RELEASE BLITZ w/EXCERPT - YA FANTASY - THE PROTECTOR'S by Susan L. Markloff

THE PROTECTOR’S PRESSURE

The Human-Born Chronicles

by Susan L. Markloff

Publication Date: July 27th 2023

Publisher: Niveus Press

Formats:  Paperback, eBook

Pages: 198

Find it: 

Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, BAM, Powell’s, Bookshop, Blackwells 

BLURB

Then there's the Second, Protector of all. One noble, a shield for his role.

To the outside observer, Skylar Mitchell has a life most people only dream of. With the wealth, fortune, and power granted to a nobleman's son, life should be perfect. But the ideal family seen by all and sought by many for political gain are shadowy illusions of the truth: the Mitchell family is anything but perfect. Wrapped up in the politics that have infected their home, Skylar yearns to find the one thing he's craved his entire life: a genuine family.

Adding to the conflict, Skylar is a Human-Born with extraordinary powers that aren't becoming of a nobleman's son. Though he wishes to explore his abilities and grow in his strengths, his parents have staunchly denied his involvement with anything outside the norm.

Until one day, a portal opens from another world, unleashing enemies aimed at attacking Skylar, and threatening to tear the veil that masks the Mitchell family's happy facade. In that moment, everything could crumble, most notably the boy who was supposed to be unbreakable.

Caught between duty to his family and his remarkable destiny, Skylar may be forced to make a decision that could fracture the Mitchell family. Will he be bold enough to step into the path he was made for, or will he cower under the weight of family pressures?

 Find it: 

Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, BAM, Powell’s, Bookshop, Blackwells 

Excerpt

Skylar looked forward to Tuesdays. They were short by all accounts. His classes wrapped by late morning, and he always grabbed the train to London so he could have lunch with Charles in the city. The train’s bustle awarded Skylar anonymity for a spell. Between tourists and general passersby, no one paid him any mind.

Well, no one save his Zaheri.

He’d grown accustomed to the ever-present knowledge that someone was watching him over the last year and a half. Initially, the concept had been unnerving. Skylar would whip around in a panic, only to be welcomed with the sight of one of his Zaheri shaking their hands dismissively or not-so-subtly trying to not be seen.

Truthfully, that ‘eyes on your back’ feeling was one he’d always attributed to fear at mis-stepping or misspeaking. Now however, it was a comfort to know someone watched over him and sought to keep him safe.

Safe from what, exactly, he wasn’t entirely sure.

There had been a handful of lessons from Ira and notes for him to study that Streya slipped into notebooks and textbooks. He’d seen the sketches and studied the bestiary of Agerius. He’d spoken with Ryder enough times to know that grovix weren’t beasts to underestimate or undervalue. The beasts and creatures he might one day encounter were easy, he thought, to wrap his head around.

But this mysterious Caliga, and their shrouded-in-rumor leader, left him puzzled.

What was he to this powerful opposition? Just another shield-bearer in Skylar’s mind. Sure, he was told he was incredibly powerful. And yes, he’d made a couple shields that his Zaheri had marveled at.

But he’d never actually protected anything.

Was he truly something powerful enough to withstand this Cregorous or any of his followers? Since he’d never had anything combat his shields, Skylar genuinely worried whether he’d be capable of stepping into the shoes of…whatever his Zaheri and their people saw for him.

Though, perhaps he was overthinking it. After all, it wasn’t as if making indigo shields of raw energy was the norm for people. That had to mean something.

Ambling on his way to the train station, he could hear Erador’s heavy footfalls against the pavement not far behind him. The bulky warrior was the funniest to see try and hide himself. On more than one occasion, Erador had stumbled over barrels or boxes or run smack into other people. Apologizing wasn’t exactly Erador’s strong suit, and he tended to become a spectacle of chaos in those moments.

The memories made Skylar chuckle a bit as he continued on his way.

He had barely left Oxford’s main hub when Ryder suddenly burst through the trees nearby. Skylar nearly leapt a foot off the ground. People nearby shrieked. A handful of phones were whipped out, pointed toward Ryder as they recorded the massive beast.

Erador was there in a flash as he asked angrily, “What are you doing?”

