Book Highlight : The Lost Kingdom by Stephanie Beerden

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Series: The Elements #1
Release date: April 28th 2014

A Prophecy made long ago, announced the arrival of the new Ladies of Elements.

And now almost a millennia later, it finally came true …

All her life Arima thought she knew who and what she was. That is until the day of her sixteenth birthday came and her world is turned upside down, when she’s told she’s not a White Witch but Lady Spirit. And that she is the one that has been foretold, will unite the Five Ladies of Elements once again and save Ilendia and the Other Lands from Ahriman, the Demon King.

At first Arima refuses to accept her new fate, but when Shanums come and destroy her village and kill her loved ones, she has no choice but to flee and fall right into the destiny she never wanted.

As she grudgingly starts her journey into the unknown, she is accompanied by her unicorn familiar Sirrim, Blythe, a Vampire with a dark past and Myrddin, a mysterious Ljosalfar.

And the longer her journey lasts, the more Arima begins to realise that she can’t escape her own destiny and she must learn to control her powers and learn to be a Lady for the sake of the Sisters she doesn’t know and the people of Ilendia and the Other Lands.

However, things get more complicated when Arima comes into the possession of a key. Her instincts compel her to go towards danger when she discovers that the key she holds, can unlock the legendary kingdom of Eléssima, the home of the Ladies of Elements.

She will have to make the choice to follow her instincts …

…or stay on the path that has been laid out for her.

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About The Author

Stephanie Beerden was born on Friday the 13th (no joke, she really was) in a small city called Genk in Belgium. She has always been fascinated with the occult, magic and books. Her childhood and teen years were filled with reading lots and lots of books and imagining what life would be like as a vampire. Until one day she decided that she wanted to try her hand at writing her own books and that was the beginning of her writing adventure.

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Sneak Peak

Shortly before midnight Bryeia and Gideon called out to her and told her they would be going back home because they had something very important to tell her. The walk to Arima and Bryeia’s house was quiet and tense. It made Arima feel uneasy. Even Rowan was silent and wouldn’t even look at her. After a while, they arrived at the house. The house itself was made out of light brown wood and had a wooden roof with a layer of straw beneath it to insulate it during the winter months. The windows were a bit dirty and the door was worn, but it was home. Bryeia let everybody into the house before shutting the door securely behind her.
They entered the living room; it was cosy with a rectangular table and two chairs. A coloured carpet decorated the floor for a small coffee table, and a rocking chair stood near the window close to the broad window-sill, which had a few small pillows on it because it was Arima’sfavourite spot to sit. There were several cabinets and closets against the wall; one of them was a book-case, which held several books and parchment paper, and the other was a long cabinet with closed doors. Arimaimmediately went to her favourite spot on the window-sill and looked at the other three people in the room, confused as to what was going on.
“Why did we leave so early, Nana?” Arima asked, feeling a bit disappointed. Bryeia and Gideon looked at each other while Rowan pushed himself against a wall and kept his gaze away from hers.
Bryeia hesitantly stepped forward and said, “Arima, there is something I must tell you. Something I am not sure will be easy to accept, but you must know that it is the truth.”
“What is, Nana?” Arima asked, confused.
Bryeia sighed and looked at Gideon , who nodded encouragingly. “Arima, you weren’t abandoned on my doorstep as a baby,” Bryeia started. “I found you in the forest sixteen years ago on the first night of spring, like today … when you fell from the heavens like a falling star.”
“What?” Arima said, looking at Bryeia with wide, unbelieving eyes.
“Arima, you are not a White Witch. I made you that way with a spell I cast on you when you were a baby, to protect you from Ahriman. But I cannot protect you any longer. At midnight tonight, the spell will break, and Ahriman will be able to find you,” Bryeia said. She took a deep breath, while taking Arima’s hands in her own and looked at the hurt and disbelief in the girl’s light-green eyes . “Arima … you … you are Lady Spirit.”

Book Higlight : Strange & Ever After by Susan Dennard

IFB is hosting the promo tour for the third and final book in Susan Dennard'ssteampunk, zombie trilogy. Continue below for a sample and a cool giveaway.

Series: Something Strange & Deadly #3

Release date: July 22nd 2014

Publisher:HarperTeen

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis via Goodreads:

In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.

He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.

With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.

Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride.

