Category: Books (Page 41 of 81)

Top Five Couples Facing Strife from Kai Strand Author of FINDING THOR

July 23, 2015 / Katie L. Carroll

Returning guest poster, who also happens to be one of my favorite writing buddies who I haven’t yet met in person, Kai Strand is here today with a really fun post and a look at her YA romantic suspense FINDING THOR. Welcome, Kai!

Kai Strand’s Top Five Couples Facing Strife

When it comes to book couples, if your romance reading experiences are anything like mine, you will often like one of the characters more than the other. I find I’m pretty hard on the heroines and almost always drawn to the bad boy. (Thank goodness not in real life…oh wait, maybe he sort of was then. Dang it!)

Anyway, today I want to share with you five of my favorite books where I actually liked BOTH the hero and the heroine. Plus I wanted to add the little caveat that in their stories they are facing a lot of strife. Whether it be an epic journey, a seemingly insurmountable task, or unbeatable bad guy, whatever the strife, it is a real enough part of their relationship to be able to muck it up.

Here we go:

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson– I can’t even tell you how much I loved this series. The culture Carson made up is fabulous. The journey, the strife, it’s all biblical proportions. But, I truly enjoyed Elisa and Hector’s relationship (though it doesn’t really develop until the 2^nd book), as well as liked them individually. Oh Hector!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor– While Karou and Akiva can both be frustrating it made them more real and believable in such an extraordinary setting. Plus the writing and the story line are delicious.

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles– The only contemporary on my list (interesting!) and their strife is a very real and relatable one. Prejudice. Brittany and Alex really force each other to grow and they really sizzle.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare– Tessa is a kick butt character and Will is her equal, plus he’s swoony. For the record, imho, they make a way better couple than Clary and Jace, though I love The Mortal Instruments too.

Angelfall by Susan Ee– Penryn is another kick butt character. From the get go. And Raffe jumps right out of the pages and makes you want to help him – even though he’s so capable.

For more book recommendations, friend me on Goodreads. I’d recommend any of the books I’ve rated four and five stars!

Bonus Rec: I’d also recommend my very own YA romantic suspense, Finding Thor. Neither Cara nor Nik are looking for, or even want, a relationship. But when Cara asks, “Why me?” Nik replies:

I don’t understand why you either.” His palm brushed gently against her cheek, his fingers twined under her hair. In a low, growling voice he whispered, “But I can’t help myself.”

*Swoon*

Here’s more about the book:

Tragedy has left Cara Cassidy broken and the only thing keeping her from giving in completely is her guilt. Until Nik Rock.

Nik stirs up feelings in degrees she has never experienced, and causes her to do things that most assuredly give him the wrong impression – like kiss him before their first date. Somehow, he breaks down the walls around her emotions until she has no choice but to forgive herself and feel again.

But a mysterious, troubled past follows Nik, and Cara may prove to be his weakest link.

When a royal princess shows up looking for Nik, and an international gang arrives looking for missing jewels, Cara lands in mortal danger. Will she be able to save herself? What will happen to her newly repaired psyche if she loses Nik?

Romance, mystery, and high stakes – just another day in high school.

About the Author:

When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and a short story blog, Lightning Quick Reads, Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

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Cover Reveal for the Contempoary Romance SUMMER HAIKUS by SJ Pajonas

July 17, 2015 / Katie L. Carroll

Today is the cover reveal for Summer Haikus by SJ Pajonas. This cover reveal is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours.

Summer Haikus (Happily Ever Asia)
by SJ Pajonas
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Multicultural Romance
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: August 6, 2015

Blurb:
“When it comes to fight or flight, I always choose to run like hell.”

Isa planned the perfect summer:
Tokyo and the Summer Olympics — check.
Helping her best friend prepare for the marathon — check.
Forgetting she’s in love with Masa — double check.

But when Isa’s mother is hospitalized, she has to abandon her summer plans to run the family’s Tokyo business. Masa’s offer to help makes it impossible for Isa to ignore him — and the firecracker kiss they shared half a world away. Everyone expects the world of her, but the pressure to please them all is as oppressive as the Tokyo summer heat. The simplest answer to all her problems? Run.

You can find Summer Haikus on Goodreads

You can pre-order Summer Haikus here:
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble
– Kobo
– iBooks
– All Romance eBooks

You can request a copy of Summer Haikus for review on NetGalley

Excerpt:

“You know, your mother wears a kimono every day when she works here.” Poor Reiko, roped into helping me get dressed in one of my mother’s kimonos, sighs as she places small cushions on my back and wraps obi fabric over them, sometimes pulling so hard, I jerk and nearly fall over.