“We have a problem,” the dark furred grovix shot out.

Before he could continue, Streya and Ira joined them. Streya began to shove at Ryder, as though that would make his appearance null to the world around them. “Are you trying to get us all noticed?! Why are you out here?” Streya demanded as she continued to push in vain.

Ryder shoved her off and barked, “There are bratak’ra and werewolves nearby! Not a hundred feet away. We have to act!”

 Find it: 

Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, BAM, Powell’s, Bookshop, Blackwells 

Author Info

2022 Readers' Favorite Award Winner.

Susan Markloff spent a majority of her childhood pretending to live in other worlds. Coupled with her admiration for fantastical stories, she crafted one of her own. Studying writing at Houghton College, she learned how to hone her skills as an author, writing first drafts of five books during her college career. The Rise of the Raidin is her debut novel and the first in the Human-Born Era series. Susan resides in her hometown of Sellersville, PA with her faithful dog, Pinkerton.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a complete paperback set of The Human-Born Chronicles, US Only. When all the books are out.
Ends January 5, 2024, midnight EST.
Rafflecopter Giveaway

Presented by

SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - YA FANTASY - QUEEN TO ASHES (Black Dawn, #2) by Mallory McCartney

QUEEN TO ASHES 

(Black Dawn, #2)

by Mallory McCartney

Pub. Date: April 21st 2020

Publisher: MM Books

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 350

BLURB

"You lived your entire life feeling like half of you was missing. Fight for the missing part. Fight for this."

Emory Fae has abandoned everything she thought she knew about her previous life on Earth. Stepping up to her role as Queen of Kiero she makes a startling sacrifice- feigning her allegiances to Adair Stratton, the man who murdered her parents and casted Kiero into ruin. Emory's memories slowly piece together, and she soon realizes the Mad King may not be all he seems-- and the man who was once best friend, may be fighting beneath the surface.

With the King's attention on her, can she buy Black Dawn Rebellion enough time to recuperate their forces? And when the times comes, will she be able to kill Adair, ending his tyranny and rising herself as the rightful Queen? Fighting to hide her secret, Emory navigates the brutal trials of the Mad King, trying not to lose herself in the process.

Sequel to Heir of Lies, now a bestselling series, the sparks are ignited, as Emory learns the cost of freedom, and her heritage. Will the rebels unite in time? A sinister force has spread across the land, stripping everyone bare- their betrayals, their secrets, their intentions. But above all, what will their decisions cost? By refusing to give in to the darkness, will Emory rise as Queen?

Goodreads, Amazon, Amazon Canada, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read for FREE with KU!

EXCERPT

Adair Stratton tugged his button-down jacket tighter around him, trying to block the wind from his lookout post. The vastness of the sky was consuming, a strange energy clinging on the night air. The churning dark clouds cast a purplish hue, bleeding with the softness created from the moon. The stars shone between the pockets, obscuring the scene and making it beautiful.  Far below him, the Ruined City lay in its grave, quiet and still, the broken buildings reminding him of splintered bones. The once thriving capital of Kiero—Sarthaven—was nothing more than a whispered memory to him now. His gaze wandered to the edge of the Draken Mountain range, the wildness of the Noctis woods flourishing, the purple hues of the trees pulsing like gems. It had taken years to build his kingdom, shackling Kiero in fear. The people that now lived in the Draken Mountains valued their lives and were loyal to him.  Sighing, the darkness in his veins was smothered ever so slightly as he breathed in the crisp air. In this brief and flickering moment of clarity, his mind wandered to the girl who was locked in the cells of his kingdom, waiting for him: Emory Fae, the Princess of Kiero. Popping his collar up, he scowled. Under the blanket of night, he could trace back to the man he used to be when Emory had known him-an echo of his humanity. Thinking of her, he could see the splaying of memories come back to life all around him, of his friends, of the Academy. And it was in these sparse moments of lucidity, he allowed himself to remember, relishing it, pushing back that yearning for destruction, pushing back the voices, trying to lock them away.  And like every other night, he lost.  The wind howled, making the edges of his coat and pants tug upward, his hair standing on end from the sudden chill. His heart raced as the smooth voices filled his consciousness.  “Adair, this kingdom is yours. Make her bow, make her bleed… make her pay for what she has done.”  He closed his eyes for a beat, digging his fingernails into his palms.  “Why do you wait? You know what you want. What you have always wanted.”  Images were thrown at him; so quick and enthralling, they swept his breath away: The inky crown, embedded with roses and thorns, lay delicately on top of Emory’s ebony hair. Memphis Carter, the once commander of the Black Dawn Rebellion, bowed, pleading for his life as Adair smirked above him. His darkness had whisked away any trace of rebellion and Emory was by his side as they watched the world continue to burn until it was only them.  Always for them. Adair snarled, then said, “Leave me alone.”  Their snickers bounced around him, their whispers tugging at his heart.  “Do not falter now, our Mad King. You have come so far, achieved so much. The binds your father tried to keep you in, you broke. The ones the Academy kept you in, you turned to ash.  

