Book Nerd Tours, Tens List, & Giveaway: Shrouded In Blackness (Norma Jeanne Karlsson)

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Only loyalty can truly win his heart…
Gangs, organized crime and underground bare-knuckle fighting make up the world that Kieran Delaney thrives within. His reputation is built on the talent of his fists, as much as his ability to get information about any and everything. Never one to be caught by surprise or bested, Kieran knows what you’re going to do before you do it…until Darcy Quinlan enters his life. She introduces herself with a knife to his throat and a promise of unbridled pain. Darcy’s life has been destroyed by betrayal and false promises of safety. Living on the streets for the last eight years, she’s has been a ghost. Never in one place long enough to be seen because you can’t catch what isn’t there. Now Kieran sees her and can’t erase her image from his mind.
Kieran and Darcy must now battle to keep her alive and by his side. As her past enters her life from every angle, Kieran makes certain her safety is no longer a concern, annihilating her demons at every corner. He’ll fight, he’ll maim, he’ll torture and he’ll murder to keep Darcy protected. If Kieran can win, her life will no longer be shrouded in blackness…loyalty will lift the veil.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Blackness Takes Over is Norma Jeanne’s debut novel. What began as an homage to the home town of a homesick Midwestern girl, unfolded a story of love, danger, humor, and trust. She’s currently working on her untitled sophomore effort. We can’t wait to see what thrilling saga she leads us through next!

Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Norma Jeanne recently found herself relocating to the United Kingdom. Now living in Belfast, she took hold of the opportunity to kick the 9-5 job for a chance to become an author. The best part: working from her home office, she gets to spend more time with her cast of crazy characters (written and real).

In her free time Norma Jeanne is a voracious reader and consumes books as readily as meals. She is a people watcher by nature and uses her experiences in life, observed or otherwise, to build the worlds and characters that thrive in her books. A believer in the strength of the human spirit,Norma Jeanne writes the stories of people that persevere when all appears to be lost.

“Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” –Dylan Thomas

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 Top Ten Books You Are Looking Forward to in 2014

Consumed by David Cronenberg

Bastian’s Storm by Shay Savage

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

Saving Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

The third book in the Hitman Series by Jessica Clare and Jen Frederick

Moving Day: A Thriller by Jonathan Stone

Top Secret Twenty-One: A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich

Summer House with Swimming Pool by Hermann Koch

Paper Lantern by Stuart Dybek

The Kills by Richard House

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Book Nerd Tours Blog Tour, Interview, & Giveaway: Just Myrto (Laurie Gray)

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Paperback, 210 pages
Published May 2014 by Luminis Books

As a young woman in Ancient Greece, Myrto is doubly cursed to have been born both a mortal and a female.
When her father dies, leaving no dowry for her to marry, she wonders whether her brother will find her a husband or sell her into slavery. Although she'd rather have a kind master than a cruel husband, her brother decides to give Myrto to his form teacher Socrates as a second wife.
Being a second wife is not easy for Myrto, and while her new husband treats her kindly, his first wife Xanthippe is nothing but cruel. Myrto spends much of her time away from home in an attempt to avoid being alone with the terrifying Xanthippe, and soon strikes up an intellectual friendship with her husband's student, Plato. Although she wants nothing more than a friend, he has designs on more.
Now Myrto must discover where she belongs in this quickly changing world. Will she accept the lot she has been given by her family, succumb to romantic love, or pave the way for women of the future to live better lives?
As her personal journey through Ancient Greek Metaphysics unfolds, will she always be defined by her relationships with men? Or will she discover the joy of being Just Myrto? 

Purchase Links

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Goodreads * Powell's * Indiebound 

Laurie Gray has worked as a high school teacher, a deputy prosecuting attorney, and the founder of Socratic Parenting LLC (www.SocraticParenting.com). In addition to writing, speaking and consulting, Laurie currently works as a bilingual child forensic interviewer at her local Child Advocacy Center and as an adjunct professor of criminal sciences at Indiana Tech. She has served on the faculty of the National Symposium for Child Abuse in Huntsville, Alabama, annually since 2009. Her debut novel Summer Sanctuary (Luminis Books/2010) received a Moonbeam Gold Medal for excellence in young adult fiction and was named a 2011 Indiana Best Book Finalist. Her second novel, MAYBE I WILL (Luminis Books/ 2013) received a Moonbeam Bronze Medal.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | LUMINIS BOOKS

