The Uniqueness of First Kisses in #Romance Novels

A lovely first kiss from the movie Seven Pounds

Kissing on the mouth is basically two sets of lips smooshed together, sometimes the tongue gets involved. What amazes me about reading a kissing scene, particularly the first kiss, is that no matter how many times I’ve read it described, it always seems new.

Not once have I ever read a kissing scene and said, “Bleh, Debbie Christiana described it like this in Solstice or “This is the exact same kiss from The Chocolate Run by Dorothy Koomson.”

No matter how many novels I've read, the description of the first kiss is fresh. Why?

To be honest I don’t think my memory is all that great to remember every single first kiss in the thousands of books I've read.  But I also think it’s because each book is an individual creation. The characters are all different, the situation is unique, and the interactions are distinct to that couple making the kiss something new altogether.

Have you ever read a kissing scene and remembered it from another book?

Do you overuse this word in your #writing?

One of the best pieces of advice I ever read came from a literary agent question and answer page about how to submit a query. I have no recollection of who the agent was, but her advice stuck with me. She said that before sending in any work, look it over and  check for the word ‘that.’ It is an overused word which most times can be removed and have no affect on the sentence.

Taken from http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=that&FORM=HDRSC2#a

She told the writers to read the sentence out loud without the word ‘that’ in it. If the sentence needed the word then it could be replaced with which or something else. But sometimes ‘that’ is the best word.

I went through my WIP and saw that I had gravely overused the word.  A major thatectomy was undertaken. I was surprised such a small change could make a huge difference in the word count.

Is there a word you overuse?  ‘Just’ perhaps? I’m guilty there too.

The Good of #Ghana – The Technology

I was born in Ghana and raised in the US. When it was time for me to come back I’ll admit that I was SCARED. What I was expecting and what I got were two different things. 

I was shocked to learn that everything I could get in the US I was able to obtain in Ghana, even if it was at a higher cost.  Everyone had their own cell phones. Traffic was here too (cars good, traffic not so good).

Osu is one of my favorite hangouts (Frankie's has great pizza)

Accra Mall at night 

Riding in my cousin's car, my eyes  were open wide to the sites she was pointing out as the latest song by Rhianna played on the radio. Joy abounded. 

My phenomenal cousin introduced me to an internet cafe and I almost fell out. Computers, in Ghana for everyone to use? Imagine? Boy was I backward thinking about the country.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all of Ghana is technologically advanced, but the country has all of the creature comforts that I had gotten accustomed to in the US. A person only needs to know how and where to access them, since I am a fast learner, I had no difficulty finding what I needed. And it’s getting easier by the day. 

I hope I have shown you a little piece of modern Ghana. There is more to learn. Did you know Ghana was like this?

The Good of #Ghana – The people

Akwaaba (welcome in Twi). 

I might be a little bit biased, but the people of Ghana rock! Okay, not all of them, but I did promise not to mention the bad or the ugly of Ghana, right?

Ghana boasts of the most hospitable people that exist in the world. This is no lie. We are a super friendly people (for the most part).

My little friend Bea, leading me into my room
(notice the cell phone she's holding for me at her back)

Need directions, no problem, ask and they will direct you if they know where the place is, some people will even go out of their way to take you to your destination.

Need company, no issues there, get up and head over to a friend's house and you will be received, even without a prior phone call (don't try this with me though, I'll pretend I'm not home). 

Most Ghanaians will take the time out of their day to chat. Not just with foreigners but with other Ghanaians too. Loneliness is not really an issue in this country, and I think that's wonderful. 

If you decide to come to Ghana, know that you will be thoroughly welcomed and treated with graciousness and hospitality.

Talking about asses (no, not people who misbehave)

Today we chat about the human ass aka gluteus maximus (minimus in some people’s cases- he he he) aka buttock, shortened to butt. I myself am curious to know why we look at people’s asses. It’s done in romance novels all the time, so I’m right on the romance course with this post.

When a person is walking away from you, tell me that your eyes don’t drift down to see if that behind is jiggly, firm, gigantic, small, inverted, or perfect. For the love of all that is good, tell me that I’m not the only one who sometimes desires to throw a coin at someone’s huge ass just to see how far away it lands after bouncing off. The bigger the ass, the greater the distance? Or is it the firmer the ass the greater the distance.

With that said, I’ll let you all know that I have a big gluteus, so I am totally justified in writing this post.