“We are a team. We know the desires of your soul, how you revel in watching the world shudder in your reign. You have always been more. A reckoning force that no one can stop. Can never stop.” He became still, his muscles taut. Opening his eyes, his gaze fell a thousand miles away, to where the Academy had stood. Where a boy that once wanted to explore the world and not shackle it had lived.  He knew both were dead.  Ice coursed through his body, spreading through his core faster than he could register. His pulse slowed, the roaring emotions he felt slowing as well. Darkness encased him, pulling him down, down, down: Locking him away, roaring, snarling, and clawing at him.  A slow exhale escaped from between his dry lips, and as he stood, every movement was precise, a predatory grace. Flicking his gaze below him once more, instead of the dark beauty that he was met with earlier, the world around him was bleeding. Dark, black blood gushed from the mountainside, thickly caking the field and the Ruined City. Echoes of screams filled the air, and Adair was reminded of his bloodshed, of his control and power.  “Do not disappoint us, our King.” The corners of his lips tugged upward as he whispered to the wind, “I won’t.”  

*****

HEIR OF LIES (Black Dawn #1)

by Mallory McCartney

Pub. Date: April 21, 2020

Publisher: MM Books

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 397

BLURB

“Hope was a dangerous thing. It could consume every dream and make them take flight, becoming wild daydreams in one’s heart and mind. Or hope could incinerate everything you thought you knew, burning you down to your core, leaving you raw and exposed for the world.”

Emory Fae has only known one thing—life at The Academy, a school for those who have special abilities. Following in her parents’ footsteps, the pressure to uphold their dream falls on her and one of her best friends—Adair Stratton. An outcast and feared by most, Adair longs to break away from the expectations dictating his future. With whispers of dark magic spreading across Kiero, Adair starts to doubt The Academy is all it seems.

An unexpected visit ignites new tensions as the roguish king from across the Black Sea, Tadeas Maher of the Shattered Isles, and his heir, Marquis Maher, sail to Kiero. Notorious for their pirating and wrath, for the first time in years, they demand the Faes listen to their proposition for a new treaty. Caught in the middle of politics, Adair and Emory, with the help of their best friends Brokk and Memphis, search for the one thing that matters the most—the truth.

Their world is tipped upside down as unlikely alliances are made, and war ravages Kiero. Through the throes of betrayal, lies, hidden magic, and love, Adair is faced with a life changing decision. Will he fight or bow to the darkness within?

But, Adair’s decision will change the course of Kiero forever, setting in motion irreversible destinies for everyone at The Academy as Emory Fae rises as heir.

Heir of Lies is the first book in the bestselling Black Dawn series.

The Black Dawn series is re- releasing and “Heir of Lies” (book one) is coming April 21 2020! This edition will have an exclusive map and bonus content!

Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Amazon Canada, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Author InfoMallory McCartney currently lives in Sarnia, Ontario with her husband and their three dachshunds Link, Lola and Leonard. When she isn’t working on her next novel or reading, she can be found day dreaming about fantasy worlds and hiking. Other favorite pastimes involve reorganizing perpetually overflowing bookshelves and seeking out new coffee and dessert shops.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

One lucky winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Presented by

COVER REVEAL w/EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT - YA SUSPENSE - EDEN'S ECHO (Own Voices) by Lynn Veevers

EDEN'S ECHO
Own Voices

by Lynn Veevers

May 15th 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

BLURB

RWA (CIMRWA) ELEVATION OF LOVE 1ST PLACE WINNER 2018

True love knows no boundaries, it sees no color, even if that love is forbidden. 

