The Sowing blog Tour, Excerpt and Giveaway!

The Sowing
Author:   K. Makansi 
Release Date:  August 19th 2013

ISBN: 9780989867108

Pages: 372

Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult

 

Amazon    Barnes and Noble

Summary
Remy Alexander was born into the elite meritocracy of the Okarian Sector. From an early age, she and her friends were programmed for intellectual and physical superiority through specialized dietary regimes administered by the Okarian Agricultural Consortium. But when her older sister Tai was murdered in a brutal classroom massacre, her parents began to suspect foul play. They fled the Sector, taking their surviving daughter underground to join the nascent Resistance movement. But now, three years later, Remy’s former schoolgirl crush, Valerian Orleán, is put in charge of hunting and destroying the Resistance. As Remy and her friends race to unravel the mystery behind her sister’s murder, Vale is haunted by the memory of his friendship with Remy and is determined to find out why she disappeared. As the Resistance begins to fight back against the Sector, and Vale and Remy search for the answers to their own questions, the two are set on a collision course that could bring everyone together—or tear everything apart.

 

Excerpt
The screen goes dark. Eli must have decided he’d had enough. I relax my shoulders and slump in my seat. Soren turns to me with a spiteful glare.

 “They’re putting their prized hound on the scent. One mistake, Remy, and we’re all dead. They take everything. All our sacrifices will be for nothing. Thousands more will be poisoned, manipulated, turned to slaves. You better not fucking give us away just because Valerian Orleán is in the game now.”

He won’t give up, will he?

“Vale is nothing to me. And he, I guarantee, has forgotten I even exist.” I’m trying to stay calm, staring straight ahead, refusing to meet Soren’s eyes.

“Right.” He snorts.

“Soren, she gets it,” Jahnu says.

“You’ve had everything done for you your entire life,” Soren spits back at me, ignoring Jahnu entirely. “If Tai hadn’t been murdered, you would never have left. You’d still be back in the Sector with Vale.”

Without realizing it, I’m standing over Soren, my fists balled at my side.

“We gave up everything to join the Resistance—” I hiss.

“Look around you. You’re not the only one.”

 “I know that, Soren! It’s not about who made the choice to leave the Sector—it’s about the fact that we’re here now, together. We have to fight together. Stop treating me like I’m some stupid little girl who’s going to go soft over a teenage crush. I’m a member of your team!”

“You guys have to stop going at each other,” Jahnu pleads. “Everyone here has lost someone. Everyone has given up something. We’re all in this together.”

Soren just stares at me. He glances at Jahnu and his eyes, cold and blue as rare glacier ice, soften a bit.

“Sometimes I wonder.”

Author

K. Makansi is the pen name for the writing triumvirate consisting of Amira, Elena, and Kristina Makansi. Two sisters and their mother, the three women developed a passionate interest in science fiction as a way to write about issues of food sovereignty and food justice. Elena is pursuing a degree in environmental studies at Oberlin College in Ohio, and will graduate in May of 2014. Amira was a history student at the University of Chicago whose day job working in the cellar of a winery (and constantly being splattered with wine) keeps her busy when she’s not writing. And Kristy owns and operates Blank Slate Press, an independent publishing company based out of St. Louis, and is a partner at Treehouse Publishing Group, a company providing editorial and design services to aspiring authors. When not writing or reading, the three can be found having animated discussions around the dinner table, sharing a good bottle of wine, or taking long walks in the park eagerly plotting out their next book.

Author Links:

http://theseedstrilogy.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7173640.K_Makansi

https://www.facebook.com/TheSeedsTrilogy

https://twitter.com/akmakansi

 Giveaway
Open internationally
25$ Amazon Gift Card
Signed copy of The Sowing 

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Touching the Moon book Tour

Touching the Moon
Author:  Lisa M. Airey
Release Date:  November 11th 2012

ISBN: 978-1-938436-05-5

ASIN: B00A6GM0X8

Pages: 272

Genre: Paranormal Romance,
Suspense

Amazon     BN

Summary

A gifted healer with a genetic secret and a haunted past, Julie Hastings takes her new veterinary degree to South Dakota hoping to bury memories of a physically abusive stepfather and unprotective mother.

Although intending to lead a quiet life, she finds herself relentlessly pursued by two unwelcome suitors: the Chief of Police and a powerful member of the Sioux Indian Nation.

The man she chooses shatters her world-view.

Her stepfather taught her that not all monsters run on four legs. Now Julie must face another truth—some beasts are good.

