Tuesday, 9 July 2013

New Author Week ~ Day 1 & Giveaway 1

We've been overwhelmed recently with the number of authors asking us to review their books or do a promo for them. We would love to read every request we get but unfortunately that's not possible so we've come up with "New Author Week"
The idea of New Author Week is to spotlight authors that are new to us. We will spotlight 4 authors each day for 5 days. For each book there will be an excerpt, details of the author and an ebook giveaway. The giveaways are only open for a day, so be quick when entering! Winners of the giveaways will be announced on Sunday 14th July.
If New Author Week is successful we will run more in the future.
So lets meet today's Authors and their books:


Reconnected by Bethany Daniel

Sub Genre: YA/NA Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 9th May 2013

Book Description:

A fast paced love story!
Katy Warren thought her life was perfect. Then her new husband, and also high school sweetheart, gets discovered while theatre acting and gets swept away to Hollywood. Once there, things change. Liam throws himself into the Hollywood life and ignores Katy.
One night after a particularly crazy party, Katy can't take it anymore and leaves Liam and his celebrity behind but doesn't get an official divorce.
Four years later, Liam goes to Georgia for filming and crosses paths with Katy again. But now she's just Kate and she has a boyfriend and she doesn't want anything to do with her marriage. Liam has other plans.
Coming Soon: Liam's POV, Disconnected

Buy Links:

Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/18GdO8G

Excerpt:

Prologue

"Babe, let's go! I have to be to the theater in 30 minutes!” Liam yelled from down the hall and I took one last look in the mirror and ran towards him grabbing my sweater along the way.

"Ok, ok....I'm ready! Are you nervous about tonight?" I asked him grabbing his hand and walking towards our little rundown car.

He took a deep breath as he fiddled with the keys in his pocket and opened each door. "I don't know. I mean, everyone is talkin' about the Hollywood scouts being in the audience tonight. It would be amazing to be noticed by them, you know? The theater isn't horrible by any means," he smiled softly and started driving towards the theater. "But you can bet I'm going to do my damned best tonight."

I laugh and squeeze his hand. "You do great every night baby, that's why EVERYONE is always talking about you and why everybody keeps coming back to watch you over and over. I'm very proud of you, you know."

He flashed me a wide grin and we drove the rest of the way in silence. Once we arrived at the theater, Liam gave me one last kiss and looked towards the backstage. "Here goes nothing," he whispered and squeezed me tight.

"Good luck! Not that you need it." I smiled and waved at him and went to find my seat.

All around me people were buzzing about the Hollywood people being here. I didn't see anyone that really screamed Hollywood Exec to me, but I was positive they were somewhere with a great seat of the show.

Around an hour later, the show started and everyone sat riveted to the actors. I felt just as nervous as they did as I noticed them sneak a glance in the audience for the scouts. Liam really did do an even better job tonight then before if that was even possible.

After the show, I ran backstage and gave him a tight hug and quick kiss. "You did great babe!" I whispered in his ear as some people I didn't recognize moved through the crowd and stopped in front of us.

"Mr. Warren? I'm Mitchell Fallon, I'm a talent scout for Excite Entertainment of L.A and we would really like to talk with you,” he smiled and I felt Liam take a deep breath.

"Uh, yes sir, where would you like to talk?" He asked as he grabbed my hand.

"There's a meeting room down the hall. We can talk....privately," he muttered looking down at me like I was some kind of groupie.

I raised my eyebrow and smiled softly. "Mr. Fallon, I'm Liam's wife." I emphasized the last word and looked him in the eye. "I'm sure it would be ok for me to sit in on the conversation?"

"Oh...yes, of course," He nodded and walked ahead of us.

"Is this really happening?” Liam whispered leaning into me.

I giggled and nodded. "Uh-huh....I think it really is."

A couple months later, everything was happening in a whirlwind. There were contracts, photo shoots for head shots, interviews and script readings. It didn't take long for Liam to have a large entourage and for me to be pushed into the background often.

One night, Liam came home from yet another company hosted party, obviously trashed and I looked over at him shaking my head.

"Liam, what the heck is happening?” I asked tucking a loose strand of his hair back.

"What do you mean?” he slurred and flopped over on his back. "We're living the life baby!” He laughed and pulled a blanket up and over his face.

I gently pulled it down and looked down at him sadly. "What if I don't want this life? What if it’s just not what I pictured for our lives?"

He snorted and rolled over. "It's all part of the package baby, get used to it."

The very next night when I came home from doing some sight-seeing, I found our home overflowing with drunk women, and many of them hanging all over my husband. Not to mention a bunch of people standing around smoking and drinking who knows what.

"Liam Elliott Warren, what the hell is going on?!" I yelled storming through the room shoving half-dressed girls out of the way as I went.