I’ll leave you with my favorite butt songs of all time. Ross and Rachel sang it to baby Emma to make her laugh and it was hilarious. Take it away Sir Mix A Lot.

Why is the human ass such a fascinating feature?

A glorious week has gone by and it's time to celebrate

Vikki at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author has started a meme where every Friday we post what we are celebrating for the week. Thanks Vikki.

This week I’m celebrating:

1. My birthday month. If you don’t know what that means to me then click here.

2. I taught this week. I love teaching. I'm not looking forward to the day when the students realize they don't have to laugh at all of my jokes.

3. I did a beta read for ‘Nana’s Novella’- not really the title, but I harassed the author (Debbie Christiana) about it so much that she temporarily named it after me. It is the sequel to Twin Flames, which I loved. All I can say is watch out people, this novella is amazing.

4. Once again no violence was applied to anyone by my own hands- I will always count that as something to celebrate.

I wish I could say that I was celebrating a holiday, or two, like people in another country, which shall remain nameless, but it starts with a U and end with an S.

How was your week?

Let’s check out what other people are celebrating for the week?

I’ll Take Care of You

I was listening to the lyrics of I’ll Take Care of You by Drake featuring Rhianna. I could listen to listen to this song all day.  One of the lines caught my attention and screamed BLOG POST!

      

Dealing with a heart I didn’t break

I remember my first serious relationship. He was my heart. I really really really loved this man. I was open and free with him and I thought we were going to get married and live together forever and ever. And then he dumped me and helped me to create my baggage. Baggage that some poor schmuck would have to deal with later when they tried to love me.

 

Drake’s line  summarizes the majority of romance novels that I have ever read. Either the hero or heroine, sometimes both have to break through barriers of the person they love, that they never helped to create. They have to bear the consequences of someone else’s actions in order to love the person their heart has chosen. It doesn’t seem fair. But then again love tends to overcome insurmountable circumstances.

Have you ever had to deal with a heart you didn’t break?

A Kiss to Die For by Gail Barrett: Book Blast and #Giveaway

Gail will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift certificate and either a signed print copy (US ONLY) or an electronic copy of Fatal Exposure (Buried Secrets book one) to one randomly drawn commenter during this tour and her other Super Book Blast on August 27th.

BLURB:

Homeless Army veteran Sullivan Turner is nobody’s hero.  His failure to save his fallen comrades proved that.  So when a gutsy social worker gets caught in a drug gang’s crosshairs, he knows he’s the last man who can safeguard her and the pregnant teenagers she’s trying to protect. 

Former debutant Haley Barnes learned the hard way how to survive.  After witnessing a cold-blooded murder, the terrified teenaged runaway changed her identity and hid to save her life.  But when the killer tracks her down and attacks the girls in the homeless shelter she now runs, Haley knows the time has come to stand and fight.  But to bring down the powerful killer she must confront her high-society family’s darkest secrets -- and convince wounded warrior Sully Turner he’s the hero she believes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt

She tightened her grip on his waist.  His pulse slowing, he closed his eyes, feeling oddly at peace despite the danger hounding their heels.  Maybe it was because she’d suffered as much as he had.  Maybe because she understood how deep a loss like that could sear.  But he realized that he liked being around Haley.  He respected her.  Admired her.

He was falling for her.  Hard.

His stomach sank.  He had no right to pursue her.  He was the last person she needed, unsuitable in every way.  She needed someone who could protect her, defend her, not an unstable wreck like him.

But he couldn’t seem to resist her.  Everything about her impressed him -- her loyalty, her determination to safeguard others, her refusal to run from the enemy dogging their steps.

         

And God help him, but he wanted to feel that again, that idealism, that drive to make a difference in the world, that need to battle the bad guys and keep the defenseless safe.

To be the man that he once was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Gail Barrett is the award-winning author of thirteen romantic suspense novels.  A former RITA® and Daphne finalist, Gail has received the Book Buyer’s Best Award, the Holt Medallion, the Booksellers Best, The National Readers’ Choice Award, and numerous other awards.  She lives with her husband in Western Maryland.  For more information, visit her website: www.gailbarrett.com.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Suspense-Buried-Secrets-ebook/dp/B00BNRHMWI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375097894&sr=1-1&keywords=a+kiss+to+die+for

BN:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-kiss-to-die-for-gail-barrett/1114668433?ean=9780373278367

Follow the tour by clicking on the link below in order to increase your chances of winning.

