Friday, June 27, 2014

Lucid Week with an Energetic Twist!

Hello all!

This week has been very exciting now that Lucid is out for all the world to read. I hope those of you who have picked up your copy are enjoying Devon's adventures so far.


What do you mean you didn't buy one yet? What are you waiting for! Everyone's chapters ahead of you by now! Just in case you missed the memo, Lucid is available at these links:


http://www.amazon.com/Lucid-L-E-Fred-ebook/dp/B00L96KPNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403901826&sr=8-1&keywords=lucid+l.+e.+fred


http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lucid-l-e-fred/1119860362?ean=2940149781171


And if you don't have a tablet, you can read Lucid online by downloading it here:


https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/451564


Now you have no excuses! I really encourage you to read Lucid. Devon and his friends went through a crazy adventure that's worth a read! And once you're finished, be sure to review the book. Reviews are how authors sleep well at night!



For those of you who are reading Lucid, great! I apologize for the cliff-hangers at the end of most chapters, and I hope you didn't lose too much sleep! I won't give away any spoilers, but I do want to encourage you to continue reading after Lucid's story ends.


 At the end of your book, you will get to read a sample of Valerie Noble's wonderful debut novel, The Energy Crusades. I'll go ahead and give you a little more info as a teaser here.




The Book


The Energy Crusades is a post-apocalyptic teen novel. It's definitely well along the same lines as The Hunger Games and the Divergent series but with a crucial part of our society, energy, involved. There's tons of action, suspense, and thrills with the wonderful hint of romance thrown in there to make this a wonderful and compelling read. Don't believe me? Go ahead and read this little blurb:



Everyone knows Kaia, star Athlete for The Reformation Republic-- the girl with the purple eyes. But Kaia's never been less sure of herself as she leaves for University to train for her Energy Crusade. Selected for an elite team with a high energy payout, Kaia should be proud and hopeful-- especially because the captain of her team is Ajax, her dearest childhood friend. But Ajax wants nothing to do with her, and her training exercises raise questions that Kaia's not sure she wants to answer. Why has The Resistance singled her out? Why does she have all these weird abilities that make her feel more alien than human? And why on earth can't she shake her feelings for Ajax, even when he's bent on making things difficult for her?

Ajax shouldn't blame Kaia for the fact that he's stuck at University when his peers are already off on their Crusade, but he can't help it. Between the bitterness of being left behind and the responsibility to lead this new team of Crusaders, Ajax feels frustrated and overburdened. It doesn't help to see Kaia's hurt face when he denies the unique bond they share. How can he allow her to get close to him when he's marked as an Unviable? It's in everyone's best interest that he keeps his distance.

When the training takes an unexpected turn and the Resistance attempts to kidnap Kaia in The Ruined City, Kaia and Ajax realize that they need each other more than they ever expected-- to decipher the conflicting messages of the Reformation and the Resistance, to determine where their loyalties lie, and ultimately to stay alive amidst an epic struggle that will challenge every truth they've ever known.

____

I told you! But if you still don't believe me, finish Lucid and enjoy the sample of Noble's wonderful tale. You'll be buying hers next, I'm sure of it! 

About the Author

Valerie Noble is a published author newbie like myself. You can purchase The Energy Crusades at these links below:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/435689

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Crusades-Valerie-Noble-ebook/dp/B00K5HGK4I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1403902322&sr=1-1&keywords=the+energy+crusades

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-energy-crusades-valerie-noble/1119438315?ean=2940149177615



You can also contact Ms. Noble at the following links:

noblevalerie.com

twitter.com/noblevalerie

facebook.com/noblevalerie



Until next time, keep readin' and dreamin'!

-Fred



Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Lucid is OUT!

Hello there!

What an exciting day! Lucid is officially out on the e-shelves for all of you to enjoy! You can pick up your own copy at the links below:

http://www.amazon.com/Lucid-L-E-Fred-ebook/dp/B00L96KPNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403668849&sr=8-1&keywords=lucid+l.+e.+fred

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lucid-l-e-fred/1119860362?ean=2940149781171

So, spread the word, and share the news!

