Giveaway Time!!

Last week on Twitter I said that once my first book, BLOOD BORN, reached 100 reviews on Goodreads and my blog reached 600 followers, I would host a giveaway.

Well, you awesomesauce folks out there listened and obliged--so here's your giveaway!!

Okay, so I happen to have a few extra copies of some books that I thought you all might like--see?

 Please note: Such A Rush is an ARC, and both it and Touch are signed to me...but that shouldn't matter, right? lol

Since there are five books, I'm picking TWO WINNERS!!

Yes, two of you luckies will get to win these books! First winner will choose 3, and the second will have the 2 remaining--great, right?

But wait, there's more!

I'm also throwing in a signed copy of my book, BLOOD BORN...to BOTH WINNERS!

So, Winner 1 gets 4 BOOKS, and Winner 2 gets 3 BOOKS--plus some bookmarks and such! 

AWESOME!!

To enter this great giveaway, simply fill out the rafflecopter below!

Edited: Giveaway is US only--sorry, International peeps! 


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Cover Reveal...NATURALS by Tiffany Truitt!

You guys, I am so excited to be part of the cover reveal for the second book in Tiffany Truitt's The Lost Souls series! I read CHOSEN ONES a couple of weeks ago and love it--an awesome dystopian!

Needless to say I am stoked  for NATURALS, the second in the series, to come out--and what better way to keep that excitement going than to ogle its awesome cover, right? ;-)

Without further ado, here it is, the cover for NATURALS, book 2 in The Lost Souls series!

Isn't that just awesome?! I love the cracked ground beneath her, and the splash of red hair is a stark contrast that just works...nice!

Here's a bit about the book:

NATURALS 

by Tiffany Truitt

pub date April 19, 2013

product description from goodreads.com

Tess is finally safe from the reach of the Council, now that she is living in the Middlelands with the rebel Isolationists. With James having returned to Templeton, she easily falls back into her friendship with Henry, though her newfound knowledge of Robert’s chosen one status still stings. Even surrounded by people, Tess has never felt more alone. So she’s thrilled when James returns to the settlement, demanding to see Tess — until she finds out that it’s because her sister, Louisa, has been recruited into Tess’s old position at Templeton, and that the dangerously sadistic chosen one George has taken an interest in her.

LOVE it! Seriously, can't wait for this book! You can pre-order NATURALS here! 

Here's a bit about the author:

Tiffany Truitt was born in Peoria, Illinois. A self-proclaimed Navy brat, Tiffany spent most of her childhood living in Virginia, but don’t call her a Southerner. She also spent a few years living in Cuba. Since her time on the island of one McDonald's and Banana Rats (don't ask) she has been obsessed with traveling. Tiffany recently added China to her list of travels (hello inspiration for a new book).

Besides traveling, Tiffany has always been an avid reader. The earliest books she remembers reading belong to The Little House on the Prairie Series. First book she read in one day? Little Woman(5th grade). First author she fell in love with? Jane Austen in middle school. Tiffany spent most of her high school and college career as a literary snob. She refused to read anything considered “low brow” or outside the “classics.”

Tiffany began teaching middle school in 2006. Her students introduced her to the wide, wonderful world of Young Adult literature. Today, Tiffany embraces popular Young Adult literature and uses it in her classroom. She currently teaches the following novels: The Outsiders, Speak, Night. Dystopian Literature The Hunger Games, The Giver, The Uglies and Matched.

I just love that she teaches using awesome books like THE HUNGER GAMES! If you'd like to stalk keep tabs on Tiffany, here's her Website and Twitter!

SPECIAL TREAT!!

Since my followers are pure awesomesauce, I'm giving you guys the chance to win a copy of the first book in Tiffany Truitt's The Lost Souls series, CHOSEN ONES!

Simply fill out the rafflecopter below!

Edited: Contest is US only--sorry International peeps!

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TGIF at GReads!!

The awesomeness that is Ginger (or G, as I like to call her!) over at GReads! has created a great meme that is tons of fun. Each Friday, she poses a question for anyone to answer. Go check her out and join in the fun!

Back to School Reading:

Which books would you
like to see

in today's high school
literature classrooms?

Ooh, toughie, lol. 

Okay, so right away, one book stands out in my mind as definitely needing to be added to classroom reading lists.

And that book is...

WHERE THINGS COME BACK

by John Corey Whaley

This book is beautifully written, filled with vibrant characters and settings, and teaches the reader about humanity and dignity and love--three very important necessities every high-schooler should learn.

