I doing here?” he whispers to himself.  What am I going to say if that guy comes to the door again?  I’ll ask him for the bill, that’s it.  Tell him I want to pay right away.  Be a good neighbor.  Brian shakes his head at his ridiculous thoughts.  He already told the guy to leave the bill in his box.  Showing up again and ringing the bell when the sign on it says not to feels almost like harassment.  He looks at the sign again, reading the heavy scrawl.

DO NOT RING BELL.  DO NOT KNOCK.  WE DON’T TAKE VISITORS.

Brian frowns.  He can’t get past the feeling that it’s just a weird thing to do, to put a sign up like that warning people away.  It’s like something he would have done as a kid on a clubhouse to keep other kids from discovering his secret hiding place.  It’s so ridiculous it almost begs people to discover whatever it is he’s keeping inside.

Brian laughs nervously at himself.  Don’t be stupid.  You’re a grown man and so is he.  This is his house.  If you trespass he can shoot your stupid ass.

Brian steps back away from the door, prepared to leave and never come back.  But then the sound of his son’s voice and the vision of him standing on their own front porch the night before comes back to him.  “She’s not sick, Dad.  She’s just really ugly.”

Brian doesn’t want to see a really ugly woman.  That’s not what’s motivating him to stand her on this porch and risk pissing off this neighbor.  It’s just that … he’s a math guy.  Brian has always been strong in math, from the time he was Liam’s age.  He uses it every day with his work at restoring furniture, both in the actual hands-on stuff and the figuring he has to do later when he does his billing.  Everything always has to add up in his world, and this situation with the monster lady?  It wasn’t adding up.

Brian glances over at the cardboard covering the hole.  Maybe I’ll just take a look at the damage and make a call to a glass company myself.  Then I can go get some cash out of the bank and be ready to pay the guy when he gives me the bill.

Brian takes a few tentative steps down the porch towards the front window.  A car comes down the street and he freezes, waiting until it’s a few doors down before continuing.  Once in front of the window, he looks around the neighborhood.  No one is outside, and he sees no faces in any other windows.  These people need an Ethel.

Turning to look at the cardboard, he notices it’s stuck to the still intact frame with duct tape.  “That’s going to be a problem when the sun melts that adhesive onto the PVC,” he says out loud.  He runs his finger along the edge, hoping he can find a loose spot so he can pry up the cardboard a little to see the actual damage.  It’s stuck on too tight, though.

His eyes roam up.  A set of white, gauzy curtains are right in front of him, obscuring his view of the house’s interior.  This house has the same basic layout as his, so he knows there’s a large living room of sorts on the other side of the glass.  He wonders what the woman was doing when the ball came through her window.  Was she sitting in the living room reading a book?  Was she in the kitchen making cookies?

He blinks his eyes a few times as they adjust to looking through the white curtain.  There’s a couch in the center of the wall facing him with side chairs on its left and right, its dark, burry contours getting clearer the longer he stares.   A small coffee table rests in the middle of the conversation area.  His eyes roam the walls, wondering what the pictures in frames look like.  It’s too difficult to see.  He steps back and stands straighter, embarrassed when he realizes he’s being worse than Ethel, staring into people’s houses like this.

It’s then that something inside the house catches his eye.  Brian stops moving for a moment as he focuses his attention on the dark shape on the floor.  He steps closer to the window, going so far as to press his face up against the glass and cup his hands around his eyes, trying to see better.  What is that?  A carpet on the floor?  No.  It’s not a carpet.  It’s too bulky.  It looks like…

He bends down, a sense of urgency overtaking his good sense.  He scratches desperately at the edge of the duct tape, finally getting a corner of it to peel away from the window frame.  He draws it down, careful not to let it tear.  Once it’s free on one side, he grabs the cardboard and pushes it sideways, like opening the cover of the book.