I'm going to go rest up after all of this excitement for a few days, but I'll be back with some great news and excellent author spotlights!

Until then, keep readin' and dreamin'!

-Fred

Monday, June 23, 2014

Release-Eve and a Sneak Peek!

Well hello everybody!

I'm sure all of you have been more than ready to start reading all about Devon and his friends' exciting adventures. Well, the wait is almost over! Lucid hits the e-shelves TOMORROW! I'm sure you all knew that, right?

Right?

Anyway, for those of you who simply can't wait another day to start reading, I've got a wonderful treat for you. Below, I'll post the entire first chapter of Lucid. Not a little snippet, and teeny excerpts are for wimps. No, dear readers, I'm giving you the entire first chapter! Lucky you! All I ask in return is that you give it a read and SPREAD THE WORD! Devon would love to get his story out to as many people as possible, and it couldn't happen without the support of his friends and fans.

So, enjoy the first chapter tonight, go buy the book tomorrow, and tell all of your friends about Lucid! 

Until then, keep readin' and dreamin',

Fred

______________________________________________________________________________

            I know that most adventure/fantasy/whatever you would like to call these stories start with something magical, but my story starts with something ordinary: dreams. I’m talking about the “I’m taking a test and don’t realize I’m in my underwear” kind of dreams. We have them every night, whether we remember them or not. Sometimes they leave us waking up with excitement or inspiration. Sometimes they cause us to wake with a shriek and to look around our rooms expecting a murderer to be standing at our bedsides; sometimes they leave us waking up confused or ashamed. These experiences are probably commonplace for most people, but I doubt any of you could ever say your dreams caused you to stay asleep for a long period of time.
            What if your dreams made you disappear?













Day 1:
Morning.
            Sometimes I feel like denying the morning exists and staying asleep forever.  Waking up in my dark, frigid room isn’t exactly my idea of a great way to start the day.  I rolled over on my side to check my clock.
9:30; time to get up for summer camp.
As I tumbled out of bed and pulled on my socks, I recounted the dream I had last night. Normally, I’m not one for remembering my dreams, but this time I don’t think I could’ve forgotten it even if I wanted to. It was so real. I remembered it started with me sitting in a spaceship. I could tell I was in space, not because of the stars outside my window but because of the darkness around the stars. I couldn’t recall any other time I had seen such a deep emptiness except for the time we watched a video on space in physical science.
            There were other people on the spaceship with me; it was sort of like a galactic school bus. I remember having a conversation with an elderly man sitting next to me.  He repeated at least seven times that he must’ve been dreaming. Finally, I realized that I, too, was dreaming. I voiced my thoughts to the man, and he said that even though it felt like a dream, he doubted we were both dreaming. 
            How could you be conscious in a dream, anyway? 
            And since when did more than one person dream the exact same thing? 
            This seemed to be the topic of conversation on the ship; everyone sounded confused and most felt like they were transported from their bed to this alien place. The idea of abductions was slowly becoming a possibility, and the atmosphere in the spaceship became extremely tense.  
            Although the other people on the ship were partaking in nervous chatter, I remained silent. I knew that I was merely dreaming, and that this was not an alien abduction. There was no other explanation for why I remained calm. Also, I had always pictured an alien invasion being a lot cooler than something eerily similar to my morning bus ride. After 20 minutes of dream time, the ship landed on a dock. We had reached our destination.
The doors of the ship slid open, and almost automatically, the people started filing out. I thought this was a rather stupid move on their part; if this was an alien invasion, why would they willingly walk out to meet their captors? I do remember feeling a sort of sensation pulling me outside along with the other people, but I was able to fight it off. I figured it was the change in atmospheric pressure or something.

