Friday Flash: #004: The Seventh

This is an icky little horror short about Lina & what she discovers about her friends one night camping out in the woods. Inspired by the song "Friends" by The Police.

 

The Seventh

They were all sitting in a circle around the fire and the light was flickering across their faces in patterns masking guilt and sadness and fear and other less understandable things. It had been a full five minutes since anyone had said anything other than the occasional murmur of Brad's voice against Jenna's ear or the rustle of Sandra's ubiquitous cargo pants as she shifted in the sand. Deepa's fingers were twisting and untwisting in her lap and Mike was nervously downing beer after beer from the cooler in the back of the Hummer. The fact he was sitting there drinking made Lina want to scream and she started to get to her feet but was pulled back quickly, Jack's hand on her wrist.

Lina wrenched her wrist from Jack's hand, turning wildly furious eyes on him. She saw him cringe and some part of her that wasn't righteously angry felt a twinge of regret before she shrugged it off and got to her feet. "Damn you all," she said under her breath.

Sandra turned bright, angry eyes automatically toward Lina. "You said what now?"

"You heard me," Lina answered, not looking at Sandra. Knowing it would piss the other girl off more. "Damn. You. All." She punctuated each word with a sharply pointed finger at each grouping of her friends around the fire.

"Damn you, bitch," Mike answered with a crunch of a can against his chest but his voice trembled with alcohol bravado and the hint of hysteria. He began giggling as he popped the top on a new can. "Damn me," he said under his breath as it exploded all over his clothes.

Really?" Lina's voice was shrill and Deepa almost whimpered. Brad pulled Jenna closer and shook his head, eyes accusatory as his girlfriend began to sob against his chest. "Really," Lina said, more calmly now.

Deadly calm. She'd been the only one not involved in this. She'd walked in, been lured in by Jack. She couldn't believe this now. Couldn't believe how they had all just been celebrating and laughing a few minutes ago knowing Christine was out there. Suffering.

And when Christine, naked and covered in muddy cuts, her eyes haunted and skin stretched taut over starved bones, had stumbled into their camp and collapsed after that terrifying not truly human cry... well Lina had gone insane. That's the only thing she could think to explain how she was now staring down 6 people guilty of attempted murder out in the middle of nowhere.

Mike crumpled his latest can against his chest and then, almost with only half a thought, threw it at Lina. The can sailed through the air and clanked off the back of Lina's dark hair, taking her by surprise as it cut her scalp. Suddenly she was shaking with fear, the anger draining from her with a cold blanket of shock. Her fingers, trembling, felt through her hair and came back dark and wet in the firelight.

Deepa let out a bray of neurotic laughter. Her fingers popped and crackled in their joints as she twisted them and Sandra grinned, her teeth so white against dark skin.

"What the hell, Mike?" Jack growled and Lina had a momentary surge of renewed affection for her ex-boyfriend. Maybe he hadn't known about all of this. About Christine.

But then Christine, still lying by the fire, moaned. Her eyes were rolling and Lina could only register dismay as Jack breathed in deeply, savoring. Savoring what?

Lina began to back away, horrified. Her fingers curled uselessly around the cell phone in her pocket. The one with no bars out here. "How can you do this?" she demanded.

Jenna lifted her face from Brad's chest and Lina could see she hadn't been sobbing. Her eyes were clear and bright like she was laughing. "It's easy. Well it will be soon," she murmured, her eyes now wild as she held firm to the bottle of vodka they'd all been passing around ten minutes ago.

"E-easy?" Lina asked but she was sure she didn't want to know the answer.

"Yeah," Mike said through a belch that ended in a keening giggle. "Real easy now that we have the seventh."

"The seventh makes us strong," Deepa said reverently.

"Strongly hungry," Mike tittered with a hiccup.

Jack chuckled genially. "You're always hungry, Mike," he said and Mike nodded and leered strangely at Lina.

Lina's heart flew into her throat. And when the glass vodka bottle flew through the air, she knew it was over.

When they all transformed before her eyes in the split second before the bottle smashed into her face, breaking her nose, Lina felt suddenly less than human herself. Flashes of elongated snouts and gray fur, bright or dark as the clouds passed the moon. Something primal was taking hold. A fear that had survived deep in the heart of human beings from before the time of recorded history.

And in the time it took her body to drop to the dirt where Christine had been moments before she too had transformed, their teeth were gleaming blood red in the firelight. She had only two breaths left before Deepa, howled hyena sick and coyote strong.

Then the chorus of jackal calls rose into the night.

Introducing: Morning Light Book Tours & Bacon

Thanks to the fabulous Rinni & her sis Tabitha, I present you with Bacon, the zombie piglet. Because my favorite animals are pigs & my favorite book/movie monster is a zombie this is probably my most favorite idea for a stuffed animal ever!

So Bacon will be part of my blog, making some recommendations for the best BRAINSSS... er most interesting things from around the book blogosphere. He has very discerning tastes and only wants the best for himself & for you. Keep an eye out for his thoughts soon.

And to start it off, Bacon would like you to know that Into The Morning Reads now has a sister site called Morning Light Book Tours. For those of you who were familiar with New Books for New Bloggers, I yanked the book tours over and they are now called Morning Light. So if you're interested in book tours & would like to sign up, please do. I don't have much up there yet, just one ARC (Hades - Halo #2) but I will have more soon.

