Cover Reveal! DESTRUCTION by @SharonBayliss! #DecemberPeople

Author Sharon Bayliss is thrilled to share the cover for Destruction (Book One of The December People Series), a family drama about dark wizards living in Houston.

Message from Sharon Bayliss:

"The butterfly will show up on the cover of all four books in the series, as a symbol of redemption, hope, and re-birth. Despite the dark themes in the series, I believe that the most important themes of the series are hopeful ones, such as love, family, and triumph against adversity, which is why the butterfly is in the center.

The broken glass surrounding the butterfly rather obviously symbolizes the concept of destruction, which is also a central theme. The title Destruction refers to the fact that dark magic is inherently destructive, but also refers to how a person can be destroyed, in body or soul.

One thing I was sure of, I wanted the word, Destruction, to be in "pretty" letters. I loved the contrast of having a dark and violent word look beautiful. This also fits the theme, as I wish to show the beauty in darkness and destruction, and the good in people who are supposed to be evil."

Here is the blurb for Destruction, coming out 4/14/14:

David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything. Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice.

Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can’t imagine living without. 

Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David's wife admits a secret of her own—she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children. 

Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn’t understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.

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The secrets! They are shattered! Happy Release Day, SHATTERED SECRETS! @KrystalWade

Happy Release Day, Krystal!

And Happy Happy HAPPY Birthday,

SHATTERED SECRETS!

SHATTERED SECRETS

by

Krystal Wade

After being kidnapped, hogtied, and stuffed in the trunk of a car, seventeen-year-old Abigail Nichols' boy problems seem unimportant.

She couldn't be more wrong.

The boy who saves her holds her heart. But Derick Crawford also holds secrets.

Magical beings who guide human emotions are fighting an invisible war dating back to the dawn of time, and Abigail's one of them. The more she learns of her heritage, the less she wants to know. Armed with a very old, very massive book to teach them about their history, Abigail and Derick run away to a place where they think they can be safe and happy, only to have their troubles secretly hitch a ride.

Her history book is in a sharing mood, and it tells her to keep a secret of her own. But has she put her trust in the wrong place? And will the world survive if she has?

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Books-a-Million - Kobo - Goodreads

Krystal Wade is happily married to the love of her life (don’t gag) and raising three beautiful children in the gorgeous state of Virginia. They live just outside Washington, D.C., and every day she wakes up to find herself stuck in traffic trying to get there.

The horrid commute gives Krystal plenty of time to zone out and think about her characters in full, brilliant details (she’s a safe driver; don’t worry). Stories give her a way to forget about the sometimes smelly strangers sitting next to her on the fifty mile trek into town (she picks up hitchhikers every day. True story. Check out www.slug-lines.com if you don’t believe this).

Krystal has been a part of organized hitchhiking for nearly fifteen years, but that’s just one small aspect of her oh-so-large life. When she’s not working, commuting, or chasing after her three children (four if you count the man), you can usually find Krystal outside talking to her chickens like they’re the cutest things in the world (they are), or training her amazing dogs how to herd said chickens (which they love), or curled up on the sofa with a good book (why can’t that be 100% of the time?).

www.krystal-wade.com

Check out Krystal's Other books:

Tour Stop!!! KIYA: Rise of a New Dynasty by Katie Hamstead! @KatieTeller1

Today, I am excited to bring you an awesome guest post from Katie Hamstead! Her Queen Kiya trilogy has sadly come to an end, but really, all that means is you can now read them back to back and binge on an amazing series!!! 

Who doesn't love a good book binge!?!?!? 

HUGE congratulations on a fantastic, successful debut series, Katie!!! I'm so proud to have been a part of your amazing journey!!! <3 

KIYA: Rise of a New Dynasty

Queen Kiya, Book Three

By

Katie Hamstead

Tut has grown into his position as Pharaoh, but he is a wild young man. Naomi fears for him, not only because of his recklessness, but because he has put his trust in Ay–the man determined to destroy Naomi—despite her and Horemheb advising against it.

Meanwhile, death and slavery hang over Naomi and her family. With fear of the booming Hebrew numbers causing talk of enslaving them, conscription is reinstated and Naomi fears for the lives of her other children. Especially since Ay's children are now adults, and just as dangerous as their father. They threaten to take Itani, conspire against Tut, and push for power.

But Tut is in trouble. While Ay's daughter draws Horemheb's attention, and Naomi deals with the struggles of her family, everyone's distraction could spell death for the young Pharaoh.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20498841-kiya

Grab your copy today!