I know better, now.
            As I was walking out of the ship, I saw something glittering underneath one of the seats. Maybe one of the passengers dropped a watch, I thought. I bent down to figure out what the source of the light was, and I found…nothing.
The light continued to shine from underneath the chrome seat, but there was nothing causing the incandescent light. It was strong, and for the first time on my voyage, I felt heat. I think that was when I was sure I was dreaming; everything other than this light was simply not real. I knew the light represented the only fragment of reality in the bus (other than me,) so I did the only thing I could; I reached out and grabbed the burning ball of light.

            As soon as I touched the light, I woke up. I untangled myself from my sheets and stumbled to my mirror. Staring back at me was my reflection of a 15 year-old, brown haired and hazel eyed boy. I’ll admit I was a bit paler than usual. The dream of the space ship was causing goose bumps to emerge all over my arms and on the back of my neck. Even though I knew it was an illusion the entire time, I didn’t like how the other people in the dream thought that it was real. As I was sorting through the confusion in my brain, my mom came into the room.
            “It’s time for work, Devon.” She said with a no-nonsense look on her face. She dropped me of to camp on her way to work, and she was never late. “You’ve got five minutes to get ready. Just grab a granola bar on your way out.” She closed the door with a snap.
I shook myself from the silly dream. It was just a dream after all. There were more pressing matters at hand, like getting to camp before the Senior Counselor did. The jerk would fire a C.I.T. like me for showing up two minutes late. I dressed with haste and ran down the stairs. As I climbed into the back seat of my mom’s van, I still couldn’t stop dwelling on my spaceship bus ride. It spooked me so much, it even made me forget my granola bar.