Also, if you have any books you'd like to donate to the tours, check our the site for that as well. And if you're super sweet, you might post the button on your blog for the book tours. Especially if you're still sporting the old New Books for New Bloggers button. Just replace it!

That's all for now!

PS: You can win one of your own zombie bunnies by entering Rinni's giveaway here or purchase one of her other masterful creations on Rinni's etsy site!

Review: Bliss by Lauren Myracle

Bliss by Lauren Myracle

Release Date: September 1, 2008
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 444
Reading level: Young Adult
My Rating:

When Bliss’s hippie parents leave the commune and dump her at the home of her aloof grandmother in a tony Atlanta neighborhood, it’s like being set down on an alien planet. The only guide naïve Bliss has to her new environment is what she’s seen on The Andy Griffith Show. But Mayberry is poor preparation for Crestview Academy, an elite school where the tensions of the present and the dark secrets of the past threaten to simmer into violence. Openhearted, naïve Bliss is happy to be friends with anyone. That’s not the way it has ever worked at Crestview, and soon Bliss is at the center of a struggle for power between three girls—two living and one long dead.

-- from Goodreads.com

This book had everything I felt I wanted from a book about a very major time in historical America and about ghosts and about coming of age. Bliss was a pretty fascinating character, born and bred a hippie who now must learn the social mores of the south and her grandmother's ideas of propriety. Not to mention the idea that black people ought to be segregated unless you needed a token one to keep your school from being called racist. It was that point in American history that we Americans probably would wish had never taken place because we are accepting of all skin colors now, to put it bluntly.

As part of the generation that had not been born yet during the time period of this book, it was both fascinating and appalling to see the racism. I think one of the main messages of the book though was to point out how terrible racism was but then to point out just how terrible the other "segregations" are that can be imposed on others out of ignorance, stupidity, or spite.

Bliss befriends 2 girls, one who is universally disliked, and one who is universally loved for seemingly no reason. Bliss attempts to forge a true bond with them only to discover that they are not exactly what she had thought them to be in the first place. It seems like a typical story but there is a paranormal aspect to it that gives the entire book a hard, interesting edge -- if sometimes a little disgusting.

The biggest issue I had with this book was that it grabbed an idea, ran with it (along with the protagonist who embraced it all the way) but then dropped completely at the end. The end was like feeling free, running flat out for the first time in your life, then suddenly meeting a wall & realizing you can't go any further. It was disappointing because it felt like a total betrayal of all of the growth the main character had achieved.

Except for the ending this is a fantastic read. If you can take the message away without it being tainted, then definitely check it out. Unless the message you take away is that "ignorance is bliss..."

Friday Flash #003: Metal { a dystopian idea }

 

Metal { a dystopian idea }

The first time Andrew saw Kate Mildred she was standing on the crest of a sand dune a quarter of a mile away. She looked to be around his age, which was a close-kept secret since he'd lied to the army recruiter. He wasn't 18 yet but he knew he wanted to get off world fast and fight the Metallics before they made their way to Earth.

Her burnished copper hair blazed like fire in the intensity of the sun and he had the odd thought that her pale, creamy skin most certainly must be getting sunburned. She stood tall, and he supposed she would probably be pretty imposing if she were closer. She was dressed, apparently, in the stylish near-full body armor indicative of a Slasher. Her bare face, arms, and legs the only indication that she was not a Metallic. Her hand was raised to shield her eyes as she scanned the horizon and, in spite of the fact he wore rust-colored camouflage meant to blend directly with the reddish sands, her gaze stopped on him.

Andrew could feel the intensity of her stare from across the distance. Across impossibility. He knew that his camo gear was the best in the 'verse complete with invisifying force shield. He was as invisible as a grain of sand against the rest of the desert.

Yet there she stood. Her eyes fixed on his location as her other hand reached back behind her. From a shoulder sheath she pulled the largest gun Andrew had ever seen. It was easily as large as her entire upper body and the way the metal sparkled in the sunlight told him it was probably just as heavy. She set her eye to the sight and aimed directly where Andrew rested in the shade of a large wandering cactus.

Andrew's heart quickened, bucking all training he'd ever had in desert combat on distant planets. He cursed himself for getting separated from his unit and for being out in the open on a planet with Slashers who very obviously had ocular enhancements. He was a sitting duck.

The boom of her shot vibrated through the air only seconds before the bullet struck the desert near his face, splattering it was a mist of sand. His heart leaped into his throat and with wide eyes he watched her put the gun away again. Without another glance in his direction she turned, her red hair flaming away into the distance as she descended the dune.

How had she missed him? he wondered. Turning his eyes slowly toward the ground where the bullet had hit, he almost laughed out loud. As he pulled the water supply unit she had fired at him out of the sand, Andrew knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that that he was going to find that girl again one day.

And he was going to kiss her.

Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Release Date: May 10, 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 480
Reading level: Young Adult
My Rating:

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

-- from Goodreads.com

This was an absolutely adorable book. The fairytale of the 12 Dancing Princesses has been my favorite Grimm's fairytale since I was a little girl and so I gravitated toward this to see how it could be fleshed out to a full-blown book-sized story. And I was pleasantly surprised that it was something that could be done fairly easily without much pomp or circumstance. Just plain, great storytelling.