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kiya-Rise-New-Dynasty-ebook/dp/B00IMQVV52/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1393299262&sr=1-1

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kiya-katie-hamstead/1118735666?ean=2940148195801

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/kiya-rise-of-a-new-dynasty

And now, I'll give the floor to Katie . . . take it away, yo! 

Culture and Foods

Holidays in Ancient Egypt usually revolved around the gods. With only the Aten, most of these were done away with during Akhenaten's reign.

But the Hebrews had plenty of rituals and holidays, although, none are touched on until book 2 in the Kiya Trilogy. They did things in seven periods—the 7th day was the Sabbath, the 7th year was a time where slaves were freed, etc. They also had festivals for harvests, and much later, (post Kiya) the Passover was introduced.

During the reign of Akhenaten, the art grew more realistic and stylized rather than the traditional rigid, angular forms. Akhenaten was often portrayed kissing his family, and in other informal scenes previously shunned by royals as they were perceived as showing weakness.

Food. Meat wise, the Egyptians ate food like pork, lamb, mutton, duck, eggs, beef, veal and fish. I wasn't able to find if they ate chickens or not, it's likely though since they definitely had eggs, but those could have been duck or other fowl eggs, maybe even crocodile!

Here are some basic fruit, veg and grains they ate. Naomi mentions most of these foods at some point throughout the books.

I don't know exactly what type of apple they ate, but apples were definitely a popular fruit.

Chickpeas were probably used in a similar way to rice or potatoes today, as filler and a side.

Dates. Tut’s favorite.

 Lettuce

Pomegranate. This is Naomi's favorite fruit. 

Figs

The Egyptians brewed beer. They used barley based recipes.

So there you have it. Egyptian food. Naomi didn't eat things such as pork and likely not beer because she was Hebrew, but she would have eaten everything else.

COVER REVEAL! Check out the gorgeous cover for KIYA: RISE OF A NEW DYNASTY (KIYA3) by Katie Hamstead aka. @KatieTeller1

Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty 

(Kiya Trilogy Book #3)

By

Katie Hamstead

Tut has grown into his position as Pharaoh, but he is a wild young man. Naomi fears for him, not only because of his recklessness, but because he has put his trust in Ay–the man determined to destroy Naomi—despite her and Horemheb advising against it.

Meanwhile, death and slavery hang over Naomi and her family. With fear of the booming Hebrew numbers causing talk of enslaving them, conscription is reinstated and Naomi fears for the lives of her other children. Especially since Ay's children are now adults, and just as dangerous as their father. They threaten to take Itani, conspire against Tut, and pushing for power.

But Tut is in trouble. While Ay's daughter draws Horemheb's attention, and Naomi deals with the struggles of her family, everyone's distraction could spell death for the young Pharaoh.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20498841-kiya

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Genre: New Adult Historical Romance

Release Date: February 25^th 2014

About the Author:

Born and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of day dreaming in the “bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She is currently at school studying English and Creative Writing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She now works as a Clerk with a lien company in Arizona to help support her family and her schooling. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

Connect with Katie!

Blog: http://kjhstories.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-Hamsteads-Stories/247238178656484

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatieTeller1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6585259.Katie_Hamstead

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Katie-Hamstead/e/B008T8M8PA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

COVER REVEAL!!!!!! Check out the cover for SHATTERED SECRETS by @KrystalWade!

SHATTERED SECRETS

by

Krystal Wade

COMING MARCH 2014

After being kidnapped, hogtied, and stuffed in the trunk of a car, seventeen-year-old Abigail Nichols' boy problems seem unimportant.
She couldn't be more wrong.
The boy who saves her holds her heart.
But Derick Crawford also holds secrets.
Magical beings who guide human emotions are fighting an invisible war dating back to the dawn of time, and Abigail's one of them. The more she learns of her heritage, the less she wants to know. Armed with a very old, very massive book to teach them about their history, Abigail and Derick run away to a place where they think they can be safe and happy, only to have their troubles secretly hitch a ride.
Her history book is in a sharing mood, and it tells her to keep a secret of her own.
But has she put her trust in the wrong place?
And will the world survive if she has?

Be sure to add SHATTERED SECRETS to your Goodreads TBR! 

Connect with Krystal!

 Twitter

Website

Facebook

SALE! SALE! SALE! Looking for a new book boyfriend this Valentine's Day? #EVERTrilogy

Happy Valentine's Day! 

I hope everyone is ready to snuggle down with a good book . . . and an even better book boyfriend! <3 

Might I suggest Toby or Frankie? 

EVER and EVADE are on sale all weekend long, for just $0.99! Grab your copy today!

EVER: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

EVADE: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

18 TRUTHS by @JamieMAyres Blog Tour!

Welcome to today's stop on the 

18 TRUTHS Blog Tour! 

Lying is unbearable, betrayal is inevitable, and choosing which path to take is impossible.

