Shannon Maynard's Blog
May 31, 2018
5/31/2018
Clean Teen Publishing is pleased to share the cover reveal for the third book in the exciting DECEPTION GAME Series by Kristin Smith. FEARLESS is scheduled to release on August 28, 2018. If you haven't started reading this series yet, readers can grab a copy of the first book in this at their local Barnes & Noble store, as well as at all online retailers. Those who love to read e-books will be excited to hear that CATALYST is available for free on all e-book retailers for a limited time. Check out the new cover for FEARLESS and also check out the giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card!FEARLESS (AUGUST 28, 2018)
PRE-ORDER FEARLESS TODAY: AMAZON / BARNES AND NOBLE / iBOOKS
On the run from the government, Sienna and her Fringe companions seek refuge in the primitive Zenith Camp, until a government decree draws them out of hiding. They're ready to resist, but it may be too late.
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Start reading CATALYST today for free!
CATALYST Kristin Smith (The Deception Game, #1)Too pretty. Too smart. Too perfect.
In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose the characteristics of their children like ordering off a drive-thru menu, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As a normal girl surrounded by genetically modified teenagers, all of her imperfections are on display. But after the death of her father, everything she’s ever known and loved changes in an instant.
With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.
In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.
Catalyst is a thrilling adventure of danger, romance, intrigue, and deception.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBOOKS
Author Bio: Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.
5/31/2018
Renegade
Sharonlee Holder
(Blood Of The Custodians, #2)
Published by: Changing Tides Publishing
Publication date: May 28th 2018
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
He’ll risk his heart to save her soul.
As the war between the Fates and the resistance rages on, Colin Murphy—bastard son of Hades—finds himself caught between his loyalty to Eros and a past that threatens to destroy him.
Pursued by Persephone’s bounty hunters, and with a pissed-off daemon to contend with, there is one thing that Murphy knows for sure – Hailey, the human he now shares his mind and body with, is innocent in all of it. She is a firefly flickering in the darkness of his black existence, and he will do anything and everything to protect her.
Hailey was groomed to be a socialite, with her entire future mapped out for her. Nothing could have prepared her for the abrupt ending to that life—or the impact of living in such close, intimate confines with a forsaken son of Hell. He’s powerful, he’s dangerous…and he’s her only hope of escaping the dark forces that pursue her.
Boundaries will be tested, loyalties questioned, and hearts pushed to the limits in this action-packed paranormal romance that continues the epic Blood of the Custodians saga by Sharonlee Holder.
This steamy, fast-paced paranormal romance series by Sharonlee Holder is perfect for fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward and Sacrificed to the Dragon by Jessie Donovan.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
EXCERPT:
Murphy didn’t bother with the door. He came straight through the hearth, travelling through the fiery elements of his heritage. Mayhem was close. Writhing beneath the surface, tearing at the restraints, howling to be set free.
Clamping down on his base self, he swept the small front room of his mind, a red haze gathered behind his eyes and found …
“You’re making a mess,” said the toffee-eyed temptress with hands on her curvy hips and chin jutted at the coals littering the stone flooring.
Murphy glanced down and began to toe aside embers. Wait a fecking minute! This was his house–so to speak.
Growling, he took a step forward. “Where is she?”
Hailey–goddamn her–stood her ground, threw her shoulders back, maximising the swell of luscious breasts, and arched a slender eyebrow. “I’m not sure how things work where you come from, but where I come from, you catch more bees with honey,” she stated with all the hauteur of a tiny hive queen.
No. Not gonna happen. She’d tricked him once, and that was shame on her. He wasn’t about to give her another opportunity to force the fool’s hat onto his head. For all he knew, she was working with Valazhor. Come to think of it …
“What did she offer you?” he asked.
Candy apple lips parted then snapped shut again, a believable impression of affront arranged across her features. “Excuse me?”
She wanted to play it the hard way, did she?
Dainty hands dropped from her hips and tucked into the crooks of her arms when she crossed them under her breasts. Carnal desire hijacked the moment and served up a confused reminder of plush curves undulating against him, open-mouthed kisses along his neck…
“You heard me,” he growled, cursing the throaty throb in his voice. “What was to be your reward for distracting me so that the Medusan hybrid could get close enough to deliver Persephone’s message?”
Anger ignited in her eyes, flaming cognac over toffee, the scent of burnt caramel licking the air. “I don’t appreciate what you’re implying.”
Anger he could do. Anger was safer. Way safer than the alternative.
Closing the gap, Murphy crowded in, using his size to dominate. Again, she refused to back down and craned her head all the way back, daggers in her eyes. Dynamite, as the saying goes, comes in small packages. The masochist in him toyed with the ignition switch.