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/07/virtual-super-book-blast-kiss-to-die.html

The Hourglass by Sharon Struth: Character #Interview and #Giveaway

Today I have the pleasure of hosting fabulous author Sharon Struth as she interviews a character from her novel The Hourglass. Remember to leave a comment to enter to win one of two  $25 Amazon gift cards which she will give away at the end of her tour, which is today.

Hello Nana. Thanks for hosting me on your blog. Today I’m going to interview Brenda. This way your readers can learn a little bit more about what makes the heroine of my book tick.

Meet character Brenda McAllister.

Relationship Psychologist. Bestselling Self-Help Author. Our Heroine in The Hourglass

Sharon: Thank you for joining me today, Brenda.  How’d you end up in The Hourglass?

Brenda: It all started when my best friend and agent, Reggie, insisted I attend a writer’s conference. My second self-help book, Sex in the Middle Ages, had just released. I wasn’t much in the mood to go out in public. A year earlier, I lost my husband to suicide. Besides feeling like a failure because I hadn’t helped him, I sure didn’t feel like an expert on middle-aged folks and their sex lives either. Anyway, on the first day of the conference, I rolled out of bed and decided to get myself a nice latte to help me wake up. I’ll admit I was tired and looked like hell, but then I ran into someone in the lobby and spilled his coffee all over him. *Shakes her head* Just my luck…it’s this big-time author with a major ego and attitude problem. CJ Morrison. His books have been made into movies. Anyway, I learned he has a few anger issues and doesn’t accept apologies too well.

Sharon: At least you wouldn’t have to see the author again.

Brenda: *Rolls her eyes* Are you kidding? Have you heard of Murphy’s Law? Later in the day I was at a table to sign my books and CJ saunters by with—get this—a sexy super-model at least twenty years younger than him hanging off his arm. Ugh, I hate when older men date out of their age bracket. I will admit though, at a second look without spilled coffee, he is pretty hot. Then, when he spotted me, he had the nerve to make a snotty remark about what happened with the coffee. *Brenda snickers* I got the last laugh, though. My dig about his younger girlfriend won’t be forgotten.

Sharon: At least you’ll never have to see him.

Brenda: I’d never get to lucky. Turns out my agent invited him to join us at the conference dinner. She had spoken to his agent about an arrangement to have me help with a character profile in his book. Dinner was awkward, at best, but the worse part was he ignored me while he charmed every other lady who came to our table. I ran into him later at the bar and made a dig that he could be nicer. It went over like a lead weight. *Brenda pauses* Here’s what’s strange, though. The next morning, when I watched his keynote address, my opinion of him changed.

Sharon: Why?

Brenda: His address focused on a climb he took up Mt. Everest. One line stopped me. He said it showed him ways he could deal more with his personal struggles. And that’s when I saw it.

Sharon: Saw what?

Brenda: Sadness. He’s stuck in a place of deep sadness. Something tells me he wants to make himself better but can’t. I could almost relate to him, after what I’ve been through with losing my husband. The psychologist in me needed to know what made CJ tick otherwise I’m not sure I would have kept our work arrangement.

Sharon: Did you find out why he seemed sad? Does it explain his bad behavior the first time you two met?

Brenda: *Cocks her head and grins* Well, I guess you’ll just have to read more to find out.

BLURB:

Can forgiveness survive lies and unspoken truths?

Until Brenda McAllister’s husband committed suicide, she appeared to have the ideal life: a thriving psychology practice, success as a self-help author, and a model family. But her guilt over her affair with Jack’s best friend prevents her from moving on. Did Jack learn of her infidelity? Was she the cause of his death?

The release of Brenda’s second book forces her into an unexpected assignment with arrogant celebrity author CJ Morrison, whose irritating and edgy exterior hides the torment of his own mistakes. But as she grows closer to CJ, Brenda learns she wasn’t the only one with secrets—Jack had secrets of his own, unsavory ones that may have led to his death. While CJ helps Brenda uncover the truth about her husband, she finds the path to forgiveness isn’t always on the map.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Excerpt:

An unexpected gravitational pull swelled Brenda’s anger. Her cute quip ran into hiding. She no longer cared about winning this man’s favor. His rudeness left her feeling as if she’d been doused with hot coffee this time. Brenda clenched her fists. A year of internal browbeating over Jack’s suicide had left her easily irritated.

Brenda gripped the frail edges of her self-control. “I once again offer my apologies for the accident, by definition an unplanned event with lack of intent.” He looked down his sturdy, Grecian nose at her, so she stood and put her hands on her hips. “Shouldn’t you, as a writer, know that?”

