Camryn Townsend has everything she’s always dreamed of…an amazing family, supportive friends, and the perfect job. Everything a girl could want. Or is it? A trip back to her childhood home threatens to unravel her web of perfection.
Her problem…she’s in love with her best friend and she’s too scared to sacrifice their friendship for a love she’s always wanted.
Jamie Banks’ life is the epitome of perfection. His company is thriving, his band is on the cusp of stardom, and the girl he loves is returning home.
His problem…the girl he loves has been his best friend for as long as he can remember and he’s not sure he’s ready to sacrifice his best friend for a lover. Pursuing a relationship with the possibility of losing her has him second-guessing everything he knows.
Unspoken words are the only thing standing in their way.
He leans down and moves his mouth over mine, devouring its
softness. Slowly, I lift my arms around his neck, running my hands through his
thick hair. I tug on his hair, not wanting this kiss to end.
When he pulls back, he leaves my
mouth burning with fire.
With a wicked grin on his face, he points to the shower. “I have to get out of
here before I have my way with you. Your brother is out there waiting. Go get a
shower, cool off, do what you have to do to calm yourself down. But if I hear
moaning, I am gonna be all over you whether your brother is here or not.”
Audience: YA/NA/Adult 18+ - Genre: Romantic Comedy - Format: eBook & Paperback - Publisher: Anchor Group - Cover by: Katie Cowan - Editor: Kim Eggleston - Pages: 306 pages - ASIN: B00W86IIO4 - Date Published: April 15, 2015
Alice Tyler's whirlwind vacation to Maui was supposed to be a great time with friends, an escape from all things stressful. Instead she found herself right in the middle of stress and without her best friend, Vivianne Cook. That stress? It went by the name Ryan Perry. He not only adds to Alice's high pressure life but terrifies her by falling for her while on the island. Ryan then enlists Vivianne to help him convince her friend that fears can be overcome and happily ever afters can exist. But can Alice clear these emotional hurdles before losing Ryan forever?
And what happens when the tables are turned? Can Vivianne find her own Prince Charming and the fairy tale ending she dreams of?
Through hilarious situations and side-splitting adventures the two women lean on each other in a journey of self-discovery only to find their true selves are not at all who they thought themselves to be.
She opened her mouth and started the flow of words that would have surely insulted him and put him in his place when her eyes took him in. 6' 1", thin yet muscular, with dark brown, shaggy hair, and eyes that seemed to pierce through you. And those full lips. All of her anger flew out of her lungs with a gasp, and she was at a loss for words.
"Can you die of embarrassment?" She asked me.
After a moment of silence, I started screaming, "What?! Ryan Perry?! The Ryan Perry?"
Ryan Perry was not just a celebrity to us. He played a role in a movie that Alice and I were in love with. Then again, thousands of women were in love with his fictional character. The movie was based off a book series that had engrossed us both. And for it to be put on screen, seeing the character come to life, was incredible. So, meeting him was like coming face to face with the object of your fantasies. Of course, we knew he wasn't actually that character, but, well, you know. Even if he wasn't, there was some element he gave the character that enthralled so many people, and made him much more appealing.
I shouted, "Get me an autograph!"
"Oh, yeah, that'll work out well," she said sarcastically. "How do I start that? 'Excuse me, I am sorry for bothering you, and this doesn't change the fact that I hate you for ruining my vacation, but my friend, Vivianne, would like an autograph.'"
I was about to say something when I heard her gasp and a man's voice near her say, "That'll be a start." His British accent was as thick as his voice was deep.
I am sure I could see the shades of embarrassment run over her face. I heard a slight crack of plastic when I realized that she had clenched down on her phone. I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Shut up," she hissed through her teeth.
"OH! No, this is too rich!" I laughed.
"Hello, my name is Ryan," the man said, very politely, I might add. "I am truly sorry for all of the confusion. I truly didn't know that I was taking anything that had been promised to someone else. If I had known…"
"Sure, whatever," Alice snapped. "You probably get everything you want wherever you go. What's it to you if you stomp on someone else's plans?"
"I would never do something like that on purpose," he said coolly. "Listen, let me take you to dinner to make up for it."
Another burst of laughter shot out of me as I envisioned the shock that would have rolled across her face at that moment.
"Shut up, Viv," she snapped, and turned her attention to Ryan. "And what makes you think I would want to go to dinner with you?'
"Your friend's autograph," was the reply, with a certain calm and confidence.
"Fine."
I was laughing again as she snapped the phone closed. I quickly sent her a text. Enjoy! Call me as soon as you can! And DON'T forget my autograph!
Colleen Nye started writing at an early age. Between school writing assignments and her love of reading in early elementary school. In high school, she submitted some of her poems and short stories to various mediums including anthologies, newspapers, magazines and contests. Several of which were published and won her awards including a few editor’s choice awards, placements in contests and even The Sarah Endres Award for Young Writers. Colleen also started a poetry club in her high school where she held weekly meetings to share her writings with her fellow classmates and to be able to hear what others were writing. She wanted other young writers to be proud to share their writing.
