Book Blast + Giveaway: Creed by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie

This Book Blast is hosted by Me, My Shelf, and I. Make sure to check out the schedule HERE!

CREED

By: Trisha Leaver & Lindsay Currie

Release date: November 8, 2014

Publisher: Flux

Genre: Young Adult psychological horror

ISBN: 0738740802

Three went in. Three came out. None even a shadow of who they once were. When their car breaks down, Dee, her boyfriend Luke, and his brother Mike walk through a winter storm to take refuge in a nearby town called Purity Springs. When they arrive, the emergency sirens are blaring and the small farming town seems abandoned. With no other shelter, they spend the night in an empty house. But they soon discover that not everything in Purity Springs is as it seems. When the town's inhabitants suddenly appear the next morning, Dee, Luke, and Mike find themselves at the mercy of the charismatic leader, Elijah Hawkins, who plans to make Dee his new wife. Elijah's son, Joseph, offers to help them escape . . . but the price of his help may be more than Dee and her friends can bear.

GoodReads * INdieBound * Barnes & Noble * Amazon

Praise For CREED:

“Debut authors Leaver and Currie make an auspicious foray into YA horror...creating a believably desperate and terrifying situation for their characters, and Dee's history of physical and sexual abuse adds another layer of terror to this suspenseful and sporadically gory thriller.” 

~Publishers Weekly

Welcome to a town that makes "Children of the Corn" look like child's play. There's no shortage of scary shenanigans happening in "Creed" ... We'd rather take a year-long gig teaching botany to the "Children of the Corn" than take a gas-and-bathroom break on a sunny day in Purity Springs.  

~Kat Rosenfield author of Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone/ MTV News

"This is: a straight-ahead, cover-your-ears tale of terror that grows more nihilistic and grueling by the page.... Leaver and Currie do the best thing horror authors can do, presenting protagonists who make smart choices, over and over, but to no avail. Now that's scary" 

~ Daniel Kraus/ Booklist

Trisha Leaver 

Trisha Leaver graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in Social Work. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband, three kids and one rather irreverent black lab. She is a member of the SCBWI, the Horror Writers Association, and the YA Scream Queens.

TWITTER * FACEBOOK * WEBSITE * INSTAGRAM: @trishaleaver

Lindsay Currie

Lindsay Currie graduated from Knox College in Galesburg, IL with an English Literature degree. She is a member of the SCBWI, the Horror Writers Association and a contributor to the YA Scream Queens.

TWITTER * FACEBOOK * WEBSITE *

INSTAGRAM: @lindsayncurrie

One Winner: $20.00 Amazon Gift Card

Open Internationally, Must be 13+ To Enter.

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Compulsion Launch + Giveaway

The day is here!!! Compulsion by Martina Boone is out! I am so excited to get my hands on my copy that I pre-ordered today!

Compulsion
HEIRS OF WATSON ISLAND, BOOK 1
Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse
Hardcover, 10/28/14
ISBN: 18732883

Beautiful Creatures meets The Body Finder in Compulsion, the first novel in a spellbinding new trilogy.

Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.
All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt's South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions. Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the
help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn't what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Early Praise for Compulsion

"Darkly romantic and steeped in Southern Gothic charm, you'll be compelled to get lost in the Heirs of Watson
Island series."

—#1 New York Times Bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout

"A stunningly magical debut with a delicious slow burn to be savored. I want to live in this story world!"

— Wendy Higgins, USA Today and NYT bestselling author of the Sweet Evil trilogy from HarperTeen

“A fresh twist on the Southern Gothic — haunting, atmospheric, and absorbing.”

— Claudia Gray, NYT bestselling author of the Evernight and Spellcaster series 

“A star-crossed romance, lush gothic plantations, and an island full of intrigue–a heart-pounding race to the finish! A thrilling debut!”

— Kimberly Derting, author of The Body Finder series

“Beautifully written, with vivid characters and romance that leaps off the page, this Southern ghost story left me lingering over every word, and yet wanting to race to the compelling finish. Not to be missed.”

— Megan Shepherd, author of THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER 

“The perfect southern family saga, charming and steamy on the surface, with cold-blooded secrets buried down deep. What more do you want? More time to read it, that’s what.”