Every line on his face tensed. “I could do without your sarcasm.” He leaned closer. “Thanks to you, I missed my meeting. Maybe tomorrow morning you could get room service.”

The brunette unleashed a tight smirk. CJ motioned for them to move on.

Brenda fumbled for a good retort. As he stepped away, the last word went with him. The same way Jack had the last word in their life together. A silent explosion went off inside Brenda’s head and propelled her anger forward.

“Mr. Morrison?” She raised her voice to be heard above the crowd.

He looked over his shoulder and arched a questioning eyebrow.

Brenda crossed her arms and fixed a phony smile as she nodded toward his companion. “It’s so nice of you to bring your daughter to the conference.”

                                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Novelist Sharon Struth believes you’re never too old to pursue a dream. The Hourglass, her debut novel, received first place in the Dixie Cane Memorial Contest and second place in the Golden Heart. She writes from the friendliest place she’s ever lived, Bethel, Connecticut, along with her husband, two daughters and canine companions. For more information, including where to find her published essays, please visit http://www.sharonstruth.com.

Discover more about Sharon Struth here:

Blogs at "Life in the Middle Ages” http://www.sharonstruth.wordpress.com

Website: www.sharonstruth.com

Facebook Author Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sharon-Struth-Author-Page/139641182749036?ref=

OTHER LINKS:

THE HOURGLASS Webpage and Trailer: www.thehourglassnovel.com

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Hourglass-ebook/dp/B00CIX1YDO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366921622&sr=1-1&keywords=Sharon+Struth

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/romantic-nook-books-ebooks/379003088

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thehourglass-1173513-149.html

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Hourglass/book-bZt6Dbk3kkuXEZC0m2PStg/page1.html

 Visit Sharon on her other stops and leave a comment to increase your chances of winning one of the gift cards.

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/05/virtual-nbtm-tour-hourglass-by-sharon.html

Super Sweet Blog Award

I was nominated by Kathy Bosman for the Super Sweet Blog Award. I am so glad you nominated me Kathy, I think is my most favorite award of all.

This award is a great way to discover new blogs. So, let’s share it around and have some fun with it.

So, the rules for those nominated are:

1. Thank and link to the Blogger who nominated you.
2. Answer five super sweet questions. See below…
3. Include the super sweet blogging award in your post.
4. Nominate a baker’s dozen (13) other deserving bloggers (if you can.)
5. Notify your super sweet nominees.

Here are my answers to the questions…

1. Cookies or Cake?

Definitely cake. The hospital I worked at used to make these awesome layered cakes and slice them up. Thick chocolate icing on moist chocolate cake. Great pick me up for a rough night.

2. Chocolate or Vanilla?

I'm not going to justify this with an answer because it's such a dumb ass question.

3. Favourite sweet treat?

Melt in your mouth milk chocolate candy.

4. When do you crave sweet things the most?

Um, all the time. I think I have a problem.

5. Sweet nickname?

No nickname for me, but I wouldn’t mind being called ‘Chocolate Love’ (giggle)

These are my nominees:
Debbie Christiana

Empi Baryeh (she's not much of a sweet eater though)

Readinpleasure (Celestine)

Liv Rancourt

Olivia Linden

L.R. Wright

Aneta Cruz

No obligation to take part but have fun if you do.

Celebrate the small things: Sex (ha ha ha, just kidding)

Vikki at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author has started a meme where every Friday we post what we are celebrating for the week. Thanks Vikki.

Okay so it wasn't fair of me to try to lure you to my blog with talk of sex, but you have to admit that when sex is mentioned, people tend to flock to the blog. One day I'll have to figure out why that is, but for today I'll tell you what I'm celebrating for the week (even though I wish it was sex- you know the great kind with... um, sorry, back to the topic at hand).

This week I'm celebrating friendship. That deep type of friendship that wouldn't break even an earthquake hit, splitting the world into two and you were each on opposite sides of the fault. You would find a way to get back together and then chat and laugh as if you had never been separated. Now that's what true friendship is all about.

By the way I posted this early by mistake. My friend Cathrina and her beach loving early posting ways made me do it.

Is friendship high on your list of things to celebrate?

Since this is a blog hop, let's check out what other people are celebrating this week.

Why I like to KISS It!

Unlike my other posts about kissing this one isn’t about the lip smacking variety. KISS is an acronym for Keep It Short and Simple or when you don’t want to be nice, Keep It Simple Stupid.