As the basis for the book suggests, there are indeed 12 princesses. I was amazed at how each one had her own distinct personality from bookworm Eve to swashbuckler Bramble to headstrong Delphinium to wise beyond her years Jessamyn to ever-hungry Ivy to sweet & sensible Clover. Azalea, the eldest and narrator, was the catalyst for our clear view of her sisters with much affection for their strengths and weaknesses. Each girl is multi-layered which is a truly daunting feat with so many characters. Not to mention the fact that there were about 12 other characters as well who all had their own unique temperaments and sets of motivations. Every character stayed in character through the entire story making this probably the largest cast in a book to remain consistent I have ever read. I was very impressed.

The only drawback I could see was the repetitive use of certain phrases throughout the book. It seemed that at least once ever few pages Azalea was either squeezing something so hard it imprinted into her palms or she was clenching her fists so hard her fingernails cut into her skin. I kept hoping that while she searched for the magicked sugar teeth she might come across a pair of magic nail clippers that wouldn't take no for an answer. Then there was the King who's only response to anything was either to coldly mention rules or to suck in his cheeks. And if Azalea turned up freezing outside or fell into a frozen river all for the sake of being saved by Mr. Bradford one more time I was going to stop reading. With the masterful imagination she exhibited in so many other scenes, I was disappointed that Ms. Dixon could not come up with better ways to propel the characters through disagreement, frustration, and romance.

I also didn't care for the description of dance steps, but that was a personal preference and not a flaw with the book. Without a dance background I find it hard to translate words to images in my mind where dance is concerned. But that was neither here nor there with regard to my enjoyment of the book.

Over all Entwined was a fun, light read that I truly enjoyed. The drawbacks were minor against the marvelous backdrop of love for family, loyalty, and magic. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves fairytales but bear in mind that there is a sweet innocence to this book that may not appeal to older teens if they are looking for the intensity of the majority of YA reads.

Friday Flash #002: Jane {Part One}

As was so nicely suggested last week, I am going to spread particular Friday Flash out over a couple of weeks. Here is part one of what will be a story about an enigmatic office worker and the coworkers who feel she needs to go. They will take matters into their own hands and discover something rather unique about Jane.

 

Jane {Part One}

She'd sat there so quietly for a year and a half, hardly opening her mouth or getting involved in the office conversations. It was a small office, perhaps 25 people at its largest, but now only 15 people remained. So they all knew how Jane Whitmore always sat with her eyes glued to the computer screen, her fat back and frizzy dark hair turned to the rest of the office, tuning out the chatter and general chaos, tap-tapping her reports out.

They had also all seen how she would instantly become animated if someone directly spoke to her. She was a keen conversationalist if someone else began the exchange. Always informative and intelligent sounding, she used large words and spoke with authority. If spoken to first. After the dialog she would turn her eyes back to the computer and ignore the office behind her again.

The fact that she would not engage in the office gossip fests and character assassinations of those who dared to come into the office and attempt to improve functionality had worked several of Jane's co-worker's into a lather.

"Who does she think she is? Is she too good for us or what?" Dana griped during one of the after-hours get-togethers a few of them organized at the bar across the street on Fridays.

Sipping at a half glass of red wine, Isabel rolled her eyes. "No kidding. Have you heard how she talks?" She affected a slightly deeper and nasally voice, "'Oh, it was prestidigitation with fortuitous gesticulations of blah blah blah.'"

Dana giggled, "Seriously, what the hell is that?"

Francie sat forward conspiratorially. "I heard she's friends with Pete. They talk on the office messenger system."

Pete, the recent subject of their open dislike, was the office jerk. He had demonstrated a complete lack of social propriety with his over the top pleasantness, rambunctious friendliness and politically-grounded sense of humor. He was supremely good-looking, favoring Colin Farrell, yet he had not flirted with a one of them. They hated him.

Isabel's eyes widened but then she just shook her head and sighed. "She's so desperate. I mean she has to be. Have you seen her?"

Dana giggled again.

"Fattest person I've ever seen up close. She must have stock in lard," Francie said with a derisive snicker. "Did you see the fat rolls when her shirt rode up in the back earlier?"

"Oh and her hair. Good grief. Someone ought to give her a makeover," said Isabel.

"Sure, but she's disgusting. I mean, people like her should NOT eat a bagel every morning. And I don't care if those are frozen diet meals she eats at lunch. She obviously needs to just stop eating altogether," Dana said and flagged the waiter for another beer.

"Does she have anything other than those 5 outfits to wear or can't she find anything else in her size?" Isabel paused a beat so the other two could chime in with laughter before continuing in a tone of disgust. "The same thing every week in the same order. Purple print on Monday, black tent on Tuesday, too-tight red dress on Wednesday, yellow polka dot tent on Thursday and pink polo on Friday. EVERY week."

"Girls, girls," came a voice behind them.

All three jumped slightly as though each suspected Jane to be standing there listening to them verbally tear her apart. Turning in unison, they saw only their office manager Judith and all relaxed with light laughter.

As Judith sat she chuckled at them. "You should've seen your faces." She imitated the frozen expression of guilt and slight irritation they'd each worn.

Dana giggled and Isabel rolled her eyes again. "Well it's not like we want her to know what we're saying about her. She might go postal on us one day."

"I doubt it," Dana said. "Seriously, I'll bet she couldn't move that fast. She would probably just walk out without saying anything and never come back."

Francie sniffed, "Without saying anything? I don't think she'd leave unless she was really pissed off. Which I've never seen and they put a lot of shit on her."

Judith laughed and her inappropriately displayed and overly tanned breasts jiggled. "Oh you noticed? I keep telling the other branches they can give her things because I know she won't say no."

