Monday 30 June 2014

Blog Tour: Review + #Giveaway: Division Zero by Matthew Cox






Division Zero by Matthew S. Cox

(Division Zero #1)
 
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: March 7th 2014
Genres: cyberpunk, New Adult, Paranormal




Most cops get to deal with living criminals, but Agent Kirsten Wren is not most cops.

A gifted psionic with a troubled past, Kirsten possesses a rare combination of abilities that give her a powerful weapon against spirits. In 2418, rampant violence and corporate warfare have left no shortage of angry wraiths in West City. Most exist as little more than fleeting shadows and eerie whispers in the darkness.

Kirsten is shunned by a society that does not understand psionics, feared by those who know what she can do, and alone in a city of millions. Every so often, when a wraith gathers enough strength to become a threat to the living, these same people rely on her to stop it.

Unexplained killings by human-like androids known as dolls leave the Division One police baffled, causing them to punt the case to Division Zero. Kirsten, along with her partner Dorian, wind up in the crosshairs of corporate assassins as they attempt to find out who – or what – is behind the random murders before more people die.

She tries to hold on to the belief that no one is beyond redemption as she pursues a killer desperate to claim at least one more innocent soul – that might just be hers.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20359946-division-zero?ac=1


Amazon ** B&N ** Kobo
 
 
 
REVIEW
 
WOW!! What a rush! This book was so freaking exciting.
 
Once I got used to the Sci-Fi jargon, this book grabbed hold of me and didn't let go until the very end. It played out in my head like a movie with amazing descriptions and electrifying characters. I was sent on a thrilling ride along with Kirsten each time she had to face another evil spirit, and the action never ended. I loved getting to know the world she lived in and the many abilities of Division 0.
 
But this book wasn't only action and adventure with plenty of ass-kicking. Kirsten's demons were deeply rooted and she had to face them day after day. Cox slowly revealed just how deep her scars were, and as the story developed I was given more of an inside look at the horror she had faced growing up, until the moment she was able to face it once and for all. My heart went out to her, but it made her the strong character she was - although kinda lacking confidence - and she has to be one of my favorite characters EVER!
 
This book was an exhilarating Sci-fi Fantasy full of mayhem. Think Ghost Whisper + R.I.P.D. Get ready for a crazy ride into the paranormal.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tour wide giveaway
 
Open internationally - Ends July 14th
--Signed copy of Division Zero + 25$ Amazon gift card
 
 
 
 
 
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 

Born in a little town known as South Amboy NJ in 1973, Matthew has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Somewhere between fifteen to eighteen of them spent developing the world in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, and The Awakened Series take place. He has several other projects in the works as well as a collaborative science fiction endeavor with author Tony Healey.

Hobbies and Interests:
Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- deliberate), and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.

He is also fond of cats.

Awards: Prophet of the Badlands (excerpt) – Honorable Mention – Writers of the Future

Author Links:
 
 

 
 

Release Blitz + #Giveaway: Mosaic by Leigh T. Moore + Dragonfly is #FREE #DRAGONFLYSERIES


 
How excited are you guys for this one??!!!
I am over-the-moon excited to continue Anna and Julian's love story :)
 
And, if you haven't started this series, what's wrong with you?? LOL. But seriously, DRAGONFLY, the first book in the series is currently FREE across all platforms so you have no more excuses!!
GRAB A COPY NOW!!!



 


Mosaic (Dragonfly #4)
Author: Leigh Talbert Moore
Release Date: June 30, 2014
Genre: YA/NA Romance

 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18631029-mosaic?ac=1

 
Mosaic, the exciting conclusion to The Dragonfly series, coming June 30, 2014!
The future never goes as planned. People are never what they seem. Time changes everything.

So you want to know what happened to Anna and Julian? Well, listen up, because I’ve got the whole scoop. I’m Jules, btw, and I am an artist, as you already know if you’ve read Watercolor. What you might not know is I inherited my mother’s cute little newsy nose, thank you very much.

It’s high school reunion time, and everyone’s coming back to Fairview—everyone who’s not already there, mind you. What went wrong, who’s fault it was, and why the heck nobody knew about me... it’s all coming out.

Long-distance relationships rarely last, and a lot of water has passed under that bridge. Big Secrets will be exposed, and in the end we’ll know if that old saying is true: Love is stronger than time.