Just in case you haven’t noticed, my posts aren’t very long. It’s not because I don’t have a lot to say, but because I’d like to keep the reader's attention throughout the post. How many times have you gone to a blog post and had to scroll and scroll down the page before you got to the end? How many times have you read through those long blog posts? Hmmmm.

Social media expert, Kristen Lamb, advises that a blog post should be less than 500 words. This word count gives the reader enough information without making their eyes cross with too much reading. I’m a direct and to the point person so KISSing comes easy for me (for most posts).

Mwah.

Do you like your blog posts on the longer or the shorter side?

Confession of a new author, but old reader

Every old author was a new one at one point in time. Can I imagine Julie Garwood with her plethora of books trying to get a book deal all those years ago? Or Janet Evanovich trying to pitch her Stephanie Plum series? 

These days it is easier to get published because there are so many publishers around who don’t deal with agents. If a new author can’t get or doesn't want a publisher then self publishing is always an option.

Here is my confession. I am more critical when I read a new author’s book than I am with older authors who have proven themselves already. There, I said it. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love reading new authors. I love supporting their work and writing honest reviews for them. New writers are more accessible than the well established ones. I believe I would fall down in shock if Debbie Christiana- wait wrong list- I meant Terry McMillan sent me a personal e-mail. But I’m in contact with new authors (now insert Debbie) all the time, and I love it because it makes being an author a more attainable goal.

Be warned, new authors, that until you become more established, I’ll be reading your work with a fine toothed comb in hand (does that make any sense? Just be aware.) 

I was so happy when I first heard from her. 
Grinning from ear to ear
 (I love this book, it's actually
her second, I loved the first one too)

I may go fan crazy if she
contacted me. Just a little bit of screaming
 would be involved.

Do you prefer to read new authors or old?

By the way, being a new author and all, My blog tour giveaway is still going on. Enter to win one of three $10 Amazon Gift Cards.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with Tracy Sweeney author of Living Backwards (she's has such a cool #giveaway)

Today the amazing Tracy Sweeney is here for a chat. She will be awarding a key chain that looks like the flask on the cover to three randomly drawn commenters during the tour (US ONLY). 

NP: What made you become a writer?

TS: I think I’m still trying to become a writer!  But I’ve always written—just mainly for my own entertainment.  However, letting the world in on the crazy things that happen in my head is an entirely new experience.

NP: Where did you get the idea for Living Backwards?

TS: I love time travel stories.  But in most cases, the protagonist is trying to change an event that happened in the past.  I wanted to take the point of view of someone who was trying hard not to change the past.  But can you make the same choices you made when you were a kid knowing what you know now as an adult?  I’m such a different person than I was back then.  I know I’d struggle pretending to be my teenage self.  You should have seen my hair.  Such a bad call.

NP: If you could go back in time (any time in history), which year would you go back to and why?

TS: I’m a child of the eighties.  I would love to rock a cool pair of rainbow leg warmers, a high ponytail and a satin jacket to the local roller rink.  Of course, in my mind, I’m not almost forty.  The high ponytail is hard to pull off at my age.  The jacket however…

NP: Other than Living Backwards, what is your favorite book or movie about time travel?

TS: I loved Peggy Sue Got Married.  Maybe I’m biased because I love Kathleen Turner but I think her version of an adult pretending to be a teenager is perfect.  She just needs a flask.

NP: Why a pink flask? (I’m partial to purple myself, but silver is the most common).

TS: Because I think a flask is an accessory and accessories should coordinate and sparkle.  (Purple would have been my second choice.)

NP: Please give an analogy of what writing is like for you.

TS: Writing is like therapy.   A way to quiet the chattering voices in my head.

BLURB:

Twenty-nine-year-old Jillian Cross refuses to believe that a pair of skinny jeans has led to her untimely demise. Life just isn't that cruel. But when an overly-enthusiastic attempt at squeezing herself into them leads her to fall and lose consciousness, she is faced with just that possibility. When she awakens with both a bruised ego and a bump on her head, she's not in her tiny apartment but her childhood bedroom circa 1999-the spring of her senior year in high school. Jillian knows that time travel isn't logical. But then again, neither was her decision to wear skinny jeans. As she attempts to navigate her way through the halls of Reynolds High, walking the same path and making the same choices she made years before, she knows that any change she makes can have a catastrophic effect on her future. But when she strikes up an unexpected friendship with motorcycle-riding, cigarette-smoking Luke Chambers, can she pretend to be the same shy girl she once was? At least she has her pink sparkly flask to take the edge off. One little change won't hurt, right? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