Day 1:
Afternoon.
            Summer camp was terrible. I hated being stuck in the musty, old community center as a camper, and I hated it even more as a C.I.T. At least when my mom was paying for me to go there I could play games and talk to the other kids. As a C.I.T., I was forced to do all of the nasty jobs the real counselors didn’t feel like doing. I didn’t even get paid for it! Thinking about how I might have a license and a car next summer usually got me through the day. If I stuck with summer camp, I could also get paid next summer. I doubted even a paycheck would tempt me into working there again. 
            Anyway, I was sort of glad I had something on my mind while I completed the lovely jobs of cleaning up the 7 year olds’ accidents, sweeping after lunch, and unclogging a boys’ toilet after Bobby (more commonly known as Big Bob) had gotten sick from his roast sandwich. The spaceship from my dream kept intruding my thoughts, but try as I might, I just couldn’t make any sense of it. Why would I dream something like that, and why were other people in my dream? For some reason, I had a hunch the people on the spaceship with me were actual people. Well, they weren’t really people; they were parts of real people. I guess they were sort of like souls, if I had to think up a word for it. For some reason, I felt myself feeling sorry for these souls. They had no idea what was going on, and yet they got out of the bus.
If they only stopped to check under the seats…
            “Devon, stop blanking out, and get into the car!” The dulcet tones of my mom yanked me out of the spaceship and back down to Earth. A few of the younger campers snickered at me as I walked to my mom’s van. Well, that was no surprise.
Ever since I was a camper myself, other kids made fun of me. I didn’t mind; I didn’t want to listen to anything they had to say, anyway. My spaceship dream was more interesting.
*
            The ride home was, as usual, quiet. Mom was yakking away on the phone to one of her friends about how terrible her day at work was, and I would normally be playing one of my newest handheld games, but not today. Instead, I couldn’t help but continue to question why the souls got off of the bus. I didn’t remember the land outside of the bus as vividly as the inside, but I remembered thinking it didn’t look too nice. Plus, how did they know there was oxygen for them to breathe? I mean, I knew it was a dream, but the other souls like the old man thought that it was actually happening. I was sort of curious about where they went, though. I wish someone I knew was on the bus. I could’ve asked them if they had the dream, as well. 
            “I have to run back to the office for some more paperwork,” Mom informed me as she pulled into the driveway. “Kyle knows you’re coming home, and I left him money to order a pizza. I shouldn’t be any later than 8:30.”
 I merely nodded as I got out of the van. I waved back at my mom as she pulled out of the driveway. It didn’t really upset me that she never talked to me on the way home from work, but it would be nice for her to at least ask me how my day went.
            The door was already unlocked, which meant Kyle was home. Really, I wasn’t surprised. I was convinced Kyle was nocturnal; he slept all day in his room and would only emerge after 6 PM for food and to go out with his friends. Mom was convinced he was busy applying to colleges all day, but I wasn’t fooled.
Kyle was pushing 20; he should’ve found a school or at least a job by now. If you haven’t guessed from his description, my big brother was a lousy babysitter. I really didn’t need a babysitter anymore, but Mom didn’t trust me enough to order or make food for myself when she had to work late. It didn’t really matter to me. Kyle would amble down sometime this evening and find the pizza money. He’d order the food for us, take half of the pizza for himself, and go back up to his room. Three hours later, he’d come down in a grungy pair of jeans and an unwashed shirt to go meet his equally grungy friends. Kyle never got a job to pay for a car, so he relied on his friends picking him up. I was greeted each evening by loud metal music blaring from a beat up SUV that looked like it was highly flammable.
             Anyway, 6:00 was a good 2 hours away, which gave me some personal time. I felt pretty exhausted from the admirable task of being a C.I.T., so I grabbed my private bag of chips (which I hid from Kyle inside of the aquarium we never use,) turned on the TV, and sat my butt down on our super comfortable couch.
Now, this was what a good afternoon meant to me. I could sink into that couch and feel my mind melt away as I watched cartoons. All of the frustration of work would dissolve as I sat there until nothing remained. My brain would enter a state of nirvana, and I would feel so perfectly numb and at peace.
Not today.
My dream still haunted me, even as I hummed the intro to my favorite show. I started getting a little concerned. What if that wasn’t a dream at all? What if I somehow saw into the future? Would the light be there to save me again, or would I be probed by aliens with the rest of the people on the bus?
 I calmed myself down by realizing how stupid that would be. I did not see into the future, and there would be no alien invasions any time soon. With a little more effort than needed, I convinced myself enough to enjoy the rest of my cartoon ritual.
            At around 5:30, Kyle surprised me with his presence. I was pretty shocked when I heard his pounding footsteps descending the staircase.
            “To what do I owe this honor?” I asked him as his untidy figure appeared in the living room.
            “Give me the remote,” Kyle ordered with his hand outstretched.
            “What’s up?” I could tell Kyle looked pretty concerned.
            “I just read this wicked article on the Internet, and there’s a show about it right now!” Kyle snatched the remote off of my lap and began scrolling down the guide. I really wasn’t ticked off. If I wanted to finish my show, I could just go up to my room. I was somewhat curious about what Kyle wanted to watch. Plus, I was watching a rerun.
            “What’s it about?” I asked as Kyle shuffled through the channels. His eyes glinted, which usually meant something stupid, gruesome, or gruesomely stupid.
            “It’s about zombies and how they really exist.” Of course it was about something like that. Kyle had a pretty irrational obsession with vampires, zombies, and grotesque things that didn’t really exist. Oh, but I was the weird one for being afraid of dinosaurs trampling over our house. At least dinosaurs existed…at one point in time.
            Anyway, apparently Kyle had reached his televised destination, because he had stopped searching and sat down next to me.
            “This is about the living dead,” Kyle gave me the definition of zombies as he grabbed for some of my prized chips. I didn’t care; he could have them. The image on the TV made me forget everything else. Sure enough, the reporter on the screen was talking about a man who had been in a deep sleep for an entire day, and it was proven to not technically be a coma. The man had fallen asleep last night and never woke up. His wife was convinced he was dead until she felt a very faint pulse. A doctor appeared on the screen saying that the body seemed to be functioning at the lowest possible level, but most of the brain was working properly. They said the man was almost like a living shell, except for his eyes. The camera zoomed in on the old man so viewers could see his eyes moving rapidly. But these things didn’t matter; the actual man on the screen is what made me stop thinking about everything. The man, whom Kyle thought was a zombie and whom the doctor said was a living shell, was the same old man who sat next to me on the bus.

