The Collar & the Cavvarach – YA New Release

Posted by on May 11, 2015 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Congratulations, Annie Douglass Lima, on your latest release!

Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire’s most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie’s escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?

What is the Collar for, and What is a Cavvarach?

The story is set in a world very much like our own, with just a few major differences. One is that slavery is legal there. Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone. Any slave attempting to escape faces the dilemma of how and where to illegally get their collar removed (a crime punishable by enslavement for the remover).

Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil. It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with “have a rack”), an unsharpened weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge. Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades. You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.

Want to Find out a Little More? Read the first two chapters on Amazon.

 photo d98dc10f-58c5-463a-9663-37c1bd6c9a52_zpshavbpbar.jpgAnnie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published ten books (one YA action and adventure novel, four fantasies, a puppet script, and four anthologies of her students’ poetry). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.

Connect with the Author Online:

Email: AnnieDouglassLima@gmail.com

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An Excerpt of Unexpected Peril

Posted by on May 7, 2015 in Excerpt | 0 comments

Okay, I finally decided upon an excerpt of Unexpected Peril to share with you. I have to be careful, because I don’t want to give away too much. Y’all know how much I love weaving a web full of surprises, and my latest work holds true to that.

Ready for Kindle pre-order.

Tears of pain came to her eyes as the merman fiercely tried to wrench her free of Gafeen’s grasp. Although the massive warrior fought to keep his hold on her, there were too many to fight off, and he was soon forced to let go.

As she felt her body being pulled from the boat, she mentally shouted, “Finish it! Quickly take the boat to land!” Then darkness surrounded her as she hit the water.

She felt herself being hauled through the water at a rapid speed. Out of fear of drowning, she mentally locked onto the crocodile again and told him to save her.

The merman dragging her through the water lifted her up for a quick breath of air before she was pulled back down. As he took off again, the crocodile swam between them and bit down on her kidnapper’s arm, giving Alissia the distraction she needed to pull away.

Her only thought was to get to land, and although she had night vision, her eyes were not made for the murky water. Nevertheless, she desperately swam through the darkness in the direction she assumed the bank to be located.

A monstrous scream from within Alissia’s head stopped her cold, and her entire body began to convulse in agony. Shortly thereafter, the pain ended, and as her body began to sink, she felt a small sense of satisfaction in knowing it was all over. She would never have to fight and endure life’s challenges anymore.

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Congrats to Krysten Lindsay Hager on her New YA Release!

Posted by on May 6, 2015 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

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Best Friends…Forever? (Landry’s True Colors Series) by Krysten Lindsay Hager

I have always loved reading books that use humor and have realistic (and relatable) characters. I decided to write the book I wanted to read when I was reading YA and I’m overjoyed it’s now a series where people can follow along on Landry’s journey through dealing with friendships, the ups and downs of school, crushes, relationships, and insecurities. Sure, going back to that time in my own life was a little crazy, but lucky for me there weren’t camera phones to capture me dancing in the school talent show…while wearing jean shorts. If you’re not cringing yet, let’s just say I also had a moment of “genius” where I thought my super dark brown hair would look amazing with “Sun-In” highlights that actually turned my hair a lovely shade of copper. Sigh.

The Landry’s True Colors Series is a clean reads young adult series about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image. Best Friends…Forever? was ranked at #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Teen & Young Adult Values & Virtues Fiction and #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Children’s Books on Values. True Colors is an international bestselling book.

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Landry Albright hopes the new year will start off in an amazing way—instead she has to deal with more frenemy issues, boy drama, and having most of her best friends make the cheerleading squad without her. Suddenly, it seems like all anyone can talk about is starting high school next year—something she finds terrifying.

Landry gets her first boyfriend (her crush, Vladi), but then gets dumped just as things come to a head with her friends. She feels lost and left out, but finds good advice about dealing with frenemies from what she considers an unlikely source. Landry faces having to speak up for what’s right, tell the truth (even when it hurts), and how to get past the fear of failure as she gets another shot at competing in the American Ingénue modeling competition. Will she get a second chance with her friends, fame, and Vladi?

Excerpt:

“Landry, it’s gotta be so awkward for you to be going to Vladi’s school next year,” Tori said. “I mean, what if you run into him during the tour?”