Believing that got Eden’s mom, Echo killed at the age of sixteen, and the identity of Eden’s father was one of many secrets she took to the grave. Instead of moving on, Echo’s soul moved in. With her mother’s presence in her body, Eden can feel Echo’s emotions and hear her thoughts. When Eden tells, pseudo father, Uncle Daryl, about the voice in her head, it takes her down a road that leads to a diagnosis of multiple personalities. Now at seventeen, Eden has a secret love affair of her own with Drew. If Uncle Daryl ever found out the consequences would rip them apart, but that’s the least of Eden’s problems. As new clues surface surrounding her father’s identity, Eden finds herself on a dangerous path that could answer her paternity questions and the mysteries of her mother’s death, but at what cost? Eden can feel the weight of the secrets Echo keeps from her—secrets that have Echo’s killer returning after seventeen years with a mind to make history repeat itself.

Want a review copy? Sign up HERE!

Find it: 

Goodreads, Kindle, Amazon

Exclusive Excerpt!

“You’re too far away,” he said, pulling at the sleeve of my baseball tee a little harder.

Heat rose in my cheeks, and a ball of fuzzy flutter overtook my stomach. I wiggled across the windshield and ended up exactly where I wanted to be—comfortably settled in his arms. Dad was determined to make sure I kept my virginity intact until I was married, by all means necessary. The temptation that was Drew might very well make him fail. With all my physical reactions to his nearness and the presence of my overbearing morals, it made me question my affections and urges. Were they the real deal? What if they were simply Wonderlust, yet another doubt good ol’ Dad had drilled in my head when I was barely starting to look like a woman instead of a young girl. He’d said, “Any feelings you think are love before you turn twenty-one aren’t really love. They’re just lust.” I reined in the lustful, curiosity, and the feeling of shame that quickly followed.

If Dad could hear my thoughts, I’d definitely be a goner. The thought trotted through my mind, and I mentally shivered over the possibility.

But he can’t, and I won’t say anything if you decide to bend his little rule. What’s life without a little rebellion?

I inwardly rolled my eyes and directed my thoughts toward the same place.

Echo, even if you wanted him to, he wouldn’t hear you, because only I can, remember? You exist only in my head. Besides, the reason Dad is so strict is because of what happened to you. He is terrified your history will repeat itself with me. Talk about living in someone else’s shadow. You and I are nothing alike.

You know what they say, Eden, “Great minds...”

At that, I laughed mockingly within the confines of my head. Unlike you, Echo, I’m responsible and think things through. You didn’t then and still don’t.

I am too responsible, Echo whined, and I do think things through. You wouldn’t be here with this boy right now if I hadn’t.

Oh, you did, the resentment I felt toward her rolled through me, sweeping any tact I may have used with her swiftly away, then why are you dead, Echo?

My challenge was met with silence—I sensed her withdraw into the deeper recesses of my mind and instantly felt guilty, something I knew she felt too because of how our emotions were tethered and intertwined.

Author Info
Lynn Veevers is originally from Washington State. An award winning author she is both traditionally and self published. With her mother being from Christchurch, New Zealand and her father being a well-traveled retired Navy Chief, Lynn has always had a fascination with different cultures around the world. An avid reader, she prefers books that take her to a place she's never been and teach her something new at the same time. The Young Adult Genre is her absolute favorite to read, so it comes as no surprise that it is also her favorite to write. Lynn, on average, pens two to three novels a year.

