Book Blitz: Corner of Ocean and Bay

Corner of Ocean and Bay by Gina Azzi
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: June 15, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Nessa Moore has sought reliable stability since her father’s death. Now, she’s over it. Tired of always being the mature adult, constantly worrying about her alcoholic mother, stressing about being able to afford college, she wants to have one normal, carefree, fun summer. And be more like her best friend Jacie.

Jacie Hayes is struggling to overcome the recent breakup with her first love. The one that ripped out her heart and left her devastated. Frustrated and bored with her own self pity, Jacie wants nothing more than to forget about Dylan, to go back to her old ways, her old self. To be the fun loving, live-in-the-moment girl who gossips about boys and sips mojitos.

Best friends since childhood, Nessa and Jacie have been through all their ups and downs together. No matter what. Now, the summer before their senior year of high school, they accept an invitation from Jacie’s aunt to join her in Lockwood Quay, New Jersey, a summer beach getaway.

Determined to make this their best, most memorable, summer yet, both girls push their own boundaries, accept new challenges, and find themselves keeping secrets from each other.

But sometimes, stepping out of your comfort zone has consequences.

And some secrets can’t be forgiven.

Or forgotten.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

The unique scent of the ocean, a fusion of sea salt and secrets, blows into the open windows of Jacie’s Jeep Wrangler minutes after we pass the sign welcoming us to Lockwood Quay, New Jersey, population 2,700. The wind whips my hair around my face, tying it in knots, and I breathe in deep, holding the air in my lungs, committing its deliciousness to memory.

I ride shotgun, sitting next to Jacie, as she reaches over and turns up the volume to Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long.” We sing the chorus in unison, Jacie’s fingers tapping the beat on the steering wheel, as we near Aunt Beatrice’s beach house. Jacie throws her arms up, dancing to the music, shaking her head as her long, straight blonde hair snakes down her back.

I immediately reach over and grab the steering wheel. We swerve slightly and the man in an oncoming car blares his horn, giving us the stink eye as he passes. Jacie giggles and waves to him. I join in her laughter as I try to squeeze the panic from my chest, reminding myself that this is my shot at a normal, carefree summer, my chance to have some Jacie kind of fun.

Book Blitz: Naked

Naked by Stacey Trombley
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

A teenage prostitute looking for redemption must face her secrets before they destroy her…

When tough teenager Anna ran away to New York, she never knew how bad things would get. After surviving as a prostitute, a terrifying incident leaves her damaged inside and out, and she returns home to the parents she was sure wouldn't want her anymore.

Now she has a chance to be normal again. Back in school, she meets a boy who seems too good to be true. Cute, kind, trusting. But what will he do when he finds out the truth about her past? And when a dark figure from New York comes looking for Anna, she realizes she must face her secrets…before they destroy her.


♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

It hasn’t really hit me what’s happening until the van pulls up to my old house. It’s big, white, with a full, manicured garden. The Japanese maple tree sitting there, right beside the stone steps that lead up to the wraparound porch, staring at me.

Everything is the same. Except me.

I stand there, looking at the house I fled three years ago. I can’t move. I can’t make myself go in that house.

Sarah comes around the truck and stands beside me. “Ready?” she asks.

I shake my head. I will never be ready for this. Never.

She doesn’t say anything, and she doesn’t move. We stand there for at least five minutes. Five really, really, really long minutes. I’m still not ready to move, no matter how long those minutes seem. I’ll stand here for eternity if I have to, if it can keep me from facing those memories. From facing my father. My mother.

Guest Post: My Rebellion Checklist

My Rebellion Checklist by Susan Soares
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: March 10, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Victoria Matherson's summer to-do list looked something like this:

1. Get organized for college
2. Complete summer job at Dad’s office
3. Spend a romantic summer with Adam

During the first week of her summer vacation, Victoria’s super planned life suddenly swerves completely off track. Her boyfriend breaks up with her unexpectedly, she gets in a near-fatal car wreck, and her parents announce the end of their twenty-year. 