About the Author

Susan Dennard is a writer turned marine biologist turned writer again. Strange and Ever After is the conclusion to her trilogy, which includes A Darkness Strange and Lovely and Something Strange and Deadly. Among the traits she shares with her heroine Eleanor are a weakness for Shakespeare quotes, a healthy appetite for baked goods, and an insatiable curiosity. Sadly, Susan does not get to wear a corset or wave a parasol on a daily basis.

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The Complete Series

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Book Highlight : Kiss Me Dead by Dale Ibitz

IFB is hosting the promo tour for Dale Ibitz fantasy, Kiss Me Dead. See details below:

Release date: May 28th 2014
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing

Purchase:Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

One curse…

Christian, a nineteen-year-old reaper-human hybrid enslaved to the Other World to harvest souls, earns his freedom by making a bargain with the Goddess of Death. As part of the bargain, he’s been cursed with the kiss of death. 

One kiss…

The only way Christian can break his curse is for an angel to kiss him. Willingly. He finds Brooke, an nineteen-year-old descendant of a Naphil whose destiny is to hunt rogue reapers. But she’s hiding, suffocating in a semi-agoraphobic cocoon since witnessing a reaper steal her brother’s soul. 

Two destinies…

Christian has found the angel who can break his curse, and the seduction begins. To break her phobia’s hold, Brooke embraces her angelic role and makes it her mission to kill rogue reapers, trying to avenge her brother’s murder. Christian can break his curse by kissing Brooke dead ... but will she figure out his game and kill him first?

About the Author

Dale Ibitz was born in Oxford, Connecticut, grew up in the state of Washington, and then re-located back to Connecticut as an adult. Always a lover of books, she spent much of her childhood reading, visiting the library (her best friend’s mother was a librarian…how convenient), and writing. She majored in English at Central Connecticut State University, and while Dale holds a full-time day job where she’s immersed in the dry life of writing contracts, she’s been writing young adult fantasy and mid-grade contemporary for seventeen years (on the side, of course). 

If you were to visit Dale’s house, you'd meet her husband, 2 kids, their dog Lea (most people simply refer to her as The Beast...and for good reason), their kitten Luna (affectionately known as Loony Luna), a gaggle of ducks, and a flock of hens ruled by a tyrannical rooster they call The Stump, or Stumpy. How he got his name is a long story...maybe she’ll tell you sometime.

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==EXCERPT==

Christian watched the dying girl and did nothing. 

He longed to do something—anything—to save her, but it wasn’t his place, his calling, or his duty. His duty was to wait for her death, then act.

Giltine, Goddess of Death, had branded the girl for death, the mark on her cheek glowing like slick silver while wet moonlight clung to her breasts. Her flailing arms and flooded gasps forced Christian’s eyes to close and his hands to clamp over his ears.

Nothing could stop the sound of death.

He could taste the girl’s fear; blood-metallic, like pennies. Even though he yearned to run, he wouldn’t. He would stay. He’d wait for her death then reap as he was bound to do.

Inhaling, he closed his eyes, scenting Giltine’s addictive poison, a sweet nectar reapers craved. He was a slave to her and to his addiction, just as the girl was a slave to death. Neither could escape their fate.

But no matter how many times he tried to abstain and break his addiction, no matter how fervently he wished for death to claim him, to awake and find Giltine’s mark glowing silver on his cheek, he would continue to exist, if only to hunt for death.

The girl’s hands slapped the water. She slid deeper into the shadowy lake. Pulse in his neck throbbing, he swallowed, trying to remain detached and unemotional as a proper reaper should. Unfortunately, he was also human. His humanity made him suffer.

As he edged closer to the water, sweat formed along his hairline. The mark on the girl’s cheek shone brighter, sweeter. He licked his lips. It was almost time.

Trembling with need, he rubbed his thumbs along his pants’ seams. He’d gone too long without a soul-hit, and cold rotted him from the inside. The longing for poison that tightened his stomach also made his lips twist in disgust. Not wanting to watch this beautiful girl die with hungry anticipation, he turned his head away. 

Water covered the girl’s mouth, sucking out one last, drowning breath before consuming her nose and fear-glassed eyes. She sank below the surface.

Christian sighed. It was done. The silence, however comforting, didn’t dispel the echoes of the girl’s dying breath lingering inside his head. He shuddered. 

The girl’s stillness revived the nocturnal silence: the grinding cheeps of tree frogs, an owl’s chirruping hoot. Wooden docks stretched into the water like skeletal fingers. A red fox’s tail flashed. Not willing to enter the water, he waited on the shore for the girl’s soul to emerge. The spring lake water was snow-melt frigid, and he detested both the water and the cold, as all his kind did. 