"I'll bet she's screaming on the inside," Dana giggled.

"Well I bet we could make her lose her cool and walk out like the retard she really is," said Isabel.

"Put your money where your mouth is, little girl," Francie challenged.

Isabel smiled wryly. "We're all in or I'm not doing a thing. We each take a turn. Whoever gets her to lose her cool gets $50 from each of the losers."

Francie nodded her agreement in a brisk businesslike way.

Judith looked upward as if mentally calculating how much that would amount to for the winner. "Ok, I'm in for the $200. I've always wondered how long I could push her before she left."

"Well I'm in. You know she tells Pete everything we say about him and that's why he gets obnoxious in my face sometimes," said Dana.

"I want first dibs," said Francie.

"First thing Monday, then," Isabel said.

And Francie echoed her with another nod, "First thing Monday.

More next week.

Random Acts of Twitter

So last month I did a little experiment. I was curious about whether or not people paid attention to my tweets, people other than my good friends or authors re-tweeting my review tweets. I was curious to see what needed to be part of a tweet to catch the odd person's interest. I mean, I have over 200 followers. Why are they following me if they don't read what I'm saying, right?

After a few experimental tweets I discovered that if you put a hash tag (even a made up one) at the end, people were more apt to read and comment on my tweets. The same went for an @, a link, or for a long post they could only read in entirety on TweetDeck. Which I suppose I could have judged simply by the fact that my eye normally goes toward tweets with added color thanks to the way I've set up my color scheme to make links stand out.

But I wanted to see if there were certain buzz words that might catch the attention of casual skimmers of Twitter too if posted. Things like "wish list" and "Random Acts of Kindness" and "I'm feeling generous." So I tweeted that the first person participating in Random Acts of Kindness to DM me with their #1 wish list book would get it because I was feeling generous. And I thought possibly I'd have to do a tie-breaker or something.

No one responded.

So now I know that buzz words don't work to capture the attention of Twitter readers. And my conclusion is that my Twitter followers largely are disinterested in my tweeting. Which leads me to be very curious as to why people even bother clicking the "Follow" button. It's probably different reasons for different people. I know I sometimes click it because it's my way of appreciating someone for following me. But I tend to read everything and respond to people I'm not even familiar with when I'm on Twitter. Whatever strikes my fancy.

Anyway, that was a lot of blah blah blah for a blog post explaining why the contents of this paragraph exist. See, I'm going to try that last buzz word experiment again. Some time before September 30 I'm going to tweet again to give away a wish list book for someone. And not just someone participating in RAK either. Just thought I'd let you know. See you on the flip side.

I Was A Guest Blogger

That's right! I blogged over at Al's fantastic blog, Magnet 4 Books, & I talked all about how the YA book market & the books themselves have changed throughout my growing up years.

Excerpt

Hello, My Name Is Jenny & I'm An Addict

Reading is one of my favorite secret vices of all time. I dabbled in it a bit when I was young but when I picked up the huge, old, heavy tome of an illustrated Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë when I was 11, that's was it. I was a life-long addict.

Read the rest here!

Blog Tour: Nick James & The Pearl Wars

Revision is such a massive topic. It's been covered so many times, yet I think it's the number one struggle for most writers. When working on a first draft, the main goal is to get it done. Plain and simple. It doesn't matter if it's perfect, or even if it makes complete sense. As long as it's down there on paper. But once you enter that revision stage (whether it be the first or the fiftieth), you're really looking at the manuscript with an eye for publication. The game changes and the book begins to take shape into what it ultimately will be. Personally, my writing evolves so much in the revision stage. It grows from the seed of an idea to a fully fleshed out world. Details, character quirks, added description… a vast amount comes during revision.

In the spirit of revision, I thought it would be fun to post the first page or so of the very earliest draft of SKYSHIP I could find side-by-side with the final, published excerpt. Keep in mind, this early text was written years before I got an agent/publisher/etc. A lot has changed, including my handle on the craft of writing:

One

So how exactly did it come to this?
That's all I can think as my fingers grip the lip of the ledge, the rest of me dangling into empty sky like some demented human windsock. And all the while I know he's approaching from the other side, footstep by footstep closer to crunching my fingers to the point where I let go in pain and fall fifty two stories to the streets below.
Cassius Stevenson. My age, my build exactly, but somehow better… quicker than me in every way. I hate him, and he wasn't supposed to be here today. It was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission, not a fight for my life. Then again, when Unit 12 is involved, nothing ever seems to go as it should.
That's my unit, you see. Maja, Skandar, Eva, Manjeet and me, Jessie Fisher. We're the worst in the Academy, and that's no exaggeration. I think this little ordeal only proves it.
I was the only one to break through to the elevators, and even then I barely made it by a hair. Luckily, being the wiriest of the bunch has its advantages, and I was able to dive right in as the doors were closing. As far as I know, the others are still down there, fighting for their lives. Me? I'm just hanging around up here, wondering why we ever signed up to do this in the first place.
I hear Cassius's voice before I see him. I'd recognize that smug, taunting sound anywhere. "I missed you, you know? I missed bashing your head in. Remember last time? You were lucky that girl was there to save your skin. But this? This is just too delicious for words."
I want to make a witty retort, to shove his words back in his face, but I honestly think my voice has gone on vacation. All my effort is laser beam focused on keeping my grip. Nothing else matters.
Cassius's face comes into view, his dark bangs just touching the top of his eyes, giving way to a satisfied smile. He wears a dark blue suit, as usual. The Madame always keeps her crew well dressed. It's one of those things that makes her extra annoying.
He kneels down next to my hands, but his eyes never leave mine. "Only you could misjudge so completely the distance to the edge of the building. I swear, Fisher. You make my job easy. It's almost a pity to watch you fall. You've been a great amusement to my friends and I. But…" he reaches down to my hand, starting to pry my pinky finger from the building, "I suppose one can only be amused for so long."