Lowering his head, he said in her ear, “I’m only going to ask one more time so think carefully before you answer.” This close, her scent was richer, more exotic. Harder to ignore. “What was the deal Valazhor made with you?”
She didn’t move, though her breathing became shallower. “Or what?” Hailey murmured. “You’ll lock me in my room?” She turned her head toward him, her lips millimetres from his, candy scent invading his nostrils.
His mouth watered, and the base of his spine knotted with need. It took greater effort than he wanted to admit to make his brainbox line up the threat he had ready. “Or, I’ll save myself a whole lot of fecking trouble and give you to Persephone myself.”
Thick black lashes, swept upward, revealed the brandy fire in her eyes. Her aura in life had read as human. Nothing about her had suggested hybrid, much less witch. Even the background check Ross had him run before allowing her to visit the penthouse revealed little more than a classic case of daddy’s pampered princess. And yet, her eyes burned with a soul fire that intrigued and disturbed him, agitating something deep inside of him.
“What are you waiting for?” she challenged in a whisper. “Do it. Hand me over.”
Caught in the blaze of her eyes, everything else ceased to exist. In the lull, that thing she had disturbed, rose up. Intensely territorial, fiercely possessive, spiked with a craving so intense… he acted before thought could catch deed.
Author Bio:
South African, born and bred, Sharonlee Holder lives in one of the outer suburbs of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa.
Life is a happy and creative jumble consisting of a husband, three grown daughters, one super cute grand-daughter, three dogs, a cat, and a mouthy African Grey parrot.
Endless hours at the keyboard are supported by copious amounts of frothy coffee and ‘What ifs?’. Writing breaks are a blend of the big outdoors astride a motorbike, reading or watching anything and everything to do with fantasy, romance and the paranormal.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
May 26, 2018
5/26/2018
#FREE #eBOOKS - #MEMORIALDAY #WEEKEND ONLY!Check it out! ALL of these eBooks are FREE Right now on Amazon PLUS there is a deal on the rest of the series?.
Which ones will you get? Or will you get them all?
Please note these books are from ALL the CTP Imprints - Clean Teen Publishing, Crimson Tree Publishing, and ?
Broken Fate (Threads of the Moirae Book 1) by Jennifer Derrick -
https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Fate-Th...
Lingering Echoes by Author Erica Kiefer - https://www.amazon.com/Lingering-Echo...
Rumors by Author Erica Kiefer - https://www.amazon.com/Rumors-Lingeri...
Reluctant Guardian (The Ransomed Souls Series Book 1) by Author Melissa J. Cunningham - http://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Guard...
Unspeakable by Michelle K. Pickett - https://www.amazon.com/Unspeakable-Fr...
The Eye of Tanub (The Into Terratir Saga Book 1) by M.E. Cunningham, Author,
https://www.amazon.com/Tanub-Into-Ter...
Crushed (The Witch Game Novels Book 1) by Kasi Blake's Author Page --
https://www.amazon.com/Crushed-Witch-...
Dating an Alien Pop Star (The Alien Pop Star Series Book 1) by Kendra L. Saunders -
https://www.amazon.com/Dating-Alien-P...
All The Way To Heaven by Becky Doughty -http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015...
Shattered Memories by Susan Harris- Author -
http://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Memor...
The Hunted by Author C.J. Hart - http://www.amazon.com/Hunted-Abandone...
The Awakener (The Watchers of Men Book 1) by Author Amanda Strong - https://www.amazon.com/Awakener-Watch...
Wicked Luck (Wicked Luck Series Book 1) by Shannon L. Maynard -
https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Luck-Bo...
Lady Of Sherwood by Molly Bilinski -
https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Sherwood-...
The Bionics (The Bionics Novels Book 1) by Alicia Michaels - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Extracted (The Lost Imperials Series Book 1) by Sherry Ficklin and Tyler Hall Jolley -
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H9CXU08/...
Aftermath (The Afterworld Saga Book 1) by Sandy Goldsworthy
http://www.amazon.com/Aftermath-After...
Aftertime: An Aftermath Novella (The Afterworld Saga) by Sandy Goldsworthy -
https://www.amazon.com/Aftertime-Afte...
Aftershock: An Aftermath Novella (The Afterworld Saga) by Sandy Goldsworthy -
https://www.amazon.com/Aftershock-Aft...
A Shine that Defies the Dark: A Stand Alone Historical Romance by Jodi Gallegos -
https://www.amazon.com/Shine-that-Def...
White Lies by Julie Wetzel https://www.amazon.com/White-Lies-Jul...