 Victoria decides to live life messily, to take chances, and finally to rebel. Taking on the new name of “Tori,” she creates a checklist of rebellion:

#3 Get an extreme haircut
#6 Pierce something

which she’ll use to show everyone around her that all the changes to her perfectly organized life haven’t affected her in the least. Even though they have.

With the help of her quirky and cute co-worker Zack, Tori will check off the crazy items on her list and learn what it means to give up control and be free. But just how far will she go?

♥ ♥ ♥

Character Inspiration

This book and its character was totally inspired by my stepdaughter, Victoria. She was hanging out one day just sitting on the couch staring off into space as she looked deep in thought. Then she just started talking about things she wanted to do.

Like things she needed to do as soon as possible. Things like, dye her hair, pierce something, get a tattoo. I laughed because these things were pretty out of character for her. She kept listing things in similar fashion and I jokingly said, “It sounds like you’re making a rebellion checklist.” That was it.

Book Blitz: Pixelated

Pixelated by L.S. Murphy
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date:
Buy Links: June 30, 2015

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Senior Year.

Middle of nowhere.

What's the new girl to do?

For Piper Marks, the answer is simple. She’s determined to have her photography rock the cover of National Geographic someday, and moving to Clarkton, Iowa for her last year of high school is not going to stop her. Even if her usual subjects have changed from bright lights and skyscrapers to fields, cows…and more fields.

But when photographer at the local paper quits in a huff, she steps into his spot. Her new job keeps Piper busy capturing tackles, and zooming in on first downs and end zone dances, not to mention putting her directly in the path of varsity football star Les Williams IV. Her new friends warn her off, but she can’t resist the pull she feels toward this mysterious country boy. But this small town is keeping a secret, and it’s one that could destroy any chance they have to be together.

It’s up to Piper to decide what to do with the distorted truth. Can she risk exposing her heart? It might be worth it, 'cause Les is about to change her world from black and white to fully saturated color.

♥ ♥ ♥
Praise

"In Pixelated, L.S. Murphy weaves a complex web of secrets and lies with a ‘will they or won’t they’ romance that kept me turning pages and holding my breath!" ~ Julie Reece, author of The Artisans and Crux

Book Tour: Secrets: Diary of a Gutsy Teen

Secrets: Diary of a Gutsy Teen by Barbara Becker Holstein
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Following in the footsteps of The Truth, Secrets: Diary of a Gutsy Teen begins as the thirteen-year-old protagonist makes a move with her family to a new town. She has grown up a lot over the past year—and has made a list of everything that’s important to her now that she doesn’t want to forget when she gets older. 

But now, as she enters her early teen years, she begins to write down the secrets she wants to keep—and the ones she has no one to tell about. 

From new school experiences to a new baby in the family to a new crush, this new teen finally feels empowered on making her own decisions with confidence and keeping those secrets she holds dearest for herself.

In a positive and supportive diary-entry format, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein encourages tween and early teen girls to carry the most precious parts of themselves into adulthood. A great book for mothers and daughters to read together, Secrets is aimed to improve communication, understanding, and self-esteem for young girls as they enter the rocky road of teenager-dom.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

Date: December 2

Dear Diary,

I have a secret and it’s been eating me up inside, so I have to tell you. I lied to Angela. I told her I had a terrible sore throat and couldn’t come for the weekend. She said she was sorry and that she would invite me again.

I felt terrible, and then my throat really began to hurt. But I just couldn’t go to Springport for a whole weekend_even though I miss being around Angela.

Now that I have best friends here, I don’t feel the same way I used to about going back to visit. And I didn’t know how to tell Angela that. I could tell when we talked on the phone that she really wanted me to come. And she sent me a new selfie, holding a sign that reads I Miss You! She even told me that she doesn’t have a new best friend since I left. She really misses me. She also told me that Paul is in lots of her classes and he asks if she’s talked to me. How could I tell her I’m in love with Rob and don’t care about Paul anymore? How could I tell her that I have new best friends and want to stay here with them?

Promotional Event: Narvla's Celtic New Year

Narvla's Celtic New Year by Therese Gilardi
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: April 6, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Narvla’s life is as precisely choreographed as the routines that have made her a national step-dancing champion. She has a loyal best friend, a devoted boyfriend, and a lock on admission to her dream college, the University of Notre Dame - until her mother is named U.S. 