"We're hosting a party! You know, rubbing elbows and all that," He smiled and took a sip of wine from his glass.

"Are you kidding me? You have women all over you right now...." I shook my head and started for the stairs.

"Where are you going, Katy?" He asked leaning against the couch.

Taking a deep breath, I wiped my eyes and looked directly at him. "To our room, and I'm going to pack a suitcase. If this "party" isn't over in the next couple of hours, I'm leaving. I can't do this."

"Baby, you know I love you, right?" He asked and took a step towards the stairs and motioned his arms around. "This is just business."

I sniffled and shook my head running to our room and started shoving my things into a large suitcase.

Several hours later, the music was still thumping, and girls were still giggling and I could hear Liam murmuring to them. He didn’t even bother to come and talk to me.

By the time I came out of the room around nine the next morning, the house was a disaster and there was a note on the table from Liam saying he had left for set to start filming.

So I did exactly what I told him I'd do. With tears streaming down my face, I turned his note over and wrote on the back

"I'm leaving. I hope you have all the successes you've ever wanted. I won't be along for this crazy ride. Goodbye. Love, Katy"

With one final look around, I rubbed some tears away and walked out of Liam Warren's life.

About the Author:

Bethany Daniel lives in Texas with her husband and 2 boys. She enjoys reading, photography and of course, writing. When she's not doing that she spends a lot of time chasing her 3 and 4 year old!

Author Links:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorbethanydaniGeel
Twitter: @author_bethanyd

A Veil of Glass and Rain by Petra F Bagnardi 

Sub Genre: NA/Contemporary
Release date: 20th April 2013

Book Description:

Brina and Eagan meet for the first time when she's nine and he's fourteen. They like each other from the very beginning, although their bond isn't immediate, but it grows over the years. What links them is the fact that their parents are photographers and are extremely devoted to their work and to each other; so much so that both Brina and Eagan have to learn how to take care of themselves from a very young age. Despite their differences, age, gender, nationality, Brina is Italian and Eagan is American, they find comfort in their growing friendship.

Then Brina becomes a teenager, and her feelings for her friend start changing and deepening. New desires stir within her. On a warm, summer day, the two friends rest in a park, surrounded by the shades of the trees; then Brina kisses Eagan, while he's sleeping. Scared by her impulses and actions, Brina realizes how her feelings complicate her friendship with Eagan, therefore she runs away from him.

A few years later, Brina is twenty and Eagan is twenty-five, they find one another once again. Brina is studying cinema in Rome and she's also trying to become a musician. Eagan begins to work as an architect in the same city. Eagan wants to be a part of Brina's life anew; he wants to know her new friends and, most of all, he wants to listen to her singing and playing her guitar. Brina, however, is still in love with him, and she finds it difficult to act merely as a friend, therefore she keeps pulling away.

Find it on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17856689-a-veil-of-glass-and-rain

Buy Links:
Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/1avDUMK

Excerpt:

The first time I saw Eagan, it was through a veil of rain.

The garden was dotted with small and big puddles. I jumped around them, pretending they were black holes that could capture me, if only I grazed their surface with the tips of my feet.

Eagan was carrying a deep-purple umbrella. I stared at him from the edge of a huge puddle. He stood on the opposite side and for a few seconds we considered each other. I noticed that his feet were too close to the water, and I wanted to warn him about the danger of black holes, but I felt shy. He was tall, like a giant. His smile was gentle, and he smelled good.

He contemplated the murky puddle that separated us with a serious expression, then he looked up at me. “I read somewhere that if you jump into a puddle, the currents will carry you away to another world.”

Suddenly the dark water became less frightening and more interesting. “If I jump in and get lost in the other world, will you run after me to bring me back?” I asked him.

He smiled. “Of course.”

About the Author:

Petra F. Bagnardi is a television screenwriter and story-editor,
and an indie-theater writer, director and actress.

Author Links:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/petra.bagnardi


Catching the Bad Guy (Janet Maple 2) by Marie Astor

Sub Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: 14th May 2013

Book Description:

Janet Maple and Dennis Walker make a good team: she is a top-notch white collar crime investigator, and so is he. Both Janet and Dennis are thrown in for a loop when Janet’s treacherous snake of an ex-boyfriend, Alex Kingsley, is appointed as their new boss, and the case that was supposed to be the highlight of their careers is dismissed for lack of evidence.

To make matters worse, Alex is asking Janet to get back together, and the one man she wishes would ask her out sees her as nothing more than a co-worker. Janet’s love life soon becomes the least of her worries, as she begins to suspect that Alex’s rekindled interest in her is driven by ulterior motives. She is determined to get to the bottom of things, but she can't do it alone.

