Teaser... Wednesday?

This is a bit off of the new novel that I'm currently writing. It's very rough, so pardon any spelling or grammatical errors.

Earlier today I threw a baseball over a fence into oblivion. I suppose that is what my existence has become, oblivion. Every day I go through the same routine. Wake up. Go to school. Go work at The Roxy. Do homework. Try to sleep. It’s like I’m dead to myself. I drone on through the day and hope to god I can make it through to the next. Today is no different from any other. I’m sitting on the counter at The Roxy, waiting for caffeine deprived people to come in demanding their hourly fix. I hear the bell ring, signaling that some desperate soccer mom is here to get her Americano. I look over to the door, it isn’t a soccer mom. It’s a boy.
But not just any boy, a boy that takes out all of the gray stillness in my life. His muscles seem more pronounced as he walks forward, he looks to be about my age . When he get’s up to the counter he looks at me with these deep, aquamarine eyes.

“I don’t want to me disrespectful, but isn’t it against health code or something to be sitting on a counter?”

I know I should probably respond to him. I can’t though. I feel as if my whole body has been paralyzed. Aquamarine boy has an accent. A British accent. He continues blankly staring at me. Crap. What do I say?


“ Oh, umm. I don’t know. What can I help you with today?”

“Well, for starters I’d like some coffee.” He looks down at me as his says this, a teasing smirk on his face.

“I see. And what kind would you like?”

“Large regular coffee, please”

“Anything added to that? Milk? Sugar?”

“No thanks. I like to live dangerously.” He flashes me a quick smile, drops a ten dollar bill on the counter and goes to sit down.

“Sir! You forgot your change.” I yell after him.

Aquamarine boy just looks over and winks at me. I try not to lose my grip on the counter, because if I do, I am almost guaranteed to fall flat on my butt*. After making his drink, I proceed to call out his name.

“Aqua… I mean, large regular coffee!”

When he comes to get his drink, he stares at me for a few seconds. He whispers “Aqua?”. All I can do is blush and wait for him to leave. It seems as if hours have passed since I first got here. After what seems like forever, I look at the clock. Finally. I can go home.
I hop into my red 1968 Mustang. I hear the gears roughly turning as the Stang’ glides down the endless streets of Andromeda, Washington. Every day my car threatens to break down and leave me stranded.
After about three minutes of driving, I finally reach my destination. Andromeda Town Cemetery. Coming here has slowly made it’s way into my weekly routine. I walk down a darkly lit path until I see a head stone that is oh-so-familiar to me. I read it aloud to myself for what must be the four hundredth time in the past six months.

James Isles
Lay to rest June 25, 2010. Age 23
Beloved son, brother, and friend


*Changed this word in case any kiddies are reading. :)

Giveaway- Bring On The Night by Jeri Smith-Ready

You have a chance to win 1 of 7 copies of Jeri Smith-Ready's new adult book Bring On The Night. Many of you probably know Jeri from her young adult novel, Shade. Bring On The Night is the third book in a series, here is what it's about *If you haven't read the previous books, there are spoilers beyond this point*-


WHAT'S BLOOD GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin seems to finally have it all. A steady job at WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll. A loving relationship with the idiosyncratic but eternally hot DJ Shane McAllister. A vampire dog who never needs shots or a pooper-scooper. And after nine years, it looks as if she might actually finish her bachelor's degree!

But fate has other plans for Ciara. First she must fulfill her Faustian bargain with the Control, the paranormal paramilitary agency that does its best to keep vampires in line. Turns out the Control wants her for something other than her (nonexistent) ability to kick undead ass. Her anti-holy blood, perhaps? Ciara's suspicions are confirmed when she's assigned to a special-ops division known as the Immanence Corps, run by the Control's oldest vampire and filled with humans who claim to have special powers. To a confirmed skeptic like Ciara, it sounds like a freak fest. But when a mysterious fatal virus spreads through Sherwood—and corpses begin to rise from their graves—Ciara will not only get a crash course in zombie-killing, but will be forced to put her faith, and her life itself, in the hands of magic.

If you would like to have a chance to win a copy of Bring On The Night, just fill out the form below. US Residence only. Sorry!

You don't have to be a follower to enter, but if you like my blog, I would love if you followed it!

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Everyone has something to hide—especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna.

Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily's crushing on the new girl at school. Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful.

But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.

How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and all the dirty secrets they've kept. And guess what? I'm telling.

As many of you know, Pretty Little Liars is now a show. I loved the first two episodes so I decided to buy the first book and start reading. I didn’t think I was going to like it because I had tried reading it before and didn’t finish it. Needless to say, after reading the first book, I was hooked. My favorite character was Aria, and my favorite male character was Mr. Fitz. Both characters were written really well. I think that Sara Shepard really got to know the characters both before and while she was writing.
Every word on the page new and fresh and it made the book more surprising, which I loved. The character that annoyed me the most was Hannah. Yes, her father abandoned her to live with her mother. She didn’t have to be so self-centered though! It took all of my self control to not skip her chapters.
Even though I had already seen the series, when A send the texts, emails, and notes I was still creeped out. If you are a fan of the show or even if you aren’t, I recommend this book.