Moments later, like dust motes in a sunbeam, the girl’s soul appeared. Her skin shone with an ethereal glow, a result of Giltine’s poison, and her hair hung in damp ringlets. He could almost taste the sweet poison, so saccharine as to make his teeth ache.

He studied the drop of water that tickled the girl’s neck and trailed between her breasts. To him, her soul appeared as alive as her living form had been. He knew that once she crossed to the other side, the embodiment of her physical being would dissipate and he’d no longer be able to see her, feel her, smell her. Until then, however, she was real to him.

Realizing he was staring, he bit his lip and focused on the ground. The girl might be dead, might no longer care about decency or modesty, but he believed in dying with dignity. He scooped up her dress.

“Put it on.” His voice squeaked like an adolescent boy’s.

The girl hesitated then took the dress. He averted his gaze until she slipped it over her head. The dress was old, with a frayed hem and torn collar. Most of the buttons were missing, and it barely covered her nakedness. The loose flapper-style made her seem like a young girl, but he’d seen her nude, and her figure suggested she was one or two years older than him; maybe twenty-one. 

Unable to stop himself, he slid a fingertip along her cheek, the silver mark sweet and sticky like icing on a hot bun. When he licked his finger, Giltine’s poison shot like bathtub gin down his throat and seared his lungs. His sigh bordered on a groan.

“Who are you?” She was pretty, with cat-green eyes and hair he was sure would lighten like honey when it dried. 

“Christian.”

He held still, watching her while sweat collected along his back. Despite the aching need, and despite the small taste he’d just sampled, he couldn’t take her soul completely. He had to wait until he took her to the Void, and for her to make the decision to cross to the Other World. If he didn’t follow the rules, there would be punishment.

Lines wrinkled her forehead. Her pain leaked fragile ribbons that looped around his chest. His Other World senses allowed him just enough information to lure her there, and he could taste the earthy flavor of her confusion. Some might consider such knowledge cheating; Christian considered it a means to an end.

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Book Highlight : Extraction by Stephanie Diaz

Series: Extraction #1
Release date: July 22nd 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

"Welcome to Extraction testing."

Clementine has spent her whole life preparing for her sixteenth birthday, when she’ll be tested for Extraction in the hopes of being sent from the planet Kiel’s toxic Surface to the much safer Core, where people live without fear or starvation. When she proves promising enough to be “Extracted,” she must leave without Logan, the boy she loves. Torn apart from her only sense of family, Clem promises to come back and save him from brutal Surface life.

What she finds initially in the Core is a utopia compared to the Surface—it’s free of hard labor, gun-wielding officials, and the moon's lethal acid. But life is anything but safe, and Clementine learns that the planet's leaders are planning to exterminate Surface dwellers—and that means Logan, too.

Trapped by the steel walls of the underground and the lies that keep her safe, Clementine must find a way to escape and rescue Logan and the rest of the planet. But the planet leaders don't want her running—they want her subdued.

With intense action scenes and a cast of unforgettable characters,Extraction is a page-turning, gripping read, sure to entertain lovers of Hunger Games and Ender's Game and leave them breathless for more.

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About The Author

Twenty-one-year-old Stephanie Diaz wrote her debut novel, Extraction, when she should've been making short films and listening to college lectures at San Diego State University. When she isn't lost in books, she can be found singing, marveling at the night sky, or fan-girling over TV shows.

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Guest Post : THE HAUNT OF THIRTEEN CURVES by Jeanne Arnold

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Genre: YA Paranormal
Release date: July 7th 2014

Today I'm delighted to welcome Jeanne Arnold, author of The Haunt of Thirteen Curves, to my blog. As you read her post, you'll probably guess what attracted me to her book