Aside from being an author, Lynn is also an award winning graphic designer, and an editor. You can see this side of her here:
https://www.storiedgraphics.com/

Today Lynn lives with her husband and kids in Southeast Oklahoma. Her young adult and adolescent children are supportive and avid beta readers of her work and give her a straightforward and honest point of view about how authentic her characters voices and personalities are for their age group. What better reference than someone close to the same age as the main character. Her kids always have and always will be her greatest inspiration.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

Pre-Order Giveaway:

Show proof of purchase (eBook or paperback) and be entered to win a signed personalized copy of EDEN’S ECHO!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=610013259593500&set=a.606439203284239&type=3&theater

Giveaway Details:

One lucky winner will receive a $10 Amazon gift card, International.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Presented by

SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - YA FANTASY - SCHEME (AVRA-K, #2) by Jennifer Sommersby

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the SCHEME by Jennifer Sommersby Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

SCHEME

AVRA-K, #2

by Jennifer Sommersby

Pub. Date: April 21st 2020

Publisher: Sky Pony Press 

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 456

The key to good is found in truth.

Genevieve may have left the circus behind in Oregon, but there is plenty of show still to come.

When she and Henry land in France, they are whisked away to Croix-Mare, the home of Henry’s grandfather, Nutesh, where they will prepare for a journey they never could’ve imagined. Now that they have all three AVRAKEDAVRA texts—Life, Death, and Memory—the books must be destroyed in the Undoing.

However, it’s not as simple as taking the books to their birthplace in Babylon and setting them alight. Genevieve and Henry must rely on unexpected allies as they embark on a harrowing global search to acquire pieces necessary to complete the Undoing. They’re offered cover and protection by La Vérité, the secret network of followers devoted to the message of the AVRAKEDAVRA, who, not surprisingly, are found under the big top—because no one does underground quite like the circus.

But loyalties among the magical community are fragile. Genevieve, still grieving the loss of her mother, now struggles to control the new AVRAKEDAVRA-bestowed gifts, and with mounting threats to her psyche and body, she clings mightily to the promise of a brighter future once this is over—if they can survive it. And Henry, broken by his father’s treachery but entranced by the heartwarming connection his family’s text has granted him, grapples with the fact that once they succeed in destroying the books, he’ll lose the only family he has left.

Together, our two young heirs will learn that when hope has abandoned us, the overwhelming love of friendship and family is all the magic we need.

Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org 

EXCERPT
CH2
The door opens behind me, quiet exCept for that tiny squeak when it catches on the plush carpet. 
“I come bearing gifts. Hélène made us hot chocolate.” Henry enters, holding a tray with two mugs. 
“With whipped cream?” I ask. 
“So much whipped cream,” he says, setting down the tray. “Did you sleep in the chair?” 
“I wanted to watch the sunrise.” 
Henry hands me a cup, pulls the ottoman closer, and then sits next to me in front of the window that overlooks the rolling green hills of the massive estate belonging to Thibault and Hélène Delacroix—his grandparents. This place is a fortress, hospital, and five-star hotel all in one, in the middle of the French countryside. Henry leans in and pushes the springy curls back from my forehead. 
“I hate how short it is. And how dark,” I say. The weirdest part—when I look in the mirror, I don’t see my mother’s face staring back at me anymore. Our shared red hair, mine wilder and frizzier than hers, but still—it’s all gone. Not even long enough to make a ponytail anymore. It’s like being naked. 
But it’s necessary, to keep us hidden, and alive. 
“It makes your green eyes pop.” His smile fades when he runs a hand over his own head. It’s been cut so close I can see his scalp, his messy curls shorn and dyed from his usual blond to dark like mine. His cheeks are pink again, his eyes less purple this morning. He lost so much blood—it wasn’t just the car accident near Boeing Field when Lucian Dmitri and his witchy minion, Mara Dunn, ran us off the road and flipped us like a diner pancake. Mara Dunn, the talented aerialist brought to our circus after my mother, Delia, died, now known by her true identity of Aveline Darrow, my half sister, stabbed him. They wanted the magical  AVRAKEDAVRA  texts so much—my mother’s and the one Henry stole from his father’s study—they were willing to kill for them. 
During the circus’s New Year’s Eve fundraising gala, my mother was pushed from her lyra to the circus floor thirty feet below, murdered by an Etemmu, a vicious Mesopotamian demon made of swirling arms laced with hate and pain, controlled by Lucian Dmitri and his  Death  text. I tried to save her, but as her life drained into the fine soil, she took with her too many secrets. About the daughter she had long before I was born, about the world’s most powerful magical books, about how, in the wrong hands, they could rewrite everything. 
About how all this secrecy and torture by the Etemmu would land firmly upon my shoulders in her absence. 
I miss her, fiercely. I see her in every flower stretching out of its vase, in every tree that whispers in the breeze, in every tiny sprout pushing out of the dirt. Mirrors trick me when I pass by, thinking I’m seeing her face when it’s only my own. 
But I’m so angry. I’m so angry, I could burn a hole through a granite wall with my bare hands. 
I run my hand through what’s left of my hair. “We’re still ourselves,” I say. “Right?” 
Henry leans in and kisses the whipped cream off my lip. 
“Still ourselves.” 
“For now.” 
“For always.” 
“How do you feel? Since . . .” Since last night, when Thibault Delacroix—aka Nutesh, Henry’s grandfather, one of the three Original Creators of the  AVRAKEDAVRA, and our host and chief strategist—sealed his grandson to his book. For something so important, it is such a brief, quiet under-taking. Like he did with me on the plane hurtling away from the carnage left at Boeing Field with Lucian and Mara Dunn, Nutesh pulled on his leather gloves, placed a hand flat on the Memory  text, and voilà! Henry was a sealed heir, all ready to be assailed by whatever new magical endowments the text might decide to share. 
Henry is in line for two books, though— Memory, through his mother’s family, and  Death, the text he stole from his father’s study back in Oregon. Why Henry has only been sealed to one family’s book remains a mystery, but it’s probably better that way, for now. I love Henry—I know this in my heart—but my head tells me that one person sealed to two books? Unwise. It’s only a short walk across the house for him to take the third, and this whole mess starts over again. 
“I’m fine. Nothing new or weird yet.” 
“The day is young,” I say, wishing I felt as light as my words suggest. 
Henry moves to the coffee table, retrieving the TV remote. “So, you might want to see this. New developments . . .” He clicks on the flat screen hugged on either side by whitewashed bookshelves stacked to their limits. 
Lucian Dagan Dmitri—Henry’s father and the man now hunting us—fills my room, microphones at his chin. He’s talking to the press. 
The red-and-white news banner at the bottom of the screen reads: “Teens kidnapped, on the run after art heist.” Lucian’s at the fairgrounds, the Cinzio Traveling Players Company big top billowing in the background. He’s standing with police, and my heart jumps into my throat when the camera pans left to show a very worried Ted and Cecelia Cinzio. 
“It took him thirty-six hours to come up with this?” I ask. We’ve been in Croix-Mare, France, just long enough to have our significant injuries healed, put restorative food in our bellies, and change our appearances for the mission yet to come. 