FTC- Bought.

Death by Denim by Linda Gerber

Aphra Connolly is being chased by some very dangerous people. She knows her survival depends upon staying far away from love interest Seth, and listening to her mom’s lectures on the finer points of anonymity and survival. But how is a girl supposed to live under the radar and not think about her boyfriend when she’s in Paris—the most romantic city in the world? When her mom’s contact in Paris is found floating in the Seine with a deadly message stuffed in his mouth, Aphra realizes that she will never be able to stop running unless she confronts the situation head-on. Sneaking away from her mom, Aphra tracks down the criminal mastermind in Italy, only to unwittingly reveal Seth’s location. And her mistake has just put them both in mortal danger. . . .

Since I loved the first two books in this series, I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up liking it as much. I found that Death by Denim was hard to get sucked into. That being said, it was still action packed like the first two installments in the Death by… series. I love Aphra, she is a fun character. Her relationship with Seth was adorable, as always.
I recommend this series to people who love action and mystery. The first two books in the series were two of the best mystery books I’ve read, and I don’t usually like mystery books. This series is a fast read. Linda Gerber is really talented and I congratulate her on writing such good books.

FTC- Bought

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad rec...more Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.


I was reluctant to get this book. Luckily Alicia of Shooting Stars Mag told me that I should get it because it’s both cute and a quick read. She was right! Amy and Rogers Epic Detour was just what the title implied- epic. This book was not only adorable, but it was factual. One of the first places they go to on their detour (Yosemite) I’ve been to. Morgan Matson described it perfectly. She even had the description about the beds perfect, down to the scratchy blankets that were on the beds.
Though this book is a good mildly thick length, I read it in less than a day. I couldn’t stop reading, it was so good. The little pictures and receipts made it fun to read. The one thing that bugged me about this book was that Roger wouldn’t stop complaining about his ex-girlfriend. Here he is, on a road trip with a perfectly nice girl and all he does is talk about how another girl broke his heart! I mean wake up and smell the obvious, Roger!
I recommend this book to everyone. It is funny, addicting, and realistic. It will make you want to hop in a car and go on a road trip! Morgan Matson wrote a lovely book. The cover is also adorable!

FC- Bought.

Winners of One Night That Changes Everything!

The 5 winners are...


KHY
SHANNON
YAN
JAMIE
ERICA


Congratulations on winning One Night That Changes Everything!

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

Everyone thinks their parents are embarrassing, but Hannah knows she's got them all beat. Her dad made a fortune showing pretty girls--and his "party" lifestyle--all over the Internet, and her mom, who was once one of her dad's girlfriends, is now the star of her own website. After getting the wrong kind of attention for far too long, Hannah has learned how to stay out of sight...and that's how she likes it.

Of course, being unknown isn't helping her get noticed by gorgeous, confident Josh, who Hannah knows is her soul mate. Between trying to figure out a way to get him to notice her, dealing with her parents, and wondering why she can't stop thinking about another guy, Finn, Hannah feels like she's going crazy. She's determined to make things work out the way she wants....only what she wants may not be what she needs


Like all Elizabeth Scott books Something, Maybe was amazing. Elizabeth Scott has a way of writing that makes you give yourself to the story… like you are on a first name basis with it. The dad in this book was really awful, then he starts to get better, then he if awful again. Even though he is like that, I didn’t hate him that much. The one character I was truly disgusted by was Josh. Nobody can be that perfect, it’s impossible, and I think he displayed that more than clearly. Hannah’s mother was one interesting character. I couldn’t imagine having a mom like her.
I think Elizabeth captures Hannah’s life really well and in a way that makes you sympathize with her. I recommend this book to anyone. Scott has an unforgettable way of writing that captures the essence of her stories perfectly.


FTC- Bought.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

I think I liked Shiver more, but Linger was still great. I have only read these two books by Maggie Stiefvater, but they are making me want to read her other books. The Prologue made me want to read more, but I also found that it was really confusing. I was stuck asking other people if certain things happened in Shiver *they hadn’t*. The book ends up making a circle and what you read in the beginning relates to what is in the end of the book.
The relationship between Sam and Grace, I love! It is so adorable, and Sam is the perfect guy. (And he works in a bookstore!). Their chemistry is great, and it’s something that keeps me looking forward to reading the book. I wish that there was more werewolf- type stuff in Linger. It was mostly informational and Sam trying to figure out information and discovering himself more.
I loved the relationship between Cole and Isabelle, it was really cute!
Overall, I really liked this book. Though it had it’s faults, it was good. I’m excited to read the next one.


FTC- Received from a friend.