Seven 11: Teaser from The Talisman

It's that time again!

Every month on the 11th, me and some other awesome author buds post teasers. Seven lines ONLY of whatever story we choose. This month, I'm giving you guys 7 lines from The Talisman, my NA Urban Fantasy short story that just came out in Perception: A New Adult anthology from Elephantine Publishing.

Here's your teaser:



Avery glanced behind her and picked up her pace. 

She knew they were out there. Hiding. Waiting. She wouldn’t let her guard down. She’d promised her father she would be vigilant and even though death would put her one step closer to him, she wouldn’t go without a fight.

The streets were dark in this part of town. Not even a streetlamp to cheer up the shadows that seemed to close in around you so tight … until you could barely breathe. Her paranoia, though warranted, made it worse. She struggled to keep her breaths even and quiet and hurried forward.

The world will never look the same… 

There comes a defining moment in every young person's life that irrevocably shifts their point of view. 

Missing by award-winning author Mary Laufer--For a new teacher who still compares herself to her students, the shift in reality comes in the form a missing girl and a false accusation that could cost her more than her career. 

The Outlaw by debut author Scott C. Davis--For a young man who settles into a rut that not even his broken marriage can pull him out of, it’s a drifter’s gun to his head. 

Drive by author & screenplay writer Nealy Gihan--For an idealistic college student, the point of view shift comes in the form of her parents’ divorce pulling back the curtain on who they really are, shattering everything she thought she knew about love. 

My Boyfriend is a Senator by award-winning author Linda Davis--For a recovering addict who's not ready to change, it might just be an unhappy ending to her illicit affair. 

The Talisman by bestselling YA & NA author Heather Hildenbrand—For an orphan on the run from monsters, a shift in perception might be discovering the power of prayer as a saving grace against the likes of which no human being has ever seen. If we’re lucky. 

In Perception, discover five captivating stories that explore what it means to be a new adult. 

Get it on Amazon, B&N, or iTunes for just .99!

Check out what these other author peeps are teasing you with!

Amanda Aksel
Justine Winter
S.M. Boyce
Kasi Blake
Alicia Sheehy
Steph Nuss
Kayla Smith

and now--awesome giveaway time:



From Justine Winter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

And 2 tickets to UtopYA 2015!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Seven 11 blog hop: Whisper teaser!

Every month, on the 11th of the month, I post a teaser from one of my upcoming releases/wip's or whatever strikes me that I think you should read. Some other fantastic authors participate by also posting teasers of their stuff, so you can read some never-before-seen-words by some of the best authors around. The other rockstars you can check out this month are:

Amanda Aksel

Steph Nuss

Bethany Lopez

Shawn McGuire

Alicia Sheehy

SM Boyce

Kayla Smith

Heather Brewer

Justine Winter

AND ENTER TO WIN COOL STUFF, Yo!

Steph Nuss' signed paperback copy of her new book on Goodreads

SM Boyce is giving away a Stacey Marie Brown swag bag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And now, here are my seven lines from Whisper, a New Adult Paranormal Romance coming on Wed!

(ch 25)

...modesty when he looked at me that way. His gaze consumed me even before he’d touched me. My eyes flickered over the angles and cut of his body.

“So are you,” I said, breathless from meaning it.

Without a word, he shifted sideways and pulled his pants off. There was nothing left underneath them. The firelight flickered over his exposed body, turning his tanned skin different shades of glowing yellow and orange. My breath caught at the sheer beauty of my warrior. Of the love I held for him, centuries-old. Of the thought of our bodies pressed together.

***

What do you think?

Guam and New Adult new releases

WHERE THE HECK IS HEATHER???

Uh, yeah, she’s in Guam.

I feel like this is probably a typical conversation right now among some of you. I have been here for 11 days now and I’ve been pretty quiet online because, really, I’m in GUAM!! And it looks like this:

And this:

Yeah, you’re seeing right. I took this from the back of the motorcycle. The ocean is that close to the road. It’s amazing. So much beauty and sun to soak up!

Okay, but I have been working here. Between trips to beautiful beaches and hiking to waterfalls, I have been working on Deviation. It comes out 3/12 and I can’t wait to share it with you!!!

