Cecily Wolfe's Blog: The Start of Something New - Posts Tagged "new-release"
Say You'll Remember Me by Katie McGarry
I am honored to be a part of the Inkslinger blog tour for Say You'll Remember Me, which releases next week. Are you ready for another fantastic story?
I finished reading this last night and was WOWED. My review here on Goodreads:
I loved everything about this story - the relationship between Drix and Elle is so believable, with all the stress coming from her parents (and the public) as well as his fight against his tendency to act out in ways that will only hurt him, and the chemistry they share that not only keeps them physically attracted to each other, but emotionally bound as well. McGarry is the queen of realistic teen drama, and her latest only reinforces my belief in this. I highly recommend this story, but beware: once you start reading, you won't be able to stop until you find out how these two overcome the many obstacles in their way and find a way to be together.
An excerpt from Say You'll Remember Me:
~Ellison~
The two of us are different. Complete sliding scale different. The only thing we have in common, as far as I can tell, is that he appears about my age and that we are both wearing shoes. My sandals to his scuffed combat boots. His sagging jeans with rips and white T-shirt to my ironed khaki shorts and fitted blue top. My diamond earrings and gold bracelet with a heart charm to his black belt that has metal studs and silver chain that hangs from his belt loop to his wallet.
By looks, I should have more in common with the loser college boys, but it’s this guy I’m comfortable with. “What’s your name?”
He throws the ball, and he’s right, he sucks at it. While he has unbelievable power, his aim’s completely off. The ball hits the back curtain with a loud thud, then drops to the floor. “Drix.”
“Drix?” I repeat to make sure I heard him correctly.
“Drix. It’s short for Hendrix. Like Jimi Hendrix.”
“That’s cool.” Because it is.
I wait for him to ask for my name, but he doesn’t. Instead he says, “Are you here alone?”
He throws the second ball, and this time he hits the top of the three bottles, sending that one to the ground.
“No. My parents are here. I’m supposed to meet them at the convention center. What about you? What happened to the people you were with? Or are you here alone now?”
“Yes, but no.” Drix pulls his arm back, releases the ball, and when the ball hits the bottom bottles, my heart lifts with the idea that he won, but only one of the bottles goes flying. The other stays completely untouched.
He turns in my direction, but his gaze roams over my shoulder, then flickers to the left. Drix then glances behind him, and when he returns his attention to me he raises his eyebrows. “They appear to be gone.”
That’s awesome news, but I’m still stuck on his answer of “yes but no.” Honestly, I’m stuck on him. He’s a million questions without a single answer, and he makes me incredibly curious.
“My parents weren’t thrilled about me hanging out alone at the midway, but I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. It’s just Whack-A-Mole, you know?”
“And a ball toss.”
“And a ball toss. None of it should have been complicated.”
“Shouldn’t have been.”
“Elle!” Part of me is relieved to see Andrew craning his neck over the crowd. Another part of me is majorly disappointed. There aren’t many times in my life I’m left alone. Not many times I’m able to explore new places and people without someone hovering and not many opportunities when I would meet someone like Drix.
“Elle,” Andrew calls again. I wave at him, hoping it will buy me a few seconds, and he waves back in a way that tells me he needs me to walk in his direction. That works well for me.
“Is that a friend of yours?” Drix asks.
“Yes, but no.” I borrow his answer because it’s apropos. Andrew’s a few years older. More friend of our family than a personal friend of mine, and I don’t like the idea of explaining that my parents think I need a babysitter.
Drix’s mouth twitches at my words, and my lips also edge upwards. “I just made you smile a third time. Is this a Guinness Book of World Records thing?”
“I liked your answer.”
“I’m just creative like that.”
From critically acclaimed author Katie McGarry, comes SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME —a story of two people from different worlds pushing themselves, and each other, to get what they deserve!
SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME releases on January 30, 2018. Pre-order your copy today!
SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME Synopsis:
“Doesn’t matter who did it. Not anymore. I did the time. It’s over.”
When Drix was convicted of a crime–one he didn’t commit–he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the Second Chance Program, the governor’s newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.
Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor’s daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn’t may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.
When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle’s parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix’s messy life.
But sometimes love can breach all barriers.
Fighting against a society that can’t imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves–Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence–and each other to finally get what they deserve.
Preorder SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME here!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google Play | B-A-M | Kobo
Add it to your Goodreads Now!
Pre-order SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, register and you will receive AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER, a novella that features your favorite Pushing the Limits and Thunder Road characters!
From the Pushing the Limits series, Noah, Beth, Isaiah, West and Logan are all grown up. Catch up with your favorite characters as one of them finally says, I do.
Pigpen, Eli and Addison from the Thunder Road series: Three separate personalities who still needed to find love…and still had someone important to meet.
This is a limited time offer! So hurry! Registration ends on February 3, 2018! You must register your pre-order to receive AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
https://a.pgtb.me/4tLZSM
Katie McGarry’s SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME – Tour Schedule:
January 22nd
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book Boyfriends
January 23rd
January 24th
January 25th
January 26th
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It Book Reviews
January 27th
An Asian Chick & Her Cat Walk into a Book Blog
January 28th
January 29th
Rants and Raves of a Bibliophile
January 30th
January 31st
Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog
February 1st
Katy and Zetti’s Book Ramblings
February 2nd
Angie and Jessica's Dreamy Reads
February 3rd
About Katie McGarry:Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumbler | Instagram
Giveaway - New YA from Helen Vivienne Fletcher
Good morning!
Helen Vivienne Fletcher has a new YA title & is having a fun contest over on Facebook to win a copy.
For a chance to win Underwater, stop over (https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...) and post your best underwater photo in the comments. Have fun and good luck!
Oak Seer - Release Day!
I am excited to share my review of today's gaslamp fantasy release, Oak Seer, which is the second in Craig Comer's Fey Matter series:
Wonderful continuation of this series, as Effie, determined as ever, moves forward as a leader, developing both personally as well as within her influential role. She continues to be a strong female lead but realistically so. The depth of characterization makes this story believable, and the story itself is unique and captivating. Fans of historical fantasy and of authors such as Jane Yolen and Patricia Wrede will love Effie's determination as well as the gaslamp elements of this intriguing series.
About Oak Seer
Thrust into the public eye as the “Green Lady,” Effie of Glen Coe has become a living legend, the fey woman who saved Scotland from devastation. But to some, she’s a threat to human existence and a traitor to fey-kind.
Determined more than ever to forge a peace between fey and humans, Effie finds herself navigating a realm increasingly divided. The lords of London have other plans, and once again Effie is pulled into a quagmire of politics and greed. She must stand against plots to remove her kind from the shores of the empire and madmen who murder fey without regard.
Even worse, heinous cults have arisen, enthralled by an unseen enemy. With violent thugs and unruly mobs all around, wits and courage are not enough. Effie must become something more than herself, an Oak Seer, a fey mantle long lost. But can she survive long enough to claim it?
Author Bio
Craig Comer is the author of the gaslamp fantasy series A FEY MATTER, which includes THE LAIRD OF DUNCAIRN and OAK SEER. He is a co-author of the mosaic fantasy novel THE ROADS TO BALDAIRN MOTTE. Craig earned a Master’s Degree in Writing from the University of Southern California and enjoys tramping across countries in his spare time, preferably those strewn with pubs and castles. His website is: https://craigcomer.com/
Links
Get your copy on Amazon
An excerpt from Oak Seer - Chapter One
Heavy spring rains flooded the road to Langmire. The village sprouted to the north of Stirling along the River Teith. It smelled old to Effie, full of moldy timbers, damp leaves, and rusting iron. The collection of buildings, crofters’ homes mostly, sagged like the slumped back of a crone. Grey smoke wafted from a few blackened chimneys that sprouted from thatched roofs. Someone baked fresh bread. She caught it on the wind, and another something sweeter. Eager for a warm hearth and a cup of honeyed tea, she licked her parched lips. She’d travelled a full day to reach the village. She’d come because Conall Murray had begged her, because without her an innocent woman would hang.