— Kendare Blake, author of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD and ANTIGODESS

“A shivery, delicious Southern Gothic with feuding families, dark spirits, ancient curses… and caught up in the middle, a young girl learning to live and love for the first time. Atmospheric and suspenseful, will draw you in and hold you until the very last page.”

— Leah Cypess, Author of DEATH SWORN 

“Ancient spirits, mystery, and Southern charm—COMPULSION mixes dark magic with darker family secrets in a way that’ll make you relieved there are two more books.”

— Kat Zhang, Author of WHAT’S LEFT OF ME 

“A little bit Gone with the Wind, a little bit Romeo and Juliet...Boone’s debut mixes a Southern gothic setting with fantasy and romance for an engrossing…mystery.”

— School Library Journal

“A paranormal Southern gothic with decadent settings, mysterious magic and family histories rife with debauchery . . . “

— Kirkus 

The Book Trailer:

Buy the Book:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-Million

The Book Depository

iTunes

Walmart

The Last Compulsion Prize Vault Giveaway!

Make sure to check out the last Prize Vault Giveaway! It has A LOT of awesome prizes!
HERE is the link!

Swag Giveaway:

Want a chance to win this awesome Swag pack? I know I do. All you have to do is leave a comment about Compulsion and you will be entered. You can also leave your Twitter handle as a way for me to contact you if you win.

The #Compulsion Readalong 

We are having a #Compulsion Readalong November 9th-23rd. You can sign up and join us HERE. There will be discussions, posts, prizes, and a Twitter chat!

About the Author:

Born in Prague, Martina spoke several languages before she learned English after moving to the United States. Her 2nd grade teacher teased her for not pronouncing the "wh" sound right, so she set out to master "all the words." She's still working on that. Meanwhile, she loves reading and writing books about beautiful, vicious, magical worlds that intersect our own. She loves books you can't put down, with settings you want to move into, and characters you can't forget. And romance. Did we mention romance?
The founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a Writers Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers site,
Martina also runs the First Five Pages Workshops for writers getting ready to submit their manuscripts to agents and editors, and she's the founding member of YASeriesInsiders.com, a blog dedicated to promoting literacy, and love of reading by connecting fans from various fandoms with authors and great new series books.
Compulsion, the first novel in her Heirs of Watson Island YA Southern Gothic trilogy, will be available from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse October 2014.

Social Media
Microsite:  www.HeirsOfWatsonIsland.com
Website: www.MartinaBoone.com
Tumblr: www.MartinaBoone.tumblr.com
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/MartinaBoone
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Martina.Boone
Twitter: @MartinaABoone
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/MartinaBoone
YouTube: www.youtube.com/MartinaBoon

Anna and the French Kiss Giveaway!

I have been really busy this summer and haven't read nearly as many books as I have wanted. But I did join the #IslaIsComing read-a-long hosted by Andi, Meg, Judith, Jamie, and Lindsey. (It is still currently happening, so you should join and read the books or reread to get read for the release of Isla and the Happily Ever After).

Banner created by Meg from Cuddlebuggery

Isn't the banner amazing?!

I am so happy that I joined this read-a-long. I had been wanting to read Anna and the French Kiss for a while, but I kept putting it off. It was fun to be able to share some parts that I really enjoyed reading on Twitter with others. I am excited to post my review this week.

A big THANKS to all the bloggers that are hosting this Read-a-long. I am enjoying it (even if I am behind!)

I haven't started Lola and the Boy Next Door yet, but I will be reading it this week. Then when I get my copy of Isla and the Happily Ever After in the mail, I will be ready to devour it!

Since Isla is coming out this week and because I LOVED Anna and the French Kiss so much, I have decided to have a giveaway for a copy of Anna and the French Kiss.

While I was on vacation, I went to Ollie's Bargain Outlet a lot. (Love that place.) And found a lot of books that I have been wanting. I also found copies of Anna and the French Kiss. 

The copy I am giving away is a paperback copy with this cover:

It does have that bargain book black stripe on the bottom of the book. 

The Giveaway:

• US ONLY (Sorry International readers, shipping is just too expensive to ship out of country)
• I am not responsible for lost items in the mail.
• The winner will be notified by email. Please respond in 72 hrs or another winner will be picked.
• I will check the entries, so please enter correctly. 