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/-4drhhDLcSU

 Chapter One Excerpt

Julie saw the wolf out of the corner of her eye. It trotted into the zoo enclosure with the pure unadulterated confidence of the consummate alpha male. His fur was a beautiful black-tipped gray and he moved on feet the size of horse’s hooves. From the ankle down he could have been a Clydesdale with claws.

The zoo community had affectionately named him “Big Foot” in tribute to the size of his paws, but the zookeepers were more mindful of his teeth. The animal had a mouthful of lethal incisors and he loved to curl his lips back to expose them.

The rest of the pack loped playfully behind him, nipping at each other’s flanks or herding one another into the retaining wall that separated their living quarters from zoo patrons. They hopped over each other’s backs like dolphins in the surf. They yelped and grunted and barked with delight. They had been removed for medical examinations earlier in the morning and were happy to be back into the “man-made wild”.

She saw the lead wolf catch her scent just as she heard a small child point her out.

“Mommy, there’s a lady down there with the wolves.”

The pack had not been scheduled to return to the enclosure until 3 p.m. She glanced down at her watch. It read 1:35 p.m. She swallowed hard. It had read 1:35 p.m. last time she had checked too.

Safety protocol demanded an enclosure check before animals were returned to their habitat. There had been no safety check.

There were anxious voices above her, but the cacophony paled to the exploding pulse she heard in her ears. She stood rooted to the spot, her eyes wide as the lead wolf pivoted his head in her direction, nostrils flared.

Her eyes locked upon the hungry fire that burned within his dark pupils. There was silent communion between them. He was hunter. She was prey. Both of them acknowledged that she was dead meat.

The animal cut in her direction without so much as breaking stride, the rest of the pack in tow. His lips curled back as he approached her--a low, menacing growl rising from deep within his chest like the first portentous rumblings of an active volcano. The pack fanned to the left and right, flanking him, encircling her.

She didn’t want to die like this. She didn’t want to be ripped to shreds in front of an audience of pre-schoolers and soccer moms.

Big Foot stretched his neck out toward her, sniffing loudly, sniffing deeply. The other wolves did the same. In an instant, little tremors wracked her petite frame. She was doing her very best to remain immobile, but she was shaking visibly now.

The alpha wolf watched her intently, then did something totally unexpected. His lips rounded into a perfect ‘O’ and he howled softly and sadly into the circle.

There was a moment of complete silence when he finished. Even the shrieking children had quieted.

Above her, she heard truck doors slamming and the quick scuffing of heavy feet across concrete.

“Tranquilizer darts,” someone commanded.

She heard a rifle load. Two. Three.

Big Foot howled again. Then, one by one, the other wolves joined the lament. She dropped her sampling tools and hugged herself as a series of small popping sounds were followed by surprised yelps.

“Reload.”

Three animals sank to their haunches. More popping sounds, then another three sank slowly to the ground, their voices silenced mid-howl. Big Foot bolted forward, stopped a few feet in front of her, then ambled slowly in her direction.

He turned toward his right hindquarters when the tranquilizer dart struck, but he whipped his head back around immediately, his eyes on Julie.


She heard a pistol click. Real bullets now.

“Don’t hurt him,” she shouted as a cold nose touched the back of her hand. The animal whined softly, his breath hot and moist upon her. He wrapped a pink tongue around her thumb then released it.

Several zookeepers were in the enclosure now, racing toward her, their pistols armed and at the ready.

Slowly, the animal collapsed at her feet. Slowly, Julie sank to her knees. Everything was going dark.

She looked up. The sun was like a full moon in the night sky. She drew a shallow breath, then plummeted to the earth like a meteor.

Release Date: November 2012
Publisher: Aakenbaaken & Kent, NY
Available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Author

Lisa has worked in the wine industry for 20 years, the most recent eight in education with the Society of Wine Educators and the French Wine Society. In these roles, she has authored and/or edited wine study manuals and developed or expanded certification programs for the wine trade.

In her free-time, she writes fiction...naturally, with a glass of wine at the elbow.