In the heart of the village grew a stout oak. Muckle Ben the locals called it, Effie had once heard. They’d carved a Green Man into its bark long ago, during a time when such things held power. Now banners pronouncing some celebration hung from its limbs more often than not, but none remained there currently. Its trunk stood as somber as an undertaker. Chickens picked at worms in the upturned soil near its roots, and a lone hound howled at the rustling leaves as the branches creaked above.
Fergus Alpin hacked into his handkerchief, a wet, miserable noise she’d had to contend with the entire journey from Stirling. The Fey Finder sat across from her in the steam carriage’s tight compartment. His wrinkled face was spotted and thin, and he kept tugging his coat tighter about his frail bones. She tried to avoid his gaze, but nothing adorned the compartment for her to study, and she could only stare out the window for so long before feeling rude.
“I’ll do the speaking,” the man said. “You will remain silent.” The quiver at his lip turned into another fit of hacking, yet she still heard his mumbling. “Send a fey to catch a fey, and one with paps at that!”
The steam carriage rocked and bounced, splashing through the flooded road as if fording a stony riverbed. Its benches were worn and hard, the padding flattened from years of service. A lightly stained wood paneling formed its walls, floor, and roof. The boiler at the rear of the carriage warmed the compartment, but at the expense of the coal smoke that clouded the air.
Effie shifted to relieve her sore hips. Her eyes narrowed. “The Fey Finder General bade me accompany you, Mr. Alpin, and not so I would stand and do nothing.” She tried to keep the bite from her tongue. Of Fey Finders, Alpin was a journeyman and not a zealot. At least there was that. He sought not to be bothered rather than possessing the fiery hatred common to his profession.
She pressed her palms into the cushion on either side of her, to steady herself. It still marveled her she could sit so close to a Sniffer, a man the crown tasked with hunting down malevolent fey. Malevolent, as if they knew what the word meant. They hunted all with fey blood, and as a Sithling—one with the ancient blood of the Daoine Sith coursing through her—that included her. But things had changed after Caldwell House, and she had a need to trust where once she dared not. The fierce battle there had forced the lords of the empire to open their eyes. They could not rest on centuries of intolerance any longer. They had to welcome the fey into society’s ranks and accept a permanent treaty. They had witnessed the fate awaiting them if they did not.
Effie’s heart warmed. If the lords of the empire could learn to trust, so could she, and perhaps the Scottish fey would live freely for the first time in millennia.
Alpin’s jaw worked. He’d likely never had someone with paps stand up to him. Most Scots of either gender avoided Sniffers as if they carried the plague. “Look here, Miss Effie,” he snapped. “I’ll not have it. You may dine with the likes of lords, but you’re not in some grand procession here. I know the hearts of these gentle folk better than you ever will, and I will not banter with the mind of a devious hag.”
“When you see one, I’m sure,” said Effie, not knowing whether the man had meant her or the poor Spae Wife they’d come to question.
Heavy spring rains flooded the road to Langmire. The village sprouted to the north of Stirling along the River Teith. It smelled old to Effie, full of moldy timbers, damp leaves, and rusting iron. The collection of buildings, crofters’ homes mostly, sagged like the slumped back of a crone. Grey smoke wafted from a few blackened chimneys that sprouted from thatched roofs. Someone baked fresh bread. She caught it on the wind, and another something sweeter. Eager for a warm hearth and a cup of honeyed tea, she licked her parched lips. She’d travelled a full day to reach the village. She’d come because Conall Murray had begged her, because without her an innocent woman would hang.
In the heart of the village grew a stout oak. Muckle Ben the locals called it, Effie had once heard. They’d carved a Green Man into its bark long ago, during a time when such things held power. Now banners pronouncing some celebration hung from its limbs more often than not, but none remained there currently. Its trunk stood as somber as an undertaker. Chickens picked at worms in the upturned soil near its roots, and a lone hound howled at the rustling leaves as the branches creaked above.