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Manroot by Anne Steinberg Excerpt + Giveaway

Manroot is the evocative and stirring story of a lonely town in Missouri, and a young woman named Katherine who discovers a mystical side to herself that she’d never known existed. Anne Steinberg weaves together fantasy, romance, and a young girl’s coming of age into a darkly magical story.  

Synopsis:

In the spring of 1939, Katherine Sheahan and her father, Jesse, are looking for work in the isolated tourist town of Castlewood. Jesse gets a job as handyman and Katherine as a maid at a small hotel. Jesse drinks and neglects his work and eventually disappears, abandoning his daughter. Frieda Broom, the hotel Manager, takes Katherine under her wing, and teaches her about ginseng, the manroot, and other secrets of the foothills. Katherine discovers that she is a natural healer and has the ability to communicate with spirits, a gift she inherited from her Navajo Indian mother.

Among the hotels regular clientele is Judge William Reardon. Escaping his sterile marriage, he becomes captivated by Katherine. As the pair bond over astrology and gardening, Katherine becomes convinced they belong together, despite him being much older than her and married. As they begin to fall in love, the violence of dark magic threatens to annihilate all Katherine knows and holds dear. Can their love survive?

Manroot is a potent tale of destiny, spiritualism and love, written in Anne Steinberg’s signature compelling style.

The kindle version was published March 2014 and is available for sale on Amazon.

Amazon reviews:

“Manroot is an undeniably good read; it’s well-written with a compelling plot and memorable characters. Recommended to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction imbued with fantasy, including Native American themes and the supernatural.”

“Words to describe this book are: romantic, thrilling, memorable, spiritual, magical, and well written in a breath taking way that will keep you enthralled well after it is over. I wish it would have lasted longer and was saddened when it came to an end. 5 stars and cannot wait to see what Anne Steinberg comes up with next!”

While living in England, Anne Steinberg’s first novel, Manroot was published by Headline Review in London. Manroot was heralded as an important first novel in 1994 and included in the Headline Review’s prestigious “Fiction without Frontiers,” a new wave of contemporary fiction that knows no limits. Eight modern storytellers were featured: Anne Steinberg, Margaret Atwood, Iain Banks, William Gibson, Peter Hoeg, Roddy Doyle, and E. Annie Proulx. It was an auspicious beginning to a long and varied career for Anne Steinberg, who went on to write several acclaimed novels, Every Town Needs A Russian Tea Room, the story of a wealthy socialite who falls in love with a penniless young Russian immigrant who is haunted by a bizarre shameful secret, The Cuckoos Gift, First Hands, and An Eye For An Ear. She is also coauthor of The Fence, written with her grandson Nicholas Reuel Tolkien, the great grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien. Nicholas is a filmmaker, director, and published poet. The Fence is a chilling story of a magnificent Gothic fence forged by a despicable blacksmith and infused with evil.

Anne was a partner in the world famous vintage clothing store, Steinberg & Tolkien, on Kings Road in Chelsea. After a successful run for over 20 years, the shop closed, and she returned to the US. Approaching her eighty-second birthday, she now writes, reads, and studies antiques, American Indian history, animal welfare, mythology, and folklore legends.

Anne recently re-released Manroot in kindle format. It was published March 2014 and is available for sale on Amazon.

Follow The Author:

Twitter

GoodReads

Previously published novels include:

The Quest

First Hands

Every Town Needs a Russian Tea Room

The Cuckoo’s Gift

Elias’sFence

Chapter 5

Working alone in the kitchen, Katherine scrubbed it clean. Looking up at the calendar, she knew tomorrow was Friday. The Judge was one of the few people who stopped here regularly, even now, in late autumn. Perhaps it was telling Sally that had started it all, for now her thoughts of the Judge were like a fever that stayed with her. Last Friday when she took him his bourbon and spring water, she noticed it for the first time, the birthmark. It was on his right hand, so clear and vivid that she had almost dropped the tray. He had smiled at her nervousness, called her ‘my dear,’ and given her a silver dollar for a tip.

