Nantucket Blue Blurb & Give Away

Isn't that a beautiful cover?



For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t.

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.


Expected Publication: May 7th 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Purchase: Amazon

About the Author
LEILA HOWLAND loves to read, explore L.A., and engage in funny and meaningful conversations with her friends and family, especially her brother who calls from Washington D.C. whenever he’s waiting for the bus. A lot gets discussed in those phone calls, but they tend to end abruptly when the bus shows up. She can really cut the rug, but wishes she could sing without people covering their ears. A graduate of Georgetown University, Leila spent five years acting in New York where she was a company member of the award-winning Flea Theater in Tribeca. It was a lot of fun and she often talks about “getting back into it.” The closest she has come was a stint as an extra on The Young and the Restless in 2010. Leila now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two dogs. She teaches high school English and blogs for HelloGiggles. NANTUCKET BLUE is her first novel.

Official Links: leilahowland.tumblr.com | twitter.com/leilahowland




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writing Out Of Order & A Give Away!!!

Meradeth Houston author of The Chemistry of Fate is here today to talk about writing your series out of order! Take it away, Meradeth.

My recent release, The Chemistry of Fate, is actually set before my first novel, Colors Like Memories. I really never intended for that to happen J. But, funny things happen along the path to publication, and sometimes all that can be done is roll with it. But, there have been a few things I’ve learned from writing a series out of order, and I thought I’d share them with you today.

Chemistry comes before Colors. My next book will actually also be set between
Chemistry and Colors. (Confusing, right? I sometimes really wish I could think in
a straight line!) While each of the books technically can stand on their own, there
is a main arc that all the stories deal with: the secrecy of the Sary. The fourth (and
still unwritten, eep!) book actually wraps up this overarching arc. Dealing with this
theme and building it consistently throughout the books has been one of my main
concerns.

And definitely one of my main frustrations!

The best tool that I’ve found is my white board. I bought a giant one and it hangs
next to my desk. It came with a bunch of different colors of markers and I’ve been
using it to keep track of plot lines, with different characters in different ink. (I’d
share a picture, but there are some serious spoilers there!) This has allowed me to
weave the eight main characters from each of the books together so that, hopefully,
their story makes sense.

My other trick is my notebook. I feel naked when I don’t have it on me. I will
sometimes resort to Evernote, too, when I’m somewhere with only my phone
handy. I know a lot of writers make use of notebooks to jot down notes or thoughts
when they occur to them and I’m no exception. I also end up drawing out maps of
apartments and other commonly used buildings, the Island where the Sary are from,
and a hundred other little things. I like to think that if I write it down, there’s a good
chance I won’t forget about whatever’s struck me while standing in line at Target
(which sounds good in theory at least, not so sure it always works!).

These are a few of the ways I try to keep track of my projects. How about you?

“They are everywhere, can be anyone, and are always the last person you’d expect.” When
Tom stumbles across his grandfather’s journal, he’s convinced the old man was crazier than he
thought. The book contains references to beings called the Sary, immortals who are assigned to
save humans on the verge of suicide. They certainly aren’t allowed to fall in love with mortals.
Which the journal claims Tom’s grandfather did, resulting in his expulsion from the Sary. As
strange as the journal seems, Tom can’t get the stories out of his head; especially when he finds
the photo of his grandfather’s wings.

Tom’s only distraction is Ari, the girl he studies with for their chemistry class.

Ari has one goal when she arrives in town: see how much Tom knows about the Sary and
neutralize the situation. This isn’t a normal job, but protecting the secrecy of the Sary is vital. If
Tom is a threat to exposing the Sary to the public, fate has a way of taking care of the situation,
usually ending with the mortal’s death. While Ari spends time with Tom, he becomes more than
just an assignment, but how far can a relationship go when she can’t tell him who she really is?
When she finds out just how much Tom actually knows about the Sary, Ari is forced to choose
between her wings, and her heart.