Fergus Alpin hacked into his handkerchief, a wet, miserable noise she’d had to contend with the entire journey from Stirling. The Fey Finder sat across from her in the steam carriage’s tight compartment. His wrinkled face was spotted and thin, and he kept tugging his coat tighter about his frail bones. She tried to avoid his gaze, but nothing adorned the compartment for her to study, and she could only stare out the window for so long before feeling rude.
“I’ll do the speaking,” the man said. “You will remain silent.” The quiver at his lip turned into another fit of hacking, yet she still heard his mumbling. “Send a fey to catch a fey, and one with paps at that!”
The steam carriage rocked and bounced, splashing through the flooded road as if fording a stony riverbed. Its benches were worn and hard, the padding flattened from years of service. A lightly stained wood paneling formed its walls, floor, and roof. The boiler at the rear of the carriage warmed the compartment, but at the expense of the coal smoke that clouded the air.
Effie shifted to relieve her sore hips. Her eyes narrowed. “The Fey Finder General bade me accompany you, Mr. Alpin, and not so I would stand and do nothing.” She tried to keep the bite from her tongue. Of Fey Finders, Alpin was a journeyman and not a zealot. At least there was that. He sought not to be bothered rather than possessing the fiery hatred common to his profession.
She pressed her palms into the cushion on either side of her, to steady herself. It still marveled her she could sit so close to a Sniffer, a man the crown tasked with hunting down malevolent fey. Malevolent, as if they knew what the word meant. They hunted all with fey blood, and as a Sithling—one with the ancient blood of the Daoine Sith coursing through her—that included her. But things had changed after Caldwell House, and she had a need to trust where once she dared not. The fierce battle there had forced the lords of the empire to open their eyes. They could not rest on centuries of intolerance any longer. They had to welcome the fey into society’s ranks and accept a permanent treaty. They had witnessed the fate awaiting them if they did not.
Effie’s heart warmed. If the lords of the empire could learn to trust, so could she, and perhaps the Scottish fey would live freely for the first time in millennia.
Alpin’s jaw worked. He’d likely never had someone with paps stand up to him. Most Scots of either gender avoided Sniffers as if they carried the plague. “Look here, Miss Effie,” he snapped. “I’ll not have it. You may dine with the likes of lords, but you’re not in some grand procession here. I know the hearts of these gentle folk better than you ever will, and I will not banter with the mind of a devious hag.”
“When you see one, I’m sure,” said Effie, not knowing whether the man had meant her or the poor Spae Wife they’d come to question.
The Invisible Case by Isabella Muir
The Invisible Case
A shocking death turns a homecoming into a nightmare.
It's Easter 1970 in the seaside town of Tamarisk Bay, and for one family the first Easter of a new decade brings a shocking tragedy. Amateur sleuth and professional librarian, Janie Juke, is settling into motherhood and looking forward to spending time with her family. When her Aunt Jessica is due back from Rome after nine years travelling around Europe, she arrives back in town with a new Italian friend, Luigi, and the whole family soon get embroiled in a tangle of mystery and suspicion, with death and passion at the heart of the story.
As time runs out on Luigi as prime suspect for murder, Janie has to use all of her powers of deduction in the footsteps of her hero, Hercule Poirot, to uncover the facts. Why did Luigi come to Tamarisk Bay? What is the truth about his family?
As Luigi's story unfolds, tragedy seems to haunt the past, present and unless Janie acts fast, possibly what is yet to come.
Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Case...
Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invisible-Ca...
Author Bio –
Isabella Muir is the author of Janie Juke series of crime mysteries - all set in Sussex.
'The Tapestry Bag' is the first in the series, followed by ‘Lost Property’. Now - 'The Invisible Case' - the latest in the series is available for pre-order from Amazon.
The 'Janie Juke mysteries' are set in Sussex in the sixties and seventies and feature a young librarian with a passion for Agatha Christie. All that Janie has learned from her hero, Hercule Poirot, she is able to put into action as she sets off to solve a series of crimes and mysteries.
Isabella has also published 'Ivory Vellum' - a collection of short stories.
She has been surrounded by books her whole life and – after working for twenty years as a technical editor and having successfully completed her MA in Professional Writing - she was inspired to focus on fiction writing.