Ambassador to Ireland, and her life unravels. First Narvla receives a disturbing picture of her boyfriend and her best friend. Then she struggles to qualify for the Irish elite step-dancing squad, and her grades plummet.

But the biggest obstacle in Narvla’s new life is Dublin Boy, a cheeky musician with a disdain for academics and a distrust of Americans. 

Although Narvla is upset when she’s paired with Dublin Boy for the most important semester of her life, her real concern is the growing attraction she feels toward him. As the Celtic New Year unfolds, Narvla is pushed to abandon her lifelong need for control and embrace the charm of the unexpected.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

The plane hits the ground so hard I’m not sure the pilot’s going to be able to stick the landing. As my seatbelt cuts into my stomach, he says, “Cead mile failte. A hundred thousand welcomes to Ireland”. Everyone around me claps.

On the edge of the runway the limousine the embassy sent is waiting for us. My mother is the new U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. That’s why I’m here in Dublin instead of back home in Connecticut, hanging out with Derek and Gabby when I’m not practicing for another step dancing competition. I follow Mom to the limo.

I stretch out across the leather seats as we ride along narrow, curvy roads, past tiny pubs and squat houses whose front doors open onto the sidewalk. Every few minutes our driver stops at a traffic light, and people peer into the car. Mom opens her window and waves. Most people wave back or smile, although a few just stare. Finally we arrive at an enormous park in the middle of the city, where we pass under an archway, through a black iron gate, and up a long driveway.

The U.S. Ambassador’s Residence looks like The White House. Tall French windows open onto a long terrace and a lawn that could double as a golf course. There are lots of chimneys, which I hope means lots of fireplaces, and dozens of rose bushes in large white planters. I wonder if I’m going to need a map to find my way around, since the house is the type of building that doesn’t just have floors, it has wings. An American flag so big it can probably be seen from the United States flutters on the roof.

Book Blitz: Mental

Mental by Justice Serai
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Hope is an illusion meant to convince the broken to keep on living. That’s me. Broken.

My father pays heaps of money for doctors at the Norfolk Psychiatric Center to fix me. I’ve spent six months of my prime teenage years at this residential facility – a place for teenagers who’ve gone mental.

That’s me. Mental.

Just when I begin to feel myself fade away, a boy with a wolfish smile and mischievous eyes reels me in. Julian is broken too, but he believes in me enough for the both of us. Through him, I begin to experience this thing called hope. Doctors can’t fix me, my parents can’t either, but maybe it’s not me who needs fixing.

After all, mental is only a state of mind. It all depends on who’s doing the thinking.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

He puts out his hand and says, “Come with me.”

I stare at it for a moment then, in an uncharacteristic move, I put my palm in his. Smiling, he pulls me up from my chair and we run. Daring a glance back, I see the teacher handing the kid a tissue while speaking angrily into the phone.

Julian will get in trouble – we both will – but I don’t care. Right now, as we run down the hallway, hands clasped together, I feel free. He leads me around a corner then stops in front of each door in an administrative hallway, looking for somewhere safe to hide. Most of the rooms have someone typing away at a computer. They look curious but mostly ignore us.

Finally, we come across a janitor’s closet. He yanks me in then slams the door shut.

It’s cramped and smells like bleach but still somehow romantic. Julian kicks the mop bucket to the side and we stare at each other, grinning and panting.

Promotional Event: My Rebellion Checklist

My Rebellion Checklist by Susan Soares
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: March 10, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Victoria Matherson's summer to-do list looked something like this:

1. Get organized for college
2. Complete summer job at Dad’s office
3. Spend a romantic summer with Adam

During the first week of her summer vacation, Victoria’s super planned life suddenly swerves completely off track. Her boyfriend breaks up with her unexpectedly, she gets in a near-fatal car wreck, and her parents announce the end of their twenty-year. 