Day 1:

Night

            You have no idea how hard I tried to forget the picture of the old man’s face on my TV. Also, forgetting how I reacted would help, too. As soon as I recognized the old man as my seatmate in my dream, I screamed loudly. Kyle bellowed with laughter, told me that he knew I’d freak out, and kept teasing me about it until his friends came to get him.
Apparently he wasn’t the only one who noticed. When my mom finally came home, she asked me what was wrong. I told her Kyle showed me a horror film on TV, and she took me out for a fast food sundae. Even the chocolate syrup and whipped cream couldn’t help me to calm down. I never touched the pizza that was delivered, either.
            At first, I thought that maybe my dream was a symbolic premonition. You know, like the kind the psychics on late-night TV talk about? Resorting to psychic premonitions was pretty desperate for me. If you hadn’t figured it out by now, I’m a pretty scientific person. I’m one of those smart kids who dominate science fairs, graduate with top honors, and go to private high school on a scholarship.
You can call me a nerd, it’s all right. It won’t be the first time I’ve heard that, but I’m not that weird. My brain just works differently. My mind works in numbers, and usually everything can fit into some sort of formula. The dream and the old man threw me completely off balance. Perhaps there was a weird virus going around, and the old man had been infected. What if the other people were infected, too? Maybe the light was the antidote. How would I explain that to the doctors looking for a miracle cure? No, that theory didn’t seem to work. If the light was a medicine, it would actually have substance. Heat only worked for tense muscles.
            Naturally, all this hype made it pretty scary to go to sleep. I tried staying up by talking to my best friends online. Only one of them, Tiffany, was awake. Tiff was always online; her passion in life was surfing the Web. You could tell by her appearance, if you were lucky enough to actually see her in public. Short, mousy, and pale with big, blue eyes, Tiff argued that sitting at her desk with her face glued to the computer was the habitat for which her body was best-adapted.
Tiff, like me, was a brainiac. Her extensive knowledge on the most random subjects could impress anyone. Seriously, our cheese-loving 7th grade English teacher gave her 50 extra points for her knowledge of designer Swiss fondues. I think it’s safe to say that I could rely on Tiff to know all about the human shell episode.
            “Apparently it’s not some sensational hoax, either,” Tiff typed to me. Instant messaging was her favorite form of communication. She was pretty soft-spoken and timid in person. Her bold, matter-of-fact personality really did shine when she let her fingers do the talking.
            “So this old guy really does exist?” I typed a little harder than intended.
            “Of course! What, did you think they had some dummy on the show?” Tiff paused in her typing. I could tell, because there was no star blinking next to her screen name. (P.S. her’s is Star_Hax42. Mine’s DevonXander which is just my name, Devon Alexander. I’m not that creative.) “I did some more research after the show. Apparently the old man was a retired school teacher named Henry Allen who lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. The plot thickens, though. About a dozen other instances have been reported all over the country. Henry‘s wife was the first one to report anything, which explains why he‘s getting all the publicity. I bet there‘ll be more tomorrow.”
            So, the old man I saw existed. He also lived on the other side of the country. The other reports were probably the others on the bus, too. It seemed my dream actually had some basis in reality, and it started spooking me big time.
            “You there?” Tiff typed after a 5 minute pause. Usually I answered her IM quickly. I didn’t do much else on the computer for fun.
            “Are there pictures of any of the other victims?” I typed the last word with a little dread. I had a feeling these people were not suffering from some weird illness but they were staying asleep because someone wanted it that way.
            “Um…a few. Hang on,” Tiff paused as she searched for some links.
            I clicked on them as she posted. To my horror, I remembered a few from my dream. I recognized a little woman who appeared to be in her 30s, a middle-aged man with spiky blonde hair, and a dark, bald body-building dude. My heart began beating much too quickly.
            “OK, what’s up?” Tiff was always on the ball. She was hyper-sensitive to people’s emotions, even through a computer. “Do you know anything about this weird stuff?”
            I hesitated for about 10 minutes (a new IM record for me) before responding.
            “Promise not to be too skeptical when I finish?”
*
            Surprisingly, Tiff didn’t respond by typing “LOLOLOLOL OK” after I finished telling her about my dream. She didn’t even interrupt, which she normally did to make it seem like a real conversation. I could almost picture her on the other end, inching closer to her monitor while she analyzed my story.
            “Well?” I typed after giving her about 20 minutes to read my dream. It probably only took her 3 minutes to read the entire thing, but I knew she would want time to do some researching and to collect her thoughts.
            “It does seem like a weird coincidence,” Tiff typed a little slower than usual. “But I don’t think you should jump to conclusions too soon. Maybe you had some weird connection with the universe and you’re just experiencing déjà vu. My great grandma apparently used to dream about things that happened the next day all the time. And I mean, obviously, these people haven’t been abducted. They’re all asleep in hospitals. Still, just let me know if you have any more of these spaceship dreams.”
            “I will,” I replied. Tiff’s IMs of wisdom made me feel a little more relaxed. “You’ll be the first one to know, for sure. Thanks, Tiff.”
            “Sweet dreams.” Tiff added that last line with a wink before signing off.