“Really?” I take a deep breath as my body is constricted, first with the heavy silk fabric and then the obijime cords.

She nods as she faces me and evens out the line of obi across my front. “Yes, and this kimono is too old for you. You’re not married and should wear furisode kimono with longer sleeves.”

I frown down at the cream colored kimono and forest green obi. “I don’t have my own kimonos.”

“Nonsense.” Reiko puffs air between her lips and waves. “I’m sure your mother has some for you stored away. All mothers do that.”

I don’t want to remind Reiko that I grew up in the US and my mom lived there for over twenty years. If she did buy kimonos, I doubt they were for me.

“Thank you, Reiko-san,” I say, bowing and changing the subject. “I appreciate your help.”

I press my hands against my stomach, quashing the butterflies dancing around, and take a deep breath. Well, as deep as possible since there’s only so much freedom I have in a kimono like this.

“Remember to take small steps and don’t let the bottom of the kimono flop open.”

I nod my head at her as we leave the office. The front lobby is quiet, but I’m ready to greet guests early. My duty is to stand at the door, bow and talk to each person as he or she enters the banquet room. I touch my hair to make sure it’s still in place, swept to the side with an elegant silver comb, keeping my long bangs away from my face. I stick my head in the banquet room, and both sides of the long space are lined with floor cushions and small tables where we will serve food and sake. The woman we hired to play shamisen is setting up her instrument at the far end.

My phone in my obi buzzes so I pop it out and find a text from Halley. “Off the train and in a cab. Be there soon.”

Good. Everyone is on time!

“Wow,” Masa says, approaching me from the back room. His warm smile makes me start to sweat. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen you in a kimono.”

“It’s a little strange. I haven’t worn one in years.”

“You look…” He falls to a stop only a foot from me before he jams his hands in his pockets.

“How do I look?” I whisper, wanting desperately to hear his opinion. I want to believe the pens were the opening salvo of a Masa assault to woo me, and he’s just warming up to the idea of us taking our friendship to more romantic levels.

Please, God. I want to be wooed!

“Isa!” Halley squeals, walking through the front door of the ryokan and shucking her shoes in exchange for the house slippers. “You look gorgeous! You haven’t worn a kimono since we were kids.”

She comes to hug me and I curse her timing. Masa was just about to say something to me. If he had complimented me, I would have reached for his hand. Now we’re three feet apart and my best friend is between us.

“Masa,” Halley says, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. His whole face blushes. “Good to see you outside of the 7-11.”

I envy Halley, the sinful feeling blossoming to jealousy quickly. She can do no wrong. Here she is, kissing Masa on the cheek and immediately claiming all the attention in the room as other people turn to look at her. Yet, she doesn’t even try to do this. It’s natural to her.

“Halley,” Masa says, nodding at her. “I didn’t realize you were coming tonight.”

“Isa must have forgotten to mention it.” She smiles and checks her phone.

“It slipped my mind with everything else going on. Halley, I’m in this seat by the door. Do you want to sit next to me or closer to the shamisen player?”

Halley glances from me to Masa, and they stare at each other for a heartbeat.

“I’ll sit on the opposite side of the room across from you. Masa, you should sit next to Isa.” She squeezes my arm, winks at me, and heads inside to sit at her spot. My face bursts into flames.

“You don’t have to sit next to me if you don’t want to,” I choke out, barely able to squeeze the words from my throat. All the easiness of our usual days falls away, and I feel like a helpless lovesick puppy. I blame the kimono. The kimono changed our whole dynamic.

Masa releases his hands from his black trousers and lets the gray, striped, button-down shirt fall over his waist. He steps forward into my personal space, glancing around at the people beginning to gather in the lobby and lounge, and takes my hand in his. The contact is electric, so charged I inhale sharply and hold my breath.

“I was going to say that you look beautiful,” he whispers. He squeezes my fingers in his and gently lets go. I let out my held breath and tremble as his fingers sweep across the skin of my wrist and up my inner arm. He grasps my elbow lightly and leans in to close his eyes and rest his forehead against mine for a brief moment.

I stand absolutely still, unwilling to move and break this spell. Quiet men say things with gestures, and oh, I am listening as hard as I can.

Soft steps on the wood floor startle us, and we jump apart. Masa keeps his eyes on the room and away from me as he sits down in the spot next to mine. I glance at Halley and she raises her eyebrows at me. She saw it. I didn’t just imagine Masa being that close to me.

