Ednah Walters's Blog, page 12

Title:  On Thin Ice
Author:  PJ Sharon
Length:  82,000 WordsGenre:  Contemporary YA

BLURB
Seventeen year old figure skater Penny Trudeau is a liar. She knows it, hates it, and can’t help herself. The truth is too hard and ugly. Her mother is dying of cancer, her father treats her as if she’s invisible, and she is starving—for food, for love, for acceptance, and mostly for the perfection that is just beyond her reach. When she finds comfort in the arms of Carter McCray, a hockey hunk a few years too old for her, the lies begin a chain of events that have dire consequences, not the least of which are a rape she can’t remember and a pregnancy she can’t ignore. If she reveals her secrets, will the shock and disappointment mean the end for her mother? Or has her mother been keeping the biggest secret of all?


EXCERPT
Miss Montgomery sat up and put her feet on the floor, rolling her chair in behind the desk as she leaned toward me. She folded her hands and rested them on her desk as if she were going to say a prayer or maybe send me to the principal’s office, that thing that adults do when they expect you to listen up and pay attention. Her gray eyes peered at me hard. “Anything you say to me is confidential, you know that, right?”

“Okay.” I folded my arms across my middle and leaned back further in my chair, studying the stacks of files on her desk.

“I want to help you, Penny, but I need you to be honest with me. Can you do that?” She had blue-gray eyes that seemed ancient and wise, the kind you wanted to trust.

I hesitated. “I’ll try.” Since lying hadn’t served me well recently, maybe some truth wasn’t a bad idea.

“Good. Do you know why you’re suffering from bulimia?”

Her words hit me like a slap. My heart raced and my stomach flopped over like a landed fish. “What do you mean?”

Her sad smile returned and she sighed. “You know what I mean. You are rail thin and you have scars on the backs of your knuckles from forcing yourself to vomit.”

“I don’t…” My fists curled and I wanted to crawl under the desk.

“Do you want me to tell you what I think?”

Speechless and as scared as I’d ever been, I hesitated and then slowly nodded. The truth was I didn’t know why for sure. There were all the usual suspects. My skating coach telling me I was fat, my mother putting all the expectation of her unfulfilled dreams on my shoulders, my father not ever having told me he loved me, blah, blah, blah. But down deep, I didn’t know why I couldn’t be strong enough to fight against all those things and simply choose to be healthy and normal. It wasn’t like I didn’t know what I was doing, but stopping now seemed like a failure somehow. I thought I had it all under control…but…maybe…

“I think that you don’t believe you deserve to be alive, to be happy and healthy.”

My breath caught in my throat and I stayed very still, letting her words sink in, trying them on like a new skin. In that one sentence, I realized that she’d spoken the truth in a nutshell. No lie could cover it. I couldn’t argue or smile my way out of it. Whatever line of defense that remained in place crumbled.

“Maybe I don’t,” I whispered. I leaned forward and lowered my head into my hands. When I looked up, my eyes found hers, “My mother is dying. What am I supposed to do?”

“Do you want to die too?” Her face had lost any hint of amusement and I thought how she looked like an avenging angel at that moment, serious and on a mission. Her golden hair flowed in waves over her tanned shoulders, those ancient blue-gray eyes seeing past my flesh and into my soul.

“I…I don’t know. Maybe it would be easier.” My head dropped down again and my forehead rested on my palms. Tears dripped onto the carpet below me, as steady as a leaky faucet. The knot in my stomach loosened—such a small release. The truth shall set you free. The words rang clear and true in my head like a lighthouse bell clanging in the fog. I’d been a prisoner, living in a cell where the four walls were made up of darkness and lies. And she had opened a door. A tiny crack of light seeped through. I had the sense that I simply had to step through to the other side to find the light that would lead me to safety.

Fear reached up from deep inside me and gripped my heart, choking my words, and trying to keep me locked in that dark room. I knew then that if I stayed there, I would die. I lifted my head from my hands and said with as much conviction as I could, “No. I don’t want to die.”
About the Author
PJ Sharon is the award winning author of several independently published, contemporary young adult novels, including HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES, ON THIN ICE, and SAVAGE CINDERELLA, winner of the 2013 HOLT Medallion Award for outstanding literary talent and the 2013 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award. She is excitedly working on The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael, a YA Dystopian trilogy. WANING MOON, Book One in the trilogy, was a finalist in the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards and the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence. Book Two, Western Desert released in June of 2013.