The awesome Shana at A Book Vacation has made a killer tour banner and I’m getting the prize pack together and sending out review copies. Things are happening. Also, some of you have asked me and YES, there WILL be an NA version of Deviation. It will be called The Girl Who Was, a sequel to The Girl Who Wasn’t which came out a few weeks ago and looks like this:

It’s available now for Kindle and on Smashwords for any format. I am really excited to do this companion version!! It’s a gritty, sexy version of Imitation which is how I saw the story to begin with but because it’s the SAME story as Imitation, I wasn’t sure of the response. And so far, everyone has loved it. So I am going to do the same with book 2. It should be out by end of March. I will keep you posted.

For now, it’s back to the beach…

New Adult... New beginning

I have started and stopped this blog post forty-bagillion times. Okay, like three. Feels like a lot.
I've written it in my head as I fall asleep at night. I've composed witticisms to include while I do dishes or mow the grass or ride my motorcycle.
I've debated and chewed on it. Spit it out. Walked away.
All to figure out how to say it.
That post where I explain where I've been, the reason for going "dark" for months--I've scaled WAY back on my social media time of late, or haven't you been refreshing your screen for the awe-inspiring prose that is my status updates???--and an all-around explanation of the stuff that makes up my personal life. In my head, it all sounds too revealing or too boring or too drama. It depends on my mood as to which.

You all know I am not an over-sharer. I tend to err toward the less-is-more school of thought. But then a couple of years ago, something monumentally tragic happened to me when I lost my baby boy, Tyler, at the age of five days old. And then I blogged about it and you guys were so fracking AWESOME in your response that I am still, to this day, smiling as I remember the flood of love and support and strength I received--and then in turn gave back to my readers. Thank you guys for stepping up and being real with me when I got real with you. I am so much more grateful for you guys after connecting that way.

So. with that warm fuzzy feeling in mind, I'm going to tell you what's been up with me. Mostly because I feel like there's this whole taboo mindset that I shouldn't say it publicly. And if you know me, you know I hate secrets. Which is the exact reason I will, after a year of shutting up, tell you: I am getting divorced.

It's so weird how simple the sentence is to write when I could barely say it aloud a year ago. And not because I'm ashamed or sad or broken up or worried what people think. I haven't said it because I have this nonsense ingrained into me that you don't share your problems with the world. But over the past year or two, my world has become so built up with people who welcome the opportunity to support me and so this is me letting go--and letting them.

In A Risk Worth Taking, my NA that just released (ohmygod I wrote sex!!!!!! my tagline is now: "Heather Hildenbrand, not just for YA anymore."), Summer's parents get divorced and it hits her hard. A lot of her emotions and anxieties were inspired by the events in my own life. I always find real-life emotions are best for funneling into my work and this was no exception. I won't say mych more than that about the book because I don't want to give it away. BTW, A Risk Worth Taking or #ARWT is now available in ebook so go grab yours!

B&N OR Amazon: 

AND enter the giveaway for the "country beauty basket and gift card here

But before everyone gets sad and comments below with how sorry you are, DON'T.

I am happy with my choice and I am living such a full and purposeful and successful life now, and I don't want sympathy or pity or sadness. I want everyone to know that while it was SCARY as hell, it was my choice. And I don't apologize for it (there was a time that I did) and I don't care what people think of it because it was the right thing for me. It has freed me. And while I wish my (ex)husband well, I know I've done what I needed for me, for the first time in so long I can't remember.

This past year has been tough and sad and lonely sometimes but also so amazing and full of the biggest adventures I never would have had otherwise. I learned how to ride motorcycles and I've owned a total of 3 in the past year. Currently still have 2 of them. Traveled more. Discovered I actually do like tent camping--under the right conditions, gotten to know my kids better, stood on stage at a Zac Brown Band concert to a sold out crowd, met Plain White T's, released three books, lived off my writer income as a full-time work-from-home mom, rented my own house in MY own name, visited CO--a lifelong dream of mine, stood front row-center at a Rocket to the Moon/Andy Grammer concert, learned how to hang and twist on silks (you know that aerial ribbon at the circus???), went swimming on horseback, fallen in the kind of love I thought only existed in stories, and SO MANY MORE AMAZING THINGS!!!!