            I didn’t think it was funny.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Claws on the Catwalk: Author Krysten Lindsay Hagar's Debut Novel True Colors!

Ahoy, lovely readers! 

I have another great novel for you YA/Teen fiction addicts. This one deals with drama, modeling, boys, competition, oh and did I mention the drama? Without further ado, let's get down to this gorgeously juicy story! 



About the Book

True Colors is the perfect summer reading for any pre-teen or teenage girl. Think Mean Girls meets America's Next Top Model. The story focuses on Landry Albright, who enters a modeling competition with her best friends. They enter as partners in crime, but the dream team is shaken when Landry advances and her friends do not. Thankfully, Landry meets another modelling contender, Devon (my Devon doesn't want to talk about how many times he's been told he has a girl's name!) but Landry is skeptical about this new friendship and wonders if it will last. Throw in some boy drama and very fierce competition, and you have a girl fight waiting to happen! Can Landry make peace with her friends while doing her best in the competition? Guess we'll find out! 


Want to know more? Have no fear! Check out the excerpt below (like you needed more of a reason to buy this book!) 
_________________


     The competition was for girls between the ages of thirteen and seventeen, but it felt like Ericka, Tori, and I were the youngest ones there. I only saw a couple of girls from school, and the lineup looked more like something you’d see on a music video set. All the girls were gorgeous, and they had these curvy womanly bodies. I looked like a skinny little kid next to them. The first girl walked out, and I heard the judges say she “owned the runway,” and, “walked like a gazelle.” I was starting to feel ill. I wasn’t sure which way it was going to come, but I knew I had to find a bathroom — fast. I started to get out of line when Ericka grabbed my wrist.
     “It’s almost time,” she said. A tiny bit of spit flew out of her mouth and hit my cheek.
     I wasn’t sure why she was so intent on me going through with it, but she had a death grip on my arm, so I didn’t have much of a choice. Her number was called and she walked out to the stage. One of the other girls said she walked like a kid with sand bucket stilts on her feet, but she came back with a smirk on her face like she knew she’d get chosen.
     “They said they had never seen such long legs,” she said.
     Tori was next.
     “She walks like a gorilla at feeding time,” said the girl behind me. I went next, and I tried to focus on not tripping over my feet. My mom’s pumps had a rubber sole on the bottom, which probably wasn’t the brightest idea seeing as my shoes were making squeaking noises as I walked. I was so nervous I couldn’t stop smiling as I walked. I looked like the plastic clown who blows up balloons with its mouth at the Pizza Palace. When I got to the end of the runway, I tried to cross my feet to turn like the other girls had, but I over rotated and ended up doing a full spin which made my kilt fan out and gave the mall walkers a view of my blue underpants. I tried to act like it was intentional and did an extra turn. One of the judges put her hand up to stop me, and I held my breath as she started to speak.