Writing young adult fiction for the past eight years and following her destiny to write romantic and hopeful stories for teens, PJ is a member of Romance Writers of America, CTRWA, and YARWA. She is mother to two grown sons and lives with her husband in the Berkshire Hills of Western MA. 
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HOSTEDBYBOOKS COMPLETE ME
Mindy's final choice of BIR2013 is RUNES  THIS IS WHAT Mindy HAD TO SAY: I have been a HUGE fan of Ednah for several years now. Ednah has written so many book series that I have totally fallen in love with. Runes fell quickly into that same category. Ednah Walters has a gift of writing a story that pulls you in and won't let you go. I highly suggest you check out not only her Runes series but all the other series out there.   ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE


Here a message to my readers


First, I want to thank you, the fans, for your amazing support: the shout-outs on social media, the endless e-mails asking for the next book, reviews (good and angry ones), word-of-mouth PR, and posts about the Runes series. The response has been amazing and the support heartwarming. You, my loyal fans, have made this series successful. Because of you, Torin was nominated for the YA Crush Tourney a month after the release of Runes and did amazingly well for a new book crush. I hope you enjoyed meeting Echo in Grimnirs. He's definitely giving Torin a run for his money.When I started this series last year I did it out of a dare to finish a book in 4 weeks during the Nano month. Runes was fun and flirty. I giggled as I wrote most of the scenes and fell in love with all the characters.
The first book was all about Torin and Raine finding each other and love, and of course, Raine learning some cool things about herself. This is going to be a long journey for her. Book 2, Immortals, did not lack in the love department because these two have a love that comes once in a lifetime but they have to fight to be together. But Immortals is also about Raine coming to terms with what she will one day become. She is more important than anyone imagines and the choices she makes are going to have some huge consequences. Nothing will be what it seems, friends will be more than what they are on the surface, and enemies will surprise you, but don't get angry because things always work out when dealing with true love.
The things I have planned for this series are big and exciting, and I can't wait to share them with you. SEERESS, (book #3-Raine and Torin’s story continues), will be out in spring of 2014. (add your name to the linky below to participate in the cover reveal) In between the installments in the Raine and Torin’s saga, I will write a book focusing on a secondary character. I call them my guilty pleasures. These will be full-length romance novels like Grimnirs-Cora’s story. Just like Echo, there’s so much about these guys we don’t know about (I’m serious. They only reveal things to me when I write about them). I still have stories to write for Blaine, Eirik, Viggo (this arrogant god needs to be humbled by a mere Mortal methink), Ingrid, and of course, Andris .
 

Title:  AwakenedSeries:  The Guardian Legacy [Book1]Length:  272 PagesGenre:  YA Fantasy
TEASER
The door opened with a gentle whoosh to reveal a room with a round onyx table and numerous chairs around it presently occupied by the three Cardinals, a bunch of people I didn’t recognize but I assumed were members of the High Council, and of course, the trainees. The fluorescent lights in the ceiling illuminated their tense faces.

Janelle waved us over to two chairs by her side. We hurried over and sat.

“Did you see Ares and Moira, Bran?” Seth asked without delay.

“No, sir. Gavyn and I were being interrogated elsewhere.” Bran reached for my hand under the table and held it tight. “But I know the Cardinals are Valafar’s prisoners.”

My heart stopped. Silence, heavy and oppressive, hung in the air. Then everyone started talking at once.

“He plans to take them to Coronis Isle tonight,” Bran cut in, speaking louder to be heard.

“Where’s he keeping them?” Janelle asked.

“The Underground, a sub-ground facility at Bunker Hill in downtown L.A. It is owned by a dark lord,” Bran explained.

“We must rescue them now,” I said.

“Lil,” he warned.

I shook my head. “We must.”

“Of course,” Seth said snapped. “We now have Bran to take us to Coronis Isle, but it’s better to act now than later when they’re Coronis’ prisoners. Bran, start from the beginning, from when you left here. We want to know what happened, and don’t leave anything out.”

Bran frowned. “Sir, I don’t think we have time—”

“Then start talking. If we are to mount a successful operation, we must know everything.”Buy on Amazon - $.99Goodreads

  Date: January 3rd, 2014 
Title: SeeressSeries:  A Runes Novel
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Expected Release: April 2014
Seeress is expected to release in April 2014!  
Len Phelps & Julia Hendrix @ As You Wish Tours are organizing the Seeress Cover Reveal.
I love Torin St. James...
I crave his touch...I need his strength...
***To Sign Up***
Fill Out Linky Form Below!