I falter for a moment, not remembering where I am or what I was doing. Right. I’m a hostess. I smile at the guest approaching the door and motion him inside, welcoming him and everyone behind him into the room. I bow and gesture so much, my back begins to hurt, and I haven’t even gotten to the stressful part yet.

About the Author:
Stephanie (S. J.) is a writer, knitter, amateur astrologer, Capricorn, and Japanophile. She loves foxes, owls, sushi, yoga pants, Evernote, and black tea. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing or spending time outside, unless it’s winter. She hates winter. Someday she’ll own a house in both hemispheres so she can avoid the season entirely. She’s a mom to two great kids and lives with her husband and family outside NYC. They have no pets. Yet. When it comes to her work, expect the unexpected. She doesn’t write anything typical.

You can find and contact SJ Pajonas here:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads
– Pinterest
– Instagram
– Tumblr
– Youtube
– Wattpad
– Amazon Profile
– Newsletter

Avon Library YA/Teen Author Night Wrap-Up

July 9, 2015 / Katie L. Carroll

Had a inspiring evening at the Avon Free Public Library’s Local Author Festival Teen/YA Night where Steven Parlato, Cindy L. Rodriguez, Anissa Zucker, and I dished on the “Reader Experience.”

20150630_204006 - Copy Due to an unfortunate wrong turn, my mother-in-law (who graciously kept me company during the hour-long rive to Avon) and I barely made it in time for the event. Which was important because I was the first one to speak!

I discussed what I like to call the creative gap (something I’ve blogged about before here), in which I confessed that I’m a failure as a writer (I’m not really a failure…read the blog post to see what I mean). Basically, there is a gap that exists between a writer’s creative vision and what ends up on the page, a failure of the medium of the written word, but the reader is there is fill in that gap with their own imaginations. I ended my talk by reading a short excerpt from my YA fantasy ELIXIR BOUND.

Then Steven took over with a short excerpt from his YA novel THE NAMESAKE. He shared his thoughts on writing dark material for young readers and the importance of infusing humor into it. He shared “the good, the bad, and the ugly” of what readers have said about his book.

Cindy, who teaches reading to middle schoolers, very eloquently spoke about reluctant readers. She included a passage from her YA novel WHEN REASON BREAKS, in which students are reading and discussing one of Emily Dickinson’s poems. She introduced us to the “Reader’s Bill of Rights” created by Daniel Pennac, which I had never heard of but will definitely be thinking about as I read and write in the future.

Finally, Anissa rounded out the evening by asking 20150630_200344 attendees what their favorite books were growing up. She talked about how THE LITTLE PRINCE by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry what stories had a huge influence on her as a child and also when she started writing as an adult. She read from both her blog and her YA novel THE TRUE STORY OF SANTA CLAUS.

Then we had time to hang out, sign books, and talk with attendees. I caught up with a few new writer friends I connected with at the New England SCBWI Conference in April, and found out that one of them who attended my revision workshop has brought the techniques I taught back to her writing group (yay!). I also sold a few books (another yay!) and talked with a few new readers.

TeenYAAUthors2015

The librarians at the Avon Library were so super organized that all us authors had to concentrate on was our presentations, and I think we nailed it. The librarians said they were going to tell the authors in the other groups that we held the audience captive and were the group to beat. Thanks so much to librarians Tina Panik and Cyndi Larsen and to my fellow authors for an amazing evening!

TRAVELERS by Meradeth Houston Cover Reveal and Giveaway

July 6, 2015 / Katie L. Carroll

Super excited to bring you this cover reveal and giveaway for one of my bestie writing buddies Meradeth Houston. Let’s give her a big congrats on the gorgeous cover for her upcoming YA time-travel novel TRAVELERS!

TRAVELERS Blurb:

Sienna Crenshaw knows the rules: 1) no time traveling beyond your natural lifetime, 2) no screwing with death, and 3) no changing the past. Ever. Sienna doesn’t love being stuck in the present, but she’s not the type to break the rules. That is, she wasn’t the type until her best friend broke every one of those rules to keep Henry, her twin brother and Sienna’s ex-boyfriend, alive.

Suddenly, Sienna is caught in an unfamiliar reality. The upside? Henry is still alive. The downside? Sienna’s old life, including the people in it, has been erased. Now, Sienna and Henry must untangle the giant knot in time, or her parents and all the rest of the Travelers, will be lost forever. One problem: the only way to be successful is for Henry to die.