**Information correct at the time of posting - Books free only on Amazon for a limited time**https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Luck-Bo...
May 23, 2018
5/23/2018
Author Lauren Nicolle Taylor holding Nora and Kettle in print for the first time.[/caption]It isn't every day that you get the chance to read a novel that sticks with you for days, months, and years. That's exactly what readers have described Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor as. Requests for a follow-up story poured in after the release of this Award-Winning and Best-Selling novel that was written as a stand-alone, and requests have continued to flood author Lauren Nicolle Taylor's inbox up to two years later. Readers and well, even us here at Clean Teen Publishing, wanted to know where Nora and Kettle's story would take them. Thankfully Author Lauren Nicolle Taylor listened to her many fan requests and wrote an amazing follow-up novel that will not disappoint. Hiro Loves Kite is scheduled to release on September 17, 2018 in digital format. Be sure to add this title to your To Be Read List on Goodreads and check out the cover reveal below. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this cover and what you think about this exciting follow-up novel. Please drop us a line or two in the comments.
COVER REVEAL: HIRO LOVES KITE by Lauren Nicolle Taylor
Available in digital format on September 17, 2018 and paperback on March 4, 2019.
Pre-order coming soon! ADD TO YOUR TBR LIST: GOODREADS
The captivating story of Nora and Kettle continues in Hiro and Kite, the second installment in the award-winning Paper Stars historical fiction series by Lauren Nicole Taylor.
We offer our wounds and scars. Understanding that is part of what makes us beautiful.
Nora finally has her beloved sister Frankie back, but that's just the beginning of their struggles. She must now become Kite; a stronger, more independent version of herself — a king and a guardian.
Kettle has Kite's heart. But something holds him back; a feeling that he doesn't deserve good things. It's a looming shadow that threatens to separate them. Kettle must accept that he is also Hiro: A Japanese American with every right to happiness and freedom.
Hiro loves Kite — but Kite won't wait forever for him to tell her. And now they're standing on icy ground. The leverage they had on Kite's abusive father has wavered, and life on the street is affecting Frankie's health. Snow is gathering at the station doors, and doubts are piling high…they must rely on each other; believe in the magic that got them this far. If they don't, it's not just their future in jeopardy—but the fates of all the street kids in their care; all the Kings.
Fans of Nora and Kettle have asked for more of their story since it first hit shelves. By popular demand, Lauren Nicolle Taylor has written this follow-up that is sure to please her readers. Find out why reviewers are calling this series "unforgettable," "powerful," and a "remarkable reimagining of Peter Pan."
START READING TODAY!Nora & Kettle Lauren Nicolle Taylor Published by: Clean Teen Publishing Genres: Historical, Young Adult
2017 IPPY Book Awards Winner! A “remarkable” (Booklist Magazine) reimagining of Peter Pan. After World War II, orphaned Kettle faces prejudice as a Japanese American but manages to scrape by and care for his makeshift family of homeless children. When he crosses paths with the privileged but traumatized Nora, both of their lives are forever changed... Lauren Nicolle Taylor’s Nora & Kettle is a heart-wrenching historical fiction novel that will appeal to fans of books by John Green and Ned Vizzini, novels such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Beginning of Everything, Eleanor & Park, The Book Thief, and classics like The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks
Author Bio:
Lauren Nicolle Taylor lives in the lush Adelaide Hills. The daughter of a Malaysian nuclear physicist and an Australian scientist, she was expected to follow a science career path, attending Adelaide University and completing a Health Science degree with Honours in obstetrics and gynaecology. She then worked in health research for a short time before having her first child. Due to their extensive health issues, Lauren spent her twenties as a full-time mother/carer to her three children. When her family life settled down, she turned to writing.
She is an IPPY Award Winner, Kindle Book Awards Semi-finalist, and a USA Best Book Awards Finalist.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter
Did you add Hiro Loves Kite to your TBR List?
May 23, 2018
The Aviary
Emily Shore
(The Aviary Series, #1)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: March 5th 2019
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, Young Adult
I am nobody’s Swan.
Beauty is now a corporate commodity, bought and sold on city streets and displayed in elite Museums.
Sixteen-year-old Serenity has spent her entire life in hiding, to keep safe from this decadent world. Overnight, her parents disappear, and Serenity is kidnapped, sold at auction, and thrust into the Aviary—an illustrious Museum where girls are displayed as living art by day and at night, cater to the lascivious whims of men who bid on their exhibits. Serenity has much to learn about this enthralling but competitive world where girls go by names like Raven and Nightingale and will stop at nothing to become top Bird.
