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Friday, March 27, 2015

Krysten Lindsay Hager Explores Friendship and Frenemies


Landry Albright returns in Krysten Lindsay Hager's new Young Adult book,
Best Friends Forever? (Landry's True Colors Series).


Good friends have your back, but some go behind it.

Blurb:    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, 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.

EXCERPT 1:
I got ready for bed and then stopped to check my social media page one more time and that's when I saw it — another picture of Peyton, India, and Devon hanging out. They were sitting on the couch with their heads scrunched close together and laughing. It was a cute picture, but then I saw the caption: So glad we could all be together for the holidays. Love these guys soooo much! Best friends forever. #Alltogether #Threemusketeers #BestFriendsForever #ThreeBestFriends #ThreesCompany.
My heart sank. It was India’s caption and anyone who read it would think what a closeknit group of friends and not realize anyone was missing from that photo. Sure, I was in another state, so naturally I couldn’t be there for it, but the way India wrote that made me feel so left out. I mean, what did she mean by the "ʺThree’s Company"ʺ hashtag? And sometimes people tagged friends who weren’t there in pictures and added, "ʺWish you were here,"ʺ but there was no mention of a fourth member of the group.
“Ready for bed, hon?” Mom asked coming into my room.
“Yeah, just signing off.”
“Okay, sleep well.”
I got into bed and hoped I was reading into things, but the knot in my stomach wouldn’t go away.

Excerpt 2:
“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 prefreshman 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.


Author bio: Krysten Lindsay Hager is the author of the Landry’s True Colors Series, a clean reads young adult series. Krysten writes about  friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image in both True Colors and Best Friends…Forever?
Krysten is an Amazon international bestselling author and 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:
Amazon international: http://authl.it/B00UIP1N5S
Connect with Krysten:
Website: http://www.krystenlindsay.com/     







Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Pigsty Princess: A Misfit Monarchs Romance

I fell in love with this title when fellow Clean Reads author Nancy Brandt
first showed a promo picture of a piglet wearing a tiara.
If you love magic, historical romances, and alternate kingdoms, you'll love


Pigsty Princess

By Nancy S. Brandt


Back Cover Blurb:

In a country where Elemental Sensitivities determine a person's place in society, Mariana, fourth child of King Jonathan and Queen Alexandria, was born an Insensitive. She is given the made up title of Progenna, because she can't be in line for the throne and therefore, can't be a Princess. All her life, she is reminded that she isn't quite good enough. When her father decides she is to marry Pir Leo Valentine, an eighty-four year old man with a scar across his face that took his eye and only one hand, she runs away from the palace.

Orlando of Talla is a pig farmer and former soldier who served the King until he watched his Sovereign burn an entire harbor town rather than lose a battle. Now he tries to live a quiet life while leading a band a rebels who steal from the nobility to bring prisoners home from that war.

Orlando is also the bastard son of a nobleman, and therefore, he has a Sensitivity, one of Blood that allows him to feel the Sensitivities of others.

He finds the injured Progenna in the forest and immediately realizes that the stories about Mariana aren't true. Rather than being an Insensitive, Mariana may be the most powerful Sensitive in Valborough. 

Excerpt:

Mariana sniffled. “He said I was a commoner, and that I’m not Father’s daughter by blood.”

Ramone sighed and shook his head. “Gossip only. Not even worthy of the servants, and for it to come out of the mouth of a Rieravo and a Presumptive…I am surprised he would suggest that out loud to you.”

She adjusted herself so she was off her brother’s lap and faced him. “Ramone, what if what Darius said is right? What if Father isn’t…my father? No nobleman will ever want to marry me if that’s true.”

“First of all, it’s not true, and second, even if it were, Father has claimed you as his daughter. He will take care of you.”

It didn’t make her feel any better.

“You mean he’ll force someone into marrying me.” She got off the loveseat and went over to sit at her mother’s writing desk. Picking up one of the quills, she glanced at her brother in the mirror.

“It might not be like that,” he said after a moment of silence. “There must be some man who doesn’t care about bonding. Someone who will be content with having only his own magic.”

She spun around to stare at him. “Name one person you have ever heard of, male or female, who was willing to throw away the potential power of their Sensitivities to bond to someone with nothing. What do your history and peerage books say about that?”

He said nothing, but he didn’t meet her eyes.

Mariana nodded. “Just as I thought. I was stupid to think being a Proge…the daughter of the King would be enough. No one with any Sensitivities wants to wed someone they can’t bond with. I wish Mother and Father would have prepared me for this.”

“What could they have done, Mariana?” He walked over to her and, taking her hands, brought her to her feet. “You are special, one of a kind. You are my beautiful baby sister.”