“He’s smart,” Baby says, standing in the doorway, eyes on the TV, ceramic mug dwarfed in his hand. He’s healed—we’re all mostly physically healed from the car accident and subsequent attack by the Etemmu in Washington just a few days ago—but Baby’s color still isn’t right. His black skin lacks its normal vigor and warmth. 
“Lucian’s pacing himself. Timing it for maximum impact. He knows we won’t linger here long,” Baby says. He walks into the room and sits on the long, cushioned bench that abuts the end of my bed. 
A picture of Bamidele “Baby” Duncan flashes on the screen and includes his full name, height, weight, ethnicity, eye color, and tattoo descriptions. The man who has been my father and guardian my whole life, who kept my mother and me safe from harm, is being danced about on international news like some hardened criminal. 
“How . . . how could he say this? How could he lie to everyone?” I ask. 
Henry’s face is sad. His father stands as buttoned-up and in control as ever, not a shred of physical damage after our electrical dance the other day, his bald head protected from the elements by an umbrella held aloft by an unfamiliar individual wearing one of the standard-issue black Triad Partners jackets. “We have reason to suspect that my son Henry and his new female friend have gone to Europe in the company of Mr. Duncan. It is our belief that these two young people were coerced into committing the theft, as certainly Henry would have access to my collection. Mr. Duncan was very recently a guest in my home, at which time he would’ve had the opportunity to survey the target of his plot. Given his relationship with young Genevieve Flannery’s late mother, it is presumed that he manipulated his surrogate fatherhood over the girl to convince her to play a part in his scheme. Genevieve, in turn, recognized a soft target in my son and engaged him in a romantic ruse to win his trust and thus gain access to our home’s private collection.” 
Henry looks at me for a long moment before turning back to the TV. I don’t have a read on his emotions—his jaw flexes and he’s blinking a little faster than usual. 
That’s his  dad on the television, lying to the entire world about his own child. 
Lucian is still talking. “We will be working with international law enforcement and private agents who specialize in these sorts of cases so we can bring Henry and Genevieve home safely. That is our number one priority.” 
“God, the smug, lying bastard. International law enforcement? What, like, Interpol? Scotland Yard?” I ask, moving to the bench to sit nearer to Baby. I take his coffee cup, sipping, shuddering. 
“French coffee is strong,  a leannan,” he says, his smile tired. 
“Baby, Ted and Cece couldn’t possibly think you kidnapped us. Come  on. You can’t  kidnap  someone you’re legally responsible for. And Henry is eighteen. He’s an adult.” 
“I’ll find a way to get in touch with the Cinzios. This is all bluster. Dagan wants the world to think he’s the hero, that he’s the wronged party, so now everyone will have eyes out for you two. It’s his way of maximizing visibility.” 
“Nothing he’s said is the truth.” 
“Welcome to the post-truth age,” Baby says. “The people who count—the people who know how Dagan works and what he’s really talking about—this is like the Bat Signal to them. He’s going to make sure this gets maximum airplay. He’s got eyes everywhere.” 
This does not feel good at all. Eyes everywhere? 
I scrutinize the screen—Aveline is nowhere in sight. 
My stomach drops. Where  is  she? 
And what about Violet and Ash? I can’t even imagine what the twins—my  siblings, for all intents and purposes—must think of what’s happening. Violet and Ash Jónás and I have grown up together, done everything together. Baby and I just gone—vanished into thin air—the police involved. A stolen car, a robbery from the esteemed Dmitri estate, a rich philanthropist’s son missing too. It sounds bad. And it is bad—it’s just a different kind of bad than what they’re probably thinking. They don’t know anything about ancient books or heirs or the threat of our lives being erased if Lucian gets his hands on the  AVRAKEDAVRA. 
And my poor elephants . . . thinking of Gert and Houdini and sweet Othello the lion—actual physical pain forces me to clench the fabric over my chest. God, I hope they’re safe. 
I send a quiet plea to Alicia, Henry’s mother—she’s a ghost, one of my mother’s long-time companions only she could see. Delia’s gift of communing with the dead was hers alone—until Alicia showed up in that post office in Cannon Beach, floating and weightless above the sandy floor. It was the first time I’d ever seen a ghost, and since that day, I’ve needed her help more than I ever thought possible. 
And I need her now. 
Alicia, show me the elephants. Show me they’re okay. Please tell Gertrude I am so, so sorry. 
I hold my breath, willing her ethereal shape to appear. Of course, it doesn’t. 
I have to find a cell phone. I need to get a message to Vi and Ash that what Lucian is saying is a lie—and that I need them to keep the elephants safe. 
“What the hell are we going to do?” I ask. 