What the hell am I doing?  This is nuts…  He ignores his own concerns, needing more than anything else right now to just confirm that what he thinks he’s seeing on that floor is not what he’s seeing.

The hole in the window is finally revealed, and it’s big enough for his hand to fit through.  Thank you, Liam.  Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d thank his son for breaking someone’s window.

Brian reaches through and grabs the curtains on the other side, using both hands to pull the bottom of them out through the hole.  As soon as he has the entire bottom seam through the broken window, he lifts it up and looks into the small space that’s remaining.  Now there are no curtains in the way and he can see into the living room as clear as if he were standing inside the house.

“Holy Mary mother of Jesus,” he whispers.  He raises his voice.  “Ma’am … ! Miss … !  Are you okay?”

There’s what he assumes to be a woman lying on the floor in the middle of the room.  All he can see is the back of her head and blood on her one exposed hand.  “Ma’am!  Are you okay?!”

No response.

“Fuck!” he yells, hurriedly shoving the curtain back through the hole and pushing the cardboard into place.  He cuts the back of his hand on the glass, but he ignores the blood, the pain, and everything else as he struggles to get his cell phone out of his front pocket.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“Hello, this is Brian Jensen and I’m standing on the front porch of …” He leans out and looks at the number on the front of the house near the door, “…thirty-two Fresno Street, and there’s a woman inside her house who’s passed out and there’s blood.  She needs an ambulance.”

“Are you the homeowner, sir?”

“No, I’m a neighbor.  Can you please send someone quick?  I’m afraid she might be … dead.  I’m not sure.  She’s not moving.”

“Can you check for a pulse?”

“No, I’m outside.  But just wait a minute.  I’m going in.”

“Sir, is there anyone else at the home?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Hold the line while I call the house,” the operator says.

Brian’s at the front door when the woman comes back on the line.  “They don’t appear to have a home phone on record.  Have you tried the doorbell?”

“No.” Brian realizes how ridiculous it is that he hasn’t bothered to do that first.  Surely the guy who lives here needs to know his wife is passed out on the floor.  She’s obviously sick.  Maybe she hit her head or something when she fell.

Brian rings the doorbell several times and bangs on the door with his fist.  “Is anyone home?!” he yells.

No one answers.

“I don’t think anyone’s home but her,” Brian says to the operator.  He tries the handle, but the door is locked.  “I’m going to see if they have another open door somewhere.”

“Sir, I don’t recommend you break into the home.”

“I hear ya, but I’m doing it anyway.”

Brian runs around to the back and tries the door he finds there.  It’s locked up tight as well.  “The back door’s locked too.  I’m going back to the front.”

“The ambulance is on its way along with a police officer.  Can you stay on scene until they arrive?”

“Of course.”

“Do you want me to stay on the line with you?”

“No.  Thanks for your help.”  Brian hangs up without waiting for a response.

Going back to the front, he scrambles to pull the cardboard off and the curtain through the hole again.  He leaves blood on the curtains in his attempts to see inside.

“Ma’am, an ambulance is on its way, okay?  Ma’am, can you hear me?”

He’s about to look away when he sees her first finger move.  It’s just the slightest twitch, but he’s sure he saw it.  “I see you moving!  I know you’re alive!  They’re coming, okay!  They’re coming!”

A low moan comes from inside the house, from the woman.  Brian’s breath catches in his throat as her hand moves again, this time to slide out across the carpet.  It leaves a smear of blood behind.

She moans again, this time an agonizing sound that makes Brian’s skin crawl.  “You’re going to be okay.  I called nine-one-one.”

Her moaning turns to a strange keening, like a growl and a sob blended together into something almost animalistic.  The sounds of a siren in the distance reach Brian’s ears.  He’s frozen in place, holding up the curtains and peering inside, as her head slowly turns.

The ambulance turns into the driveway as her face comes into view.  Brian needs only one second to take in the sight of the horror before him before the blood in his veins goes cold and the words fall out of his mouth unbidden.