Aside from books, Isabella has a love of all things caravan-like. She has spent many winters caravanning in Europe and now, together with her husband, she runs a small caravan site in Sussex. They are ably assisted by their much-loved Scottie, Hamish.
Social Media Links –
TWITTER @SussexMysteries
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/isabel.muir.96
WEBSITE: www.isabellamuir.com
Giveaway – Win a signed copy of The Invisible Case (Open Internationally)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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I have tapped into my Italian roots for Janie Juke’s newest mystery and have enjoyed immersing myself in happy memories of Italy, as well as benefiting from first-hand research, courtesy of my Italian relations.
Having an Italian mother, as well as cousins who live in Rome, I’ve been lucky to have the chance for loads of trips to that beautiful country. I think I was about four years old when I first visited and since then not many years pass when I don’t make at least a flying visit.
In the first chapter of The Invisible Case we find Janie’s Aunt Jessica travelling from Rome to return to her home town of Tamarisk Bay after nine years exploring Europe. As I wrote the opening scenes I was there with Jessica on that long train journey from Rome. When my brothers and sisters first did the journey as little ones we sat in an ordinary seated compartment. It was only later that we moved upmarket to couchettes and were able to stretch out.
In The Invisible Case Jessica and her travelling companion, Luigi, enjoy their breakfast in the dining car. But as children we had all the excitement of a picnic breakfast on our laps! It makes me smile now to think about how we downed our cornflakes with evaporated milk, as though it was a meal fit for royalty! Fortunately, most of our trips were made as a family, which meant we filled a compartment, so no danger of annoying other passengers with our endless games of I-spy.
On our return journeys we spent hours munching our way through the abundance of fruit that kind aunts and uncles donated to us for our travels. On one occasion I remember an uncle arriving at Rome station to say goodbye and handing over a suitcase full of grapes!
During our holidays my dad took us on long walks around Rome and, even though my aunt lived quite a way from the station, dad insisted we had to start all our walks from Roma Termini, which is the setting for the opening chapter of The Invisible Case…
‘Each of the thirty-two platforms at Roma Termini buzzed with comings and goings. Friends laughing as they ran along the platform, arm in arm. A husband hugging his wife before waving her off with a loud ‘Ti amo’. It was an orchestra of sound; trolley wheels that needed oiling, loud conversation, even music, all combining to make it difficult to pick out the tannoy announcement that the Paris train was preparing to leave.’
One of my favourite places in Italy is the pretty port of Anzio. Anzio lies just about an hour away from Rome and is a favoured resort for Italian holidaymakers. There is a gentle buzz about the place, with wonderful fish restaurants all along the port and bars on every street corner. In The Invisible Case we learn about Anzio, not only as the present-day home town of Luigi, but also as the location for a key part of the plot, when the story looks back at the war-torn Anzio of 1944.
This third book in the Sussex Crime series isn’t the only one where Italians feature. In Lost Property we meet Rosetta Summer, who runs the Summer Guest House on the seafront in Tamarisk Bay. In The Invisible Case we meet her again when Luigi goes to stay with her. She is a charismatic Italian, with a talent for putting on the most wonderful Italian feasts.
Writing about those feasts reminded me of all the wonderful Italian meals I have had, courtesy of aunts and uncles. You know you are in Italy when you reach the end of a four-hour feast and you think you will burst if you even look at one more thing, and a kindly aunt says: ‘You must have some fruit, after all, it’s only water’!
Janie’s Aunt Jessica has had a wonderful time during those nine years travelling around Europe, she loved every minute – especially her time in Italy. Do you get the sense I may just bit a touch envious?!
Only time will tell how and when my beloved Italy will pop again in my stories – if you want to keep tabs, then visit my website at: www.isabellamuir.com or follow me on Twitter @SussexMysteries or visit my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMuir...
The Kithseeker by M.K. Wiseman
The Kithseeker
France, 1680
Liara's defense of the Wizard Nagarath has rendered Anisthe incantate--bereft of magick--but even this cannot guarantee her safety. Because the death of her father-in-magick would seal the girl's fate, necessity demands she and her wizard maintain a watchful eye on the war mage, while protecting her from his dark designs.