THE HAUNT OF THIRTEEN CURVES

Guest Post by Jeanne Arnold

Hi there,
I feel I must warn you. If you survive the heart-pounding drive up the haunted thirteen curves, avoiding the clutches of roving brides and armed recluses, you better be ready for what awaits at the top.
I found out the hard way when I demanded my sister tell me where she disappeared to for days on end. I wasn’t willing to back down until she shared her secret escape. Little did I know she would actually drag me up the stomach-churning curves, blindfolded, with her boyfriend at the wheel, driving a million miles an hour. What they revealed to me in the winter of my seventeenth year…transformed me forever.
Surviving the treacherous drive to the abandoned armory was merely the start of my death-defying adventure. Navigating Elias Hawk’s sneaky manipulation became my task when I was introduced to the castle in the sky and its unique cast of dwellers. The more Elias evaded my questions about the place he called home, the more I knew he was covering up something big. The striking boy drove me wild with his clever smokescreens and well-timed kisses. Until I stumbled on his nemesis…a waiflike, ghost-bride waiting to collect me on the thirteen curves.
Trust me when I tell you to hold on tight. You’ll need more than a seatbelt to ride this ride.Consider yourself warned.
Sincerely,
Marcella Jackoby of Pennywright

The Haunt of Thirteen Curves by Jeanne Arnold

"In the armory, things can be convincing and impossible. Just like Elias."

Seventeen-year-old Marcella Jackoby’s bleak reality is altered when she encounters the apparition of a grieving bride wandering the deadly thirteen curves outside of Pennywright. Intent on capturing Marcella, the bride seeks to populate a mythical castle disguised as an abandoned armory, where young guests tirelessly battle an alliance of recluses in order to live with the promise of eternal youth and love.

Unaware of Elias Hawk’s efforts to safeguard her from untimely death, and in spite of the fact that he and the kids residing at the armory are not what they appear to be, Marcella falls for this enigmatic young man. As she uncovers Elias’s century-old secret, Marcella’s home life crumbles and an encounter with a roughneck adversary threatens her budding relationship and the existence of the armory’s residents, unintentionally leading Marcella to ignite war between the worlds, endangering the couple’s future in a shocking twist of fate.

About The Author

Jeanne Arnold is an author of young adult romance. At a young age she found her creative outlet in art, and for years her fictional characters came to life in drawings and paintings, until they demanded a voice. Now they grace the pages of her stories. Jeanne shares her time with her fictional teenage counterparts and her human family in Central New York. STUBBORN is available in ebook, print and audiobook at all major online retailers. Look for THE HAUNT OF THIRTEEN CURVES in July 2014 and JUST AS STUBBORN, the second installment in the STUBBORN series, in January 2015.

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Book Highlight : The Fallen Body by Stone Patrick

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Release date: November 5th 2013
Publisher: Xlibris

Taylour Dixxon, a modern day small-town lawyer in the beautiful hilly country of Central Texas, befriends Sarah Cockrell Baines, a New Jersey socialite and millionairess.

As their friendship begins, Sarah is arrested for the murder of her husband and is put into jail. When Taylour volunteers to defend Sarah, she has no idea that her struggling solo practice in the sleepy, fictional, small town of Marlinsville, Texas, will be turned upside down.

From a lovable, adolescent nephew who moves in with her, to a hired assassin who is determined to hide the truth, and a handsome Texas Ranger who becomes the object of affection in a love triangle between the two friends, Taylour’s life will never be the same.

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About The Author

Stone Patrick is a pseudonym for Taylor Stonely, who has a day job working for a financial services company. He received a BS degree from Brigham Young in 1991 and an MBA degree from the University of Phoenix in 2002. He currently resides in north Texas with his wife and four children. While he is a frequent blogger on his website,www.taylorsbookpub.com, "The Fallen Body" is his debut suspense novel.

