Spring 2020 YA Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize—one lucky winner will receive one e-book from each author on my team in the hunt! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 120 hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are FOUR contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am part of the BLUE TEAM—but there is also a gold team, a red team, and a purple team. You can enter for each team to win a whole set of different books, plus a $50 Amazon giftcard!

And don't miss my personal BONUS GIVEAWAY at the bottom of this post for a chance to win a copy of my the other two books in my True Blue Trilogy!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, want to see links to all the authors participating, or want to see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Somewhere below, you'll find my favorite number in bold blue. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the BLUE TEAM, then add them up. (Don't worry, you can use a calculator!) 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Contest is open internationally. Anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, April 5th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST

Hello, YASH Hunters! I have the pleasure of hosting author C. Lee McKenzie! Lee loves to write contemporary/realistic novels that tackle modern issues, but she sometimes writes middle grade. They're all about fantasy and adventure. Some of her books are Sliding on the Edge, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Double Negative, Sudden Secrets, and Not Guilty. She also has a trilogy: Alligators Overhead, The Great Time Lock Disaster, and Some Very Messy Medieval Magic. Her stand-alone MG is called Sign of the Green Dragon. Lee is represented by Italia Gandolfo. 

Take it away, Lee!

MY EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

In my newest book, Not Guilty, I had a lot of favorite characters, but there was one named Buddy that was special. He was special because, not only was he a fabulous dog, but a real one. Buddy had his own website with tales about  his adventures with his favorite human, Mike. Mike posted from Buddy's point of view a lot of the time, and his take on the world was heartwarming and funny.

I was so sad when Buddy died. I felt as if he and Mike were good friends of mine. I asked Mike if he would mind if I paid my own tribute to his beloved Canine Couch Potato, and he not only didn’t mind, he loved the idea. Here’s a scene about Buddy from Not Guilty.

By nature, Buddy was a people-loving retriever-mix who had come to him by some unknown chain of dog owners. He had a long history of being in and out of the pound. Their first day at the beach together, Devon found out why. Buddy hated water. He even hated wet sand under his paws. It took a lot of convincing to get Buddy on the sand that first day. Then they’d no sooner settled on the blanket when Buddy let out a yelp and hightailed it back to the asphalt. His leash whipped behind. People jumped out of the frantic dog’s way. Devon didn’t catch him until they’d run the length of Sugar Cove. Over the next few years, Buddy finally agreed to walk on the dry sand, but he never became the beach buddy Devon had imagined. And Frisbees could sail overhead all day without a single blink. He was a failed retriever, but he wasn’t a failed friend.

If you’d like to read Not Guilty at no cost, I’m giving away two copies during the YASH Hunt!

Wow, Lee! That is truly some awesome exclusive content. Check out Lee's blog here for an extra chance to win her featured book!

Thanks to everyone for visiting today, and don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books by me, C. Lee McKenzie, and many more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 7. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the BLUE TEAM and you'll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author—Gerardo Delgadillo!

Tweet #YASH

MY BONUS GIVEAWAY!

My featured book in the hunt is True Blue Forever, Book Three in my True Blue Trilogy. How would you like a chance to win the first two books in the series? All you have to do is like my Facebook Author Page or follow me on Twitter or Bookbub between now and Sunday, April 5th. Your name will go into the drawing once for each like or follow. The lucky winner will be drawn at random and will be announced here and on my Facebook Author Page on April 7th. Good luck, and thanks for playing!  

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

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Fall 2019 YA Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize—one lucky winner will receive one book from each author on my team in the hunt! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 120 hours!


Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are FOUR contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am part of the GOLD TEAM—but there is also a blue team, a red team, and a purple team. You can enter for each team to win a whole set of different books, plus a $50 Amazon giftcard!

Yeah, I know my fans are probably shocked that I'm not on the blue team. I didn't get to pick my team, but I'm so excited to be part of this fabulous contest that I don't even care! (Well, not too much. 😉)

And don't miss my personal BONUS GIVEAWAY at the bottom of this post for a chance to win a copy of my novel After Me or a $25 Amazon giftcard!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, want to see links to all the authors participating, or want to see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Somewhere below, you'll find my favorite number in bold gold. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the GOLD TEAM, then add them up. (Don't worry, you can use a calculator!) 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Contest is open internationally. Anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, October 6th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST

Hello, YASH Hunters! If you're looking for Colleen Houck's bonus material, you're in the right place! Take it away, Colleen!