“Oh my god … what happened to your face?”

THE AUTHOR.

New York Times Best-Selling author Elle Casey is an American girl living in southern France with her husband, three children, and several furry creatures. She writes in a variety of genre including YA Fantasy, YA Action/Adventure, New Adult Romance, and Adult Contemporary Romance. She's a little on the wild side, usually busy making people laugh, and always in the mood for adventure. There's not much in this world that she loves more than reader interaction, so feel free to drop her a line.

Find her: Website/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Goodreads/ Wattpad.

THE GIVEAWAY!

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Blog Tour & Giveaway: Playing Patience by Tabatha Vargo

Welcome to my stop in the blog tour for the adult book Playing Patience by Tabatha Vargo.

I'm so excited to show you an excerp of a book with so many good critics like this.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy this stop.

About the book

Playing Patience

Author: Tabatha Vargo

Pages: 340

Goodreads AVG Rating (actual): 4.17

Summary: Add to your TBR pile

Sometimes all you need is Patience.

Life’s been hard for Zeke. Being a punching bag for his alcoholic father has turned him into stone. Not even the dodgy trailer park he lives in can scare him. Fighting is his release and sex, drugs, and his guitar bring him peace, but deep down Zeke isn’t quite as hard as he makes himself out to be. When he meets Patience, she finds all his broken pieces and puts him back together, but she’s a ray of light in his shadowed life and the last thing he wants to do is bring her into his dark world. Playing careless is easy, playing the bad guy can be fun, but playing Patience is impossible, especially when she can see right through him.

Zeke isn’t the only one who’s broken, and for the first time, in a long time, Patience feels alive. Her black and white world gets a shot of color when she meets Zeke. He’s unlike anyone she’s ever met with his tattoos, piercings, and blunt honesty. She wants nothing more than to let go and ride the wild side with him, but some wounds never heal and the broken pieces of Patience aren’t so easy to find.

***Warning: this book contains graphic language, sex, and violence. Mature readers only. Not intended for young adult readers.***

The Excerpt.

“Oooh,” his eyes got big like he was just realizing something. “I get it, you’re into chicks.”

Did I have the word lesbian written across my forehead or something today?

“No,” I said adamantly.

“No, that’s cool.” His smile was too big. “I don’t discriminate, trust me. I like chicks, too. You know what? We should like them together, like at the same time,” he leaned in and ran his thumb across his bottom lip before he softly tugged on his lip ring.

My eyes shot to his mouth and he smirked at the attention. I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t like chicks, and if I did I certainly wouldn’t share with you,” I flipped my card over and picked up the book.

“Okay, so you’re not a lesbian. Then what are you?”

Aggravated by his question, I sighed loudly and answered honestly.

“You want to know what I am? I’m shattered, that’s what I am. There are tiny pieces of Patience scattered all over.”

“I’d like a piece of Patience,” he reached across the table and ran a finger across my hand.

This time I did tense up, but for entirely different reasons. My heartbeat sped up like I was on the verge of a panic attack, but instead a rush of euphoria filled me.

“I don’t know if I can give you a piece,” I heard myself flirt back.

That earned me another sexy grin. Damn him for being so freaking hot.

“Why not?

“Because I don’t know where they are.” I frowned at those words.

What started out as innocent flirting, had just that quickly become a sad truth. I was a shattered girl and I had no idea where my pieces were or how to put myself back together if I did find them.

“I bet I could find your pieces,” he leaned in and bathed my cheek with heated breath.

I didn’t miss his hidden meaning, but I chose to ignore it. “Good luck. I’ve been trying to find them for years.” 

I shrugged off my shiver and started to deal the cards again.

“Challenge accepted,” he said, as he leaned back in his chair and took a swig from his beer.

The book trailer

About the Author.