She is a Maryland Master Gardener and puts that training into practice in her sizable vegetable garden. To assist her, she has recruited the services of a very helpful staff: two Chinese geese, two mini-Rex rabbits and 2,000 red wigglers (worms)…all of which are “master composters”. An adopted feral cat guards the perimeters and keeps the groundhogs at bay. She resides in Monkton, Maryland.

www.lisamairey.com

http://www.lisamairey.com/blog.php

Twitter: @LisaMAirey

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-M-Airey/435564216488832

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6622769.Lisa_M_Airey

http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-M.-Airey/e/B00B9D3TIM/

 

My name is Rapunzel Week Blitz and Giveaway

My Name is Rapunzel - Week Blitz

By K.C. Hilton

Young Adult Fantasy / Fairytale / Folklore

Date Published: 11/23/2013

My tale has been told again and again, and I've heard each one. Except for my hair, I barely recognize the pitiful renditions. Muddled versions, crafted to entertain laughing children...but the children wouldn't have laughed if they'd known the real story. It wasn't their fault. They didn't know the truth. Nobody did. My name is Rapunzel. I will tell you my story. I will tell you the truth.

EXCERPT

Just go, Henry. Save yourself. I tried to shout, but my mouth wouldn’t give way to sound. I was paralyzed. Was it with fear, or something else? The cackling witch at the tree line convinced me it was her doing.

I heard Henry continue to shout for me to flee, but I didn’t respond. I didn’t move. I didn’t run. I was frozen like a lifeless statue in a cold museum. With only the movement of my eyes, I pleaded with him to help me. A tear escaped one of my eyes then rolled down my cheek. That single tear managed to do what my heart and body could not. Escape.

Fear, like unseen hands, gripped my lungs and tried to crush them slowly. My stomach churned and threatened to empty. Would we die here?

The gentle chill of night had turned into a mid-winter’s frost. Tiny bumps rose on my arms and the small hairs prickled to attention. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words remained trapped in my throat.

K.C. Hilton

Born and raised in Aurora, Illinois I spent my childhood playing street games with the neighborhood kids. When I wasn't outside, I spent much of my time reading and getting lost in adventurous worlds and whirlwind courtships. At the age of seventeen, I moved to Kentucky and eventually began to raise a family of my own. I have always been entranced by stories of magical adventure and I have discovered that writing is an entirely new, exciting adventure all on its own! In my spare time, I can be found updating my website or blog, finding great books to read or watching videos. Most days I crave Diet Coke, pizza and chocolate, in no particular order. I have my own pink toolbox with pink tools and secretly want to be a mechanic! I grew up a tomboy. But, when I didn't want to climb a hill, to walk through the graveyard, the boys said I turned into a girl.

Author Links

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | YouTube

 Buy Links

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Book Depository

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Watcher of Worlds Book Blitz

Watcher of Worlds (Whispering Woods #3)

by Brinda Berry

Release Date: 12/17/13

Summary from Goodreads:

Senior year should bring fun, friends, and happiness. Not portals, treachery, and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Mia Taylor, gatekeeper to an interdimensional portal, wants nothing more than to heal from her romance gone wrong. Illegally falling for her co-worker Regulus had been a huge mistake. But when Regulus goes rogue to hunt down a murderer, Mia must forget her broken heart and use her unique abilities to save him. Traveling across dimensions, she enters a strange and hostile world where a rebel faction holds the key to their escape. Her gift of synesthesia is in high demand, and a secret organization of the otherworldly kind has her in their sights. But sabotage and murder may be the least of her worries. Her ex-boyfriend wants a relationship. Her dad wants her to act normal. Her friends want her to stop moping. Who knew faking happy would be the easiest part of senior year?

Available from:

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Kobo

Excerpt

We walked to the area where the portal had taken up residence. The portals in Whispering Woods changed according to moon phases and I had the lucky job of locating where the next one would appear. The identification of a portal had gotten exponentially easier. It pulled at me. Breaking up with Regulus must have helped me to focus my senses on things other than him.

My skin always tingled within a hundred-foot radius of the portal. Not enough to make me break a sweat, but enough to make me feel uneasy. Fifty feet away, I’d taste fizzy cola, the vibrations of the portal seeping into my mouth. Ten feet away, I’d see the shimmer of the envelope around the portal. A beautiful wave of compressed air dressing the portal’s opening.

In different circumstances, it would have been inspirational, vast, or mysterious, like looking into the Grand Canyon with binoculars but with a more powerful lens.

I might even miss this. I sighed and hoped Arizona hadn’t heard it. Portal detection was like scoring extra life points in my favorite video game—easy if you knew the key.

About the Author

Brinda Berry lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She has a BSE in English and French and a MEd in Learning Systems Technology. She's terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality. She doesn't mind being called a geek or “crazy dog lady”. When she's not working the day job or writing a novel, she's guilty of surfing the internet for no good reason.

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