Available at: MuseItUp Publishing Amazon ibooks and B&N




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please Help!

First, my friend Ashelyn Drake is giving away a copy of The Other Marlowe Girl here. Ashelyn is a new blogger but she has a non-explicit NA coming out soon, and those are hard to find. So stop by and say, "Hi!"

Now for the fun! I really really need your help. I need everyone to let amazon know(you can just copy & past from here down) The Fate of A Marlowe girl is available for free at barnes&noble(http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fate-of-a-marlowe-girl-beth-fred/1114296545?ean=2940044950399) sony e-reader https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/beth-fred/the-fate-of-a-marlowe-girlmarlowe-girls-book-1/_/R-400000000000000824826 and apple.(end copy)

I don't have a link for apple because I can't figure out how to get it w/ no i-product, but hopefully if enough people send this Amazon will finally price match my book.

The Black Shard

I'm giving away two ebook copies of The Black Shard a MG fantasy.


Kristina's stay at summer horse camp is horrible to say the least, and it's all because Hester and Davina are there as well, making her life miserable. When Hester's cruel prank goes terribly wrong, it's actually what sends the three girls back to the magical land of Bernovem. In Bernovem, Kristina is very excited to see her former friend, Prince Werrien. When he invites her to sail with him on his ship to his homeland Tezerel, putting it simply, Kristina can't refuse. Reunited with her gnome, dwarf, animal, fairy friends ... and best of all, Werrien, things seem like they couldn't get any better for Kristina. But when Werrien becomes fascinated with an unusual seeing stone, the "Black Shard," Kristina is haunted by a ghostlike old hag. Struggling against suspicion, guilt, illness, and ultimately the one who wants to possess her soul, Kristina will see it's in her weakest moment that she will encounter more strength than she has ever known. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Surviving A-Z

Wow! April was crazy busy with a-z and my Marlowe Girl blog tour going on at the same time. But everyone seemed to love my A-Z theme which is what kept me going through April. LOL. I probably would have thrown in the towel otherwise. Although, I don't feel like a success because I never found a blogger to promote for "X." So I kind of expected the people I promoted to love my A-Z theme, because--well, let's face it--everyone loves a shout out. But other people seemed to like it too and enjoyed meeting new bloggers. So I've decided to keep it around all year. Not daily though. That's insane. And I can't spend the time looking for bloggers to promote all year long, so they'll have to come to me.

How It's Going to Work!!!
"Beth, will you promote me?" Probably.

I want to feature a book blogger every Friday. Most weeks I do Follow Friday, so you'll get my regular traffic in addition to FF traffic. The only rules are 1) blog about books at least sometimes 2)be somewhat PG-13 (I'm really just looking to stay away from erotica and steamy adult romance covers--same w/ content) 3) ask me!!!

The "S" Word Blurb & Give Away

First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker.

But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie's looping scrawl.

Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

Release date: May 7th 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Purchase: Amazon

About the Author

Chelsea Pitcher is a native of Portland, OR where she received her BA in English Literature. Fascinated by all things literary, she began gobbling up stories as soon as she could read, and especially enjoys delving into the darker places to see if she can draw out some light.

Official links: chelseapitcher.com | @Chelsea_Pitcher


Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

IWSG: Terrified

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is hosted by Alex J. Cauvenaugh.

And today I'm terrified.  I'm kind of terrified of the editorial letter to come. Also, I advertised for a CP too soon. While I've been reading and getting feedback to her timely, I haven't provided my pages. First technical problems interferred with my deadline then I found new problems with the book that need to be fixed. So I feel bad that the book will be so late she may have other things to do by then. Also, I should be getting said book to my agent in a week or two, and I'm so worried. What if it isn't as good as the first one? Also, I can't afford to hire a freelance editor this time which I did for the first one, so I'm really hoping my CP and I catch all of the typos/grammatical errors.

So what are your insecurities today?