I actually hadn't read this for years, and it was really funny to go through again. I always knew where the story was going to start, but a number of terms and characters fell by the wayside as this project developed. Gone is "Unit 12," as well as Maya and Manjeet (though he is mentioned by name later). "The Madame" was shortened to simply "Madame" and Cassius and Jesse went from old adversaries to strangers as the book opens. And thankfully, Cassius doesn't speak like he's a middle-aged super villain anymore. I don't know what I was thinking with some of those lines. Here's the final version. It's interesting to see how little of the actual phrasing was kept intact, even as the spirit is similar:

One

The year 2095
Syracuse, New York - Fringe Town

My fingers grip the ledge, searching for cracks. The rest of me dangles into empty sky like some demented human windsock.
I hear him approach from the other side of the rooftop, footstep by footstep closer to crunching my fingers until I let go in agony and plummet twelve stories to the cracked pavement below. Splat goes me.
Cassius Stevenson, his government badge reads. When he showed up I thought maybe he was here to help us. Maybe the Academy sent him down in case we messed up. He can't be any older than fifteen, same as me. I didn't even know the government trained people that young. But apparently they do. And apparently he's not here to help us.
"Can't say I expected this." His voice is every bit the spoiled Surface kid, complete with a lilt that he must think sounds sophisticated. In reality it's just mass irritating. "I'd about given up finding anything interesting out here in this wasteland. And then I bump into you and your little friend. I gotta tell you, you guys saved my day."
He's talking about Skandar, my teammate, who should be up here helping me. Too bad Cassius already immobilized him downstairs. Eva's gone too, off with our Fringe contacts. I'm the only one left. I don't know why I let Skandar talk me into exploring this rotting hotel in the first place. This Cassius person is instant karma for straying from our mission objective.
Cassius flashes me a smile as his face comes into view. "I'm in awe, buddy. I've never seen someone actually trip off the side of a building before."
He stares down at me over the ledge, his dark bangs touching the top of his hazel eyes. He wears a spotless navy sport coat over his lean, muscular body. A silver badge sparkles with the reflection of the unrelenting sun. There's no mistaking that familiar lightning bolt emblem surrounding his name. He works for the Department of Energy Acquisition—a Pearlhound. That means he also works for the Unified Party. And that makes him my enemy.
"What's your name?" He coughs and shields his eyes from a cloud of dust kicked up from the rooftop. "There's gotta be some kind of record book for the stupidest ways to get yourself killed."
"Jesse Fisher," I answer, and instantly regret it. What kind of secret agent gives up their name first chance they get? A mass failure kind, for sure.

What do you guys think? Better? I sure hope so!

Learn more about the Unified Party here!

About The Author

When he was a young boy, Nick James' collection of battle-scarred action figures became the characters in epic storylines with cliffhangers, double crosses and an unending supply of imaginary explosions. Not much has changed. The toys are gone (most of them), but the love of fast-paced storytelling remains. Working in schools from Washington State to England, Nick has met thousands of diverse students since graduating from Western Washington University and braving the most dangerous job in the world: substitute teaching. Luckily, being dubbed the "rock star teacher" has granted him some immunity. He currently lives and teaches in Bellingham, Washington.

 

Snag The Pearl Wars
Amazon | Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Borders | Flux

You Could Win

Follow the clues from the rest of the tour and you could win a supplemented copy of the book with a bonus Skyship diagram and bonus chapter or annotations.

How the Clues Work

Throughout 15 stops in the tour there are 8 clues scattered on the blogs. Make sure you go to every stop on the tour so you can find the clues. These clues spell out a secret coordinate and you need this coordinate so you can win on the last stop of the tour.

Clue #7

Author Nick James grew up in a small island town. Find this town's name and count the letters. The number of letters is your piece of the coordinates for today.
http://nickjamesbooks.com/about

Next Stop On The Tour

The next stop on the tour is The Book Smugglers

Review: Kiss of Death by Lauren Henderson

Kiss of Death by Lauren Henderson

Release Date: May 4, 2011
Publisher: Delacorte
Pages: 320
Reading level: Young Adult
My Rating:

Scarlett thought Dan McAndrew's murder was long behind her, but when she and her classmates arrive in Edinburgh for a weeklong field trip, she's startled to be joined by her old St. Tabby's cohorts--and enemies--who are visiting the area on a field trip as well. Even more startling, Callum, Dan's surviving twin, is in the area--and his cold treatment leaves Scarlett wondering what's changed, especially when a series of attacks makes her believe that someone's out to get her for her past mistakes. Would Callum ever hurt her, though? And what's Scarlett to make of her conflicting feelings for Callum, now that Jase isn't around? Even more upsetting, why is her most trusted confidante, Taylor, acting distant and dismissive?

-- from Goodreads.com

Kiss of Death is the awesome conclusion of the four book series regarding Scarlett Wakefield. The whole thing started with a kiss. Her first kiss. And the guy, Dan, died immediately right there in front of her. Since then Scarlett has been determined to discover the true reason Dan died. And in book three she gets the culprit through a series of fantastic events which shoot the door wide open on her own mysterious past. Why did her parents die & leave her orphaned? This book has all the answers.

