by Nancy Thorne
Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Red Tulip [Romantic Flashes Book 1] by Victoria Adams #Romance @_VictoriaAdams
Red Tulip is a contemporary romance with a hint of mystery. It’s the first book in a series called Romantic Flashes.
Darcy O'Calahann, a junior gardener from a small mid-western town, is trying to make her way in the big city.
Shamus McRae is a wealthy bachelor with a mysterious family past.
Are Darcy's eyes playing tricks on her? Is she losing her mind? Or is there really a Red Tulip tying her and Shamus together?
Excerpt
"When was the last time you were offered the gift of a red tulip?"
I turned to see who spoke while I wondered if he was addressing me. A man sat on a park bench, dressed in a dark suit, with a bowler hat, holding a cane and his head bowed. I shifted to continue along the path when his face lifted and I found myself gaping at two glowing green eyes.
"When was the last time you were offered the gift of a red tulip?"
I blinked, trying to look away from those mesmerising orbs. "Uh, never. I mean, no one has ever offered me a tulip."
"A red tulip."
"Okay, no one has ever offered me a red tulip." Uneasiness slithered through me. "Nice chatting with you."
Smiling, I scurried down the path leading away from the park bench and towards the gardener's shed. With Jacobs being sick today, I had to hurry to get the last of the flower beds cleaned and prepared for spring plantings. The past winter had been bitter. It seemed tree branches and mouse damage wreaked havoc on every one of the one hundred and sixteen different flowerbeds.
I slipped my key into the lock, opened the shed door, stepped inside and shut it behind me. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself a moment to indulge in the beauty of his eyes. Emerald green. As brilliant as the gems locked among the diamonds at Tiffany's. Not that I shop there. Couldn't possibly afford anything on a junior gardener's salary, but I do fantasize when wandering the aisles.
What would it be like to be with a man like that? For those few moments in his presence, I was unable to think. My breath caught in my lungs. My palms were slick with beads of sweat. I shook my head, opened my eyes, and tugged the ever-present hair tie off my wrist. "Get over yourself, Darcy. A man like that wants a super model who can slink around on eight-inch heels. Not someone who digs in the dirt all day."
I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and tucked it through the back hole in my baseball cap. After grabbing a rake and my favourite trowel, I loaded them and a pair of snippers and clippers onto the back of the gardener's cart, opened the big door, then drove out into the bright spring sunshine. Hopping out of the cart, I then turned and hoisted a bag of duck feed into the cart, closed and locked both shed doors.
The buds on the trees had begun to swell. A sure sign spring was at hand. I inhaled deep, slipped onto the driver's seat and turned in the direction of the duck pond. Joy lifted my heart as I drove towards my favourite part of the day: duck feeding.
This time of the year, the drakes courted the ducks. Not like in my life where the drake, namely Justin, was off courting Sabrina rather than me. Okay, so Sabrina had a sexy job as a TV weather girl. But I'm betting those eyelashes, fingernails and boobs aren't original packaging.
I stood by the side of the pond, tossing handfuls of feed into the shallow water. I laughed as the ducks and geese waddled over, scavenging for food.
Movement to my left caught my attention. A large, old car, a Rolls Royce I think, parked at the edge of the lot. The front door opened and a chauffeur exited. Cool. I wonder which celebrity is getting married today?
Although not in full flower, the early spring gardens did make a striking backdrop for wedding photos or model shoots. A tingle shot from my belly to my toes when he stepped out of the car. I turned my head, pretending to focus on the ducks, but I watched as he exited the car, strolled down the grass, sat on the nearest bench and smiled.
Oh, good heavens. Is he following me? Like a stalker? I gave myself a little shake. Don't be stupid. He probably just wants to watch me feed the ducks.
I struggled not to glance back and meet the emerald green gaze. I had a job to do. Brushing my hands against my work pants, I returned to the cart and proceeded with my day.
Twelve flowerbeds cleaned. I was tired, but proud. Tomorrow, Jacobs and I could begin the planting, and soon the gardens would be alive with blooms. As I reached the gardener's shed, I checked to see if, maybe, the Rolls was nearby. Or, possibly the man with the emerald gaze sat on a nearby bench. Both the parking lot and bench were deserted. No one but the ducks and me were in the park at this time of the day.
Sighing, I inserted the key into the lock for the big door and drove the cart inside. A splash of colour on the wooden bench made me gasp. I jumped out of the cart and picked up the note resting beside the flower.
"I offer the gift of a red tulip."
Buy Links
Thursday, November 5, 2015
#NewRelease by @ColleenSMyers - Must Remember is climbing the #Kindle #YA #Teen charts!
Nineteen-year-old Elizabeth ‘Beta’ Camden is a survivor.