 
 
Purchase the Series
 
 
 
Dragonfly (Dragonfly, #1) *Free*
Undertow (Dragonfly, #2)
Watercolor (Dragonfly, #3)
Mosaic (Dragonfly, #4)

 


   


About the Author

 
I'm the hat lady--wife, mom, reader, writer, caffeine addict, chocoholic, southern expat, and beach bum. *LIKE my Facebook page for daily updates, new release announcements, and sale info! *SIGN UP for my newsletter for new release announcements! (not spam) *I LOVE hearing from readers! Send feedback, ask questions, or say hello at leightmoore(at)gmail.com. *And I share books I think RULE on Goodreads! Be a friend~  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Giveaway!

 

Friday 27 June 2014

Review: Courier by Terry Irving






Paperback, $11.40; eBook, $6.49
ISBN: 978-1909223783
Thriller

Exhibit A Books, May 1, 2014

"This is a goddamn big story. It'll make those jerks at the Post look like idiots and Watergate look like a cop taking an apple off a fruit stand."

It's 1972. The Watergate scandal has Washington on edge and Putnam, a Vietnam veteran and courier for one of the capital's leading television stations, is trying to get his life back together after his nightmarish ordeal in the war. Racing at breakneck speed through the streets of the capital, he not only intends to be the best courier in the business, he also intends to escape the demons that haunt him. But when Rick picks up film from a news crew interviewing a government worker with a hot story, his life begins to unravel as everyone involved in the story dies within hours of the interview and Rick realizes he is the next target.

Enlisting the aid of friends who have discovered a way to hack into the government's computer databases, and a beautiful young Indian Rights activist, Eva Buffalo Calf, Rick races full throttle through the streets of the nation's capital to stay ahead of his pursuers as he searches for answers. When he discovers the killings have been orchestrated by a rogue CIA agent and his team of assassins, Rick isn't surprised when his road to the truth leads directly to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.




https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490902-courier

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/courier-terry-irving/1116930155?ean=9781909223790&itm=1&usri=9781909223790&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1909223794/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1909223794&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2






FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Marissa Curnutte
347.574.3136



“‎I knew Terry could write hard news. ‘Courier’ shows he can write a damn good thriller...” – Aaron Brown, former CNN anchor


EMMY AWARD-WINNING WRITER AND LONG-TIME JOURNALIST TERRY IRVING REVISITS WATERGATE-ERA D.C. IN ‘COURIER’

Historical suspense novel releases in 40th anniversary year of Nixon’s resignation



WASHINGTON, D.C. – The motorcycle that Vietnam vet Rick Putnam rides around Washington D.C. is fast, but is it fast enough to escape his destructive memories of the war and the hired guns who are trying to kill him?

In his debut novel “Courier” (May 1, 2014, Exhibit A Books), Emmy award-winning journalist and writer Terry Irving paints a gritty picture of a Washington DC that today has completely disappeared under new parks and high-rise office buildings. In the middle of the scandal and drama of Watergate,  Rick, a motorcycle courier, unsuspectingly picks up a roll of news film and—after the correspondent and crew are killed—finds that he is next on the killer’s to-do list. With the help of friends—and a woman who threatens to crack the shell he's built to defend his heart—Rick must discover what's on the film and why officials are willing to kill to keep it from the front pages.

Legendary broadcast news anchor Ted Koppel notes how Irving’s first-hand experience brings the novel to life, “If the phrase 'a crackling good yarn' evokes an era before Twitter, Facebook, cell phones, videotape, DVDs or cable television, welcome to Terry Irving’s fast-paced thriller from a bygone age. The Vietnam War is winding down, a wounded vet takes a job as a motorcycle courier at a network's Washington news bureau, and finds himself caught up in the backwash of a harrowing conspiracy. Terry Irving knows the landscape. I was there. So was he.”

In a hat tip to Paul Fussell’s classic “The Boy’s Crusade,” Irving’s story unveils the bonds between men who fight together and the distance between those that order the attacks and those who carry them out.

Irving is a television producer and writer who lives near Washington D.C. He moved to the nation’s capital in 1973 when he – much like the protagonist in his new book – became a motorcycle courier for the ABC Washington Bureau. He has worked in newsrooms at CNN, Fox, ABC and MSNBC. He has won four National Emmy Awards along with multiple Peabody, DuPont and Telly awards.

“Courier” is the first book in The Freelancer Series, with “Warrior” to follow several other stories planned.