 Victoria decides to live life messily, to take chances, and finally to rebel. Taking on the new name of “Tori,” she creates a checklist of rebellion:

#3 Get an extreme haircut
#6 Pierce something

which she’ll use to show everyone around her that all the changes to her perfectly organized life haven’t affected her in the least. Even though they have.

With the help of her quirky and cute co-worker Zack, Tori will check off the crazy items on her list and learn what it means to give up control and be free. But just how far will she go?

♥ ♥ ♥



Character Inspiration:

This book and its character was totally inspired by my stepdaughter, Victoria. She was hanging out one day just sitting on the couch staring off into space as she looked deep in thought. Then she just started talking about things she wanted to do. Like things she needed to do as soon as possible.

Things like, dye her hair, pierce something, get a tattoo. I laughed because these things were pretty out of character for her. She kept listing things in similar fashion and I jokingly said, “It sounds like you’re making a rebellion checklist.” That was it.

Book Blitz: No Such Thing as Perfect

No Such Thing as Perfect by Sarah Daltry
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: December 11, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ Smashwords

Book Description:

College was supposed to be perfect. She was supposed to be perfect.

For Lily Drummond, life is about following the rules. To be specific, her mother’s rules. College fit into the plan – maintain perfect grades, date the perfect guy, and live the perfect life. 

On her own, though, Lily realizes that she doesn’t actually have a plan. Without being told what to think and do, she keeps making mistakes.

Away from home, the perfect facade is beginning to shatter. When Lily herself starts to break, it’s the support of an unlikely friend that teaches her how much of a lie perfect really is – and how to be whole on her own terms.


♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

The glow-in-the-dark stars look pathetic in the darkness. There are only about twelve and they don’t look like the night sky; instead they look like they got lost in the black and can’t find their way back to light.

Derek’s snoring, having fallen asleep quickly, but I can’t stop thinking. My mind is doing that thing it does when I overanalyze and make problems where there aren’t any and I want to turn it off. I want to be happy with my boyfriend’s arm draped over my body. I want the closeness to feel like it should.

Maybe I read too many books. I guess I always thought being in love would feel comfortable. It’s not that Derek doesn’t try, but sometimes I’m so afraid. If he pauses too long when I ask him if something looks okay or if his upper lip twitches like it does sometimes when I do something wrong, I can’t escape the doubt. Worry is like an endless ocean and my arms are just too tired to keep swimming.

Book Blitz: Wish (Indigo Dreams #1)

Wish (Indigo Dreams #1) by Grier Cooper
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: December 2, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

For Indigo Stevens, ballet classes at Miss Roberta’s ballet studio offer the stability and structure that are missing from her crazy home life. At almost 16, she hopes this is the year she will be accepted into the New York School of Ballet. 

First she must prove she’s ready, and that means ignoring Jesse Sanders – the cute boy with dimples who is definitely at the top of Miss Roberta’s List of Forbidden Things for Dancers.

But Jesse is the least of Indigo’s concerns. When she discovers her mom is an alcoholic, it simultaneously explains everything and heaps more worry on Indigo’s shoulders. 

As her mom’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Indigo fights to maintain balance, protect her younger brothers from abuse, and keep her mother from going over the edge. When the violence at home escalates, Indigo realizes she can no longer dance around the issue. At the risk of losing everything, she must take matters into her own hands before it’s too late.

♥ ♥ ♥

A Day in The Life of Professional Ballet Student Indigo Stevens

Like all dancers at the New York School of Ballet, Indigo has a lot of work to do. Like any dancer at the top ballet school in the country her days are filled with ballet classes, rehearsals, and other add-ons like Pilates or yoga class. But she's also a high school student, with all the same school requirements as anyone else. Add all of these things together and every day is a very long day.

Indigo is one of the lucky ones;  the ballet studio and her home and school are all within walking distance so she doesn't have to factor in (or deal with) public transportation (which is often unreliable at best). However, life still gets complicated with all the back and forth between NYSB and her school. She has to change back and forth from street clothes to ballet clothes each time, which adds to the complication (plus it's not easy yanking off sweaty tights quickly).

