Wicked Fate Blog Tour!

Hey everyone! Today we are happy to be a part of Tabatha Vargo's blog tour for her new novel Wicked Fate. We'd also like to thank Book Nerds Across America for hosting the tour!

Check out the blurb below, as well as a juicy excerpt! I am so stoked to read this book, which I'm sure you all know as we participated in the cover reveal earlier this month.

 
Here's an awesome excerpt from Wicked Fate! I love this one but there are some others that are amazing as well. Unfortunately for you guys, I only get to share one. IF you want more, get a copy of the book, which releases on the 30th, aka tomorrow.

EXCERPT:

A loud noise from across the gym catches my attention. Searching the crowd, it seems that no one else even notices the strange commotion. I hear it once more before my eyes are directed to the culprit. A now familiar face comes into sight.
With her back against the wall, Bernie covers her face with her hands as three girls stand in front of her and pummel her with a big red kick ball. They laugh when the ball bounces off of her and she lets out a little hissing noise.
“Stop it!” Bernie yells back. “What are you…five?”
“Are you a freak, too? Everyone saw you with the weird girl today at lunch,” I hear one girl say as she bends down to grab the ball.
Word gets around fast…poor Bernie.
“The gym is the best place for you, fat ass!” another girl says with a laugh.
The ball smacks against Bernie’s leg, causing her to fall to one knee.
 Disgusted, I stare helplessly, knowing that this is because of me.  As far as they’re concerned she’s a traitor to the normal people.
Just seeing the backs of the three bullies, I know who they are. I don’t need to see their almost perfect faces. Brandy Phillips, Michelle Sedgwick, and Wendy Baker—The Three Bitchkateers.
All three are fake blondes with tanning bed tans and acrylic nails. I guess they could be considered as pretty—at least on the outside; inside they’re wretched heathens.
I run ideas through my head on how to stop their torment. Before doing anything, I look back up and meet Bernie’s eyes staring back at me with a look of pain on her face.
Please look away!
 No way am I doing anything with her staring at me. It would give everything about me away. Not that it matters if she thinks I’m a freak; everyone else does. I just don’t want to go around flashing to the world that they’re right about me.
Finally, she looks away to block the ball. I take advantage of that moment, and I shoot my vision to the little red kick ball. I follow it as it bounces off of Bernie and back into the hands of her tormentors. I let my anger build until I can almost feel the red hotness of my fury burning behind my eyes. 
Never taking my eyes from the ball, I begin to feel its vibrations inside of me. Every time it bounces from one surface to the other, I feel it; even from across the room.
My anger reaches its limits, and I know that I’m now in control of the ball. With one final bounce off of Bernie, I push and add speed behind the ball. Instead of catching it with her hands, the ball flies directly into Brandy’s face. The sound of the red rubber smashing into her echoes through the gym.
 
BOOK BLURB:
What if you lived in fear of yourself?

For Mage McPherson being afraid of herself is just the norm. Thanks to that fear, being a loner in a small town never bothered the mysterious Mage. Once she received her secret abilities, she figured being alone was the safest way to be. That all changes during her sophomore year at Summerville High when Adam, her equally mysterious secret crush, starts to notice her.

Afraid that she might harm Adam, Mage must learn to either control or deny herself. With Adam by her side she's more powerful than she’s ever been, but is she powerful enough to defeat her worst nightmare? She learns a hard lesson about love and magic when her destiny comes to collect.


 

AUTHOR BIO:
Tabatha has been writing since she could pick up a pencil. Her first publication was a little poem in her elementary school paper, from that point on she was hooked. When she was a teenager, she traded in her girly magazines for personalized writing notebooks.

At nineteen, she met her own personal prince charming and writing took a back burner for a while. She is now married to that prince and the mother of a beautiful Six year old princess/rock star. Once her daughter was born, writing came back into her life, and she finished her very first novel in May of 2009.

She is pursuing a Bachelors in English and hopes to one day teach while continuing to write.

As a stay-at-home mom and full-time student, Tabatha enjoys the freedom of spending a good bit of her days doing what she loves the most…writing.



LINKS:
 
 
For more of the tour click the links below!
 

 
 


 

Winners of the Spooktacular Giveaway!



Hey everyone, here are the winners of the Spooktacular Giveaway!

I will officially email everyone tomorrow afternoon in regards to prizes!
Winners from the 1st rafflecopter will all receive swag packs!


Winners from the 2nd rafflecopter will be able to choose any one of the 5 available prizes, first come first serve.

So whoever emails first will receive what they ask for. I'll continue communication about the prizes!

Here are the winners!

Rafflecopter #1

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Rafflecopter #2

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Congrats to the 8 winners! Thanks to everyone who took part in the hop!

Author Spotlight: Featuring Danielle Beach, Psychological Ballistics

 
Welcome back to Mera's YA Book List! Today, it's time for a new author spotlight! We are featuring Danielle Beach, author of Psychological Ballistics. Want to find out more about Danielle and her novel?

Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt !

 
Blurb:
Eric Schultz, Parker Lowe, Jen Tyler and Sean Hackert have been good friends for over two years. It is their senior year of high school and their thoughts should be on the future, which is rapidly approaching. Soon enough, they'll each cross the stage at graduation and receive a diploma.