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Sneak Peak

Just as Taylour was about to pick up her fork and dive in, Sarah asked if she could say grace.
"Lord, we thank thee for this meal that thou hast provided, and the hands that have helped prepare it. We thank thee, Father, for all that thou hast given us this day. For old friendships, and new." She squeezed Taylour’s hand, and continued.
"Lord, we now ask thee to watch over us, to protect us from evil, and to keep us always on the path of righteousness." Taylour cleared her throat and swallowed. Sarah continued.
"Finally, Lord, we ask thee to--"
The front door slammed open. It rocked the foundation with such force that it nearly broke off the hinges. Men in black streamed in, guns pointing and sweeping the corners. Yells of "Texas Rangers, don't move!" reverberated off the walls. Taylour dived under the table, but Sarah remained seated, unmoving. The lead shooter aimed his weapon squarely at Taylour’s head, and then shouted, "Get up! Get up off the floor! Now!"
Taylour hastened to comply, her hands behind her head. "What is going on?"
Sounds of "Clear!" throughout the house, but no one answered Taylour’s question, which seemed to hang in the air.
"I demand to know what is going on here!"
"All clear!" yelled the lead shooter, and then a tall man with thick gray hair emerged. He was wearing a non-descript suit and tie, with a slight bump under his right arm. He had a small but distinctive scar on his right temple. He replaced his Glock 17 into his chest holster with his left hand and marched towards Taylour with his badge in his right hand, which he promptly put back in his pocket. Taylour’s blood boiled, and just as she was about to let out another protest, he stopped her with his index finger. "Are you Sarah Baines?" he asked.
"What? There's no Sarah Baines--"
"How did you find me?"
They both turned to see Sarah, still seated. Her hands were flat on the table, and she sat unmoving, not from fear, but from acceptance of her fate. She finally pushed herself away and asked again, "How did you find me so quickly?"
The tall man pulled a photo from his suit pocket. He squinted at the photo, then back at Sarah.
"You changed your hair. It used to be platinum blond, if this picture is accurate." Sarah's hair was black, jet black, and she had it cut to the length of her shoulders. A feeling of dread came over Taylour. Who is this person?
The tall man motioned for Taylour to sit down. "Philip Davidson, Texas Rangers. We have been looking for a fugitive, someone by the name of Sarah Baines, a.k.a. Sarah Cockrell. She is sitting at this table, and I am here to arrest her."
"On what charges, Mr. Davidson?" Taylour said.
"Are you her lawyer?" he smirked.
"As a matter of fact, I am."
Sarah looked at Taylour with pleading in her eyes. Taylour gave her a curt nod, set her jaw, and leaned towards Philip Davidson, staring him straight in the eye.
He squinted right back at Taylour and gave her a hard smile. Without looking in Sarah’s direction, he said crisply, "Sarah Cockrell Baines, you are under arrest for the murder of Neal Baines, your husband."

Book Highlight : A French Princess in Versailles by Anna Adams

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Series: The French Girl #3
Release date: June 30th 2014

Determined to escape her failed pop career and focus on her classical training, Maude Laurent moves back to France and enrolls at the prestigious National Academy of Arts.
Between balls, charity events, concerts, and navigating in the French elite, Maude has to prove she’s cut out to become a professional opera singer in a world where pop music is regarded with disdain.
Though she fights it, her past catches up with her when she meets an English teacher who forces her to see a world beyond the safety of the Academy and takes her down an unusual musical journey where the risk is great and the reward uncertain. And when a chain of events bring her and Matt back in the same town, Maude will learn that music can bring people closer or tear them apart forever.

About The Author

Born in France, raised partly in the United States and in France, Anna Adams grew up loving stories in French and English.
Anna currently lives in Paris where she studies at la Sorbonne as a Law Student.
She's the author of the French Girl series for which she is writing the the third installment.
When she isn't writing, Anna likes to travel in Europe and dreams of going to Asia and Africa.