Tabatha's been writing since she could pick up a pencil. Her first publication was a little poem in her elementary school paper, from that point on she was hooked. When she was a teenager, she traded in her girly magazines for personalized writing notebooks.
At nineteen, she met her own personal prince charming and writing took a back burner for a while. She's now married to that prince and the mother of a beautiful seven-year-old princess/rock star. Once her daughter was born, writing came back into her life, and she finished her very first novel, Wicked Fate, in May of 2009.
She's now pursuing her English degree and she hopes to one day teach while continuing to write.
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The Giveaway

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Perception & Volition Blog Tour & Giveaway! Read an Excerpt of Volition.

Hallo dear readers!

Welcome to my stop in the blog tour of the awesome books Perception and Volition by Lee Strauss.

This blog tour is hosted by ATOMR Blog Tours.

About Perception

Title: PERCEPTION

Author: Lee Strauss

Release date: September 2012

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Sci-fi/dystopian/romance

Event organized by: AToMR Tours

Find/buy Perception:

Amazon - Goodreads: 

Summary:

Eternal Life is To DieFor seventeen year old Zoe Vanderveen is a GAP—a genetically altered person. She lives in the security of a walled city on prime water-front property along side other equally beautiful people with extended life spans.Her brother Liam is missing.  Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they’ve created between those who have and those who don’t. He doesn’t like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like her specifically.Zoe’s carefree life takes a traumatic turn. She’s in trouble and it turns out that Noah, the last guy on earth she should trust, is the only one who can help her.

Want to read PERCEPTION? It's FREE on Kobo itunes B&N Smashwords  and on Amazon! 

VOLITION 

Is the exciting continuation of Noah and Zoe's story from Perception.

 

What doesn't kill you ...Zoe Vanderveen is on the run with her captor turned rescuer, Noah Brody.They're in love. Or at least that’s what he tells her. Her memories have returned but her feelings are dreamlike—thin and fleeting. Her heart can’t be trusted. Just look at what happened with Taylor Blake.Senator Vanderveen’s new team of cyborg agents are in hot pursuit, and a reward for their capture is broadcast nationwide. Record breaking cold and snow hinder their escape. Someone dies helping them.And their fight for survival has only begun. 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17231974-volition

The Excerpt

Noah’s eyes repeatedly darted to the review mirror and I swiveled to look out the back window. The sun disappeared behind the mountains bruising the horizon. Shadows stretched across the road, and my heart skipped when I thought I’d spotted motion—a vehicle, but then it was nothing.

I felt like we’d been swallowed by a monster, caught in a gel capsule, catapulting down a dark, curving intestine. The car smelled like nervous sweat and the interior squeezed down on me, pressing my lungs against my ribs.

It had gotten dark and I was glad for the cover. I didn’t have to look into the mirror to know I looked like a plate of raw chicken. Plus, it meant I could cry without Noah freaking out, as long as I did it silently. I leaned my head against the cool window, eyes closed, surreptitiously wiping tears off my face

We drove in silence for what seemed like hours, with only the noise of the wipers intermittently squeaking across the windshield.

I wanted Noah to reach over and take my hand or grip my leg, or anything to reassure me that everything was going to be all right.

For us and with us.

He didn’t. His hands remained firmly on the wheel at two and ten.

About the author

Lee Strauss writes historical and science fiction/romance for upper YA and adult readers. She also writes light and fun stuff under the name Elle Strauss. To find out more about Lee and her books check out her facebook page. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/elle_strauss To find out about new releases sign up for her newsletter at www.ellestraussbooks.com

Social Media links:

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLeeStrauss#

www.ellestraussbooks.com

Don't forget to stop by the other blogs to find more things about these two amazing books!!

The Giveaway!

Tour Giveaway: (10) eBook copies of PERCEPTION. Open International.

In addition: To celebrate, Lee Strauss is giving away a $200.00 Amazon, Nook or iTunes gift card! If you would like to direct your readers to her giveaway, use this link: a Rafflecopter giveaway

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