And right now, I have a special project in the works that is the next building block in my dream of being a successful entrepreneur and a mom who is always home to get her kids off the bus. And it includes giving back to the very people who have helped put me where I am today. I can't wait to tell you more about it. (Look for an announcement in November!!)

I honestly wake up every morning loving my life. Thank you for that. Readers, Fans, Friends--you are the best part of me.

So, this is not a "Woe is Me" post. This is a, "Be strong and claim your happiness" post. And a post to say: Just like Summer in A Risk Worth Taking, let go of the struggle, let go of a past you couldn't control and can't change, and face forward.

Take a Risk. Seize the Day. Create a purposeful life filled with things that make you smile.

"Set your life on fire. Seek those that fan your flames." -Rumi

Inhale Exhale

Inhale Exhale, a New Adult Contemporary romance from my friend, Sarah M. Ross, releases May 7^th.   I can't wait for this one and she offered us a sneak peek today!

Check out the BLURB:

Jillian had a plan: celebrate the end of her first year of college with an amazing summer full of beaches, barbeques, and bonfires. When her mom insists she needs a summer job, and her boyfriend spends more time with his band than with her, Jillian’s plans go down the drain. 

Grant had a plan: finish his Masters, get a great job at Google, and get the hell out of Georgia. He might be giving up some of the fun of his youth, but he knows his all work and no play method would be worth it when his dreams came true.

But things never go according to plan. 

When temptation brings them together and tragedy tears them apart, Jillian and Grant will be forced to choose: fight for their dreams, or fight for each other.

Wanna read more? Here’s an excerpt:

“Are you sure you’re not breaking it just so I can come back out here? Cause if you want to see me, you don’t have to break expensive equipment to get my attention,” Grant asked earlier that day.

It was the third time I’d had to call IT, and the third time I’d gotten to see the mischievous smile on his face as he walked toward me.
“No, I promise you. I really am this dumb.” I winked playfully, allowing myself to flirt for a minute. It was harmless, right? I’d never actually act on it.
“I’m pretty sure the fact you can say that sentence in several other languages suggests otherwise.”
“Sono davvero questo stupido,” I repeated in Italian.
Grant ran a knuckle down my arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps along the path. “Beautiful,” he said in a whispered breath. My own breathing hitched at his words. “See? Like I said, not a dumb bone in you.”
The all-too-familiar blush crept back onto my face. “You don’t know me that well.”
“I’d like to change that. What are you doing tonight? A bunch of us from work are going to this beach party. I’d love it if you could come.”
For a moment, I pictured myself there. Laughing and having fun around a bonfire and splashing in the ocean. Grant in his board shorts that would hang low, revealing that deep V I was sure was there. But then I snapped out of it, remembering how inappropriate my thoughts were. “I have a boyfriend. I can’t.”
“It’s not a date, Jillian. Just a group of friends hanging out.” He packed up his supplies, but paused before leaving. He stared deeply into my eyes, making my palms sweat. Leaning in close, he whispered in my ear. “If I were asking you out, it wouldn’t be with a group of people. It would be only us—alone—so I wouldn’t have anything distracting me from admiring every nook and cranny on your beautiful face, Cupcake.”
I swallowed down the lump that formed in my throat. My mouth had gone dry; I was unable to form a thought, let alone words.
“Here.” He reached out and gently took my hand. “I’ll do this old school since you don’t like technology.”
My mouth opened, but I couldn’t respond. I stared at him as he took out a pen. He picked up my tiny hand, which shook slightly, and held it in his own. The contact was slight, but powerful. I was frozen in place as he wrote on my palm. The only movement came from my heart that pounded in my chest. Before he let go, he gently blew on the ink to help it dry, causing me to emit the faintest of moans.
“In case you change your mind,” he whispered, then winked and walked away.

Be sure to add this to your Goodreads page:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17348805-inhale-exhale

To find out more about Sarah and her books, stalk her here:

Website: www.sarahmross.com

Email- sarah@sarahmross.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/SarahtheAuthor

FB- http://www.facebook.com/SarahtheAuthor