Anisthe has embarked on a journey across Europe, aided by his half-fey manservant with an agenda all his own. They search for a legendary mirror that contains the world's most powerful magick. Although the stuff of fairytales, the possibility of its existence compels Nagarath and Liara to seek the artifact themselves. Both know that should Anisthe lay claim to that power, Liara would be at his mercy and not even Nagarath could save her.
Thus, the pair find themselves at Versailles, surrounded by agents who ferret out magick users and destroy them. Uncertain who is friend and who is foe, with their rival on their heels, they must discover the mirror before Anisthe releases its evil, or worse, it lays claim to Liara's magick and brings doom upon them all.
My review here on Goodreads and Amazon: Fantastic new installment in this unique series! If you love this time period (17th century France) and you're looking for a fantasy/adventure, this series is definitely for you. Finely crafted characters with great relationship development, a compelling storyline, and something new around every corner, The Kithseeker is even more fascinating than its predecessor. This isn't just for teens - it has definite crossover appeal for adults as well.
Purchase Links
https://smile.amazon.com/Kithseeker-B...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kithseeker-B...
Author Bio –
M. K. Wiseman has degrees in animation/video and library science – both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Today, her office is a clutter of storyboards and half-catalogued collections of too, too many books. (But, really, is there such a thing as too many books?) When she’s not mucking about with stories, she’s off playing brač or lying in a hammock in the backyard of her Cedarburg home that she shares with her endlessly patient husband.
Social Media Links –
https://twitter.com/FaublesFables
https://www.facebook.com/FaublesFables/
https://www.instagram.com/faublesfables/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
http://mkwisemanauthor.com
New Release - The Competition!
Today and tomorrow it is only 99 cents from your favorite e-book retailer, so don't miss this great deal.
What are early reviewers saying?
I was hooked!
Both of the main male characters were such understanding, sensitive, quietly confident and caring individuals. It is not typical in a YA, or books in general, for the majority of the male characters to be something other than extremely ‘manly’, overconfident and flirtatious, it was refreshing.
This is probably one of the most diverse books that I’ve read.
Compelling story! I really enjoyed this book about teens competing in a writing competition. It was intriguing getting to know the characters, with all their fears and secrets and personalities.
I also would like to give special appreciation for the homeschooling shout out; I particularly loved those moments.
Cecily Wolfe does an excellent job of capturing and revealing the lengths some will go to get back at people, and also the tenderness of being friends.
The Competition is a book that travels dark places with a little torch in the back pocket.
Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to read and review early, and for readers who contacted me directly who shared how much certain characters and situations spoke to their own lives and experiences.
One girl wrote about her autistic sister, and how much Julia was like her in all the positive as well as negative ways; three homeschooled teens wrote to thank me for having a homeschooled character, and not just for including her but having her as a strong, smart girl who is a good example to everyone present.
Five (FIVE!) young people wrote to tell me that they have family members who are incarcerated, and that Mary Sofia's feelings were so much their own.
I am so glad that these characters were able to reach readers in such a personal way.
Happy reading, and please, keep sharing your thoughts with me! I love hearing from readers.
Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry - Available Now!
Don't miss the Rafflecopter below!
Would you dare to defy destiny? Are our destinies written in stone? Do we become nothing more than the self-fulfilling prophesies of other people's opinions? Or can we dare to become who we believe we were born to be?
“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love” (Wendy Higgins), ONLY A BREATH APART is a young adult contemporary novel from critically acclaimed Katie McGarry. “Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful” (Tammara Webber), ONLY A BREATH APART is now available!
About ONLY A BREATH APART:
They say your destiny is carved in stone. But some destinies are meant to be broken.
The only curse Jesse Lachlin believes in is his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year.
A fortuneteller tells Scarlett she's psychic, but what is real is Scarlett’s father’s controlling attitude and the dark secrets at home. She may be able to escape, but only if she can rely on the one boy who broke her heart.
Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings, but as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…
Amazon | Kobo | Google Play
B-A-M | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books
“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.”