Critical Acclaim for “Courier”


"Terry was one of the most imaginative and enterprising television producers I ever worked with. It's not surprising then that ‘Courier’ is a terrific page-turner with a clever backdrop and compelling characters."
– Erik Sorenson, former president of MSNBC
           


"‎I knew Terry could write hard news. ‘Courier’ shows he can write a damn good thriller..."
– Aaron Brown, former CNN anchor



"If the phrase 'a crackling good yarn' evokes an era before Twitter, Facebook, cell phones, videotape, DVDs or cable television, welcome to Terry Irving's fast-paced thriller from a bygone age. The Vietnam War is winding down, a wounded vet takes a job as a motorcycle courier at a network's Washington news bureau, and finds himself caught up in the backwash of a harrowing conspiracy. Terry Irving knows the landscape. I was there. So was he."
Ted Koppel, former Nightline anchor



"The year is 1972, mix the White House, the Watergate burglary, the war in Vietnam and murder in Washington and you've got a terrific story...Kudos to one of television's best producers for writing the thriller of the year!"
Sam Donaldson, former White House reporter



 “If you can remember the ‘60s, you never lived through them. If you lived through the ‘70s, you'll never forget. Irving masterfully brings back the cold-eyed conspiracy lurking behind the smiley face.”
– Marshall Arbitman, senior writer for Anderson Cooper



"Finished the book on the flight that day...loved it."
David Bohrman, former president Current TV



"In ‘Courier,’ Terry Irving has a page-turner of a first novel. I picked it up – in draft form, on a tablet, yet – and couldn't put it down. Buy it, and start reading early enough in the day that you don't stay up all night finishing it."
Martin Heller, author, entrepreneur and chairman of Tubifi



“Rick is one of those great characters that guys want to be and woman, well, just want... And, boy, do those pages turn fast. This is an incredibly cinematic read, with a fine cast of minor characters also, and fascinating too on the politics and counter-culture surrounding this resonant and rich period of recent U.S. history.”
Emlyn Rees, author of the best-selling thriller "Hunted"



REVIEW


Murder, mystery and mayhem abound in this exciting thriller.


An intricately woven, intelligently written story with plenty of intrigue, I was hooked from the very first page. It was fast paced, with layer upon layer of suspense and chaos. I was thrilled to go along for the ride as Rick literally raced against time to unravel a scandalous story that could very well lead to his own demise.

Exhilarating and nerve-wracking, this book kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a stellar read!






ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Author and long-time journalist Terry Irving moved to Washington D.C. in 1973 to kick around for a few weeks and never looked back.

In the nation’s capital, Irving started out riding a classic BMW R60/2 for ABC News during Watergate. Carrying that news film was the beginning of a 40-year career that has included producing Emmy Award-winning television news, writing everything from magazine articles to standup comedy and developing early forms of online media. He has traveled and worked in all 50 states plus parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.

Irving is the winner of four National Emmy Awards, multiple Peabody, DuPont and Telly awards, plus an honor at the Columbus Film Festival. He has produced stories around the world from the fall of the Berlin Wall to Tiananmen Square. He worked as a senior live control room producer at CNN, Fox, ABC and MSNBC. He wrote and edited copy for some of the top anchors and journalists in television news including Ted Koppel, Diane Sawyer, Wolf Blitzer, and Aaron Brown.


Irving is an active member of the International Thriller Writers and the Mystery Writers of America, and serves as a board member of the Foundation for Moral Courage.

Irving is the author of the on-going memoir “On the Road” and the self-help book “The Unemployed Guy’s Guide to Unemployment,” both published in 2012 by Rock Creek Consulting LLC. His debut novel “Courier” releases May 1, 2014 from Exhibit A Books, the crime fiction imprint of Angry Robot Books. It’s the first of several books planned for The Freelancer Series.

Irving and his wife live just outside Washington D.C. because their dog simply refuses to live anywhere else.


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Thursday 26 June 2014

Blog Tour Spotlight: Oh! You're One of Those People by Glenn T. Schaefer


 
 
 
 
 
Oh, You’re One Of Those People!” is a passionate yet whimsical account of a two year bout with depression and living on the streets after a 20 year career in media. My goal was to show the public perception of depression and homelessness and to point out that neither is limited to a certain age demographic, race or most importantly, economic past. There is a stereotype that homelessness only creeps into the lives of the poor or uneducated and that is no longer the case. The book share both the positive and negative relationships along my journey.
 