“But I’m not like the rest of you. Father and Mother are strong Sensitives. By definition, Father is the strongest in the kingdom. You, Liliana, and Ursula have sensitivities in three areas.. Me? You know what the Abilities Master said when I finished my testing.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Do you remember? Father came out of his meeting with Kylan and said, ‘It is as we thought.’ Mother cried.”

He took her in his arms. “She loves you. She was crying because she knew your life would be harder because of this.”

“Was that it?” she asked. “Did Mother cry because I don’t have any Sensitivities or because Father found out about my true parentage? I have to know if I am a Princess in truth or just the result of some mistake Mother made.”



Author Bio:
Nancy S. Brandt is a stay-at-home mother of two children, a daughter, 25, who is an appointment's clerk at an orthopedic clinic and an editor and book reviewer; and a son, 12, who studies karate, and wants to be either an historian or an artist. Nancy's husband, Steven, is also an author and an adjunct professor of computer science at Louisiana State University.

In about sixth grade, an English teacher gave an assignment to write a descriptive essay. Nancy's was all about a wonderful cave filled with diamonds, emeralds and other precious gems. From that experience, she walked into every English class hoping to get to write something, and she learned three things:

1. The difference between stalactite and stalagmite,
2. That fantasy was probably the genre she should concentrate on, and
3. Never end a story with "It was all a dream."

Nancy is a kidney transplant recipient (her husband was her living donor), a thyroid cancer survivor, and an Army veteran. She is currently working on the sequel to Pigsty Princess, called Questionable Queen.

Social Media Links:
Website:  www.nancysbrandt.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/NancySBrandtfantasyauthor
Twitter:  @NancySBrandt
Instagram: nancysbrandt
Pinterest:  nancy_s_brandt
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NancySBrandt

Buy Links:
CleanReads: http://cleanreads.com/index.php/pigsty-princess.html
Itunes - http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/pigsty-princess/id957929093




Thursday, March 12, 2015

Five Ways to Stand Out at a Group Book Signing



In a crowded event like the Romance Writers of America annual “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing (July 22, 2015, New York Marriott® Marquis, New York, New York) how can a writer stand out?

1.     Write a Bestseller. Easier said than done. But those who hit multiple bestseller lists have their own tables (as opposed to shared table space), set off to the side to accommodate their many fans. Looking for Nora Roberts or Catherine Coulter? Just follow the long lines at the edge of the group event.

Alexa Palmer
2.     Wear an Eye-catching Hat. Not all of us can carry off this one. I have an amazing emerald witch’s hat, which fits with the theme of my Young Adult paranormal series, The Teen Wytche Saga. Added bonus: since I’m petite, the hat would help me be seen. Downside: I’m too petite and the hat looks ridiculous on me. However, NYT, PW and USA Today Bestselling Author and shamanic witch, Yasmine Galenorn, (Otherworld Series), can totally rock a big hat. At the recent Desert Writers Expo, Alexa Palmer gained a lot of attention because of her large colorful hat — a perfect match for her children’s picture book — proving big hats works for different genres.

3. Have an Intriguing or Humorous Tagline. At the 2014 Romantic Times Convention, I shared a table Lori Crawford. When potential readers/buyers asked Lori about her books, her quick and startling comeback was, "I write Christian erotica." You'd be amazed at how many people stopped and gave her books a second glance.

5. Add Visual Effects. Your local Staples or Office Depot can print up posters of your book covers and mount and laminate them on foam board. To add movement to your tabletop display, set your tablet  on continuous loop and show a slide show of your covers or run your book trailers. 



4.     Offer Chocolate. Romance readers aren’t the only readers who love chocolate. Yesterday I participated in the Desert Writers Expo, a group book sale and signing sponsored by the Palm Springs Writers Guild. Several of the 40 authors in attendance had bowls of candy on their tables. When word got out I had brought homemade brownies, authors and readers sought out my table. 

Write the best book you can. Then, with a little creativity and planning, set yourself apart from the pack.

Ariella Moon
Desert Writers Expo 2015




Copyright 2015 Ariella Moon


Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Desert Expo Book Signing and Sale


My table is as far from the entrance and refreshment table as humanly possible!
So work your way back to the stage, stop by, and say hello!
I'll have swag, brownies, and... 


Let's have a magical day!
~Ariella Moon

Friday, March 6, 2015

Book Signing Event featuring Ariella Moon



Book Signing Event
40 Authors ~ All Genres

March 11, 2015
3:00 pm until 6:00 pm
Rancho Mirage Public Library
71100 CA-111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 

I invite Young Adult fiction fans craving paranormal, first love, and clean teen (no swearing or sex) stories to visit me at the Desert Writers Expo. You can meet new authors; buy books and have them autographed. Look for me near the stage. Arrive early before my stash of chocolate and free bookmarks runs out!

It should be a sunny 84 degrees!

~Ariella Moon