―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series
Add it to your Goodreads today!
EXCERPT:
~SCARLETT~
A scraping of a chair, a tray full of food and I glance over with my practiced smile in welcome. It’s not Camila, Evangeline, or anyone else from the group. It’s green eyes, red hair, a familiar mischievous smile that used to be reserved only for me, and my blood pounds with excitement as if someone lit a sparkler in my chest. Then I frown because I’m not supposed to feel this way. Not with him. Not with anyone.
Jesse Lachlin winks at me as he sits across from me like no time has passed from when we climbed trees together. “What’s up, Tink?”
Another thrill runs through me but then my muscles tighten. Stupid, antiquated reaction belonging to a dead past. “What are you doing here?”
Jesse pops a fry into his mouth, chews, then picks up another as if he has no intention of answering. I scan the cafeteria. Several people are watching us, curious as to why Jesse Lachlin is sitting with me, or is event at lunch, or even at school.
From the lunch line, Camila’s and Evangeline’s eyes are bugging out of their heads.
What is going on? Camila mouths.
I raise my eyebrows to inform her I have no idea. Jesse digs into his corn with his fork and that’s crossing a line. “Maybe you didn’t hear me, but I asked what you’re doing here.”
He lifts his eyes to meet mine and there’s a glimmer in them that causes my lips to flatten. Fantastic. He’s here to make my life a living hell.
“It seems obvious,” he says.
If he remembers anything about me, he should recall I was never known for my patience and that he should be speaking, and speaking soon. “Just answer the question.”
“I’m eating lunch.”
I honest to God groan in frustration. “There’s no room at the inn.”
He surveys the table, takes in the empty seats, my books, and then gives me a good look. A slow look. As if he’s trying to memorize every inch he’s drinking in. My cheeks redden because that somehow feels a little too intimate for lunch. Feels a little too intimate for someone I’m no longer friends with. It feels too intimate if we were friends.
I glance away, but I sense him still staring at me. God help me, I want to stare back.
Katie McGarry Bio:Katie is the author of the PUSHING THE LIMITS series, THUNDER ROAD series, SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, and the upcoming YA novel, ONLY A BREATH APART. Her novels have received starred reviews, critical acclaim and have won multiple awards including being a multiple Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for YA Fiction, multiple RT Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Award Finalist for Best YA Fiction, including a win in the category, and she was a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick.
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Two New Releases!
My first YA, That Night, released two years ago on July 4, which is just a happy coincidence, and hopefully good luck for The Library War's continued success.
My teenage daughter and I have a short story series under the pen name Alessa Martel that just started releasing last month and will continue each Thursday through mid-August. These are contemporary sweet and clean romances with a touch of the charm and intrigue of Gypsy culture. All are in Kindle Unlimited for FREE or 99 cents for your Kindle. These stories take an hour or less to read, and all have happy endings, we promise.
Esmé is today's new release. Can true love blossom from a pretend romance?
When an unwanted suitor harasses Esmé at the restaurant where she works, the boss's son offers to pretend to be her boyfriend to discourage future problems. It doesn't take long for Esmé to realize that her affection for Landon is real, but her parents plan to choose a husband for her and time is running out. Will she tell him the truth about how she feels?
New on Audio!!
If you haven't had a chance to listen to samples of these two be sure to click over and check them out.
Warning: the sample of Reckless Treasure is NSFW, just as the book itself is not. I wanted to be sure that anyone considering purchasing it would know what they were getting into, so they wouldn't buy and then find out that it is very R rated. It's already getting good ratings/reviews on Audible, which makes me so happy.
Throne of Grace: https://adbl.co/2CKMOsI
Reckless Treasure: https://adbl.co/375A91v
That Night on Audio!
The audio edition of That Night went live today, and I am thrilled that screen actress Sharmila Devar, known for her work on TV's Scandal, Outsourced, and Star Wars Rebels, has lent her time and talent to bring this emotional story to life.
If you love Thirteen Reasons Why and Before I Fall, this is for you!
Audible link: https://adbl.co/38JIfxr