When the E’mani—those pale alien freaks—destroy Earth with a plague of madness and scoop up the remains, Beta is one of the ‘lucky’ ones. For years, she endures their tortures, experiments and games. Then one day, she manages to escape their ship with her life, and no memory of her time with them.
Stranded on their world, Beta wanders the mountains, looking for a way home. She stumbles onto the Fost—the E’mani’s ancient enemy. Their war with the E’mani is old and rooted in magic that the Fost once had and the E’mani crave. Magic Beta soon discovers she’s developing along with strange tattoos and disturbing glimpses of her past. The Fost take her in and train her in their ways. As she spends more time with them, she falls in love with their culture and with Marin—he of the hot hands and slit eyes.
But the E’mani took her for a reason and they want her back—dead or alive. If Beta doesn’t remember that reason soon, they’re all going to die.
PG Excerpt:
Oy. No more weekday frat parties for me, no matter how noble the cause, especially when I have a test the next day. What was I thinking? And last minute cramming with a headache was not a good idea either. Forget it. My eyes drifted to the clock.
And now I was late. Damn it. With a sigh, I threw down my pencil and scrambled up, my head throbbing. I traded my Eeyore jammies for skinny jeans and a fitted white t-shirt. Shoes, where were my shoes? Gah. I ducked and rooted around in the deep, dark spaces under my bed. Hmm, the green dress I borrowed from Sarah. Mental note: I need to return that. English book, various dust bunnies of uncertain lineage…there.
Sketchers on, I grabbed my backpack, turned up my iPod, and ran out the door. No time to primp.
Good thing the campus I lived on was small. There was a big central courtyard—the quad—filled with towering oak trees and wide-open spaces surrounded by squat school buildings and classrooms. If I hurried, I’d make it…
I raced into the quad out of breath and slowed, turning in a complete circle.
Huh.
No one around. Unease skittered through me on soft paws. The courtyard was always busy. I pulled my headphones out of my ears. Was there some sort of event I didn’t know about going on?
The unnatural silence pressed in on me for a second as the echoes of my steps faded.
Then screams—men’s and women’s—poured from Main Street. I broke into a run and shot between the buildings toward the sound.
Cars littered the intersection. Some guy rear-ended someone else, causing a chain reaction down the road. A horn blared nearby and a faint breeze blew the smell of gasoline, smoke, and copper my way. Clusters of people stood among the wreckage.
Purchase Links:
Google Books https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Colleen_S_Myers_Must_Remember?id=hYHCCgAAQBAJ
iBooks link available soon - check back!
Let's Get to Know the Author...
Tell us about yourself and the books you have written.
I am a practicing physician, recovering gamer, and veteran who just recently started writing at the end of 2013. My debut novel, MUST REMEMBER, was released in November 2015 from Champagne Books. The sequel to the book CAN’T FORGET will be released in spring 2016. They are both part of the Solum series, set in a world that I created.
What motivated you to begin writing?
I read a beloved author’s book and hated her ending and since I’ve always been an avid reader, I thought to myself many times, “I could write one of these.” I always had the ideas--I just needed to put them down. So, I finally did!
What gave you the inspiration?
As a physician, I know a lot about epidemics. So the first thing I thought of writing about was a post-apocalyptic event, but not a flu. I actually thought of Mad Cows! As with most writers, when you get into the book, the characters and stories take their own paths.
What's planned for the Solum series?
The series is written as a trilogy but I am toying with whether or not to parse it into a space epic/western a la “Firefly.” We will see how that progresses. I am also planning some novellas that will written from the POV of other characters in the books. I also have a website I am creating just for Solum which will explore the lore of this new universe.
What are you working on now?
The third book in this and a new contemporary romance.
What authors have influenced you?
Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Thea Harrison.
What is your favorite book of all time?
The Belgariad series from David Eddings. I love those books.
What is the best advice you have for other new writers?
Keep on swimming...er, writing. You get better the more you write. Publishing now is filled with rejection and you just need to keep on keeping on. Be well read and know what you like and want to write. Then read in your genre and read up on how to write. Then start working. Talent takes you 10% of the way; perseverance takes you the rest.
Short Author Bio:
Colleen plays many roles. Not only is she a veteran, a mother, and a practicing physician, but she is a writer of science fiction and contemporary romances. Colleen’s dreams include surviving her son’s teenage years, exploring every continent on this planet, except Antartica, cause that’s way too cold, and winning the Nobel peace prize. Dream BIG! Currently she is releasing her first novel, MUST REMEMBER with Champagne Books. You can also look for her at Three Rivers Romance Writers.
Author Links:
Website: http://csmyersmusings.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ColleenSMyers
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ColleenSMyers
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/csmyers3637
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Colleen-S.-Myers/e/B016XCBKA2
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