  The Kiverson CaseHeartfelt Cases: Book 2
Author: Julie C. Gilbert Genre: Christian Mystery Release Date: Early 2014
Presented by: As You Wish Tours
BLURB
One man’s vendetta could cost them everything …

When a routine arrest turns deadly, FBI Special Agents Julie Ann and Patrick Duncan are drawn into a dangerous game with Kevin Kiverson, a man with little to lose and much to avenge.

In her heart, Ann knows they will catch Kevin, but she doesn’t know when or how or what sacrifices will be made along the way. She’s prepared to risk her life for others but will her resolve hold when the threat turns to her baby boy?

About the Author
Julie mainly confines her writing to three genres: Christian inspirational, YA real-world science fiction, and normal science fiction. 

She likes teaching, writing, reading, sleeping, doing puzzles, and hanging out with friends. (Not necessarily in that order)

Writing has made her super picky about the things she reads but normally, her reading list includes something that fits under the thriller, mystery, science fiction, or fantasy.

Occasionally, she attempts short poetry. The poems turn into songs, which she sings with abandon when nobody's looking.



Enter the Giveaway!Three (3) Winners will receive an eBook The Collins Case (Heartfelt Cases: Book 1)
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12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop
Event Date: December 1st - 12th 2013
Hosted by: As You Wish Reviews & Confessions of the Paranormal
Sponsors: As You Wish Tours & Book Dragon Designs
Sugar Cookies
Makes 5 dozen cookies:
1 1/2 cups of butter, softened 2 cups of white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 5 cups of all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons of baking powder 1 teaspoon of salt Directions
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.Icing as you wish. SYNOPSIS

Bran and Lil may have escaped an attempt to lure Lil to the dark side, and recovered the contracts damned people signed with Bran when he was a soul collector, but someone forgot to tell them that no one switches sides or cancels contracts without consequences.

Hunted by an unknown but powerful enemy, Lil, Bran and the Guardians must seek help from unlikely sources to avert total annihilation of the Guardians. When they finally face their enemy, one of them may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
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First Prize: One (1) eBook from Every Participating Author 
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12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop
December 1st - 12th 2013
Hosted by: As You Wish Reviews & Confessions of the Paranormal
Sponsors: As You Wish Tours & Book Dragon Designs

Ginger Snap
Makes 4 dozen servings. Makes 4 dozen or 24 (2 cookie) servings.
2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon 3/4 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup molasses 1 egg Additional sugar, for rolling Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat shortening and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Gradually stir in flour mixture until well mixed. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in additional sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Store in airtight container. SYNOPSIS

Straight out of the psych ward, Cora just wants her life to be normal. She doesn’t want to see souls or the reapers collecting them. The guy she’s loved from a distance for years moves away without saying goodbye. So yes, she’s nursing a serious heartbreak. It’s no wonder love is the last thing on her mind when Echo storms into her life.

The chemistry between them is mind-blowing.The connection defies logic. Even better, the souls leave her alone when he is around.