Another one I think should be added is...

ASHES 

by Ilsa J Bick

This book is the epitome of dystopian/apocalyptic splendor. (other than The Hunger Games, which I'm assuming, for the purpose of this post, is already on the curriculum. If not, school boards across the country should be ashamed.) It's written with amazing talent, and showcases how stories should be told.

Waiting on Wednesday...THE STAR CHILD by Stephanie Keyes

The lovely Jill (a fellow Alabamian!) over at Breaking the Spine created the Waiting on Wednesday meme for us bloggers to showcase books we're waiting on. 

This week's selection is one I came across while perusing the Inkspell Publishing website, and it looks and sounds really cool. So be sure to add to your TBR lists...

THE STAR CHILD 
by Stephanie Keyes
pub date 9/21/2012

product description from goodreads.com


The world is about to be cloaked in darkness. Only one can stop the night.

Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning tales of a prophecy. Not just any old prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role.

Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?

Doesn't that sound great? And I LOVE this cover!

Blog Tour Stop...HOLLOWED by Kelley York!

Today I am SUPER excited to be a stop on the blog tour for Kelley York's newest novel, HOLLOWED! 

I had the esteemed pleasure of being a part of the cover reveal last month as well, and I also was given an eARC to prepare for the tour (you can be jealous now). And I couldn't be happier about this book! Here's the goodreads description, followed by my review!

HOLLOWED
by Kelley York
pub date 8/15/2012

product description from goodreads.com

All 18-year-old Briar Greyson wanted was to figure out this whole living-away-from-your-parents thing. Apartment, steady job, cool roommate? Check. Noah, her adorable (albeit elusive) boyfriend? Check. Everything in the life of Briar was pretty good.

Then she and her roommate are attacked on their way home one night. Briar wasn't supposed to survive.

Instead, according to the two guys who saved her, she's turning into the things that attacked her: a vampire. Totally crazy and Not Okay. Now Noah's secrets are coming to light, and he wants Briar dead. Then there are the vampires who attacked Briar to lure out her sister.

Her sister...who died years ago.

(Didn't she?)

The city's body count is rising, and Briar wants to help put a stop to it. But first, she has to figure out who the real enemy is: the vampires, the boy she loves, or the sister she thought she'd lost. 

My Review:

When I first discovered the outstanding talent that is Kelley York, it was in the form of her debut novel HUSHED (Entangled Publishing). I fell instantly in love not only with the characters, but also with Kelley's writing style and her amazing ability to tell a beautiful story. Which was why I jumped at the chance to read her latest work--and was also why I wasn't disappointed.

HOLLOWED is the first installment in The Half Light Saga, a classic paranormal told with great humor, tension and style. It's filled with vampires and shifters and snark and danger, and I loved every single page. The main character, Briar Greyson, is a fun, quirky, tough-as-hell heroine who doesn't let being turned into a vampire slow her down. She's fiercely loyal to those she loves, to the point of risking her own life (unlife?) to make sure they're spared. It doesn't always work out that way, unfortunately, which only fuels Briar's agenda.

With a supporting cast of characters--including a shape-shifter who makes the cutest cat ever!--and high-stakes tension that leads to a surprise ending, HOLLOWED is definitely an explosive start to what promises to be a thrilling saga.

My Rating:

I happily give HOLLOWED 5 Stars, and urge all of you vampire and paranormal lovers to pick up a copy of this exciting novel!

Be sure to visit all the other stops on the HOLLOWED Blog Tour, which you can find here!

And be sure to enter Kelley's giveaway below!







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Blog Tour...DEGREES OF WRONG by Anna Scarlett!!

I'm super-duper excited to be part of the blog tour for Anna Scarlett's DEGREES OF WRONG! 

DEGREES is an adult paranormal/semi-dystopian/romance (yeah, that's so not the official genre, lol), and a thoroughly enjoyable read!

Without further ado, here is a bit about the book, followed by my review!

DEGREES OF WRONG 

by Anna Scarlett

pub date 8/28/2012

product description from goodreads.com

This time, the straight-and-narrow path could be the road to ruin.

Dr. Elyse Morgan’s mission: find the cure to the HTN4 virus. The compensation, courtesy of the United Nations: a lab stocked with hi-tech goodies, limitless resources and enough chocolate to make her rear look like a cellulite farm. Bonus: she gets to live.