Together, Janet and Dennis team up to solve a tangled white collar crime web that leads to powerful politicians and corporate executives. Armed with their keen instincts and skills, Janet and Dennis are bound to succeed. There is just one glitch: both are attracted to each other, and both refuse to admit it. Will Janet and Dennis solve the biggest case of their careers or will their attraction to each other get in the way?

Buy Links:
Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/12zAK5E
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/17PaPLX

Excerpt:

Janet lingered in the hallway section that led to Dennis Walker’s office. It shouldn’t be that hard to ask a man out on a date, should it? she thought. And it’s not even a real date. No need to get worked up about it; just two co-workers joining forces on an undercover assignment—an undercover assignment with romantic possibilities …

Janet braced herself; she had promised Lisa to get Dennis to come. The door to Dennis’s office was half ajar. Janet was about to walk in when she heard the sound of Dennis’s voice. He was on the phone. She hesitated; she was not one to eavesdrop, but when presented with an opportunity it was hard to resist.

“Yes, baby,” Dennis’s voice, slick with suaveness, carried past the doorway. “Of course I missed you. I told you that I’ve been busy at work. Of course I want to see you. Yes, tonight would be great. My place or yours?” Dennis purred suggestively. “Of course we’ll have dinner first. Yes, Buddha Bar sounds great. I’ll make a reservation. See you soon, honey boo.”

Honey boo. Janet’s face burned. What an idiot she had been to even think about asking Dennis Walker out. In her defense, she was going to ask him out for work-related purposes, but Dennis would have surely considered her invitation a flirtation. And the truth of the matter was that it would have been.

Ducking her head in embarrassment, Janet rushed down the hall.

“Janet! How is it going?”

Startled, Janet looked up. Peter Laskin was standing a few inches away from her. If he had not called her name she would have stumbled right into him. “Peter!” Janet aimed for a smile but ended up with a scowl. “Everything is great. How are you?”

Laskin shook his head. “Come on, Janet. You can’t bullshit a bullshitter.”

Janet felt a shiver run down her spine. Could it be that Laskin had seen her eavesdropping on Dennis?

“It hasn’t been great for anyone here since Ham was let go. Oh, excuse me,” Laskin coughed, “I meant to say ‘left for early retirement.’”

Janet smiled with relief. “I couldn’t agree more. I’m just trying to stay positive, you know?”

“I know.” Laskin scratched the spot on his head that used to be bald before he got the implants. “I’m trying to hang in there as well. What’s that you got there?”

“Oh, this …” Janet glanced at Lisa’s wedding invitation that she still had in her hand. Suddenly, she had an idea. There was no way in hell she was asking Dennis Walker out, but she had no objections to asking Peter Laskin. So what if Laskin hardly ever worked the field? Two pairs of eyes would be better than one; besides, she did need a date for the wedding. “It’s funny you should ask,” Janet replied, lowering her eyes demurely. “I was just going to see you about it, actually. Would you accompany me to my friend’s wedding?”

Laskin’s eyes flashed with surprise. “Why, yes, I’d be delighted. On second thought, let me just check my schedule to make sure.” Laskin fumbled with his Blackberry. “When is it?”

“It’s on a Saturday three weeks from now.” Janet hoped that Laskin would not turn her down. Just how much mortification could a girl endure?

Laskin traced his finger along his Blackberry screen. “I’m wide open,” he confirmed. “It’ll be my pleasure, Janet.”

“Good, that’s all settled then.”

“Actually, I was wondering if you’d like to grab a drink after work this Thursday?”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Janet stalled. “But I’ve got so much work to catch up on. I’ll let you know later in the week, all right?” Her worst fear was becoming a reality: Laskin had misunderstood her invitation as actual interest in him. To be fair, he could not very well be blamed for his reaction. Normally, when a girl asked a guy to be her date, to a wedding nonetheless, the guy would be safe to assume that the girl was at least somewhat attracted to him. But Janet’s life was anything but normal, so Laskin would just have to suck it up.

About the Author:

Marie Astor is the author of the Janet Maple romantic suspense series: To Catch a Bad Guy and Catching the Bad Guy, contemporary romance novels This Tangled Thing Called Love, Lucky Charm, Smitten at First Sight, and a short story collection, A Dress in a Window. Marie is also the author of a young adult fantasy adventure novel, Over the Mountain and Back. Marie’s next novel, book three of the Janet Maple Series, is expected to be released in late fall of 2013.

In her spare time, Marie enjoys being adventurous out-of-doors. She often gets new story ideas while she is hiking up a mountain or trying to avoid bumping into a tree while skiing.

Join Marie’s mailing list at www.marieastor.com to receive updates on Marie’s new book releases and events.
Author Links:

I Remember (Remembrance Book 1) by Cynthia P O’Neill

Sub Genre: YA/ PNR
Release Date: 4th July 2013

Book Description:

Jordan Carlisle is a young, career driven woman with a passion for life and family. Her world is suddenly altered by both death and love when she is torn between family loyalty and a chance at happiness with the man who holds her in her dreams. Will time and technology bring her and the handsome stranger together or will the powerful forces that have plagued her since childhood keep them apart?