All right, zealous readers. I've been telling you that I'm revealing not one but two special projects during this season of the YA Scavenger Hunt. For the past few hunts, I've been giving you sneak peeks of a book I finished writing last year. It's a sci-fi and, so far, it's a stand-alone. Well, we're finally going to be releasing that book in the spring of 2020. It's called Terraformers. 

Here's the WIP description.

Deadly toxins can be hidden inside the most beautiful flowers. That’s what Astra Meador’s famous biophysicist mother taught her.

As her mother’s apprentice, Astra has developed skills in botany, chemistry, medicine, and, most importantly, in keeping secrets. In fact, keeping Astra’s secret was the reason her family decided to leave the Earth and join a terraforming mission to colonize a distant planet called Crillain IV. But when Astra wakes early from hypersleep, she discovers that her mother never made it onboard, her father died in transit and his body has been ejected from the ship, and she suspects that she’s not the only one awake.

When the ship finally lands and she’s reunited with her brother, Nash, Astra hopes to settle into a new life, especially when she meets the charming young engineer, Jax, and is recruited by the mission commander to train alongside his handsome son to be a future leader of the small colony.

Then Astra learns that she’s not the only one with a dark secret.

As both young men contend for her affection, Astra searches for answers, trying to determine who to trust. But with theft and murder occurring in the colony along with the sudden disappearance of her beloved brother, Astra can’t listen to the whisperings of her heart, especially when someone or something else on the planet is whispering to her mind even louder.

The second project is one you've all been waiting on for a long time. Tiger's Dream is finally going to be produced as a special edition in hardback! Technically, there are going to be two books. Because it's so large, we are splitting it into a Part 1 and a Part 2 with bonus material added to each. Both of these will be available for purchase on November 12, 2019. 

Here's a sneak peek at the revamped covers! 

Part one will include a prelude and part two will have a bonus chapter titled, "A Space Between," written in Anamika's perspective. This bonus chapter includes glimpses of all your favorite characters. Here's a little teaser.

Still wrapped in my thoughts, I stumbled into the group of swaying dancers and froze in place. I watched them dance slowly around me, not even noticing when couples phased right through my body. Women’s arms were twined about men’s necks without hesitation or fear. They even seemed to enjoy the closeness and the men’s caresses.

A couple passed me and I recognized Nilima. Unlike others, she didn’t appear to be enamored with her dance partner. She maintained what I considered to be an appropriate distance from him, though he appeared to be making every effort to draw her closer. His obvious attempts to force her to comply disturbed me. I frowned, ready to intervene. Why was she allowing this? She should knee the man in the groin. Or slap him, at the very least.

The song ended and she took her leave after giving the man a tight smile, returning to Ren’s side.

“That one was a bit handsy,” she said.

He glanced up, eyeing the departing figure. “Let me know if he continues to bother you.”

Nilima raised an eyebrow. “I can handle it. Thanks, though. Might stick close to you the rest of the evening, if you don’t mind. As long as I don’t throw you off your game.”

Ren quirked his head. “Ah, game. As in hunting. I like that one. Not to worry, Nilima. The prey here is so easy, a hunt isn’t even necessary. They just fall right into my lap.”

Just then a young woman walked right up to Ren and said, “Why aren’t you just the most gorgeous thing? Aren’t you going to ask me to dance, sugar?”

As the girl took hold of Ren’s arm, he turned back to Nilima. “See?”

Though he smiled, I could see it didn’t reach his eyes. Nilima sighed, shook her head and rubbed her arms. “Why are men such idiots?” she mumbled under her breath. Then, aloud: “Time for some ice cream.”

“I don’t know,” I muttered, trailing behind her. “But if ice cream is what Kelsey and the boy who cares for cows were eating earlier, I will have another serving with you.”

There you have it. You got not one, not two, not three, but FOUR super special, top-secret pieces of info. For those of you wanting to get your desperate little hands on the collector's edition hardbacks, you're in luck. I will be giving away a signed set to a very special Colleen Houck fan. Just head over to my website and enter the Rafflecopter. But, be warned, I will be testing your tiger loyalty to win this highly sought after prize. 

If you haven't read my books yet, that's okay. I still have an amazing giveaway for you too. There's a second contest for new readers. You can choose from either Reawakened, Tiger's Curse, or The Lantern's Ember. Enter the Rafflecopter on my website for a chance to win. Good luck, readers!

Wow! Thanks, Colleen. That is truly some awesome exclusive content!