Release Date: August 4^th, 2015

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25815070-travelers

About the Author:

I’ve never been a big fan of talking about myself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about me:

>I’m a California girl. This generally means I talk too fast and use “like” a lot. Since I now live in Montana, sometimes this is a problem.

>I have my doctorate in molecular anthropology. Translation: I sequence dead people’s DNA and spend a whole lot of time in a lab, which I love.

>I’ve been writing since I was 11 years old. It’s my hobby, my passion, and I’m so happy to get to share my work!

>My other passion is teaching. There’s nothing more fun than getting a classroom of college kids fired up about anthropology! This is probably a good thing, since my day job requires me to teach at the local university.

>If I could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because I’m terrified of heights.

Find Meradeth Houston online at:

www.MeradethHouston.com

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Amazon, Goodreads, and of course her blog!

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Anissa Pesce Zucker on The Feed: A Brilliant Satire for the Next Generation

June 19, 2015 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve got a great in-person event coming up at the Avon Public Library on June 30 at 7:00 pm. Steven Parlato, Cindy Rodriguez, Anissa Pesce Zucker, and I will be discussing the “Reader Experience” and offering our books for sale at the Teen/YA Author Night. It’s shaping up to be a really fun program. And today, I have Anissa, author of THE TRUE STORY OF SANTA CLAUS, with some thoughts about FEED by M.T. Anderson. Welcome, Anissa!

The Feed : A Brilliant Satire for the Next Generation

by Anissa Pesce Zucker

What if our brains were constantly connected to the internet via a micro-chip implant? This satire depicts the nature of humanity and its ominous connection with technology. Have we become too close? Here is a story that interweaves concepts from Huxley’s “Brave New World”, with coming of age novels like “Star Girl” and “Catcher in the Rye.” The pacing of this novel is quick and engaging. The dumbed down language of the teenagers can be confusing at first, but after the first few chapters, you being to understand all the made up slang words. This novel is STARKINGLY close to a not too distance future. This prophetic story exposes a dark undertone of what society would look like if we become too dependent on the internet and what truths could be exposed by those that rebel against THE FEED…

This book has become a hit at Canton High School. Student’s love reading this book and I believe it should be incorporated into the English Curriculum. It’s a modern day coming of age novel following one boy, Titus, and his attraction to a girl who is fighting THE FEED. Violet, is a smart, sassy, beautiful girl who challenges Titus to try to think for himself. He doesn’t change much throughout the story, which I liked because it made it more believable for the time period, rather than have the cheesy “girl saves boy” kind of ending. The kids enjoy this because the language veers closely to text language and the pacing of the story is engaging and captivates the reader. The satire style along with the prophetic and political undertones make the story exciting to even the most reluctant reader!

THE TRUE STORY OF SANTA CLAUS blurb:

Every child has indulged in a fantasy world. It’s part of our human development. But there comes a time in one’s life where we begin to question everything and that fantasy slowly fades away, leaving us with only ripples of confusion between what is real and what is “make believe”. Darlene is getting older and starting to wonder about the mystery behind Santa Claus. She wonders, “How on earth can one man travel around the world on one night and deliver all those presents?” and “do reindeer really fly?” and “do elves really make toys in the north pole?” When she confronts her mother with some of these questions, her mother decides it’s time for her to hear the real story of Santa Claus, passed down from generation to generation. The story of how the “Santa Tree Organization” began fascinates Darlene and her curiosity only grows stronger every night her mother reads to her and she asks more and more questions. As the truth slowly unravels, she feels a sense of pride knowing she now knows the truth and it’s not as grim as what her classmates tried convincing her, which was that there was no Santa Claus. But what will she do with this knowledge? One thing is known for sure, Santa will not leave her alone with her pride. She will be assigned a special mission just like her mother was when she was coming of age. Where will that mission take her and what will she learn along the way? This story within a story captures the innocence of childhood and the magic of Santa, in a way never revealed before! Shh! the secret is out, only to those ready to hear the message. True magic and the spirit of giving come together in the heart of an adolescent girl searching for the meaning of Christmas.

About the Author:

Anissa Pesce Zucker, M.ed. resides in New Hartford, Connecticut with her husband, David, their daughter, Melody Anne, and their coon hound mix, Reece. She holds a master’s degree in Literacy Education and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology / Counseling. She works as a Language Arts Consultant at Canton High School. Her first solo publication was a poetry book titled, “Fearless Expressions: A Time for Us” (2011). Her hobbies include outdoor adventure/traveling, tennis, yoga, knitting, reading, writing poetry & the practice and teachings of the martial arts- Mu-Shin-Do.