Not to mention oodles of boys in kilts, run-ins with arch-nemesis Plum Saybourne who seems to have forgotten she got trumped in book three thanks to the return of her cohort Nadia, and plenty of mystery on the streets (and undergrounds) of Scotland.

This book was full of everything I have come to love about the Scarlett Wakefield series. The playful asides about fashion, life, love, and anything else pop culture are always fun but it's the British humor (humour? :D) that I appreciate most. In spite of every twist and turn and attempt on her life, Scarlett is always funny in her observations about those around her and her own inner thoughts. She is a firm personality that doesn't waver much and never edges toward the melodramatic.

The settings, while gorgeous in their own right, aren't left entirely up to our imaginations but beautifully laid out on the page. We discover a lot about history along with the rest of the plot of the book which was something I thoroughly enjoyed. It was more of the same, and the same is what I really loved about the Scarlett Wakefield series. I am very sad to know that Kiss of Death is the last.

Thank you to Ms. Henderson for producing such delicious young adult fare with nothing objectionable, as far as I'm concerned, and plenty of non-American flavor in the same vein as my favorite Britcoms and films. I will forever be a fan and will forever beg for a Scarlett Wakefield Book 5... 6... 7... 1,000. Especially if Plum gets her just desserts!

Review: Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Vanish (Firelight #2) by Sophie Jordan

Release Date: September 6, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: NetGalley
Pages: 198
Reading level: Young Adult
My Rating:

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

-- from Goodreads.com

Vanish is an absolutely gorgeous novel. What originally drew me back to the series was the intensity of Jacinda's feelings and how they played out in the various relationships in her life. Especially with Will. What draw me into this book was that it not only started immediately where the first book left off but also because there was so much more to learn about the Draki and Jacinda and all of her relationships.

With first person narrative it's easy to lose the ability to see the world outside of the narrator's point of view but Ms. Jordan has written Jacinda as so observant, even if her personality is fairly introverted for most of the story. She has a good sense of the people around them and can pretty accurately judge their character as well. She is very self-aware and determined to protect those around her, not just herself. Which makes for some pretty interesting plot elements.

I had a tough time putting this one down and at the same time I wanted to make it last. I love the world Ms. Jordan has dreamed for Jacinda and the people she cares about. It is as full of magic and mystery as it is frustration and fear. The intensity of Jacinda's feelings about what happen around her is so great that I found myself entirely in the world with her, a psychic twin going through each new road block on her way toward what she truly wants.

The plot was fairly low-key, as it was in the first novel as well. Which makes this a book about the characters and where they are going. And I really liked that aspect about the book. I can only imagine how Ms. Jordan will develop the third book from the truly great cliff-hanger ending. I am really looking forward to living a little longer in her world!

Review: Want To Go Private by Sarah Darer Littman

Want To Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

Release Date: August 1, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: ARC from Publisher
Pages: 336
Reading level: Young Adult
My Rating:

Abby and Luke chat online. They've never met. But they are going to. Soon.

Abby is starting high school—it should be exciting, so why doesn't she care? Everyone tells her to "make an effort," but why can't she just be herself? Abby quickly feels like she's losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke—he is her secret, and she's his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does. But Luke isn't who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don't, they'll never see Abby again.

-- from Goodreads.com

Want To Go Private was an absolutely haunting, cautionary read. It was terrifying in its reality and deeply saddening. We follow Abby, a girl who has so much going for her but has the same feelings many teens do -- that no one really understands her or what she goes through on a daily basis. She's aching inside to find belonging in the world and unfortunately that is exactly the sort of vulnerability that predators seek to exploit.

Online she meets Luke who seems like a dream come true. He arrives on the scene with a bit of mystery that makes me him irresistable to Abby. And slowly, through gentle persuasion and a lot of focused attention, Luke draws Abby out of her comfort zone and well past the point of no return before she really stops to think.

Reading all of this from her point of view, seeing her choose to go against everything she knew about internet safety, was chilling. As a parent I have to say it made me decide to always keep a close eye on my daughter's internet usage not to mention being sure to stay in a steady, stable relationship with her so that I will be able to pick up on the clues to any unhappiness that might lead her down this path herself.

I thought it was brilliant of the author to switch from Abby's point of view to that of her friends and sister during the time she is missing. It gives the reader such great insight into just exactly what the people left behind go through. The fear and heart ache was so realistic I almost had to put the book down a few times to distance myself from all the emotions.

The one thing I have to fault the book for was a scene in which certain events of a sexual nature take place via web cam in a more graphic way than I felt was really necessary to get the point of the book across. The entire book was a shock, it did not need that to make it more hard-hitting. This explicitness detracts from the message and side-tracks the story toward sensationalizing a tragic moment of poor judgment and exploitation. Thankfully only briefly.

Overall the book has a great message cushioned in excellent writing and very realistic characters and situations. I'm impressed with Ms. Littman for tackling this scary and important topic and seeing it through to the very end. It could have faded to black to avoid causing too much of a controversial ripple but instead Ms. Littman she spells out the aftermath and the affects on everyone in Abby's life.