Before I rounded the corner to the rear of the gym, I knew something felt off. I just couldn’t figure out what it was. Turning the corner, I saw that for the first time all year, I wasn’t alone. A girl was sitting on one of the milk crates. Her long brown hair was hiding her face as she bent over. In her hands, dangling between her legs was what looked like a flask. She looked more like someone who belonged at Jonas’s pub than at a high school. The girl hadn’t heard me coming and I was irritated because I just wanted some peace and quiet. Grabbing a cigarette from my pack, I cleared my throat not knowing how else I could get her attention and tell her to leave. She looked up, startled, and nearly knocked the wind out of me. It was Jillian Cross. Jillian Cross was sitting on my milk crate. Behind the gym. In my place. With a flask. And it was pink.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Tracy Sweeney graduated with a degree in Management and Finance but prefers writing ridiculous things to crunching ridiculous numbers. She lives north of Boston, Massachusetts with her two young boys. Her short stories have appeared in Literary Juice, Solecisms and Slice of Life Magazines. Her debut novel, LIVING BACKWARDS, was published in January 2013.  She is currently working on her second novel which will be equally as ridiculous. 

Follow her just about everywhere:

Website

http://www.tracysweeney.net/

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/LivingBackwards

Twitter

https://twitter.com/pink_flask

Goodreads

www.goodreads.com/pinkflask

Tumblr

Pinkflask.tumblr.com

Buy LIVING BACKWARDS

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Backwards-Tracy-Sweeney/dp/1621371867/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360115782&sr=8-1&keywords=living+backwards

Virtualbookworm

http://www.virtualbookworm.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=bookstore&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=living_backwards

Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/living-backwards-tracy-sweeney/1114216279?ean=9781621371861

I'm linking you to an awesome review of Living Backwards on Zee Monodee's blog that I thought was brilliant. Remember to leave a comment and stop by the other blogs on her tour to increase your chances of winning. 

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/06/virtual-nbtm-tour-living-backwards-by.html

Fantastic re-lease of Torn by Christine Hughes

Talented author Christine Hughes has a new publisher and a wonderful new cover for her re-released book Torn. 

Blurb:

With the sudden, mysterious death of her father, Samantha discovers her life isn’t what it seems. Not only isn’t she the normal teenage girl she thought she was, Sam must now take her father’s place in the fight between two groups of fallen angels—the Faithful and the Exiled—in a race to save humanity. In addition to dealing with the devastating betrayal of her friend and her feelings for someone she is forbidden to love, Sam must also fight the growing darkness within her as she struggles to make a choice between fighting alongside the Faithful or succumbing to the temptation of the Exiled. Both sides require sacrifices Sam isn’t sure she can make.

Excerpt:

I knew it was dangerous, but the voice was so tempting...

Samannnnthaaaa...

Unable to speak, I wiped the beads of sweat from my forehead and looked around. I swung my head toward the window and peered outside, searching for the source of the taunting voice. Where was he? The sky had darkened significantly and just beyond the trees I saw a swirling shadow that seemed to pulse. The vegetation surrounding it had withered, becoming gray and lifeless as though the shadow had sucked up all of the energy. A faint hum filled the air, growing louder as the shadow pulsed faster.

Samannnnnnthaaaa...It’s time. Join us.

“Where are you?” I could barely get the words out. “What do you want from me?” This voice had plagued me for months and I wanted to know for sure it was Sebastian, yet the thought of finally knowing, finally seeing him, scared me more than the uncertainty.

The voice chuckled. Join us and I will show you everything.

“Never,” I whispered. “Never. My father died protecting me. I will never come to you.”

Again, a high-pitched and foul laugh rang in my head, making it spin. Dark clouds rolled ominously overhead, the wind picked up and the dull humming became inescapable white noise. Silly girl. You will come to us. You will make the choice. It is your destiny.

Despite my protest, I stepped toward the window then, leaning over the sink, I reached up to unlock it. My reflection was unrecognizable in the glass. My hair was wild and my eyes were huge and black as shadows emanated from within me. Whatever was out there was reaching for me with ghostly fingers, and as I opened the window, a dark mist snaked toward the house. I closed my eyes in giddy anticipation of the unknown.

Purchase at Amazon

Contact Christine at:

http://christine-hughes.com

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