Thanks to everyone for visiting today, and don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books by me, Colleen Houck, Elle Scott, and many more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 77. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the GOLD TEAM and you'll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author—Elle Scott!

Tweet #YASH

BONUS GIVEAWAY!

 

My featured book in the hunt is After Her, Book Two in the Unfinished Series. How would you like a chance to win an autographed copy of Book One—After Me? Or how about a $25 Amazon giftcard? All you have to do is like my Facebook Author Page or follow me on Twitter or Bookbub between now and Sunday, October 6th. Your name will go into the drawing once for each like or follow. Two lucky winners—one for the book and one for the giftcard—will be drawn at random. Winners will be announced here and on my Facebook Author Page on October 7th. Good luck, and thanks for playing!  

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

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No Exorcism Requested

I fell in love with Gothic Romances when I was about thirteen. I read every one I could get my hands on as fast as I could finish them. I adored the dark secrets hidden within the walls of the towering mansions and behind the eyes of their brooding masters, much like the naïve young heroines in the books. 

Years later, I was thrilled when my friend and writing buddy, Carrie Dalby, told me she wanted to read some Gothic books for research. I loaned her a few of mine and soon discovered that my friend had been possessed by the demons of Gothic fiction. And what an epic possession it has turned out to be! Book 2 of her 8-book Gothic series releases on Tuesday. Read on to find out more about it, and how to enter the GIVEAWAY! 

The Possession Chronicles Book 2

Buy it HERE.

During the spring of 1906, Magdalene Jones is hired to be a companion to Ruth Melling at Seacliff Cottage, the Mellings' second home on Mobile Bay. Magdalene's simple country upbringing is no match for high society banter and a manor hour infested with demonic activity. Alexander, the Mellings' bachelor son, and Magdalene find themselves oppressed by demons playing upon their lusts. Claudio De Fiore—a young Italian deacon training to become a priest--and newly arrived from Scotland, Douglas Campbell, seek to protect Magdalene from the evil within the walls but they themselves might be part of the trouble.

Goodreads * Amazon 

Carrie Dalby, a California native, has lived in Mobile, Alabama, since 1996. She’s published several non-fiction articles in national and international magazines, served two terms as president of Mobile Writers Guild, worked as the Mobile area Local Liaison for SCBWI from 2012-2017, and volunteers with Metro Mobile Literacy Council’s annual Young Author events whenever possible. When Carrie’s not reading, writing, browsing bookstores/libraries, or homeschooling, she can often be found knitting or attending concerts.

Carrie’s two young adult novels are Fortitude (historical) and Corroded (contemporary). Fortitude is listed as a “Best History Book for kids” with Grateful American Foundation for its historical accuracy and being an engaging read for fifth through tenth graders.

Her current project is a historical Gothic family saga for adults, The Possession Chronicles. The first book in the series, Perilous Confessions, released in January 2019 from Bienvenue Press and the second book, Murmurs of Evil releases June 11, 2019.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Pinterest * 

$10 Amazon

Follow the blitz HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

YASH Winners!

The Spring 2019 YA Scavenger Hunt is in the books, and it was FABULOUS! 

Congratulations to all the winners, especially the RED TEAM winner—Jeremy Cook! A copy of my novel After Me will be on its way to you this week.

And now—drumroll please—the winners of my personal giveaway!

Amber Curtis is the winner of my True Blue Trilogy!

And Carol Coutts-Seipka is the winner of the $25 Amazon gift card!

Thanks so much to EVERYONE who entered and followed me on Facebook, Twitter and Bookbub!

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

See all my books on my Web site
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Some Obsessions Are Good Things

Between the ages of 13 and 15, I was obsessed with Gothic Romances like the one pictured above. I read every one I could get my hands on as fast as I could finish them. I adored the dark secrets hidden within the walls of the towering mansions and behind the eyes of their brooding masters, much like the naïve young heroines in the books.

I eventually moved on to other genres, but I never forgot those countless hours spent reading the books of Phyllis A. Whitney, Dorothy Eden, and Victoria Holt. So I was thrilled when my friend and writing buddy, Carrie Dalby, told me she wanted to read some Gothic books for research. I loaned her some of mine, including The Winter People. Before long, I realized that my obsession hadn't gone away, it had merely been dormant for about 40 years. And not only was it back with a vengeance, it was apparently contagious because Carrie had it even worse than I did! Perilous Confessions, the first of her 8-book Gothic series, releases tomorrow.