Review: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2)
by Kiersten White

Release Date: Aug. 30, 2011
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 342
Reading level: Young Adult
My Rating:

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

-- from Goodreads.com

I waited a long time to get to read this book and, let me tell you, it was worth the wait. I both wanted to completely speed through and read slowly with relish to savor every last second with it. In the end, I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, eyes pried open to keep myself awake until the final words of the story & the hilarious acknowledgment section.

Kiersten White's impish personal humor shines through in Evie on every page. Even when she's at her lowest, Evie's mind is always sharp and snarky. I enjoy reading Evie's point of view, not just because of its acerbic wit, but because Ms. White has her character so well-mapped out as to never stray away from it. Evie is an entirely fleshed out being, so much so that when Ms. White stated in the acknowledgments that she wasn't real I laughed out loud because she is very real. Just, I suppose, not corporeal.

I also enjoyed the addition of the very puckish Jack to the mix. His methods and madness were as exhausting to me as they were to Evie but he added just the right flavor of excitement to what could have been some sad, angering, or dull times in Evie's existence during this book. He really propelled the plot forward and was just as rounded out and layered a character as Evie. What I think I may have liked best about this book, other than the always adorable Evie's storytelling, were the glimpses and then total immersion into the Fairie Realm and learning more about how Evie's past ties into the fey. We learn a lot more than I expected to and there were some very creative twists that caught me off guard in a really pleasant way.

This book was utterly a joy to read. I fell effortlessly into it and never wanted to leave once I was there. It was next to impossible to put down even after I'd finished. If Ms. White considered it a tour de force to write, as she stated her acknowledgments, I'd consider it a very triumphant one. I cannot wait for the third and final installment!

Friday Flash #001: A Cushy, Well-Paying Job

I've been wanting to start writing Friday Flash, which is 1000 words or less. And I know I went over by like 200 words. The original was much longer and I realized after I spent an hour paring it down that I should have just started over with a subject that required less detail but I'd already come so far. Regretfully that means it's not my best work and it's too long but I hope that this will be accepted. If not, I just hope you enjoy it!

 

A Cushy, Well-Paying Job

Lightning cracked in the window, loud and brilliant, bringing the room to near daylight for a moment before it fell dark again. 17-year-old Rinna laughed as, on the other end of the phone, Carmen shrieked.

"Big baby!" she giggled.

"Hey, it's Halloween and there's a horror movie marathon going on at full volume in the living room. I keep hearing screams. I hate my little brother sometimes. You're so lucky your kids are in bed!"

Rinna gazed out the window at the gathering storm and a street full of trick-or-treaters scurrying to get candy from a few more houses before the rain began. She loved everything about Halloween. Loved the costumes, the darkness, and the horror movie marathon waiting in the next room.

"Yeah, I'm lucky they always go to sleep easily. It's a cushy, well-paying job but somebody's got to do it!"

Carmen giggled. "I'm sure. It's so hard being paid $1,000 to stay in that mansion with the huge pool and two great kids while the Drs. Malone spend 5 days on a tropical island."

A shadow slid away toward the garage, catching Rinna's eye. But the motion-triggered spotlight stayed dark so it must've been her imagination wandering toward horror the way it did sometimes just for fun. She'd been hoping for moments like this from the night!

"They aren't perfect angels but at least they're still young enough not to think I'm stupid. Even if Simon does say he 'doesn't see me as an intellectual equal but will always esteem me anyway.'"

Another crash of lightning brought a shrill squeal from upstairs. "Oh, I think Mara just woke up. I have to let you go. Have fun with the mummies and zombies in the living room, Carmen!"

*

"Okay, Mara, the thunder is all done now," Rinna said.

They were snugly ensconsed beneath the four-year-old's makeshift tent of blanket and toybox. Simon, Mara's nine-year-old brother had awakened as Mara was making her tent and Rinna had helped him create his own special hideaway, not because he was afraid, but because it would have been unfair not to. Simon was "definitely not afraid of a loud noise produced by the explosive expansion of heated air." Rinna could hear him softly snoring from his pillow fort.

Eyes wide, Mara peeked out from the blanket toward the window where only the moon shone full and round. "Are you sure?" she lisped in a whisper. "What about the slow ghost?"

Mara had told Rinna about a slow moving pale ghost that'd been in her room earlier in the night. Simon had insisted that Mara was "obviously just suffering from histrionics." The Drs. Malone were psychotherapists and Simon enjoyed diagnosing everyone based on the books they'd written.

Rinna figured Mara was having nightmares about the creepy decorations her parents had up for the Halloween party they'd thrown before departing. There were a number of realistic dioramas throughout the downstairs and Mara's imagination was bound to turn them into dark dreams. For psychotherapists, Rinna thought the Malones should've known better than to expose their kids to all of that in their own home. But who was she to judge?

"No ghost in here. Just the snore monster over there!" Rinna rolled her eyes toward Simon and Mara giggled.

*

Rinna settled on the couch between a life-sized scene of an evil dentist and a zombie sitting in an ironic setting of good-mannered dining complete with four courses on bone china and bottles of Dom Pérignon. This was the first time she'd been in the TV room since the Malones had left that morning and she was planning to be hunkered down with her popcorn for a few hours to watch all her horror favorites.

The room was full of plenty to cause nightmares and something smelled rotten. The zombie's four courses must've been real food and the Malone's had forgotten about it. It set the mood so perfectly that when her cell rang, Rinna jumped, startled into a fit of giggles. The caller ID said it was the Malones checking in.

"How's everything?" Dr. Stephan Malone's voice seemed to come from beyond the grave, far away and full of static.