Gregory Riley has kept a secret most of his life to avoid discovery. Now he is on a quest to find the person who can change his life, forever. He knows her face, her touch and her voice; but nothing more. He uses clues, from his dreams, to find both her and a timeless love that defies explanation. In spite of the darkness working to keep them apart, can he get to her first and help her “remember”?

Jordan and Gregory discover a deep connection in the ability to encroach on one another’s dreams of both past and present. Together, they learn that their lives have crossed time and time again, only to end tragically. Guided by an unearthly visionary and help from those who have gone before, they are given clues and revelations to uncover their place in history. In order to stay together, they must discover where fate went astray, who is responsible and where they fit in to the ancient prophesy. Working side-by-side, they seek to unlock the hidden powers and mysteries that will defeat the darkness in this life and allow them to be together, forever. Will love finally prevail or will the darkness win again? 

Buy Links:
Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/17YfjQx
(Smashwords & Barnes & Noble available soon)

Excerpt:

Prologue

I wandered along a path as the sun began to set across the horizon, lighting the sky with deep hues of orange, purple and pinks. I didn’t know where I was, but the countryside was simply breathtaking.

“Angeline, where are you?” A familiar male voice called out.

“Come find me, Daniel,” she announced playfully, in the distance.

Finding no one else around, I decided to head their way to ask for directions.

“Where are you hiding, my love? You know I will find you; and when I do, I will smother you with kisses,” he responded, full of laughter.

Their voices led me to a beautiful meadow filled with spring flowers and the sound of a river in the distance. They were dressed in Victorian fare, running playfully until Daniel caught the girl who must have been Angeline. They fell to the ground together, laughing, near a tall tree.

As I walked toward them, I watched Daniel lean in to kiss Angeline softly on the lips, her hands circling around his neck and pulling him closer. I stopped in my tracks feeling like I had invaded a private moment, but I still needed directions in order to return home.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to intrude but I could really use your help,” I stated softly, so not alarm them.

They continued, without even a glance my way. How rude. I cleared my throat loudly and spoke again, but no answer.

I was frustrated. How could they not hear me?

Suddenly, the landscape began to twist and shift into something dark and evil. I tried to turn and run but found myself unable to move. My heart began beating erratically as fear set in.

A tall figure appeared before me with ghostly shadows swirling and moaning around it. It was dressed in the darkest cloak I’d ever seen, with the hood draped in such a way as to cast shadows across the few visible areas of the face, making it impossible to see who or what it was.

An arm rose revealing long willowy fingers, aged and deformed and pointed at me. A sadistic female voice bellowed, “I warn you. Do not seek him out! The prophecy must not come to pass. If you defy me, I will make your life a living hell, taking all that you hold dear.”

That’s when the figure’s head tilted up and her glowing red eyes locked onto mine, sending a chill down my spine. Then the shadows began to swirl around my body, suffocating me.

“STOP!” The scream came from nowhere, catching me by surprise.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!” This time I recognized a man’s voice.

One of the shadows grabbed my arm and a piercing, “NOOOO” sounded, from deep within my chest, echoing off all that was around me.

My eyes shot open, as I bolted upright in bed. I looked around and realized I was in my bedroom.

I reached for the light. Turning it on, I tried to catch my breath. My only thought was that the dreams were back and they were worse. I’d seen a witch spirit previously, but not to this extent.

Wrapping my arms around my chest to calm myself, I felt a sharp pain on my right arm. I looked down to see the reddened hand print, where the dark shadow had grabbed me, slowly fading from existence. What the heck?
About the Author

Cynthia P. O’Neill grew up in Clewiston, Florida and moved to Central Florida to attend college. There, she married her friend, love, and soul mate and still resides there with their amazing son, and a feisty, four-legged little boy.

In her books, Cynthia draws on her background in healthcare and business, along with her husband’s engineering knowledge. 

Several years after she got married, she started dreaming about the characters in I Remember. It took eight years before she decided that it needed to be told. With the encouragement of family and friends, she decided to bring Jordan and Gregory to life in a series of Young Adult, Paranormal Romances with a Historical bent. I Remember is the first book in the Remembrance series.

Cynthia’s first book is geared towards the Young Adult, Historical and Paranormal Romance fans. She does hope to grow as a writer and write in multiple genres. She has a steamy romance called Learning to Trust, part of the Learning Series, coming out in August.

She tries to make her writing very personal and close to her heart. Regular life is the inspiration for her books, but her imagination takes them to new heights, opening up possibilities that would normally not exist. 
Author links:
Twitter: @cynthiaponeill
  
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