Rescued (kidnapped) and secreted (imprisoned) on an undersea warship, Elyse adjusts to her assumed identity as a cadet with the finesse of a toeless ballerina. Her sulfuric temper and blatant insubordination capture the unwanted attention of the ship’s captain, the gorgeous, infuriating, engaged Nicoli Marek.

Elyse would rather perform her own autopsy than become the other woman, but Nicoli—who’s as full of himself as he is of secrets—regards his impending marriage as a mere political transaction. And Elyse as fair game.

As Elyse’s suspicions about the UN’s true agenda mount along with her attraction to the relentless, chronically shirtless captain, she must choose between the murky path to everything she’s ever wanted, or the squeaky-clean path of self-sacrifice—which could mean taking the secrets of the virus with her to the grave.

Warning: Features a strong, chocolate-loving heroine who takes no prisoners on the way to saving the world from an epidemic and winning a captain’s heart.

My Review:

DEGREES OF WRONG is admittedly the first adult book I've read in...quite a while (what can I say, I loves my YA!), and I couldn't be happier to delve back into the world of adult with this one!

It's the story of Elyse Morgan, a totally funny and snarky Super-doctor who is charged with the task of discovering a cure for a massively deadly virus that is sweeping the globe. For fear of her safety, she is sent to an undersea warship/lab, where she can work on her research in peace. Um, NOT. 

Once there, Elyse meets the super-suave and super-sexy Nicoli Marek (that's him in the image at the top of this post. Yeah.), the ship's captain. Nicoli is dark and brooding and sweet and fun all rolled into one, and he makes Elyse (and the reader!) swoon in almost every scene. Right away we feel the connection between the two of them--even if Elyse refuses to see it, lol. I found myself rooting for the two of them from the start, which is always fun.

Some of my favorite scenes were in the ship's gym, where we get to see a shirtless Nicoli (aah) and a perturbed Elyse (seriously you guys, her quirkiness is hilarious). Thus begins the real "pursuit" of their relationship, and it's a mind game all the way to the end!

To me, the romance between these two was first and foremost the story in DEGREES, but there's also the little matter of the deadly virus--and the United Nations' secrets. I won't delve too much into it for fear of giving something away, but the plot moves along at a very nice pace and ends with a sort-of cliffhanger (I love cliffhangers, and have been known to see them when they're not really there, so I could be wrong, lol) that makes you want the second book NOW.

My Rating:

I happily give DEGREES OF WRONG 4 Stars, and cannot wait for the next book. Hurry up and write, Anna! ;-P

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

The lovely Anna and her publisher Samhain have been kind enough to offer an e-galley to one lucky follower here on my blog (yay!). 

And since I'm totally clueless about that whole Rafflecopter thing, I'm making entry into the giveaway really simple: Just leave a comment here on the blog by Wednesday 8/22 at midnight, telling me about a great ADULT book you've recently read, and you're entered! You don't have to follow my blog, but it's appreciated! ;-) (winner will be announced on Thursday)

sidenote: the winner will have to create an account on Samhain's website to receive the e-galley. no worries--it's free to set one up! :)

TGIF at GReads!

The awesomeness that is Ginger (or G, as I like to call her!) over at GReads! has created a great meme that is tons of fun. Each Friday, she poses a question for anyone to answer. Go check her out and join in the fun!

Pimp Your Review:

Feature a favorite
book review you've written
 in the past that you feel 
deserves more love!

This was yet another toughie, because I feel that all books deserve more love (right?!), but I've chosen one that absolutely deserves more love, because it's so darn good!!

SUCH A RUSH
by Jennifer Echols
pub date: 7/10/2012


product description from goodreads.com


A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business — until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers — and the consequences could be deadly.

My Review:

The above description doesn't even begin to describe the magic that lies within the pages of Jennifer Echols's latest hit, SUCH A RUSH. This book is wrought with love, hate, passion, sexy...all the great adjectives used to describe an Echols book! I read it in one sitting, and for the first time in a long time, I actually wanted to immediately start over from the beginning.

SUCH A RUSH tells the story of Leah Jones, a girl often thought from the "wrong side of the tracks" as we say here in the south, who hops from city to city over the course of her life. Her deadbeat mother constantly follows this boyfriend or that boyfriend, always putting them and herself before her daughter. The result is Leah not feeling like any place is home.