The enigmatic and deadly Aviary Director, Luc, soon idolizes Serenity’s purity and aims to turn her into his grandest exhibit of all time—The Swan. In no time, she becomes the most coveted exhibit in the Aviary’s history.
Soon, Serenity learns that Luc holds the key to finding, and freeing, her parents. To save them, she must learn to play the Swan to perfection to win Luc’s heart, earn his trust, and save her parents. She doesn’t count on the fact that she’ll develop feelings for Luc in the process. Now, she’ll have to face an impossible decision: escape The Aviary and lose her only chance at finding her parents; or become Luc’s Swan for good, and lose her identity forever.
Author Bio:
Emily Shore is a MN author with a B.A. in Creative Writing from Metro State University and was a grand prize winner of #PitchtoPublication, which led her to working with professionals in the publishing industry. Her anti-trafficking books Ruby in the Rough and Ruby in the Ruins are her first indie-published books with proceeds benefiting trafficking rescue organizations: Breaking Free and Women at Risk, International. This summer she will be debuting her first contemporary novel as well as re-releasing her paranormal series in the fall: Roseblood
Emily lives in Saint Paul with her husband and two little girls. In her free time, she enjoys connecting with rescue organizations and survivors of sex-trafficking, hearing their stories, and injecting their truths into her books for youth. She loves motivational speaking on the issue of sex-trafficking and is lining up more schools and libraries for the fall and winter, campaigning against sex-trafficking, baking, acrylic painting, interior decorating, and spending time with all the little girls in her life.
To learn more about Emily's work and the anti-trafficking movement, see her Facebook page where she regularly blogs: www.facebook.com/authoremilyshore and sign up for her newsletter through the Contact Me on her website: www.emilybethshore.com
May 22, 2018
May 22, 2018
The Ever Chace Chronicles by Susan Harris got a new look to better showcase it's exciting paranormal romance vibes. Check out the brand new covers above and be sure to leave us a comment or two to let us know what you think of the new look. Plus, readers can now read this whole series for free on Amazon if they have a Kindle Unlimited membership. What better time to jump start your Summer reading pile than now with this exciting series that received a RONE Award nomination for the best paranormal romance of 2017! (Readers can also purchase the novels on Amazon Kindle or on the Kindle app.)
START READING THIS SERIES TODAY!
READ THIS SERIES FOR FREE TODAY IF YOU HAVE KINDLE UNLIMITED.
Don't have Kindle Unlimited? That's okay, readers can still get each novel at a great price here.
Pre-Order NEVER BACK DOWN (Releasing June 26, 2018)
Pre-order book five in The Ever Chace Chronicles today on AMAZON.
ABOUT SUSAN HARRIS:
Susan Harris is a writer from Cork in Ireland. An avid reader, she quickly grew to love books in the supernatural/fantasy and Dystopian genre. She writes books for young adults and adults alike. When she is not writing or reading, she loves music, oriental cultures, tattoos, creepy snow globes, DC shoes, stationary, anything Disney, Marvel movies, psychology and far too many TV shows. If she wasn't a writer, she would love to be a FBI profiler or a PA for Dave Grohl or Jared Leto.SaveSave
November 15, 2016
November 15th, 2016
WOW is definitely the right word for this gorgeous new cover that Clean Teen Publishing is releasing today. Two months ago, they signed author M.E. Rhines and her new MERMAID ROYALTY series. While we all loved the movie THE LITTLE MERMAID, this new series takes a darker turn that will leave you hanging on a precipice until the very end. What if a single kiss from a mermaid could seal the fate of a human man? Readers both young and young at heart will love SINK by M.E. Rhines. Find out more about SINK below and be sure to add it to your To Be Read list today.
SINK by M.E. RhinesAdd to your Goodreads TBR List.
Obedience has always been a matter of survival for sixteen-year-old mermaid princess Pauline. Her mother is the tyrannical Queen Calypso, who rules the kingdom of Atargatis with an iron trident. To utter one word against her would mean banishment—or worse—so Pauline bites her tongue and minds her manners. But on the eve of her sister’s merling-shower, all of that is about to change. Confronted with the truth about what happens to the human men who are betrothed to the mermaids of Atargatis, Pauline realizes she can stay silent no more. Determined to end the queen’s dark tradition, Pauline goes along on a search for shipwreck survivors, secretly planning to free them. But things get complicated when she finds herself inexplicably drawn to one of the men. Before she realizes what’s happening, she has kissed him—and a kiss from a mermaid is not without consequences. Now Pauline will have to risk everything if she is to save the young man and thwart the queen’s dark plans.