Too bad Echo is the poster boy for everything she hates in a guy—hot, beautiful,and cocky. He is also a soul reaper. A Grimnir.
The very beings she wants out of her life. Maybe normal is overrated because Cora wants it all. Answers. Love. A life.
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First Prize: One (1) eBook from Every Participating Author 
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EXCERPT 
“Now see what you made me do.” I eased off the brake. Ahead, Dad’s truck was nowhere in sight.
“Sorry about that,” Echo said, but he didn’t sound or look it. He reached out and lifted the hair on my right shoulder.
I swatted at his hand. “Stop that.”
“Can’t help it.” He planted a kiss on my neck. The car swayed as I momentarily lost control.“I’m serious. Quit messing with me, Echo.”
“You smell amazing.” He trailed kisses up my neck to my ear and inhaled.
The sensations that invaded my body were downright frightening. Not even Eirik had ever made me feel like this. If I could forget Echo was a lunatic and I was losing my mind, I would have enjoyed the sensation.
I reached up and tried to push his head away, but it was like moving a boulder. Worse, my hand sunk into his hair. It was silky, and for one brief moment, I wanted to run my fingers through it, maybe hold his head in place and savor the moment.
He bit my ear. I squealed and, once again, lost control of the car. “Dang it, Echo. We could get into an accident.”
“But we self-heal.”
I self-healed, too? Nice. No, not nice. I refused to start buying into his crazy assumptions. “I could hurt someone.”
“There’re just Mortals. If it’s their time to go, it’s their time to go. No force of nature can stop that. No, that’s not true. Norns could. You look breathtaking this morning. Love that shade of red on you. Very vampy. What is it you once told me? Red gives you the extra oomph when you are having a shitty day.”
The only person who knew that was Raine. “Who told you that?”
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EXCERPT 
I saw a few souls here and there on our way home. They all stopped and stared at our car. I slid lower in my seat and wondered whether the arrogant reaper would collect them, too. Maybe he was here to clean up our town. I hoped so. I was tired of being a target.
“You’ve been quiet since we left the store,” Mom said as we got closer to home. We were on Orchard Road, the street that split two of the largest vineyards in Kayville. “Are you okay?” I shrugged. “Yeah.”
“You know, you can talk to me if anything is bothering you.”
Talking to her was out of the question. Dr. Wendell might prescribe more psych meds or insist on having me admitted again. “I heard you and Dad talk about me this morning. I don’t want to be homeschooled, Mom. I’m going back to school on Monday.”
“Sweetie—”
“No, Mom. I’m better, and I want to do this.”
Her lips pinched in annoyance as she turned onto the road leading to our farm. “Let’s discuss it after dinner.”
Her firm voice said the discussion was closed. I leaned back against my seat and stared out the window. My parents had had me later in life and tended to be overly protective. Most of the time, I listened to them. Not this time. This might be the beginning of a trend. First, homeschooling. Next, not going away to college. The only college in town was a private one, and I planned to go as far away from Kayville as I could. There were way too many bad memories here.
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 EXCERPT 
“You, doll-face. Why are you having a shitty day?”

I glared ahead. “Because you are screwing with my head. How come you keep saying things I don’t remember?”

“I told you. The Norns put a whammy on you.”

“Norns?”

“Deities of destiny. Mean, bitter hags. They control the destiny of all beings—Mortals, Immortals, even the gods. Interestingly, I just found out why they targeted you and erased your memories.”

“Why?” Not that I believed his rambling.

“Say please.”

I was tempted to ignore him, but something weird had happened to me and I wanted answers. I eased the car into a parking spot across from my school, switched off the engine, and turned to look at Echo. He was dressed in all leather again today. I realized that what I’d assumed was a leather shirt was actually a vest of some kind. Once again, he wore fingerless gloves and silver Gothic rings with weird markings.

“Please,” I said through clenched teeth.

He touched his lips. “I want a kiss, too.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why are you such a tool all the time? You think this is fun for me? Not remembering things? Waking up one morning and seeing souls? Ending up in a psych ward, where they pumped me full of drugs, then coming home only to be met by you, a reaper?”

“Grimnir,” he corrected then frowned. “Are those the fake memories the Norns gave you? Psych ward? That’s just wrong.”

“I was in a psych ward,” I snapped.

He raised his hands. “Okay. No need to be snippy.”

“I’m not—”

He covered my mouth then smirked when I bit his hand. I bore down until I tasted blood. He didn’t even wince. His grin broadened instead.

“Drink my blood, doll-face. Bond with me for eternity.”

The thought was scary. I pushed his hand away and wiped my mouth. “Ew. Can your blood do that?”

He laughed.

“Will you be serious for even a second?” I asked.

“Don’t you want to be mine forever?”

“Ew, no.” I made a face. “I don’t even like you.”

  *REVIEW*
Look out Torin St. James! Echo has stolen my heart with his cocky mouth and sexy swagger in this Runes series installment. There I was meeting him for the first time and I could not get enough of him and still want more! Cora was great in this book, she caught on to things pretty quickly and made an awesome heroine. Unraveling the truth one puzzle piece at a time.

Cora is desperately trying to figure out how she can be in two places at once, wondering whether or not the Norns took her memories away and what the heck Echo wants from her. All the while Echo is right up her in her personal space, running his cocky mouth and doing his best to resist the pull she has on him now. When the week before her return from PSI, it was all fun and games.

As reader and fan of hers for the past three years her writing leaves me wanting more with every book she publishes. Ednah Walters knows how to keep her readers sitting on the edge of their seats. I always want to know but never expect what's to come next and she never fails to impress me. She knows how to grab your attention from the beginning and keeps you turning the pages to the very end. I ♥ Echo!

~ Julia Hendrix @ As You Wish Reviews
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