As an adult, she branched out and worked as a freelance writer for corporations and non-profit organizations, writing press releases for newspapers, magazines and online blogs and web sites. She also worked with politicians to create campaign and promotional fliers, bios and web site blurbs. Other works she has done have been research and photography for a few Mid-Michigan sites highlighted in the book Paranormal Lansing by Nicole Bray and Robert DuShane. She’s also worked with several companies, creating their how-to articles and product descriptions.
In 2009, Colleen joined a writer’s group called Writing at the Ledges in her home town of Grand Ledge, MI. In 2010, they published their second anthology of the group’s poems, short stories, memoirs and essays entitled Seasons of Life. Colleen’s short story, “Full Circle” was a part of this book, being one of the longer pieces and receiving several great reviews. In 2012, the group published their third anthology, in which, Colleen had two short stories.
In 2008, Colleen collaborated with her friend, Carrie Peterson, about a dream Carrie had one night. This dream became part of the opening sequence for her novel, When In Maui. Carrie’s dream and her friendship help Colleen shape When In Maui into Colleen’s first full length novel, published in 2012.
In 2013-14, she wrote a tech thriller, Immersion. Signing it with Anchor Group Publishing and released 2015. A story she's anxious to see reach a wider audience. Anchor Group also picked up When in Maui, an opportunity Colleen is very excited to see develop.
Colleen currently lives in Michigan with her two daughters – a budding chef and an aspiring free spirit that rivals her own inner gypsy. She is teaching writing classes locally. Her next novel? She’s working on a few projects and anxious to share them with you all.
Normalcy. I need to get back to a state of normalcy. What’s happened to me? Why am I here in this orphanage, and why am I forbidden to leave? Everyone is so very cruel here. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. It’s the paranoia getting to me. It’s like someone’s always watching, always listening. There’s a general fear around here, and for some reason, it seems fueled by my arrival, but why are they afraid of me? I didn’t ask for this. I don’t even know how I got here. I need to go home. My parents must be worried sick. There has to be someone here who can help me, who can give me answers and lead me in the right direction so I can get out of here. There is this one boy, Lydic. Could he be my key to getting out? I can see it in his eyes he feels sorry for me. He seems to know more than he’s letting on. These people aren’t like anyone I’ve ever met before.
“What is that sound?” I asked in a whisper.It was still far away but growing louder and closer by the minute.
Lydic put his arm behind his back and opened his hand for me to take it.I slid my fingers into his and waited for him to let me know what to do next.My heart was pounding out of my chest.Another second passed and then Lydic turned, his eyes locked on mine as he nodded his head.We took off to try to outrun whatever it was that was coming for us.We had only gotten two steps in before I felt Lydic’s grasp on my hand slip away.I turned around to see what was happening.I screamed out in horror as Lydic was frozen in place.He was still on his feet, but his head was drawn back and his eyes rolling into his head as if in extreme pain.
“Lydic!” I cried out.
The old woman was behind him.She had that stick, the same one I had tripped over, held up in the air and aimed at Lydic’s head.There were bright colors, green and yellow, pouring out from the end of the stick and going directly into his skull.The woman’s expression was one of determination.Her eyes were closed and her lips pressed together as she mumbled something I couldn’t understand.
What are you going to do?Panic seized me.Lydic was supposed to help me, not the other way around.I didn’t know what to do.I had to stop this, but how?
The high-pitched whistling grew louder and more intense.It was starting to hurt my ears.My gut told me that if I didn’t make a move now, it was going to be too late.
I took a step toward the stick and reached out and grabbed it with my hand.I used all the strength I had to yank it from the grasp of the old woman.Lydic fell to his knees.The woman glared at me, a low growl escaping from her throat.She lunged toward me.Without having time to think, I instinctively swung the large stick at her, using it as a bat and she was the ball.It collided with her head making a grotesque sound.She collapsed to the ground.Lydic looked up at me.I was breathing hard, trying to understand what had just happened.
“What do we do?” I asked.The whistling noise was almost to us, but I still couldn’t see anything.
Lydic glanced over his shoulder at the woman.“Run!”
About the Author:
Sara V. Zook is a paranormal/fantasy writer. She is the author of the Strange in Skin Trilogy, Clipped and Evanescent, Book 1 in The Sempiternal Series. She lives in Pennsylvania with her 3 small children and husband.
The first time I ever heard the term “New Adult Fiction” was
from the lips of a literary agent. I was sitting nervously across the table
from her at a meet & greet during a writer’s meeting. While I smiled and
nodded and tried desperately not to start chewing my nails to bloody nubs, she
described a book that fit into this strange new genre.
My book.