MORE INFORMATION ON SINK:Release Date: July 31, 2017 (mass paperback and digital)
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance, Fairytale Retelling, Mythology, and Folklore
M.E. Rhines is a southwest Florida native currently living in North Port with her two beautiful children and a third, much larger child whom she affectionately calls husband. She writes young adult paranormal romance to feed her belief that fairy tales are real and nonsense is necessary. WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER
November 13, 2016
November 12, 2016
November 8, 2016
The Wicked Side of Romance...
People often ask me why I write romance and the first time someone asked, I have to admit I paused to figure out the reason. Of all the genre's I could have chosen, why had I picked romance without giving a second thought to anything else? Here is the answer I came up with.Like most girls, I grew up watching and reading fairy tales. I played make-believe with my little girl friends, and no matter the day or scenario, it always included each of us having our own personal imaginary boyfriend, TV heart throb, or Prince to rescue us whenever pretend villains or some other form of disaster would strike. On the rare occasion an argument would ensue over a particular heart throb, the problem was easily solved by creating him a twin brother or two. We practically lived for that imaginary moment of rescue, that magical kiss, or that feeling of pure bliss knowing that this fictional man was at the ready to protect us, rescue us, or court us, all while remaining charming, handsome, and perfect.
And then I grew up and realized romance isn't always as blissful as portrayed on TV. It doesn't take long to decide that being tortured by a wicked witch and her spells might be way less painful than that first heartbreak over a guy you thought would be your one true prince. I also learned rather quickly that finding Happy Ever After is a little harder to achieve than simply making a wish. And.... I'd be lying if I said I'd never prayed for a Fairy Godmother, or at least the occasional use of her magic wand.
So why do we love to read romance? Maybe it's because it brings back those feelings of nostalgia from when we were kids. It helps us escape from the reality of modern romance, which is a far cry from old-fashioned fairytale romance. Old-fashioned romance seems to have been forgotten, and the loss has turned something as simple as dating into a nightmare. Standards have been lowered. Quality has been replaced with quantity. Heartfelt face to face conversations have been replaced by printed words and emojis. Serious relationships have been replaced by casual dating. Commitment and loyalty are harder to come by. And the worst part is that the lesson society is teaching us about love and romance now is that you may be better off if you don't care too much, feel too much, or say too much.
And speaking of nightmares.... those poor, unfortunate, single, souls, who ventured into the dark forest of online dating in search of Happy Ever After, may never be seen or heard from again. One might compare online dating to an evil spell cast on the single by the wicked Queen Ravenna, complete with a modern mirror to stand in front of and ask, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest, richest, and sexiest of them all?" Then suddenly choices appear before them to gamble their heart and soul on, while Ravenna stands in the shadows, cackling with delight at every wrong person they choose.
Gone are the days of men wooing women, and putting great effort into courting them with flowers and poems. There are fewer and fewer men choosing to keep up this tradition, and to those who do....bravo! They deserve a standing ovation. And trust me, they do exist. When you find one, you need to hold on to them with both hands and not let them get away. Because the truth is, the majority of women long to be adored. Most of us would give anything to have a man be intrigued by us and find us amazing, one who would treat us like we were his world and want to know everything about us. We want a man willing to listen to everything we say no matter how trivial it may be, and one who makes us feel like we are important. We want to look into his eyes and know without a doubt he cares about our wants and needs. And no matter which sex you are or which sex you are trying to attract, I think those same things hold true. We all just want to feel loved. So of course we turn to fiction when reality falls short. Reading romance creates hope that someday we will be as lucky as those characters to experience the same excitement and joy of being madly and deeply in love, or it allows us the chance to re-experience that whimsical enchantment of falling in love, all while distracting us from the disappointment of what romance has become.
In a perfect world, old-fashioned romance would be taught in school, or offered as a major at colleges around the country. Courses would include romantic lit, writing and reading poetry, effective listening, courtship 101, creative dating, learning to sing while playing the guitar, music composition, cooking, and the art of buying chocolate. Hey, a girl can dream. And wouldn't it be nice if more men snuck a peek at the romance books we read and took notes of what makes those fictional men so desirable? Yes. But since that will never happen, we can accept our men the way they are, love them, and be satisfied daydreaming of the ones dancing around on the storybook pages.
And this is where I come in. I wanted to be part of creating that magic by writing stories about romance that will make readers fall in love. Because let's be honest. There are few things better in life than experiencing fleeting moments of passion, joy, lust, and excitement. This can certainly be achieved with a real man, but also with a perfect man of our dreams that will only ever exist on paper. And everyone deserves to live a love story with a happy ever after.... even if it's only in a book.