Katherine slept restlessly; she dreamed of the Oh mu and heard its moan of agony echoing in her sleep. She dreamed of Papa floating in the muddy river, caught and held under by a treacherous branch, his eyes vacant pools staring upward through the water. It was so real that in the morning when the siren from the firehouse once again split the air, she rushed into the kitchen where Frieda was telling Bruce, “You be careful…another one’s gone and gave herself to the river. It was a suicide, a painted woman from the Eagle’s nest…” Frieda shivered as she told the story the way that she had heard it from the postman. The woman in the night had cut her wrists, but the dying was too slow, so she ran from the clubhouse, perched only for a moment on the railing, then jumped headlong into the cold water.

Katherine moved slowly this morning. Frieda fussed at her, but knowing the girl had never been lazy, she thought the drowning must have upset her or maybe she was coming down with something.

The guests were all gone. They only expected one tonight – Judge Reardon. They’d have time to go into the woods today, hunting for herbs and the manroot. But Frieda went alone as the girl looked a bit too peaked.

Alone, Katherine cleaned the rooms again; it took no time, for they were already clean. She lingered in Number 8, The Judge’s room.

She knew a lot about him now, and she felt a very real presence that he left in the room. She knew intimate things about him – like the size of his shirts, the smell of his aftershave, which side of the bed he slept on, how he preferred his coffee, the brand of cigarettes that he smoked…numerous details about him that she had collected bit by bit, saving them in her mind and in her dreams, like pennies to be spent at a later date.

He knew nothing of her dusting his dresser, straightening the bed after he had risen. He was not aware that while he was out, she pressed his shirts to her lips, inhaling his aroma, and sat on the bed in the same crevices his body had made over the years that he had slept here. Now she knew with the wisdom and instinct of centuries, she knew that what would be, would be.

Last week for the first time she had seen it, the birthmark, on his right hand. It was paler than the surrounding skin, crescent-shaped like a slice of the moon, and within its outline, unmistakable, a perfect five-pointed star. She knew its shape by heart, as just above her right breast she had its identical replica.

The Navajo blood flowed strongly in her veins, with all its beliefs in the signs, even though her father had tried vainly to smother these strange alien traits. Since her childhood she had believed that she could speak to animals, and she could find herbs hiding under any rock and knew exactly what they would cure.

She stayed dreaming in the Judge’s room until she heard Frieda calling her. The woman had returned from the woods, carrying a full burlap sack.

“You should have come today…I found it…the time is ripe, and you’re much quicker than I. You would have climbed the higher spots where it grows.”

Placing the sack on the table, she pulled out one root. “It’s perfect…it’s prime, probably ten or fifteen years old.” She held the root up to the light. Its torso similar but lighter in color than a carrot, with no hint of orange, just tannish-brown, the root seemed to have two arms, two legs, and a fine network of tendrils. It appeared to be a miniature figure of a headless man.

“What is it?” Katherine questioned as she stared at the unusual root.

“It’s a manroot!”

“The manroot,” Katherine repeated, liking the sound of the word and feeling it described the plant perfectly. “It seems as if it could contain magic?” she said, as she gingerly touched it with a timid finger.

“Oh, they say it does. It works wonders. The Orientals prize its properties – to them it is also the love root. It does many things, cures most anything that ails you. For me it lines my pockets – Bailey’s general store pays about four dollars a pound.” Emptying the sack on the counter, Frieda explained, “You can’t let it get damp – it ruins the root.” She began taking them out, examining and inspecting and drying each root with a clean dish-towel.

“They’re not all like this one, that’s special. Some don’t come with the likeness of arms and legs, some just look like a pale carrot…but the old ones, the very special ones do. Here, Katherine – take it, it’s yours.”

They sat at the table and by habit Katherine helped her.

“If you weren’t such a lazy girl, you could have come with me today. When these are dry, I’m sure Bailey’s will be paying twenty dollars or so for the batch.”

“Twenty dollars?”

“Yes, ma’am!” She knew the girl wasn’t lazy; it was her way of trying to shake her out of the listlessness. “Put on the kettle, Katherine. I’ll slip a little of the root in it. That will perk you up.”

They drank the tea, and Frieda continued drying the root. She did a rare thing: she hummed as she dried the fine tendrils.