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Sneak Peak

“I’ve decided to move back to France.”
When she spoke the fatal words, silence filled the room, and Maude enjoyed the savory sense
of satisfaction to its fullest. Her glass was half raised and half full with clear, icy, mineral
water, transparent and brilliant as the truth.
The glass slipped from her fingers, and as easily as crystal explodes in a million pieces, the
shocked silence shattered and the reporters craved for every detail of the decision, details
Maude refused to give.
She grabbed a tissue and rubbed her dark pencil skirt furiously. She’d worn that precise skirt
because she associated it with seriousness. Solemnity was required of her in the midst of a
scandal. Her natural dark hair tied into a tight bun, very little makeup on her smooth chocolate
skin. Just enough foundation to hide that she’d barely slept a wink the night before.
She’d weighed the pros and the cons. But it all came down to one thing: her love for music.
Her passion for classical music had helped her years ago when she lived in a basement in the
north of France. In those days, she’d dreamed of becoming a concert pianist or an opera
singer.
Dreams, like nature, change over time. When she’d been discovered by James Baldwin almost
two years ago and whisked off to New York, she’d fallen in love with pop music and her
ambitions grew as did her love for music.
She wanted to show the world that classical and pop could make a wonderful combination.
This ambition had given birth to her first self-titled album. Success, praise, fame. All had
ensued with impeccable timing.
How had her dreams turned into frightful nightmares? She’d lied, unwillingly to be sure, but
the consequences had been disastrous. She’d lost her way.
She thought about this as her uncle led her out of the crowded room, the sound of her heels
muffled by the wool carpeting. His grip tightened around her elbow. Security guards
surrounded her every side, but as they rushed outside to the dark sedan waiting for her, a
crowd had gathered. Maude’s tenacious bodyguards contained a vocal, vociferating mob with
difficulty. They held cardboard signs instead of pitchforks, yet their intentions weren’t so
different from that of angry villagers in medieval times. The focus of public outrage may
differ through time, but its force rarely alters.
“Liar!”
“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Faking a relationship just to sell more albums?”
She might’ve argued she wasn’t the first to do so and probably wouldn’t be the last. Did it
matter? She’d been caught, no one else had, and that remained the only difference.
The origin of the leak remained a mystery although she had a pretty strong hunch it was
Lindsey Linton, the blonde beauty who saw in Maude an unprecedented rival.
“Duck!” yelled James. Too late, much too late.
Splat!
A ripe tomato landed in her dark mane and oozed down her neck, leaving a reddish trail of
slime. Maude continued to advance to the car, swallowing repeatedly to push down her
disgust. Her heart stopped when she noticed a girl, not much older than twelve, clutching her
music album. Tears were streaming down her face as she squeezed the album against her
chest, biting her lip with an unsettling fierceness.
Incomprehension, disappointment, accusation. Her eyes were the accumulation of all the
feelings Maude’s scandal had unleashed. The little girl’s expressive distress tormented Maude
more than any of the cardboards or edibles thrown at her. She faltered at the car’s door, one
foot inside, one foot out, prompting a bodyguard to push her head inside, entangling her hair
with the tomato further. His grip hurt, and she caught one last glimpse of the girl before he
slammed the door in her face. A rotten banana hit the window.
It was high time to go, and Maude was keener than ever to escape public fury.
While the pop world no longer wanted her, the classical world greeted her with open arms.
After her performance in Aida a couple of days ago, in which she’d played the devious
Egyptian princess intent on thwarting the purest love of all time, her talent had been
recognized by the National Academy of Arts, the most prestigious French music school based
in the Parisian area.
They wanted her.
No paparazzi, no scandal, just music. Going back to her classical roots. So what if her dream
of bringing classical to the pop world was to be ignored henceforth?
The pop world didn’t want her. And as much as it hurt, as much as the crashing sales hurt and
the dreadful names she was being called pained her (“a conniving little Frenchie”), she
needed to step away from it all. To go back to a peaceful existence in France where no one
had really heard of Maude Laurent anyway. Forget launching her international career.
She would live in blissful anonymity.
That was Maude’s plan. And she honestly hoped everything would go smoothly.

Book Highlight : Nantucket Red by Leila Howland

Tour Schedule
Series: Nantucket #2
Release date: May 13th 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Cricket Thompson's lifetime of overachieving has paid off: she's headed to Brown University in the fall, with a spot on the lacrosse team and a scholarship that covers almost everything. Who knew living in the dorm cost money? An Ivy League education seems to mean living at home for the next four years.

When Cricket is offered the chance to earn enough cash to afford a real college experience, she heads back to Nantucket for the summer. But the faraway island challenges Cricket in ways she hadn't anticipated. It's hard to focus on earning money for next year, when she finds her world opening up in entirely new ways-to art, to travel, and, most unexpectedly, to a future completely different from the one she has been working toward her whole life. A friendship blossoms with Ben, the gorgeous surfer and bartender who encourages Cricket to be free, even as she smarts at the pain of seeing Zack, her first love, falling for her worst enemy.

But one night, when Cricket finally lets herself break all her own rules, she realizes she may have ruined her carefully constructed future with one impulsive decision. Cricket must dig deep to fight for her future, discovering that success isn't just about reaching goals, but also about listening to what she's been trying to ignore-her own heart.

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About The Author

LEILA HOWLAND loves to read, explore L.A., and engage in funny and meaningful conversations with her friends and family, especially her brother who calls from Washington D.C. whenever he’s waiting for the bus. A lot gets discussed in those phone calls, but they tend to end abruptly when the bus shows up. She can really cut the rug, but wishes she could sing without people covering their ears. A graduate of Georgetown University, Leila spent five years acting in New York where she was a company member of the award-winning Flea Theater in Tribeca. It was a lot of fun and she often talks about “getting back into it.” The closest she has come was a stint as an extra on The Young and the Restless in 2010. Leila now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two dogs. She teaches high school English and blogs for HelloGiggles.

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