Read on to hear from Carrie herself about her induction into the Gothic cult—er, I mean club.

Take it away, Carrie!

*Hands Carrie the sparkly blue microphone.*

Thanks for hosting me today, Joyce. To start off, let’s rewind to fall 2015. I was finishing up editorial rounds for my second young adult novel with my editor, Sean. After working on two projects with me—a historical and a contemporary—he left several comments in the document encouraging me to try something new. His first notation of Great line. You ever want to try your hand at horror, I think you’ll do well was laughable. His second one, Serious horror chops here, was more difficult to ignore. Then his response to my reply in the next cover letter—that original Gothic horror did have Christian overtones to it—made me curious and start to ask myself some questions.

Do I even read horror? Would I have any idea what to do? I can’t do slasher, what else is there?

So I did what any writer does when faced with the unknown: research and ponder. In my studies, I found the subgenres of horror as well as the roots of the genre itself—Gothic. Me writing Gothic? I rarely even wear black! But I found that beyond the Gothic subculture of vampires/paranormal, there is a vast literary history that pre-dates most romances, mysteries and what we now call horror novels, and it’s GOTHIC.

Also, while pondering my reading habits, I found that I had unknowingly been drawn to Gothic literature since childhood. All those Betty Ren Wright ghost stories I checked out from the elementary school library and the Christopher Pike teen horror novels I read in middle school were Gothic in nature. I latched onto Nathaniel Hawthorne in high school—also Gothic. And even my first published novel, Fortitude, could be labeled Southern Gothic. I may wear more earth tones than black, but my literature tastes are dark.

I realized that while horror by itself might be too much for me to attempt, I knew I could tackle Gothic. I wanted to read a few more things in the genre to help confirm my understanding as I began drafting my first manuscript, so I asked my critique group friends for recommendations. Joyce brought me a stack of Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney Gothic romance novels. Whitney’s The Winter People (see above) and Holt’s Curse of the Kings were two of the first I read. From there, I branched out and found mid-century favorites Dorothy Eden and Frances Parkinson Keyes. With those two authors, I discovered Gothic family sagas after I unknowingly began to write one. And I also acquired an obsession for collecting Gothic novels. Here’s a sampling of only six of the Gothic authors I’ve amassed.

So the result of my reading history and newer discoveries is The Possession Chronicles—an 8-book historical Southern Gothic family saga series with romance and horror elements. Perilous Confessions is the first book in the series and releases in digital and print formats on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 through Bienvenue Press. If you enjoy Gothic reads, I hope you’ll give it a try. To find out more about me and my books, please visit my Website.

Buy Perilous Confessions here.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Carrie!

You can also find Carrie all over the Web (She's everywhere! She's everywhere!)

Twitter
Pinterest
Goodreads
Facebook

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

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It's All in the Details

Time again for Snippet Sunday!

Last snippet from my MG novel, True Blue, the first book in my True Blue Trilogy. (You can catch up on the earlier excerpts here.) This scene takes place the first day of summer vacation after the fifth grade, a summer of major changes for Jeana and all three of the boys. Wade and Jeana are in the shed behind his house that they used for their Mystery Masters meetings. Wade has just given Jeana the bad news that his family is moving across town, but he also shows her a heart he carved on the shed door with their initials in it and officially asks her to be his girlfriend.

He set the flashlight down and took both of her hands to pull her closer to him. Jeana knew what was about to happen and couldn't believe none of the butterflies had come back to life in her stomach. She wasn't a bit nervous, because she'd been waiting for this to happen ever since the night they'd looked at the constellations together and she'd made her wish on the shooting star. It had taken awhile, but it was finally coming true.

Wade moved his hands to her waist, and she put hers on his shoulders. For a few seconds they just looked at each other, then he leaned toward her and she watched his lids slowly hide the green eyes she loved so much. When their lips touched, she closed her own eyes and tried to memorize every detail about the moment—how soft his lips felt pressed against hers, how fast his heart was beating, the way his arms trembled slightly as they held her close to him, even the clean, soapy smell of his skin and hair. It's not every day a girl gets her first kiss, and Jeana wanted to remember everything about it.

Okay, so we know which boy she likes first, but will it last through high school and beyond? You'll have to read all three books to find that out, and you can buy the True Blue Trilogy here. ;-) And please do also check out the other Snippet Sunday folks. Something for everyone among these talented writers!

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

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Change of Plans

Time again for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!