Review: On the Way to Everywhere

On the Way to Everywhere by Kirsten B. Feldman
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: September 8, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Though she’s nicknamed for the magical Harry Potter, six-foot, dreadlocked Harry Kavanaugh doesn’t find any wonder in her daily life at an exclusive girls’ school outside of Washington, DC.

In fact she wants nothing more than to chuck her lot and enter the wilds of public school—too bad she didn’t reckon on a trip to the hospital, a runaway, and a renegade or three, which just might show her a different path to everywhere.







♥ ♥ ♥

On the Way to Everywhere by Kristen B. Feldman is fresh and entertaining, definitely one of the best books I’ve read this summer. I absolutely adored Harry. I love that she wasn’t this perfect, popular character who everyone automatically loved. I enjoyed the fact that she was awkward and that there were parts of the story that really showed her coming into her own.

Feldman has a way of writing characters that make you want to root for them. I loved all the insight we got into Harry and how she ticks throughout the story. She’s the kind of character you can relate to and that's another thing I enjoyed about Feldman’s writing. She does a great job of creating a world where you can't help but love and hate characters.

Book Blitz: Double Negative

Double Negative by C. Lee McKenzie
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: July 25, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

"My life was going, going, gone, and I hadn't been laid yet. I couldn't go into the slammer before that happened." Hutch McQueen.

Sixteen-year-old Hutchinson McQueen is trapped in a dysfunctional family. Shackled by poor vision and poor reading skills, he squeaks through classes with his talent for eavesdropping and memorizing what he hears.

After another suspension from school and suffering through one of his mother’s violent attacks, he escapes to a friend’s house that turns out to be a meth lab. The lab is raided and Hutch lands in juvenile detention.

When the court sentences him to six months in a new juvenile program, he meets a teacher with Alzheimer’s who will change his life and hers.

♥ ♥ ♥

Five Things I’d Do Before I Published My Book

1. Have a professional website and/or blog designed.

Be sure the navigation is easy and the pages are easy to read.
Buy a domain name. Mine’s cleemckenziebooks. I wish it were simply cleemckenzie. The simpler the better.
Don’t use music. People often browse in public places and music isn’t always appreciated.
Be sure people can pull up your site on all their mobile devices.

2. Become visible on the Social Networking Media

Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Shelfari
LinkedIn
Amazon (Especially, become familiar with Authors Central)There are more, but these are ones I’ve chosen to focus on. You’ll have to choose the ones that work best for you.

Book Blitz: Redeeming Lainey

Redeeming Lainey by Kaitlyn Hoyt
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: July 18, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

When Lainey left the little farming town in Iowa on her eighteenth birthday, she thought she was finally free. She didn’t have to live in fear anymore wondering which day was going to be her last. For those two years, she was able to live in peace. She’d made a new friend, was going to a school she loved, and was setting the path for her future career.

That all changed with one phone call from her mother.

With the push of her best friend, Randi, Lainey goes back into the town she once promised was forever in her rear-view mirror. The dark memories of her past loom around every corner, and Lainey can’t seem to conquer the demons inside of her in order to fully move on.

Bryce, on the other hand, had moved on. During middle school and high school, Lainey was his best friend, and it tore him apart when she left with only a note. A simple note saying good-bye and have a great life.

Without his best friend around, Bryce’s life quickly spiraled out of control. He got into drugs, had some trouble with the law, and found himself partying a little too hard. Sweet Annabeth brought him out of that stage in his life, and ultimately saved his life.

With Lainey back in town, Bryce is at a loss at what do. She wants nothing to do with him or the town, but he is the only person who knows her full history and may be able to help her. Knowing that Lainey’s a flight risk, and with one wrong move, she’d pack everything up and leave again, Bryce steps out to help her find the one thing she doesn’t know she needs.

Redemption.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

“Bryce, I’m not here to relive any memories. If you weren’t holding me here and threatening to chase after me if I left, I would be gone, and you know that.”

“Lainey, you need to move on,” he says. “You’re spiraling downward and spiraling very fast.”

“I have a parachute. I’m doing just fine on my own,” I tell him. “I don’t need any of your help, Bryce, so let me go.”

“Not ‘til you tell me what is going through that mind of yours and get some of that baggage off your chest.”