Olga Gay Worontzoff ended her senior year as an eighteen-year-old girl totally in love with Nate, enjoying their new romance and about to attend the university of her dreams. Now she’s spending her summer in the weird subculture of the Underworld, with charmingly witty and powerful angels, and problematic demons, trying to rescue Connor, the best friend and secret crush she was unable to save during a freak accident.

But Nate has other things on his mind, mainly Grace. She’s their first assignment as joint spirit guides, and Olga’s feeling hurt and jealous. His mysterious behavior has Olga questioning everything she believed about him and now she must decide whether to stick to their plan, or follow her heart.

Unfortunately, a series of mistakes threatens everyone around her and plants Olga in the center of cosmic events much larger than she ever imagined.

Only one thing is certain: the chilling truths uncovered during her journey will leave no one untouched. 

Amazon  | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble

Now, please welcome Jamie as she shares her favorite quotes from the book!

Thanks to Jessa for hosting me today!

So during my writing of the 18 Things trilogy, I got really into quotes. I wasn’t very good at coming up with chapter titles, but I wanted something there to remind me of what that chapter was about. Around that time, I’d also gotten a book titled “i never metaphor i didn’t like” from Books-A-Million. There were so many quotes I loved in this book, and it sparked the idea to incorporate quotes at the beginning of my chapters.

I don’t claim that quotes from the books I’ve written will stand the test of time or anything, but here are some from 18 Truths that people have told me they loved!

Truth: Every morning when I woke up, the biggest truth I’ve ever faced landed like a grenade in my heart. I never said this when I had the chance: I love Olga Gay Worontzoff with all my heart, soul, mind, and body.—Conner’s thoughts

Nate leaned toward me and pressed his forehead against mine, his coffee colored hair slipping over his left eye. I felt his breath on my lips, the fresh scent of spearmint washing over me. Somehow, everything about Nate reminded me of my favorite things.—Olga’s thoughts

Lurching forward, I tried the run-like-a-bull approach, but Riel easily popped out his wings and flew behind me.

“Cheater.” (Olga)

“Human.” (Riel)

Dr. Judy crossed her arms over her chest. “There are no do-overs in life once you’re dead. All your friends have that YOLO saying backward. It should be YODO because really, you live every day, but . . . You Only Die Once.”

I tilted my head to the side, studying his face. “Now who’s the glue sniffer? You have to be out of your mind to think I’ll go along with helping a band of demons.”—Olga to Sam

“Hmm, demon, angel, tomato, tomahto, potato, potahto. Don’t you realize you’re just a pawn in this game? You get that Alpha File 120 for me, and you’ll realize that for yourself real quick. Now, I’ll give you thirty seconds to do the right thing. After that, my offer expires, and you can forget about ever finding Conner. You can forget about everything you’ve ever worked for.”—Sam to Olga

When I felt inadequate and worthless, I had to remember God’s spirit at work within me.—Olga’s thoughts

Riel gave me a hard look. His sharp features startled me with their beauty, even in all his fury. I returned his stare, hiding a thousand insecure feelings behind one wide smile.—Olga’s thoughts

“You’re one of the most beautiful people I know, inside and out. But you have to believe that. You have to love yourself before you love anyone else, or there’s no way you can help others.”—Riel to Olga

Two things I was certain of in that moment: one, I’d just brought butt dialing to a whole ‘nother level; and two, I was about to have my butt handed to me by one very powerful angel.—Olga’s thoughts

His brow furrowed. “We hit the play button on our lives a year ago, always moving forward and doing what we thought was right. It’s a choice we make every day, to live or die. Luckily, God isn’t ruled by emotions like us. He sees our heart and shows us mercy, even when we don’t deserve it.”—Nate to Olga

Thanks again, Jessa! What are some of your favorite quotes? And can I steal them for my next book ;-)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jamie Ayres writes young adult paranormal love stories by night and teaches young adults as a Language Arts middle school teacher by day. When not at home on her laptop or at school, she can often be found at a local book store grabbing random children and reading to them. So far, she has not been arrested for this. Although she spent her youthful summers around Lake Michigan, she now lives in Florida with her prince charming, two children (sometimes three based on how Mr. Ayres is acting), and a basset hound. She really does have grandmothers named Olga and Gay but unlike her heroine, she's thankfully not named after either one of them. She loves lazy pajama days, the first page of a good book, stupid funny movies, and sharing stories with fantastic people like you. Her books include the first two installments of her trilogy, 18 Things and 18 Truths. Visit her online via Twitter, Facebook, or at www.jamieayres.com.