“It takes time for the manroot to grow. You shouldn’t harvest a root less than seven years old, and you must always plant the seed when you harvest – each red berry has two seeds – not deep, just under the leaves. It’s a sin…to harvest and not plant the seed,” she said solemnly.

Katherine watched the clock. “I better put on my uniform. The Judge…”

“No need to. When I was coming in, he was headed for the Eagle’s Nest. He told me he wouldn’t be wanting any supper.”

Katherine’s face fell with disappointment.

In previous gossip from Frieda, Katherine had learned that the Judge lived twenty miles up the road with a wife who was said to be fragile since the births of her two stillborn sons. There was not much in these parts that the Judge did not own; he was rich, well-liked, respected, and known to be a fair man. Remarkably young to be a judge, no one faulted him for his tendencies to card-playing, drinking whiskey, and relieving himself with the local women. A lesser man with these leanings would be called no account, but he was, after all, the Judge, and this title brought with it a tendency to look at vices as virtues.

It was just another Friday. Destiny waited for her; she felt it close, closer than it had ever been.

The hotel was quiet. There were no guests and the only person staying was the Judge, who would be out late.

Katherine played the radio softly, dancing about the room, pretending she was at Castlewood waltzing under the lanterns with him. She put the perfect manroot in the Valentine box with her other things. After midnight when he rang, Katherine shook the sleep from herself when she realized the bell from Room 8 was ringing.

She owned no robe, and the persistent ringing threatened to wake Mr. Taylor. She flew up to the Judge’s room and knocked timidly, aware that her hair was down, and she was in her nightgown. It was plain enough – white cotton, sturdy and sensible.

He opened the door to her. He seemed surprised.

“I’m sorry, sir, everyone is asleep,” she said, not really knowing how to apologize for her attire.

He blinked at her, his hair ruffled, his shirt-tail out; she had never seen him like this.

“You’re new?”

“No, sir I’m Katherine. It was late; I didn’t have time to put on the uniform.”

He nodded and leaned forward studying her face. “Come in.” She did so, but left the door open.

“Sit down,” he said. She could tell he was very drunk. She sat timidly in the vanity chair. He paced the floor unsteadily, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s my head… I have a headache that won’t stop. I thought maybe you had something in the kitchen.”

He kept pacing. “I went out tonight, trying to forget. I’ve drunk a lot…it doesn’t stop…my head hurts so.”

“Sir, I could go look, or…” She wondered if she should chance it – maybe he would laugh. “My grandmother had a remedy that always worked.”

He stopped pacing. “Yes? What is it?”

“Well,” she said, “if you rub your thumbs vigorously for a few minutes, it has something to do with the blood flow…if that didn’t work, then a leaf of boiled cabbage on the forehead never failed.”

He smiled and stopped. “Well, try it.” He pulled up a chair in front of her and held out his thumbs.

She blushed. She hadn’t meant that she should rub his thumbs, but he was there across from her, waiting. She reached forward, and with a firm grip clasped his thumbs and rubbed vigorously, while he leaned back and shut his eyes. She alternated between each thumb. It seemed natural to her to be touching him.

“Do you know what it’s like to play God?” he asked abruptly.

Startled, she didn’t know if he was really talking to her, but she replied, “No, sir, I don’t.”

“Well, I do, and it’s not pleasant, not pleasant at all… Today I’ve sent a man to the gas chamber – well, not me personally, but the jury.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” she said quietly.

“Stop saying ‘sir’ – my name’s William. The Judge…sir…that’s somebody else. I don’t feel like a judge right now. I never wanted to be a judge.” He opened his eyes and she drew back.

“Do you know what it feels like to judge other people?”

“No, si–” She stopped herself. “No, I don’t.”

He looked down at her hands. “Don’t stop. By god, I think it helps!” He closed his eyes once more and held out his thumbs to her. The house was quiet. Somewhere a nightbird called; the ticking of the clock in the hall kept time in its steady rhythm, and Katherine felt the sound of their breathing in tune. 

This giveaway is for 1 KINDLE e-book copy of Manroot by Anne Steinberg.

The winner's email will be given to the publicist, so they can send you the Kindle copy of the book.

I will also email the winner when the giveaway is over to let them know they won.

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