That is, until she strolls onto the tarmac of a tiny airport in Heaven Beach, South Carolina, and instantly falls in love with the entire world of flying. From here, we begin to see Leah come alive. At only 14 (the story progresses to age 17 really quickly), Leah seems to understand and comprehend the world that sits above us all, just waiting to be explored and enjoyed. She gets a job pumping gas and working the desk, but her true want lies in learning to fly. She saves her money (hiding it from her mom) for a flying lesson and approaches the owner of a banner flying company adjacent to the airport. What ensues is one of the most touching relationships in the entire book.

With a non-existent dad and absentee mom, Leah has never had a real parental figure in her life. But when Mr. Hall, the owner of Hall Aviation, agrees to teach Leah to fly, she then learns the truest meaning of the word "father". Mr. Hall takes Leah under his wing, seeing something inside her that can't be taught: Passion. Leah's passion for flying is unsurpassed, maybe even more prominent than the actual pilots of the story, and Mr. Hall is more than happy to teach Leah everything she needs to know about this exciting new world. 

But everything isn't perfect in Leah's life, as she soon learns when something tragic happens that sends this amazing story spiraling--right along with its characters. Leah's long-time unrequited crush, Grayson Hall, becomes much more present in her daily life, spending every waking minute at Hall Aviation.  Being so close to Grayson, seeing him everyday, watching him grow and suffer like, well, her, makes Leah look at her crush in an entirely different way. She sees him as human, not just some unattainable guy to be watched from afar. Throughout the novel, Leah's feelings for Grayson sit just below the surface, which makes for some very, um...entertaining scenes. ;-P

I really can't say much more for fear of giving away the story (hopefully I haven't done that already, lol), but I will tell you this: You want to read this book, trust me.

My Rating:

I couldn't be happier to give this book 5 stars. A beautiful, touching story of love, loss and flying, SUCH A RUSH makes you want two things: To become a pilot...and to fall in love. This is Echols at her best!

Writing Update

I thought I would give you guys a quick update on where things currently stand with my open writing projects. Because I just know you all are waiting on pins and needles to find out. Right? ;-)


BLOOD PROPHECY TRILOGY


BLOOD AWAKENING
Book 2 in The Blood Prophecy


Final draft has been turned in, just waiting on final edits (grammar, structure, etc.) from editor.


BLOOD ???
Book 3 in The Blood Prophecy


Doing a very light, very rough outline of the final book in The Blood Prophecy trilogy. Light and rough as in, just a bunch of jumbled thoughts and ideas scratched onto a piece of notebook paper. But hey, it's a start. :-)


GENERATIONS TRILOGY


GENERATION Z
Book 1 in the Generations Trilogy


Finished outlining (well, 99.9% finished). Will tweak said outline, adding in some more tension and drama, before returning to actually writing the book. 


Books 2 & 3 in the Generations Trilogy


Don't even ask.


SEKRIT PROJEKT


CURRENTLY UNTITLED CONTEMPORARY


I'm sort of working on a YA contemporary in the midst of both signed trilogies, so it's a slow process--but a process and project that I really enjoy. 




I have countless ideas for other projects (don't we all? lol) that I wish I had more time to get to, but for now, these are my top priorities. See, I'm busy! :-)

Waiting on Wednesday...SHATTERED by Jeri Smith-Ready!

The lovely Jill (a fellow Alabamian!) over at Breaking the Spine created the Waiting on Wednesday meme for us bloggers to showcase books we're waiting on. 


This week's selection is one I'm sure lots of people are waiting on! It's sort of a companion to a most fantastic series that I love (as do countless other people, lol), told from the point of view of one of the hottest guys in YA. ;-)


Without further ado, I give you...

SHATTERED 
by Jeri Smith-Ready
pub date 2013


product description from goodreads.com


Zachary's novella taking place at the same time as SHINE from Zach's POV.




Okay, so there's not really a description. Or a cover yet. But...one word: Zachary. 


Honestly, do we need to know anything else? 

Teaser Tuesday...WANT by Stephanie Lawton!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!(make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

If I tell him, it'll break his heart. I thought if I could just make it to graduation, if I could just be strong enough, if...if I was good enough, she'd love me.

~pg. 190, WANT by Stephanie Lawton

Monday Must Reads!...ZOM-B!

Not familiar with this little feature? It's simple, really. Monday Must Reads! is a feature I created to showcase books that I think you, well, Must Read (ha!).