Last few snippets from my MG novel, True Blue, the first book in my True Blue Trilogy. (You can catch up on the earlier excerpts here.) I said this was going to be the last snippet before I moved on to Book Two in the trilogy, and I also said this one was going to be from Jeana's POV, but I decided to invoke Writer's Prerogative and change my mind about both things. You've met Mickey already, but I thought we needed one more snippet about him to show how important he'll be in the next books. This skips ahead a good deal from the last snippet about him. His family has since moved to Chickasaw because of his dad's new job and he's met Billy Joe, but up to this point in the book, Mickey thinks all girls are silly and giggly, and he especially doesn't understand why Billy Joe and his friend Wade are always hanging around that redheaded girl who thinks all sports are dumb and boring.

My apologies for the extremely creative punctuation, but I wanted to include all of this. I'm also going to put Jeana's poem in the comments so you can see why it made such an impression on Mickey.

Mickey had no idea what was going on—for the first time in his life, his heart was pounding in his chest, and it had nothing to do with baseball.

He'd been sitting in the school cafeteria waiting for the fifth grade honors program to begin, wondering if he might get a P.E. award along with the math award he knew he was getting and laughing at the joke Billy Joe had just told him. When the principal announced that the redheaded girl—her name turned out to be Jeana Russell—was going to recite a poem she'd written, Mickey rolled his eyes and slid down a little in his seat, thinking Man, talk about boring. He folded his arms across his chest and got ready to suffer through some dumb stuff about rainbows or kittens or ponies—or unicorns, what was it with girls and unicorns?

But then she'd started speaking, and Mickey slowly sat up in his chair because every word she said was the way he lived every single day, and it was like she knew he had to work harder and always be better than everybody else at baseball so his dad wouldn’t drink anymore, like she was telling him she wouldn’t think he was weird because all he thought about was baseball and couldn’t settle for anything less than the best.

It was like she was telling him that she understood, because she was the same way.

Mickey watched her face as she said the words that described his life, and he felt his heart speed up even more, because although he'd never noticed it before, now he realized that her hair was the same coppery red color as his mom’s, and the sunlight streaming in the windows behind her made those wispy curls on top of her head look almost like a halo. When she finished her poem, Mickey didn’t think he’d ever seen anything as beautiful as the way her smile lit up her whole face and made it seem to glow like her hair.

For a second he thought she was actually smiling at him, then he realized she must be looking at Billy Joe and Wade sitting in front of him, and his heart stopped pounding then because fear gripped it as he wondered if she liked one of them for more than just a friend. He knew they all lived close to each other and had probably known each other for a long time, but the way she was smiling made Mickey think she might feel something more than friendship for one of them.

He had to meet her and find out.

Uh-oh. Looks like the adolescent love triangle just because a quadrilateral. (Mickey's a math whiz, so he'd appreciate that analogy.) Next week we'll get that glimpse into Jeana's heart as promised. Can't wait? You can buy True Blue here. ;-) And please do also check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors. Something for everyone among these talented writers!

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

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Stars Fell on Alabama

Time again for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!

Last few snippets from my MG novel, True Blue, the first book in my True Blue Trilogy. (You can catch up on the earlier excerpts here.) I chose this snippet for two reasons: to explain the significance of the stars on the cover, and to give you some perspective on the major change Wade will undergo between this book and the next one. This scene takes place the day of Jeana's 11th birthday party. Jeana had promised earlier to teach Wade the names of the constellations and tell him the myths behind them as soon as the fall games were over at the ball park behind both their houses. (The park lights would've made it impossible to see the stars.) Edited from the published version to fit our guidelines.

Later that night after supper, she was sitting in her porch swing, trying to decide which one of her new books to read first, when Wade came over holding a wrapped package.

“Oh, I forgot you said I'd get your present later,” Jeana said, her eyes shining in the porch light, “but why didn't you give it to me at the party?”

Wade sat beside her on the swing and said, “Because I wanna ask you something after you open it and didn't want Billy Joe to hear.”

That brought a little tingle to Jeana's spine as she carefully opened the gift that Wade had painstakingly wrapped in white paper on which he'd drawn books of different sizes. They were just crudely-drawn rectangles, and most of the titles were misspelled, but Jeana thought it was the best wrapping paper ever, and when she saw that the gift inside was a rotating star wheel that showed every constellation in the night sky and how to locate them, she gasped with delight.

“Oh, Wade, this is so neat!”