The year was 2011, and I was still putting the finishing touches
on Falling, the first novel in my
series, Girl With Broken Wings. From
the beginning, I always considered the book to reside firmly in the adult
paranormal genre. My protagonist flubs the saucy comeback, wears too much
eyeliner…and feeds off the energy of living creatures (humans being the
forbidden dessert).
So, paranormal right?
“New adult,” the agent assured me. As soon as I scuttled
home in my too-tight high heels, washed off all the sophisticated makeup, and
traded my carefully ironed skirt for my favorite yoga pants, I did a little
research. Digging up information about New Adult Fiction in 2011 was like
trying to get a glimpse of Big Foot, only harder. (Google Big Foot, and there
he is.)
What I learned was that New Adult was a spankin’ new fiction
subgenre that usually featured a protagonist in the age range of 18 – 25 years
old. Check. My heroine, Maya, is 20
and her two half-brothers are 23 and 26. New Adult fiction also tends to tackle
themes related to the transition into adulthood, such as college, sex, a first
job, moving out of the house, and pregnancy.
I didn’t see “getting kidnapped and genetically altered” in
any of thematic elements list of the New Adult genre, but in a way Maya’s
little genome misadventure is her big wakeup call to the fact that the world
isn’t all lollipops and wind chimes made from recycled silverware (those
actually exist). At the end of Falling, Maya
is light years away from the college sophomore who started the book waxing
philosophical about an ideal world. Reality smacked her good and hard and then
kicked some sand in her face for good measure. Sure, most of us don’t get
turned into genetically-enhanced super beings, but the transition into
adulthood is often scary, confusing, and challenging for any number of reasons
(not least of all is realizing that your combination skin wasn’t just a puberty
thing).
As it turned out, 2012 was a very good year for the New
Adult genre. Some lovely ladies by the names of Cora Carmack (Losing It), Jamie McGuire (Beautiful Disaster), and Colleen Hoover
(Slammed) wrote some pretty awesome New
Adult books and danced all the way to the top of numerous best seller lists.
Suddenly people knew what New Adult was. Okay, not a lot of people. But some people knew, which meant
other people would also soon know.
Now, Amazon’s Kindle Store actually has a
Fantasy New Adult/College genre list. Goodreads also has a New Adult Fiction
most popular list. In other words, New Adult Fiction isn’t quite so new
anymore. It might still be mostly known among writers and publishers, but
readers are getting savvy, which means you bet I’m bragging all over the place
how I caught the “New Adult Fiction train” at the perfect time…even if it was
more by accident than superior precognition.
Do you want to catch the New Adult Fiction train and find
out what this genre is all about? Then hop aboard! I’m really excited to be one
of more than a dozen different authors who will be collectively setting our New
Adult and Coming of Age books for $0.99 on Amazon on Saturday, June 14th.
Falling is included. Our books are
all in the Fantasy and Paranormal genres, so you can gallop to distant lands,
or read about some peeps kickin’ cool powers on this planet.
To see a full list of participating authors and to hang out
with us (Don’t let us be the kid sitting all alone in the cafeteria at lunch!),
RSVP
for our Facebook Event called “Legends, Lovers and Lives”. Some of us will
be giving away small prizes and free books. To learn more about the New Adult
Genre, check out informative articles Here,
Here,
and Here.
***
J
Bennett is the author of the Girl
With Broken Wings series, a New Adult Paranormal series. She lives and
writes in San Diego. Bennett will be pricing the first novel in her series, Falling , at $0.99 on Saturday June 14th
as part of a one day sale along with 16 other New Adult authors. To learn more,
visit the event’s Facebook page, Legends,
Lovers and Lives.
Journey with Korah and Dane in the Intoxicating Passion box set, as they battle their individual demons on the way to finding a way to care for one another.
Korah Daniels is a nineteen-year-old college student dealing with the aftermath of leaving an abusive relationship. After letting down her guard, she meets a sexy guy at a Halloween party, but quickly realizes her past isn’t as far gone as she hoped. Will she be able to run from her abuser? Will she continue to hold her heart dearly or will the mysterious Zorro find a way through?
Dane Davidson is the ultimate playboy, never sticking around for more than one night. When he encounters Angel Eyes, he discovers his heart isn’t as locked up as he imagined. The more he learns of her, the greater he desires her, and wants to protect her. Will Dane be able to let go of his past so he can have a future? Will Korah be the one who makes him want to change?
The five Intoxicating Passion novelettes take you along with Dane and Korah, as they face the answers to life’s biggest questions.
Felicia Tatum was born and raised in Tennessee. She always loved reading, and at the age of twelve began writing. Her passion for creating stories grew and in May 2012, she finally wrote her first novel, The White Aura.
She still lives in Tennessee with her daughter and her kitty. She loves cooking and books. Animals are some of her best friends. She watches a lot of Disney channel and often dreams up new book ideas. She's currently working on various other projects.