This week's pick is one that was a very pleasant surprise to me. I had actually never heard of it, but saw a stack of free ARC copies at BEA and decided to pick one up. Once I started it, I didn't stop until I flipped the last page. It's gritty and graphic and filled with gruesome zombies. It also ends with a huge surprise that you really don't see coming--which makes for a very fun read! And even better? It's the first in a series! Be sure to add to your TBR lists...

Zom-B
by Darren Shan
pub date 9/27/2012


product description from goodreads.com


     Zom-B is a radical new series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new ones. As Darren says, "It's a big, sprawling, vicious tale...a grisly piece of escapism, and a barbed look at the world in which we live. Each book in the series is short, fast-paced and bloody. A high body-count is guaranteed!" 

Trust me you guys, if you love zombies, this one is definitely for you, so make sure you grab a copy on September 27th!

TGIF at GReads!

The awesomeness that is Ginger (or G, as I like to call her!) over at GReads! has created a great meme that is tons of fun. Each Friday, she poses a question for anyone to answer. Go check her out and join in the fun!

Unexpected Books:

Which book did you have
reservations about 
 reading, but ended up loving
once you did?

This one is actually easy for me to answer (surprise!) since I recently ran across such a book.

Normally I don't pay much attention to what others say about books, unless "others" happens to be really good friends whose advice is normally spot-on (like you, G!). A friend told me about this book, and said that it wasn't as good as she had expected--which right away made me a bit leery. I snagged a copy nonetheless, though it sat on my shelf for a couple of weeks. 

One afternoon during a week I set aside to do nothing but read (which was much needed, trust me, lol), I decided to pull it from the shelf.

And I'm so happy I did.

This book turned out to be something that I truly enjoyed. I thought the writing and style was unique and engaging, while the characters and plot were very cool and realistic. Overall, a huge surprise from what I went in expecting.

And that book was...

MONUMENT 14 

by Emmy Laybourne

pub date June 5, 2012

product description from goodreads.com

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong. 

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart. 

This book is a great addition (IMO) to the YA dystopian front, and one that I suggest you pick up and read today!

And be sure to visit GReads! and hop on the TGIF train!

10 Truths I Learned While Re-reading The Hunger Games Trilogy

Book lovers the world over know that re-reading your favorite book (or series) is something special. There's nothing at all like cracking the spine of a cherished read and falling back into a world you've been missing, seeing old friends struggle and triumph throughout the pages, reveling in the excitement you know is waiting just around the corner.

Another great thing about re-reading old faves? You sometimes learn something new.

Which is what today's post is all about: 

10 Truths I Learned While Re-reading

THE HUNGER GAMES Trilogy

1. Suzanne Collins is a true genius.

2. Katniss Everdeen is a true badass.

3. Gale Hawthorne is so sincere and loving and gives 

Peeta a real run for his money (I kind of overlooked

this on my first read. Blame Peeta.)

4. The world created in these books is something

to behold. (Again, missed on my first read. Again,

blame Peeta.)

5. Real love doesn't come by surprise; it's earned.

6. Sisters are the best.

7. Friends are the best, too.

8. There really is no place like home.

9. I could read these books over and over

and never tire of them.

10. Suzanne Collins is a true genius.

(just in case you missed that one.)

Waiting on Wednesday...ONYX by J L Armentrout!

The lovely Jill (a fellow Alabamian!) over at Breaking the Spine created the Waiting on Wednesday meme for us bloggers to showcase books we're waiting on.

This week's pick is a sequel to one of my favorite reads. The first book of this series was super hot, sexy, action-packed and full of win. So I know that the sequel is gonna be just as awesome and I can't wait! If you haven't already, be sure to add to your TBR lists...

ONYX
by Jennifer L Armentrout
pub date 8/14/2012

product description from goodreads.com

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarre connection. I’ve sworn him off even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But against all common sense, I’m falling for him. Hard.

Our relationship issues aren’t out biggest problem…

The Department of Defense is here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we’re linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And when a new boy shows up a school with a secret of his own, things get complicated fast. I need to choose between my own instincts and Daemon’s.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. Daemon’s never going to stop searching until gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies.


I'm so so excited for this book! It comes out next week and I can't wait to snag a copy!

Teaser Tuesday...HOLLOWED by Kelley York!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!(make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Like slow motion, Blondie's eyes roll back and her attacker shoves her to one side. She hits the muddy ground to my right, where she twitches once and goes still.
~pg 42, ebook of HOLLOWED by Kelley York