Booknerd Blog Tour

LAURIE GRAY INTERVIEW:

· What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

In September 2007, the Remnant Trust had a collection of books on display at the Allen County Courthouse, where I was working as the deputy prosecutor assigned to our local drug court. The collection included the first English translation of Plato's Apology, published in 1675. We were allowed to pick up the books and look through them, and I was enjoying the challenge of reading medieval English when I read something in the translator’s introduction about Socrates having a second wife named Myrto. I had read a great deal about Socrates including The Complete Works of Plato, the writings of Xenophon, and the plays of Aristophanes, and none of them mentioned Myrto. The idea that Socrates had a second, much younger wife who was the mother of his infant and toddler when he drank the poison hemlock back in 399 B.C.E. intrigued me so much that I began researching Myrto and developing the premise for Just Myrto.

· Who is your favorite character in the book?

I end up loving all of my characters, but I would have to say Aspasia is my favorite. I wish there were more reliable information on her life. What we have is really HIStory, not HERstory. My version of Aspasia incorporates many of Socrates’ best traits with those of Pythagoras’s wife Theano and the potential I see in Myrto.

· Which came first, the title or the novel?

The title came very early in the process. I like the multiple meanings of “just” as an adjective and as an adverb, especially since Myrto is the granddaughter of Aristides the Just and the wife of Socrates who was always asking “What is justice?” The men in her life really define her at the beginning of the book, but by the end she has redefined herself and is happy being just Myrto. 

· What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

The scene where Socrates, Myrto, Xanthippe, Lamprocles and Sophroniscus visit Aspasia. I pulled so much of what they talk about from the writings of Plato, Xenophon, and Aristophanes, but wove it together into my own fiction. That’s also where I introduce the mind’s eye symbol which I ended up trademarking as my logo for Socratic Parenting LLC because copyright would protect the text I wrote, but not the symbol I created. 

· Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

Three P’s: Passion, Patience and Perseverance. Writing and publishing can be a grueling process. It’s the passion that inspires you to hone your craft, keep at it, and deal with the rejections and occasional harsh criticism that are bound to come along the way.

· What do you like most about the cover of the book?

When I first showed the cover to my writer’s critique group, they thought it was a picture of my daughter. I don’t have any idea whose picture it is or to what extent it was enhanced for the cover art, but I do love the cover as if it were a picture of my own child. 

· What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2014?

Kekla Magoon’s How It Went Down which just happens to be set for release on my birthday, Oct. 21. Kekla always weaves a compelling story with fresh insights. I’m especially interested in this book because I think many of the issues will parallel those I’ve been discussing with my criminal justice students at Indiana Tech after George Zimmerman was acquitted of shooting Treyvon Martin. And Kekla always writes with such clarity of language and empowers her characters (and her readers) to find their own way. 

· What was your favorite book in 2013?

This is such a hard question! I read so many good books last year in multiple genres. But my favorite was probably the Divergent trilogy. I waited until Allegiant came out in 2013 to read all three books. I know a lot of people who read each book as it was released over time were disappointed with the ending in Allegiant. I read all three of them—bam, bam, bam—without that kind of anticipation and expectation, so there was no disappointment whatsoever on my part. I really love the psychology behind the strengths and corresponding weaknesses of each faction and the idea that we need to balance these aspects of our humanity individually, not just as a society, if we want to become more humane. 

· What’s up next for you?

I started my 4th YA book, but it’s been kind of sitting on a back burner. I’ve been doing this thing called RhyPiBoMo (Rhyming Picture Book Month) in April, which is actually a crash course in poetry and has required me to write a poem every day for 35 consecutive days, read lots of great picture books and write a rhyming picture book. So maybe a picture book, but who knows.

Luminis Books released my parenting book A Simple Guide to Socratic Parenting at the same time as Just Myrto so I’ve been busy with that as well. I’m also doing more motivational speaking using the affirmation poem and coin I developed called Token of Change™.

In 2012-2013 I did a lot of workshops on Bullying. This year I’ve been focusing on resilience and would like to continue researching and doing workshops on cultivating resilience and how books can help us become more resilient.

· Is there anything that you would like to add?

Just a big thank you for sharing Just Myrto with your readers. I really appreciate your thoughtful questions and have had fun answering them! 

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Book Nerd Tours Blog Tour, Tens List, & Giveaway: #16ThingsIThoughtWereTrue (Janet Gurtler)

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Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue
When Morgan’s mom gets sick, it’s hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn’t as far away as she thought…
Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue
Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan’s getting to know the real Adam, and he’s actually pretty sweet…in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?
5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue
With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She’s not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend…and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can’t imagine living without.