________________________________

Want to know what happens next? The only way to find out is to purchase this wonderful novel for your e-reader! You can find True Colors at these links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/True-Colors-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B00L2G0YJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403026383&sr=8-1&keywords=true+colors+krysten+lindsay+hager

Barnes and Noble (e-book): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/true-colors-krysten-lindsay-hager/1119742726?ean=2940149747658




About the Author

Krysten Lindsay Hager is a journalist and an author of middle grade, YA, and adult fiction. Her debut novel, True Colors is her first step into the publishing world. She has lived in many different places, but her favorite spot is in a book shop, reading til her heart's content! 

You can contact Krysten at the following links:







Stay tuned for more author spotlights, and the countdown to Lucid starts now! ONE WEEK, PEOPLE!!!!

Until then, keep readin' and dreamin'!

-Fred

Friday, June 6, 2014

Where Perfection Draws the Line

Ahoy y'all!


I'm back with another great book spotlight. Karen King's Perfect Summer is a YA fiction story that touches upon society's superficial side in a thrilling tale.



The Book

Young teenager, Morgan has the misfortune of not being rich or beautiful in a society where nothing else matters. This so-called beautiful world is so obsessed with looks that the government funds plastic surgery for the masses. Anything, or anyone, short of being perfect is shunned. Morgan's brother with Downs Syndrome John's mere existence is considered a crime. When John is kidnapped and no one seems to care, Morgan is determined to find out what happened and rescue her brother. She must accept help from Summer, the embodiment of perfection and beauty, if she has any chance of getting to John in time. With the help of "perfect" Summer, and another friend Jamie whose sister has also been kidnapped, the girls uncover the chilling truth about how imperfection in their world is really handled. Can they save John and Holly and bring the ugly truth of their beautiful world to light before it's too late?


Who Should Read This

Anyone and everyone who has ever felt ugly or different. Perfect Summer especially struck a note with me, as I had a dear uncle with Downs Syndrome. Though this story is YA, Ms. King does a wonderful job showing the ugly side of striving for perfection. If you enjoy a good "future society" story with a touching message, Perfect Summer is the, erm well, perfect book for you!


About the Author

Karen King is a truly inspiring author with hundreds of children's titles. She's also written for magazines, including:  Sindy, Barbie, Winnie the Pooh and Thomas the Tank Engine. Her writing also includes many other genres, and Perfect Summer is her first YA novel. It was runner up in the Red Telephone books YA Novel 2011 competition. 



You can find Perfect Summer at the following links:

Astraea Press: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/category=4452103&id=19176172

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Summer-Karen-King-ebook/dp/B00B4DF3DG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402095270&sr=8-1&keywords=perfect+summer+karen+king

Waterstones: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/karen+king/perfect+summer+28ebook29/9638138/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perfect-summer-karen-king/1114196037?ean=2940016050270


Contact Karen King

You can contact Ms. King at her website: www.karenking.net

Be sure to follow her on Twitter @karen_king

Check out her Goodreads page here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Time-Slip, Deja Vu, and Disembodied Voices: Oh My!

Afternoon, everyone!

Or should I say evenin', as I'm featuring a British author on my blog today! The lovely Ann Evans' debut novel, Celeste , hit the e-shelves and is sure to be a delight for readers of all ages!


The Book




Ms. Evans' Celeste takes place in Coventry, UK (which holds a special place in my heart reserved for the Midlands.) The story is about Megan Miller, a young woman dreading moving to a new town with her parents. Soon after moving to Coventry, she realizes moving isn't so bad. It's almost like moving home...again. She soon realizes that this is not her first walk about the earth, and that she once lived a life as a woman named Celeste. If that isn't enough for a teenage girl to cope with, nightmares and visions of a horrid past soon plague her. The worst is the disembodied voice asking her, "Where did you hide it?"

Who was her former self Celeste, and what did she hide? Can Megan cope with her past while living in the present? Can she save herself, both of her? 


Why you should read it. 

Who doesn't love a good time story? I was hooked the moment I read that Megan had once lived a former life. Ms. Evans brings the typical teenage-moving-to-a-new-place story to another level with reincarnation and time-slips. 