Rinna grinned, her imagination running wild behind their conversation. The kids were great, asleep. They'd made tents and forts and had fun.

"Sorry to've left that Halloween stuff up. We didn't plan that well with the vacation. Hope it's not scaring you."

"I actually love all of it! I sort of would love it better if the fine dining zombie's food wasn't rotting on his plate but..." Rinna's voice trailed off into a chuckle.

Dr. Malone went quiet. Rinna looked at her phone figuring the connection went dead. Then she heard his voice.

"- no zombie. That's Headless Harry at the dining table. Wasn't that food supposed to be plastic, Honey."

Rinna's stomach turned cold and the stench of rot seemed suddenly closer. She kept her head still, trying in vain to see the table display from the corner of her eyes.

Dr. Rosa Malone's voice was in the background, strained like a fake smile. "I don't know, Dearest. I hired Fanny to decorate. Isn't that your fourth margarita, Sweetie?"

Rinna let out her breath in an explosive laugh. Dr. Malone was just drunk and couldn't remember clearly. He'd probably been drunk at the party too. The second honeymoon, she'd learned from Simon, was to save their marriage which was failing because, according to recent shouting matches, "Daddy is an alcoholic with a god complex and oedipal issues" and "Mommy is a frigid, anal retentive narcissist."

"I don't even think I saw it all trying to keep up appearances..." Dr. Stephan Malone growled.

"Dr. Malone? Everything is okay here. Talk to you later!" Rinna quickly hung up, not wanting to hear any more of their fight.

Shaking her head, Rinna reached for remote. She wouldn't let the call ruin her fun evening of adrenaline rushes. Now she just needed to get a call the police would eventually say was coming from inside the house!

Rinna glanced at the zombie. The table was empty.

On the television a girl screamed to the swell of ominous music. Rinna's heart flew into her throat as she stood up, turning to search the room like the zombie figure could have moved by itself but rationality flooded her mind. It probably fell off the chair and was lying on the floor. Rinna giggled at herself, walking over to set the zombie figure upright.

On the floor beside the chair was a headless straw-filled dummy. Rinna froze. Hot, putrid breath wafted past her ear, dread and nausea coursing through her. A low groan filled a sudden silence in the movie behind her.

She never got the chance to turn around.

Guest Blogger: Ruby @ Ruby's Reads

Hello my darlings! I have such a great guest post for you guys. I don't know if anyone noticed how I never post book trailers on my site. I never talked about it but fabulous guest blogger Ruby of Ruby's Reads says pretty much everything I would have had I thought to address the topic. Thank you so much, Ruby!

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I have yet to air this controversial opinion of mine. I figured that a guest post on someone else's blog would be the best place to avoid rotten tomato throwing and whatnot and so, here I go:

I hate book trailers.

There, I've said it. Man, it feels good to get that off my chest. I'm absolutely, one hundred percent against them. Call me old fashioned. Call me a stick in the mud. Call me stupid. I don't care and I. Don't. Like. BOOK TRAILERS!

Take this trailer for Simone Elkeles' Rules of Attraction. I'm sorry to make you watch it, but I'm afraid it's a valuable tool for making my argument.

Now that you've (hopefully) recovered, I ask you: Why should anyone be allowed to take such an awesome book and turn it into a poorly acted Lifetime movie? It makes mincemeat of the characters, the dialog, and the romance. Not to mention turning Carlos into a letch. I mean, what is with the licking-the-lips thing when he talks to Madison? And Carlos' headshake when Alex tells him to straighten up and fly right is acting that would have made Joey (yes, this is a Friends reference) wince. If I had seen this book trailer first, I'd have never read the book. It's so bad it makes me want to cry.

Then, there's the trailer for Lori Foster's Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series. I warn you not to be blinded by all the eye candy in this one--it's potent--but don't be distracted from my purpose:

I'll give you a moment to savor all the delicious bare skin before I move on.

Ready? No, okay. Here's another minute.

Alright, at this point I'm moving on without you. Catch up when you can.

On the surface, there's a lot to admire here. Yeah, I know. *Yanks everyone's eyes back to the text.* But let's talk about the fact that one of these "tough" guys just jumped from about three feet. Impressive? Um, no. And while I really appreciate that these fine specimens are taking off their shirts...why are they doing so? This is looking a gift horse in the mouth but my analytical brain (heh, I crack myself up when I say that) wants to know how this is "walking the edge of honor." Is it because they're essentially stripping in alleyways? Or that, if they keep going, they're going to be arrested for indecent exposure? Mostly, it just makes me glad the exotic dancing has finally become an honest profession. It's about damn time.

I don't, however, base my dislike of book trailers on these two examples alone. In fact, I picked two of the most ridiculous examples I could find when writing this post, mostly to add an element of humor. In point of fact, I dislike book trailers because I enjoy creating a book's characters (and setting, mood--all the visual elements) in my own head. It's one of the things I love best about reading. Add to that the fact that I can't tell you how many times I've watched a book-turned-into-a-movie and been completely frustrated by the fact that the director/actor/cinematographer's vision was different from mine.

I know that book trailers are really hot right now. A lot of bloggers seem to love them, and they certainly appear to be the latest trend in literary advertising. If they're here to stay, I'm going to have to make an effort to get used to them. All I can say is that it's going to take a very, very long time.

Until then, I'm staying away from book trailers. Well, except for this one:

Cheers! And thanks to Jenny for having me guest post! Sorry about the tomatoes.