 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21808459-oh-you-re-one-of-those-people?from_search=true

http://www.amazon.com/Youre-One-Those-People-Desperation/dp/1457526727/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401389202&sr=8-1&keywords=Oh%21+You%27re+One+of+Those+People

 
 
Check out the rest of the Blog Tour on the JKSCommunications Virtual Tour Page 
 

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 
 
 
 
 
Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Schaefer learned two things that were very important…almost from birth. Deep dish pizza was a culinary gift to mankind and rooting against the Cubs was almost as fun as being a life-long White Sox fan. Even after a move to the rural area of central Illinois then North Carolina didn’t curtail the passion for Chicago sports teams….and certainly not for pizza.
 
 
After two years at Eastern Illinois University studying journalism in his first educational life, Schaefer recently returned to school to complete his B.A. degree in Public Relations and Marketing and is furthering his educational, working on a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts concentrating on creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. His focus is writing social justice work pieces for those who have little or no voice in society. After 20 years on the streets selling advertising and broadcasting for CBS radio and television, his other current passion is teaching at the college level helping students expand their creative thoughts through the written word. The author’s work can be found in numerous newspaper columns (Buffalo News, Chicago Sun Times) features in Chicago Magazine and sports blogs across the country, and is planning a second book release “Baseball through My Father’s Eyes.”
 
 
When not on the golf course expanding his “out of bounds” verbal vocabulary, Schaefer also works with the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington D.C. as an advocate helping various local organizations serving those dealing with homelessness or depression. For information how you can serve, contact  www.nationalhomeless.org.
 
 
“Oh, You’re One Of Those People!” can be found on amazon.com, BarnesandNobel.com Schaefer is represented by JKSCommunications with offices in Nashville and Chicago. 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Cover Reveal + Excerpt: Vincent Mallory Edgerton by Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba


Vincent Mallory Edgerton
Sémya Slotin Mystery #4
By- Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
Length- 78000 words/ 280 pages
Genre- Romantic suspense/ international thriller
Release date- July 16th  2014

The pursuit of peace is not always pacific.
 
Vincent Mallory Edgerton had always been an efficient FREGG operative. It was his family legacy and his pride. He had always loved his job, even when he had to leave everything behind for his safety and become Josh Heinz.
 
Every love story has a beginning.
 
Sémya Slotin had been coasting through life solving one mystery after another. While in Hawaii, her young protégée disappeared. When Sémya met Josh Heinz, her mind kept telling her to stay away from the handsome stranger with the hypnotic light brown eyes but she found herself inexplicably drawn to him. He awakened something in her and she was unable to resist him. It never happened to her before. Who was that man?
 
In Hawaii, Vincent had to work covertly with the sexy bold sleuth. Sémya’s beauty and intellect completely enthralled him, but his passion and growing love for her also changed him. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to finally win her trust and keep her safe, causing him to unleash events that would shape the rest of their lives. From the moment their gazes locked, Sémya and Vincent sealed their fate.
 
This is the final chapter of the Bird of Prey Saga.

 
Note: This book is part of the series and is not a standalone. You might be able

to enjoy without reading Bird of Prey and The Plot Thickens first BUT I really advise to read Polliannah Got Married! first.

Blog Tour: Guest Post: Much Ado About Mother by Celia Bonaduce





Much Ado About Mother

Series- Venice Beach Romance (Can be read out of order)
By- Celia Bonaduce


Genre- Contemporary Romance
Publication Date- May 29th, 2014
Published By- eKensington

Look out, Venice Beach--the Wolf women are all together again. But when 70-year-old Virginia arrives with her teacup Chihuahua and unshakeable confidence, she senses trouble. Erinn is keeping secrets--like being broke and out of work--and Suzanna is paying too much attention to the wrong man--a Latino dance instructor who nearly broke her heart once before. Virginia's ready for the third act of her life, and she intends to make it rousing and romantic. Now she just has to convince her daughters to throw out their old scripts. If life has taught Virginia anything, it's this: there's more than one way to a "happily ever after"...

  

Chapter Release Blitz: UnWritten by Chelsea M. Cameron

 
 
 
UnWritten by Chelsea M. Cameron

 
July 2014


 
 
Blair Walton isn't your average tattooed children's librarian. She's also one half of bestselling romance author, Scarlet Rose. Along with her bff Raine, she spends her nights writing books so steamy, she's afraid they would shock her Southern conservative grandmother to death, if she knew about them. Blair and Raine keep their smut peddling ways a secret from everyone, including family.

 

On deadline for their latest book and out of ideas, Raine suggests (demands) that Blair find a guy and "do some research." It just so happens that Blair has a guy that's ready and willing. Declan Bennet has all the qualifications: He's British, looks fabulous in a suit and gets bonus points for being a single dad. But what started out as a research project quickly turns into something much more. Someone else is writing this love story and Blair has completely lost control. But will Declan still feel the same way when he finds out the truth about Blair and her secret motives?