Recommendations.

Middle grade- high school girls will love reading this book. Who doesn't love a story with a strong female protagonist who has to sort her life while saving the world? The fact that Megan lives two lives is an added incentive to get to the bottom of this story. Plus, for American girls, the fact that Celeste takes place in England should be enticing. I know I enjoy reading the character's voices with a British accent! 





So, if you're looking for a good read, I highly recommend Celeste, which is now available on Amazon here:

 http://www.amazon.com/Celeste-Ann-Evans-ebook/dp/B00KQ8XIGE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401824579&sr=8-1&keywords=celeste+ann+evans






Stay tuned for more YA and Lucid information. Right here on this blog! 


Till then, keep on readin' and dreamin'!

-Fred


Sunday, June 1, 2014

Character Meet Week!

Ahoy, everyone!


I've got tons of great things coming your way! Author interviews, great YA fiction spotlights, book reviews, and character meets from the world of Lucid! 

It's only fair to start with our hero, right? Well, he doesn't know he's the hero, yet, so give him tons of encouragement and positive vibes.

Meet Devon Alexander!

[Devon] *shuffles in* What? Where is this place?

[Me] You're in my blog world, Devon. Wow...I imagined you to be a little more muscular after being in the dream world for so long. Ah, no worries, you're little and fierce!

[Devon] In a blog? How is that possi--hey, what's that supposed to mean?!

[Me] Anyway, Devon, you have an audience of people eager to meet you!

[Devon] *looks around* I do?

[Me] They're here, trust me. So, anyway, how about you tell us a little about your adventures in the dream world?

[Devon] You mean being trapped? Wait, how do you know about the dream world anyway? Can you lucid dream, as well? Do you know about the Nightmares and that we're--.

[Me] Let's just say I know a few things, but it'd be great if you told us some stuff!

[Devon] Can you at least tell me how I got here?!

[Me] Are you really still surprised by strange things happening?

[Devon] ...true. All right, fine. Where do you want me to start?

[Me] How about telling us a little about yourself.

[Devon] Well, I'm 15, and not fully grown which explains the "small" muscles, and I'm going to be a sophomore at--.

[Me] I meant stuff about you in the dream world.

[Devon] Of course. That's all I hear about now. Dream world this, and dream world that. Anyway, um...I kept having dreams about being on a space ship, and I ended up seeing some of the people sitting next to me on the news the next day. They were all in comas, which really freaked me out. Thankfully, my friend Tiff is a lot braver than me, and with the help of her and another brave guy, Mitch, who could also go into the dream world and come back out coma-free, we figured out who was trapping people in the dream world. One thing led to another, and now Mitch, my brother Kyle, and I are stuck in the dream world indefinitely. Or until we bring about peace or something.

[Me] That's it?

[Devon] Well, I mean, I've never been interviewed before!

[Me] What about the things you did to help your friends and others? Aren't you proud of your bravery?

[Devon] I wouldn't call dumb luck bravery...

[Me] What about your fight in the coliseum? Who else was clever enough to figure out how to vanquish Leona's crony? Who else has magical superpowers that could rival Merlin and Gandalf combined? Who saved his friends from a crumbling library? What about your sword?

[Devon] Well, I---wait, my sword? I guess you don't know everything about the dream world. The sword is really--.

[Me] And that's all the time we have for our hero Devon today!

[Devon] What?! That's it?! This wasn't an interview. I didn't even get a drink of water!

[Me] Stay tuned for even more exciting characters!

[Devon] Characters? Wait, you think we're just characters in something? No, wait! Please at least give me some normal clothes to wear back---!



Now that Devon's safely back in the dream world, fighting to restore the balance of good and evil, I want to thank you all for getting to know our timid hero. I'm sure you will all enjoy watching him grow into the brave, young man that saves the dream world and real world. Stay tuned for more Lucid characters and book reviews. Tomorrow, we'll have Ann Evans with her debut novel, Celeste! 

Until next time, keep on readin' and dreamin'!

-Fred