“Stop trying to save me,” I whisper to him.

“Lainey,” Bryce starts, “I’m not trying to save you. I just want to help you.”

Book Blitz: This Summer

This Summer by Katlyn Duncan
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: July 9, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Before college, before responsibilities, Hadley Beauman and best friend Lily are determined to have a summer to remember. 

There will be all the usual dramas - ex-boyfriends who don't seem to know what 'ex' means, pesky younger brothers with unrequited crushes, but what Hadley didn't anticipate was the out-of-the-blue return of the seriously hot boy-next-door, Will Carson. The boy who broke her heart when he skipped town two years ago.

Will may have shot up a foot and filled out (oh yes), but inside he carries the weight of guilt - for leaving, for coming back... Now he's just passing through to tie up loose ends but it's clear the old chemistry still crackles between him and Hadley. Trouble is, it's built on two years of lies...

This summer might just be the best time of their lives, but is Hadley ready for everything to change - again?

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

I enter the hallway, making a point to relax my shoulders. Lily still knows how to push my buttons. I make my way to Mr. Beauman’s office and just before I knock, I hear Hadley’s voice. It’s wrong but I lean closer to the door, listening.

“A little warning would have been nice, Dad.”

Mr. Beauman says something, but I can’t make it out.

“Well,” Hadley continues, “don’t expect him to stick around longer than he chooses.”

Her form nears the door and I don’t have a chance to move just as the door flings open.

A version of the sixteen year old girl I left two years ago stands in front of me. I was right, her braces are gone.

“Hey,” I say.

Book Blast: Dreamer

Dreamer by Becca Johnson
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: June 7, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Fifteen-year-old Rory Adair has a secret—dreams that foreshadow what is to come. Excited about finally meeting the hot, tall, blue-eyed guy from one of those dreams, she is shocked when he turns out to be identical twin brothers Bryce and Ryder Wyatt, both of whom take an instant interest in her and compete for her attention.

As Rory tries to use her secret ability to help her decide which brother to ask to the Sadie Hawkins Dance, the dreams start to change. Something bad is going to happen, but before she can figure out how to warn her friends without revealing her secret, her best friend Stacey goes missing.

Rory teams up with Bryce, who has a secret ability of his own. Together they use their abilities, intellect, and gut instinct to find the missing women. Can Rory sort through her feelings for the Wyatt brothers—and find her friend—before she loses them all?


♥ ♥ ♥

Book Blitz: Just Sing (Seven Oaks #1)

Just Sing (Seven Oaks #1) by René Gilley
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: June 5, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Sixteen-year-old Lily O’Brien has one goal in life—to sing. Her dream is to get into a topnotch college vocal program, but the summer before her junior year, her high school cuts their awarding-winning vocal ensemble. She might as well kiss her dreams goodbye.

When the snobby new neighbors move into their mansion up the hill, Lily is positive summer can’t get any worse, and she’s determined to hate and ignore them—until she meets Aiden.

He’s broken and beautiful, and they become reluctant friends. Through her newfound friendship, she finds the strength to step outside the comfort of her plan and follow her dream.

But when Lily’s family is about to lose their home, she puts her wishes aside and finds the answer to save their generations-old ranch in the last place she expected.

♥ ♥ ♥
TEASERS:

Review: Still, At Your Door: A Fictional Memoir

Still, At Your Door: A Fictional Memoir by Emma Eden Ramos
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Fictional Memoir
Release Date: February 22, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Sabrina "Bri" Gibbons has only a few short minutes to pack her things and help her sisters pack theirs before running with their mother to the bus that will whisk them away from Butler, Pennsylvania, an abusive relationship, and a secret that none of them wish to acknowledge. 

She was not prepared, though, for her mother to drop them on the streets of New York with the promise that she would be right back. Haunted by the sight of her mother running back to the cab, Bri, with Missy and Grace in tow, settles in with their grandparents. 

Thoughts of her present and her future collide with memories of her past, her dead father, and her mother’s bizarre episodes. She watches her sisters struggle with school and acceptance, all the while knowing the lack of any sense of security will make it impossible for them to carry on as ‘normal’ children. 