 




Chapter One


Contains adult language

“What’s another word for ‘pussy’?” Raine said, squinting at me over her laptop. I looked up from mine and thought for a moment.

“What’s the context?”

Her not-quite-blue-not-quite-grey eyes went back to her screen.

“He’s licking it.”

“Her pussy?”

“Yeah, but I’ve already used that word, like, a million times.” I sighed and saved the chapter I was currently working on.

“Send it to me.”

Her fingers clacked on her keyboard and then my email dinged. I ignored the massive amounts of unread mail in my inbox, including several fan letters (which I felt horrible about ignoring) and opened the document.

My eyes did a quick scan as Raine stared at her computer, a frown on her face. I deleted a few of her uses of the word and tweaked the phrasing.

“Okay, sending back.”

It seemed odd, seeing as how our laptops were practically touching on our shared desk. I reached for my coffee cup, tried to take a sip and found it empty.

“Damn. I’m out. Want a refill?” Raine handed me her cup without taking her eyes off the screen. It was nearly one in the morning, but we had a deadline next week, and we hadn’t missed one yet and had no intention to start.

I tried to remember the last time I’d made a pot of coffee, and couldn’t, so I tossed whatever was in the coffeepot and starting making a fresh pot.

“You know, we really should get one of those Keurigs. You know it would be a tax write-off. And it’s not like we can’t afford it.”

Raine just made a non-committal sound.

I was always the one who had to make the first move. When the two of us had met as TAs in the English department at college, I’d been the one who’d had the crazy idea of writing a romance together under a pen name and trying to get it published.

The two of us had spent the hours we were supposed to be doing keg stands and getting STDs typing away. It took us two years to write our first book, and most of it was spent trying to figure out how to combine our brains into one story. And then, by some miracle, we’d actually gotten an agent to take us seriously, and then a publisher and here we were, three years after getting our first book deal, with five books under our collective belt, three of them bestsellers under the name Scarlet Rose (Scarlet for my middle name, Rose for Raine’s mother).

“Ugh, I can’t look at this anymore, or I'm going to set it on fire,” Raine said, rubbing her eyes and getting to her feet and stretching her back.

“I know the feeling,” I said, hoping that by staring at the coffeemaker, it would somehow brew faster.

“We are never going to make this deadline.”

I turned and gave her a look.

“You always say that and we always meet them. Look, let’s take a half hour break to recharge and then we can marathon until four. Okay?” That would only give me a few hours of sleep, but I’d functioned on much less.

That was the price you paid for being a secret writer.

Raine came over and put her chin on my shoulder.

“Why did we sign this contract again?” I sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day.

“Because the money was good and we can’t say no to Marilyn.”

“I’m still terrified of her.”

“You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t,” I said as the coffee finally started to pour into the pot. Marilyn, our editor, was one of the scariest women I’d ever met. Initially, she seemed sweet and nice. But she was deadly with a red pen and she had an uncanny ability to read people. Her hair was always curled, her shoes were always spiked heels and her lipstick was always cherry red. She was beautiful in the way that a sharpened blade was beautiful.

I poured coffee into both our cups, adding lots of sugar to mine, and lots of powdered creamer to Raine’s.

“I’m calling out tomorrow. There’s just no way I can put up with morons after all this.”

“I wish I could. Sabrina’s on vacation, so I’m shit out of luck.” I worked in the Children’s department of our small local library and Raine was a bank teller. Totally glamorous jobs they were not.

Raine kissed one of the tattoos on my shoulder and picked up her coffee cup. My arms were both covered in ink and I had several others on my chest, back, legs and feet. My mother was convinced I got them to spite her, but really none of them had anything to do with her.

“Blaiiirrrrrr,” she whined, shuffling back to the desk. “I don’t wanna write any more.”

“Too bad, kiddo. We have a deadline.” They say you never really know the measure of a person until you live with them, but I think you never really know it until you try to write a book with them.

“Drink your coffee, babe. It will make you feel better.” She did as I asked, and sat on the couch. I turned on the television and went through our saved shows. We had the latest episode of New Girl on there, which would be perfect for a half hour of wasting time before we had to go back to work.

I snuggled next to Raine and before I knew it, my eyes were closing.

****

“Blair!” A voice pierced my eardrums and then something smacked my arm. My eyes flew open to realize that the living room was filling with the weak light of predawn.