Janet lives near the Canadian Rockies with her husband and son and a little dog named Bruce. She does not live in an Igloo or play hockey, but she does love maple syrup and says “eh” a lot.
Janet only gives 5 stars to the books she reviews because she is an author herself and knows that no book can appeal to everyone, but like a child, it is very special to the creator.
I’M NOT HER was published by Sourcebooks Teen Fire in May 2011.
IF I TELL released Oct 1, 2011 from Sourcebooks Teen Fire.
WHO I KISSED Sourcebooks Fire 2012.
Janet’s work will also appear in the THE FIRST TIME anthology, DEAR TEEN ME anthology and WHO DONE IT anthology.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Top Ten List – Most Memorable Trips/Vacation of your life.

Hawaii- with my boy and my hub

Aruba - single ladies. 

Ireland- work trip to visit Bailey’s factory (for real)

Scotland- Trip with mom and 2 brothers

Road trip- BC with son and husband

Arizona- Road trip from Vegas to Phoneix with the boy and the hub

Book Tour 2012- 10 American cities in 10 days. Tiring but so cool

Seattle for ALA

New York for BEA

Winnipeg- going home to visit my family. . 

    

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Book Nerd Tours Blog Tour, Spotligh & Giveaway: The Violet Hour (Whitney A. Miller)

The voice inside me is breaking free. I can't stop it.
Some call VisionCrest the pinnacle of religious enlightenment. Others call it a powerful cult. For seventeen years, Harlow Wintergreen has called it her life.
As the daughter of VisionCrest's patriarch, Harlow is expected to be perfect at all times. She must be considered a paragon of integrity by the other Ministry teens and a future leader in the eyes of the world.
Despite the constant scrutiny Harlow is keeping a dark and dangerous secret, even from her best friend and the boy she loves. She hears a voice in her head that seems to have a mind of its own, plaguing her with violent and bloody visions. It commands her to kill. And the urge to obey is getting harder and harder to control...

    

Whitney A. Miller lives in San Francisco with her husband and a struggling houseplant. She’s summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, ridden the Trans-Siberian rails, bicycled through Vietnam, done the splits on the Great Wall of China, and evaded the boat police in Venice, but her best international adventures take place on the page!

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads 

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Book Nerd Tours Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Get Even (Gretchen McNeil)

Welcome to the the Official Cover Reveal for Gretchen McNeil's GET EVEN (Get Even #1)

Release Date: September 16th 2014

Publisher: Balzer+Bray

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Follows the secretive exploits of four high school juniors - Kitty, Olivia, Margot and Bree - at an exclusive Catholic prep school.

To all outward appearances, the girls barely know each other. At best, they don't move in the same social circles; at worst, they're overtly hostile.

Margot Mejia – academically ranked number two in her class, Margot is a focused overachiever bound for the Ivy League.

Kitty Li – captain of the California state and national champion varsity girls' volleyball team, she's been recruited by a dozen colleges and has dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal.

Olivia Hayes – popular star of the drama program, she's been voted "most eligible bachelorette" two years running in the high school yearbook and has an almost lethal combination of beauty and charm.

Bree Deringer – outcast, misfit and the kind of girl you don't want to meet in a dark alley, the stop sign red-haired punk is a constant thorn in the side of teachers and school administrators alike.

Different goals, different friends, different lives, but the girls share a secret no one would ever guess. They are members of Don't Get Mad, a society specializing in seeking revenge for fellow students who have been silently victimized by their peers. Each girl has her own reason for joining the group, her own set of demons to assuage by evening the score for someone else. And though school administration is desperate to find out who is behind the DGM "events", the girls have managed to keep their secret well hidden.

That is until one of their targets – a douchebag senior who took advantage of a drunk underclassman during a house party, videotaped it on his phone, and posted it on YouTube – turns up dead, and DGM is implicated in the murder.

Now the girls don't know who to trust, and as their tenuous alliance begins to crumble, the secrets they've hidden for so long might be their ultimate undoing.

Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. She is a founding member of vlog group the YARebels where she can be seen as "Monday," and she is an active member of both The Enchanted Inkpot, a group blog of YA and middle grade fantasy writers, and The Apocalypsies, a group blog of 2012 children's debut authors.
You can find Gretchen on Twitter, Facebook, and on her blog.

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