She finally lets her guard down enough to allow someone else in and sees a faint glimmer that her dreams might be attainable. Disaster strikes again, this time targeting her sister. Is it possible for Bri to find that balance between her dreams and her family’s realities?

♥ ♥ ♥

There are very few books that I can say have truly touched me, consumed me, and made me ponder the ways in which I have it better than other people in life. A book that proves the saying things could always be worse. Still, At Your Door by Emma Eden Ramos is one of those books. Ramos’ story follows Sabrina Gibbons and her two younger sisters who have gone through life with a bipolar mother and spent most of their childhood surviving traumatic experiences.

The story starts off with Sabrina’s mom gathering up her children and leaving her second husband because he beat her. She takes her children to her mother’s house, tells them she left something in the cab and then takes off. At first I didn’t understand how a mother could just walk away from her kids, just leave them. But as the story progresses we see this is normal for her. She’s always in and out of their lives dealing with different things and dragging her kids along for the ride.

Book Blitz: Dancing on the Edge

Dancing on the Edge by Kit Bakke
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: April 24, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Twelve year-old Dot is not a dancer, but after her mother’s sudden and senseless death, she finds herself dancing on the edge…of everything. 

 After her whole world unravels in seconds, Dot is propelled on a voyage to discover the meaning of her past, and of her mother’s greatest gift to her.

With all familiar anchors swept away, Dot’s trip becomes a struggle between finding that gift and running away from a future that feels so bleak. 

 Pack your bags for a memorable, powerful journey into life in the wake of profound loss.

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Excerpt:

The yelling was repeated, and it was coming from far below. Forgetting about the ladies hiking in long skirts, Dot planted her feet and leaned carefully across the top of the stone barrier to peer down the steep side of the hill. She heard the yell again, from straight down and slightly to the right.

She could see a pile of rocks and some stubby, green bushes. Amongst the brown and green she saw something bright red and what looked like sprawled arms and legs. Suddenly dizzy, she turned away quickly. “Down there!” she croaked at Aunt Tab, who’d snorted herself awake.

Aunt Tab hitched herself over to where Dot was leaning with her back against the rock. “It’s okay. I’ll look,” she said, and wiped Dot’s sweaty forehead with her sleeve.

Aunt Tab peered over the rock and saw what Dot had seen. Looking more closely, the patch of red moved, and soon resolved itself into a long-sleeved shirt or jacket and the person in it appeared to be trying to wave. Aunt Tab waved back, and yelled down, “Do you need help?”

“Help!” came wavering back up the hill.

Book Blast: Big Fat Disaster

Big Fat Disaster by Beth Fehlbaum
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: April 18, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Insecure, shy, and way overweight, Colby hates the limelight as much as her pageant-pretty mom and sisters love it. It's her life: Dad's a superstar, running for office on a family values platform. Then suddenly, he ditches his marriage for a younger woman and gets caught stealing money from the campaign.

Everyone hates Colby for finding out and blowing the whistle on him. From a mansion, they end up in a poor relative's trailer, where her mom's contempt swells right along with Colby's supersized jeans. Then, a cruel video of Colby half-dressed, made by her cousin Ryan, finds its way onto the internet.

Colby plans her own death. A tragic family accident intervenes, and Colby's role in it seems to paint her as a hero, but she's only a fraud. Finally, threatened with exposure, Colby must face facts about her selfish mother and her own shame. Harrowing and hopeful, proof that the truth that saves us can come with a fierce and terrible price, Big Fat Disaster is that rare thing, a story that is authentically new.

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Book Trailer

Cover Reveal: Storm Warning (Broken Heartland, #1)

Storm Warning (Broken Heartland, #1) by Caisey Quinn
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: December 12, 2013

Book Description:

Sometimes you don’t see the storm coming until it’s too late...

Severe Storm Warning Tip #1: 
Be alert to changing weather conditions. Look for approaching storms.

Severe Storm Warning Tip #2: 
If you see approaching storms or any of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.

Severe Storm Warning Tip #3: 
They may strike quickly, with little or no warning.