"I thought you could use it when you show me the constellations, and since the ballgames are over at the park now, we can do it tonight if you want to.”

“Okay, sure,” she said, “but if you kept this for yourself, you wouldn't need me to show you anything.”

“Oh yes I would," he said, nodding for emphasis. “There's no way I can figure that thing out by myself, and you always explain stuff better than anybody, Redhot. Like I told you before, you should be a teacher when we grow up.”

I just realized I haven't shared any snippets from Jeana's POV yet, so I'll probably finish with one next week. I'll try to pick one that best shows why all these boys are in love with her at such a young age. Can't wait? You can buy True Blue here. ;-) And please do also check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors. Something for everyone among these talented writers!

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

See all my books at my Web site
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Bros Before Hoes is Easier When Gardening

Time again for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!

I'm continuing with snippets from my new release, True Blue, the first book in my True Blue Trilogy. (You can catch up on the earlier excerpts here.) Hey, notice that "trilogy" part in the series title? There are indeed three parts to this coming-of-age saga, and the eBooks are now all available! Check out the three gorgeous covers my daughter created for me. I just LOVE them! You can buy one or all of them here, and I'm having a Facebook Launch Party with games and giveaways next Saturday (Oct. 1) from 9-1 Central Time. Come join the fun!

This week's snippet shows another side of Billy Joe, the jokester in the group. He and Wade and Jeana were watching Shane on the afternoon movie together at Wade's house, and Billy Joe witnesses a look Jeana and Wade shared because Wade was trying to hide his tears at the end when Shane left. This part takes place after Billy Joe gets home.

Wade had been his best friend for as long as either of them could remember, but the knot in Billy Joe's stomach made him afraid that was about to change.

Because of Jeana.

Billy Joe had been in love with Jeana since they were four years old and she'd told him he was funnier than Bugs Bunny. She was the smartest girl he’d ever known, but not too smart to like most of the same goofy stuff he liked. She was also the prettiest girl he’d ever seen, but what made her even prettier was that she didn't seem to know it. He loved the way her hazel eyes looked really green if she got mad when he was teasing her—which was all the time—and he loved how she never backed down from an argument, but what he loved the most was her smile and the way he could make her laugh so hard that her eyes almost disappeared.

And he knew Jeana loved him too, but only as a brother. For a while now, he’d been noticing how Wade looked at her when he thought no one was watching, and today he’d seen her looking at Wade the same way. She never looked at him like that, and seeing her look at Wade had felt like somebody punching him in the gut, but the scariest thing was how mad at Wade it had made him feel. What kind of a best friend did that make him?

I think I'll do one or two more snippets from this book before I move on to Book Two. Can't wait? You can buy True Blue here. ;-) And please do also check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors. Something for everyone among these talented writers!

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

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Tetanus Shots are Important

Time again for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!

I'm continuing with snippets from my new release, True Blue, the first book in my True Blue Trilogy. (You can catch up on the earlier excerpts here.) Since the snippets from the last two weeks about what Mickey and Wade are dealing with at home have been so sad, I think we need something much lighter this week. I always try to have a good balance of humor and darker issues in all my books. Here's another scene with Jeana, Wade and Billy Joe in the clubhouse, about to sign the honor contracts that bind the members of the Mystery Masters together and swear them to secrecy. Jeana had originally told the boys they had to sign their names in blood and neither of them liked that idea at all.

“I got a better idea when I was reading this afternoon,” Jeana said. “We'll prick our fingers and press them together to mix our blood, but instead of signing our names with it, we'll put our fingerprints at the bottom of the contract under our signatures.” She pulled a hat pin from where she’d stuck it in the collar of her shirt.

“Geez, what were you reading?” Billy Joe said, “Nancy Drew Tortures the Hardy Boys?”

Wade laughed but stopped when Jeana gave him a look.

“No, it was a book about an Indian boy and his white friend who become blood brothers. I like that better. Plus, it’ll take less blood than signing our names, since both of y’all are weenies.”

“Weenies who don’t wanna pass out from blood loss,” Billy Joe said. “Me and Wade got longer names than you, ya know.”

No, that picture isn't a real book. I don't know who did the Photoshopping, but it cracked me up. Next week we'll get poignant again when we take a peek into Billy Joe's heart and see that he's more than just a jokester. Can't wait? You can buy True Blue here. ;-) And please do also check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors. Something for everyone among these talented writers!

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

See all my books at my Web site
Follow me on Twitter
Like my Facebook Fan Page