“We both fell asleep,” Raine said, yawning and stretching. I’d fallen asleep tucked into her side.

“Shit, what time is it?”

“Nearly six.”

“Shit, shit, shit.” I stumbled to my feet and grabbed my coffee cup, intending to throw it in the microwave.

“Words. We have to make words,” I said, but Raine’s eyes had closed again.

“No words. Sleep.”

I had two options. I could go back to sleep for a little while, or I could force myself to stay awake.

Normally I would do the second, but I was so beyond tired that I knew if I didn’t get at least a little more sleep, I was going to pass out on the copier at the library. Again.

“Bed. Going to bed.” Raine didn’t answer.

I stumbled toward my bed and fell face first on it, and was out until my alarm rang again at seven thirty.

****

“And they lived happily ever after,” I said for what felt like the ten thousandth time in my life. I closed the book and looked out at the faces that stared at me with rapt attention. I had a good turnout for the toddler story hour, and everyone had been on their best behavior. I stifled a yawn behind the book and got up from my rocking chair.

“Thank you everyone for coming. We’ll see you next week.” Then we sang “The Goodbye Song” and each kid gave me a hug. More often than not, at least one little bugger would wipe their nose on my shoulder. I must have an immune system of steel because I rarely got sick.

As the tots were collected by their frazzled parents and taken off for naps or snacks, I went to re-shelve the books I’d used.

The children’s room at the Sullivan Library was decorated to look like the pages of Where The Wild Things Are, complete with the monsters and Max in his costume. There was even a little jungle nook with plastic vines hanging down. I loved it here and I couldn’t believe I’d managed to get this job right out of college.

I’d worried that my appearance would hinder my chances, and undo the good of getting my Master’s in Library Science and my summer internship with the Library of Congress.

But Madeline, the head librarian, had taken one look at my resumé, then me, smiled, and said I was hired. I’d been working here ever since.

They had no idea about what I did at night with Raine. I gave no explanation for the fact that I often appeared weary, and constantly covered up my dark circles with makeup.

The most ironic part was that the library carried my books. Mine and Raine’s. Sometimes the other librarians would ask me if I’d read them and I always said no.

I did various chores around the room, picking up some of the toys, re-shelving books that had been scattered around by little fingers, and checking them to make sure none had snot on them. Anti-bacterial wipes were my friend.

Focused on my tasks, I almost didn’t hear the tiny voice, humming in a corner. I peered between two of the shelves and found a little boy wearing an outfit nice enough for family pictures. His hair was so blond it was almost white, and gelled back from his face to show his bright blue eyes. A quick glance around showed that he was sans parent.

“Hey there,” I said, using my soft library voice. I’d honed it over the past few years of working with kids.

“Shhh,” he said, putting a finger to his lips. He looked about three or four, I’d guess. I got closer and I saw that he even had little dress shoes on. Poor kid.

“Okay, I can be quiet,” I said, sitting down next to him, folding my dress under me. “I’m Blair, what’s your name?”

“I, Drake,” he said in a whisper that wasn’t a whisper. This kid was adorable.

“Hi, Drake. It’s so nice to meet you. Are you here all by yourself?” We’d had more than one child go missing, hidden in between the stacks. I kept expecting his frazzled mother to come around the corner and sigh in relief before yelling at him not to run off.

“Yup. I big boy.”

“You are a big boy. You’ve even got your big boy clothes on. Did you pick those out yourself?” He was about to answer when I heard footsteps and a woman, looking frantic, emerged around the corner.

“Drake!” she said, nearly falling over in relief. I wondered if this woman was his mother, because where he was fair as could be, she had silky black hair, dark eyes and gorgeous tan skin. Drake didn’t look pleased to be found.

“Thank you for finding him,” the woman said as I stood up to let her collect him.

“No, I don’t wanna!” Drake said.

“But we’re going to meet your daddy. Don’t you want to see Daddy?” At the mention of seeing his father, Drake’s eyes lit up and he grinned.

“Daddy!”

“That’s right, we’re going to see him.” She leaned down and picked him up. She was tiny, but had the body of a woman who had probably run a marathon or two. She was also dressed just as well as Drake, with a black skirt, white ruffled top and gorgeous heels. I looked down at my cute-but-sensible red ballet flats and sighed. I never got to wear sexy shoes like that at work.

“Bye, Drake. Come and see me again and I’ll help you choose a book,” I said, waving at him as the woman carried him to the door.

“Bye-bye, Blair!” he called in his sweet little voice.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

 

Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)

 

Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, LIsten coming out in 2014.

 








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