“It’s a huge place,ʺ Ashanti said. “People break up all the time. It’s not a big deal.ʺ

Tori raised her eyebrows as if to say, “Yeah, right,” and went back to her sandwich. Meanwhile my delicious homemade soup was no longer sitting well. It never occurred to me Vladi might be around during the first pre‑freshman tour. I would be mortified if I ran into him and he was with a girl. Or worse yet, running into him, and he was with Yasmin. Plus, I hadn’t told my mom about the breakup, so if she saw him, she’d probably go over to talk to him. I could already imagine it: “Landry, Vladi’s here! Hon? Why are you hiding behind the garbage can? Your boyfriend, Vladi, is here. Come say, ‘hello.’ Stop trying to run away. Why is everyone laughing and pointing at you and calling you a ‘loser dumpee?’ What does that mean?”

Well, maybe the world would end and I wouldn’t have to deal with high school or Vladi and my mother running into each other.

****

Sadly, the world did not end, and on Thursday, we all had to go to the high school for a freshman information night from 6 to 9 p.m.

Check out the Book Trailer

 photo Krysten Lindsay Hager_zps0jkkdjv8.jpg Krysten Lindsay Hager is a book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and writes middle grade, YA, humor essays, and adult fiction. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in Southern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite shows. She received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint.

What people are saying about True Colors (Landry’s True Colors Series Book One):

From Teenage Book Recommendations in the UK: “This is a fantastically relatable and real book which I feel captures all of the insecurities and troubles which haunt the modern teenage girl. It is about a young model who has to go through tough times when she is torn between a life as a model and managing her friendships. You learn which friends she can most trust and which will create the drama typical of teenage life. Follow the life of Landry and try to see if you can find out which are her true friends before their true colours are revealed. This book is all about relationships, hopes and truth. I loved this book!”

From Books & Authors Spot: “This book is such an inspiration for those who just care about their looks and are tensed about them. This thing is looks aren’t everything. This book is related to every teen’s problem. Hager has written a very inspiring novel.”

Buy Links:

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Uncharted Inheritance Book Release and Giveaway Celebration!

Posted by on May 5, 2015 in Book Features, Current Giveaways | 0 comments

Congratulations to Keely Brooke Keith on today’s release of Uncharted Inheritance, the third book in the Uncharted Series! This series is written like a historical, set like a scifi, and filled with romance. Uncharted Inheritance concludes this suspenseful story of life in a hidden land.

Keely is a fellow Clean Indie Reads author, so her books hold to certain standards when it comes to the content rating.

 
Lydia Colburn is a young physician dedicated to serving her village in the Land. When injured fighter pilot Connor Bradshaw’s parachute carries him from the war engulfing the 2025 world to her hidden land, his presence threatens her plans, her family, and the survival of her preindustrial society. As Connor searches for a way to return to his squadron, his fascination with life in the Land makes him protective of Lydia and her peaceful homeland, and Lydia’s attraction to Connor stirs desires she never anticipated. Written like a historical, set like a scifi, and filled with romance, The Land Uncharted weaves adventure and love in this suspenseful story of a hidden land.

 

Breaking from the Land’s tradition, Levi Colburn begins to build his own house outside the village—across the road from Mandy Foster to be exact. Though he hopes to marry Mandy someday, she rejected him once and has been unattainable to every man in the village ever since. When rebels tear through Good Springs and abduct Mandy, it’s up to Levi to find her.

Driven to avoid the hour of hollow discontent that routinely plagues her at sundown, Mandy Foster has made choices she regrets. If anyone found out her secret, tradition dictates she would be shunned. She’s learned how to guard her heart, until she accepts the tender care of the one man who truly loves her. But if she admits her love for him, her secret could be exposed.

Romantic, suspenseful, and filled with adventure, Uncharted Redemption weaves dramatic new layers into life in the Land.

 

Bethany Colburn finally turns eighteen and Everett Foster is about to confess his love for her. When a new man arrives in the village of Good Springs, he brings charm Bethany has never encountered and illness the Land has never known. While the medicinal power of the gray leaf tree is put to the test and the Colburn family’s strength is stretched thin, Bethany must learn to protect her true inheritance. Uncharted Inheritance weaves heartbreak and hope while delivering long-awaited answers in this suspenseful story of life in a hidden land.

 

Buy Links:    Amazon    Smashwords    Barnes and Noble    iBooks    Kobo

Audiobook:    Audible    iTunes    Amazon    YouTube sample

Shelf Links:    Goodreads    Shelfari    Fictfact    LibraryThing    ACFW FictionFinder    Authorgraph

 

Author Bio:

Keely is a bass guitarist and lives on a hilltop south of Nashville. When she isn’t writing stories or playing bass, Keely enjoys dancing, having coffee with friends, and sifting through vintage books at antiques stores.

 

Author links:    Twitter    Facebook    Goodreads    Instagram    Pinterest

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