“We’re going to be leaving a little sooner,  ma chère.” Nutesh glides into the room. “Dress, eat, and meet me in the hall in thirty minutes,  s’il vous plaît.  We have work to do.”

SLEIGHT (AVRA-K #1)

by Jennifer Sommersby

Pub. Date: April 24th 2018

Publisher: Sky Pony Press 

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 424

BLURB

Delia smiles at the shadow only she sees—

Something slams into her. The lyra whirls like a half-dollar spinning on its edge.

My mother is thrown backward.

And she falls.

Growing up in the Cinzio Traveling Players Company, Genevieve Flannery is accustomed to a life most teenagers could never imagine: daily workouts of extravagant acrobatics; an extended family of clowns; wild animals for pets; and her mother, Delia, whose mind has always been tortured by visions—but whose love Geni never questions. In a world of performers who astonish and amaze on a daily basis, Delia’s ghostly hallucinations never seemed all that strange . . . until the evening Geni and her mother are performing an aerial routine they’ve done hundreds of times, and Delia falls to her death.

That night, a dark curtain in Geni’s life opens. Everything has changed.

Still reeling from the tragedy, the Cinzio Traveling Players are also adjusting to the circus’s new owner: a generous, mysterious man whose connection to the circus—Geni suspects—has a dark and dangerous history. And suddenly Geni is stumbling into a new reality of her own, her life interrupted daily by the terrors only Delia used to be able to see.

As the visions around her grow stronger, Geni isn’t sure who she can trust. Even worse, she’s starting to question whether she can trust her own mind.

Goodreads

Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD,  Bookshop.org 

Praise for Sleight

“Jennifer Sommersby’s Sleight makes magic from an enthralling premise, wonderfully-drawn characters, and beautiful words. It’s hard to avoid descriptors like entrancing, spell-binding and mystical.” —Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of the Gone series

“Fantasy readers will fall in love with Sleight. Like a circus, it’s an intoxicating mix of beauty, humor, magic, and danger that means the reader can’t bear to look away until the final page.” —Eileen Cook, author of With Malice

“Startlingly imaginative and vividly realized.” —Ira Bloom, author of Hearts & Other Body Parts

Author Info
Really, though, who am I? How about a list? We Virgos tend to like lists:

• Writer, copy/line editor (www.plumfieldediting.com)
• I reside in the Great White North, though the webbed feet prove that I originate from Portland, Oregon. Last U.S. address was Los Angeles. No, I do not miss the traffic. (Although Vancouver is #2 in North America for Worst Traffic Ever.) I do miss California's awesome beaches.
• I write under the pen name Eliza Gordon for non-YA titles -- romantic comedies and Happily Ever Afters. (These books are NOT for kids. Mature themes, adult language, super-inappropriate jokes that will make you giggle. Well, I hope.)
• Member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators)
• Member of the eight-person fiction cohort of the 2007 Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University
• Studied copy and substantive editing (2005-06) at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. As a writer, I have worked with and studied the practices of some of the best editors in the publishing industry. #luckyJenn 
• Studied English, political science, and criminology via Washington State University
•  I'm called Mom by three brilliant babies.
• I will never join the PTA or PAC, so please, don't ask. I also don't do candle, jewelry, or clothing parties. Thanks, though. I'm sure the finger sandwiches are delicious.
• I used to do all of my first-draft writing in the car, at night, in the parking lot of my favorite coffee shop. These days I write where it's quietest -- home, or my local coffee shop.
• I buy a lot of books. A LOT. No, seriously. I have a problem.
• I am a soundtrack/movie score JUNKIE. Hans Zimmer and Alexandre Desplat and Sonya Belousova and the Greyson-William brothers and Ramin Djawadi … and HARRY ESCOTT. *swoon* He followed me back on Twitter and I almost died. Almost. If you ever need movie score recommendations, I AM YOUR PERSON.
• I am obsessed with elephants and otters. I'd like to smooch one of each someday. 
• Cat person. The household is ruled by an overweight tuxedo cat named Nuit and her very energetic little sister, Rosie Cotton (named after Samwise Gamgee’s wife from Lord of the Rings). 
• I love coffee, Shakespeare (!!!), Joan of Arc, most things pastry, MOVIES (oh man I love movies so much), the Golden Rule, and bloody good writing. 
• I am Team Superman all the way. I wear the same outfit every day: a Superman T-shirt and jeans, and I have a very cool Superman tattoo inspired by the artwork of comic book artist Jim Lee.
• I adore Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit -- and I ship Kili + Tauriel forever, and I don't care if Tauriel wasn't in original Hobbit story.<3 horin="" ili="" o:p="" ragon="">

I now have five tattoos, including the Dwarvish script from Kili's rune stone (from Desolation of Smaug). I waited until my 30s to get my first tattoo, just to be sure I wouldn't regret it.

Muses help me write -- I have many. I love movie stars!

I hate thunderstorms, paperwork, people lacking humility, lazy writers with a sense of entitlement, and going to the dentist. Oh, and bad drivers. THE BAD DRIVERS TURN ME INTO A RAGE STORM OF CALAMITOUS DOOM.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details: International

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC, International.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Presented by