But there's a problem.

Life for the four has not been easy these past four years, and Sean is not about to let his old injuries pass without retribution. He has been humiliated and ostracized by his peers for the last time.

This chapter of the group's life cannot conclude until someone pays.

The book is currently available through Amazon.com.

 

PUBLICATION DATE: October 24, 2012
Published in Paperback and E-book Formats
 
 
Now for the excerpt!
 
  “Hey,” Eric poked Parker in the shoulder.
            “What?” Parker looked up from the floorboard he apparently found fascinating.
            “Are you okay?  You zoned out.”
            “No, yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about something.”
            “Obviously.  Otherwise you were probably having some kind of stroke.”
            “Funny,” Parker snatched the remote from Eric’s hand and turned to the national news channel.
            “Almost as funny as a hundred and ten dead in a landslide,” Eric commented, reading the ticker at the bottom of the screen.  The two were silent for some time.  Parker enjoyed these moments.
            Bella eventually settled herself on the couch between them, and the opportunity for talk was lost in the comfortable breathing rhythm of the seven year old while she studied Cartoon Network as though she would be tested.  Parker momentarily wondered whether it was wrong to feel such an impulse to wrap an arm around the young girl and pull her to his side, just to feel the fragility of a tiny body, resting against his own, fragile-in-a-different-way, body.  He glanced sidelong at Eric, who seemed so strong, youthful compared with him.  Eric’s face was somewhat rounder, and always a healthy peach color, aside from two drops of blush in the apples of his cheeks.  The color was permanent, whether he was playing a video game or running in gym class.  His arms were average, but underneath a thin layer of fat rested toned muscle from who-knows-what kinds of exercise he may or may not have secretly engaged in.  No shame in wanting to have an attractive body.  Eric’s face was actually an unending source of fascination for Parker.  Perhaps because Eric was actually not bad looking.  Jen had thought so at one time, and Madeline certainly found him desirable.  Parker mentally shrugged and zoned back out into the TV.
            Eric thought Parker was acting somewhat strangely today.  He often opted to sink into his own thoughts, but today he seemed further away than usual.  He had known the other boy for only two years, but in the comfortable silences they frequently found themselves lulled into, it often seemed as though they had been with one another all of their lives.  They had met in chemistry class; neither knew any of their classmates well enough to presume they would immediately have a lab partner for the year.  They had been generally aware of each other in the past, they had shared a class in ninth grade, and Eric knew that Parker was “that freaky trench coat Mafioso” in middle school.  Parker knew Eric was attending drama club meetings, a name on the roster of people whose sexual orientation was in question, circulated among the general student population.  Also on this newsletter was who was dating whom, who might be pregnant, and who to buy pot from.
 
            Mr. Donnivan eyed the two boys critically when everyone else had immediately paired up.
            “Well, Parker, looks like you and Eric are both without partners.”
            Parker felt sick.  He hated working with other people, especially in a subject which he found himself very strong.  The guy would probably leech off all his work and not do anything all year.  An A by association.
            “Yeah,” was all the gaunt boy muttered from behind his curtain of brown hair.
            “So… get to know each other.  Become best friends.  And get yourselves to a lab station!”
            “Do you know anything about chemistry?” Parker asked, in almost a growl.
            “No, well, I mean, I know like H2O and NaCl and stuff.  Why, what do you know?”  Eric challenged.
            “A lot more than that.”  Good god, this guy was an asshole, Eric ascertained with an unpleasant curling of his lip.  “Just don’t get in the way if you’re planning on not doing anything, alright?” the statement did not seem threatening anymore, more resigned, annoyed perhaps, but not dangerous.  As if to punctuate this lack of underlying violence, the boy rubbed his temple in a pained manner.  He had had this conversation many times before.
            “Why wouldn’t I do anything?  My grade’s at stake.”
            Parker chuckled.
            “You don’t know who I am, do you?”
            “Yeah, I do.  You’re Parker Lowe.”
            Parker looked at him expectantly.
            “Then you are aware of the social suicide associated with even looking in my direction, much less speaking to me, right?”
            “Hell with social standing; I’m more concerned with getting through chemistry in one piece.  Science has never exactly been my strong suit.  So I have to work doubly hard to get the grade I want.  If that means working together, then, whatever.”
            Parker suddenly smiled.  As much as a smile was capable of being at home on his lips, anyway.  He did not look any less scornful or depressed with this change of expression, but he did say, “Well then, Eric, it’s your lucky year.”
            “Huh, I’m surprised you know who I am.”
            “Why would that surprise you?” Parker asked as they moved to a lab table in the back of the room.
            “I dunno, I’m not exactly at the forefront of gossip,” Eric winced as though he had just impaled himself on something sharp.  And rusty.  Parker countered him with a subtle barb of his own, though not in a completely nasty manner.
            “You’d be surprised what circulates in the gossip rags.”
            The lesson on saturation and super saturation was elementary, at most, for Parker, and he quietly instructed Eric on the proceedings for each step in the lab.  The two were done in three-quarters of the time that had been allotted for the experiment and Mr. Donnivan seemed pleased.
            “Where’d you learn this stuff?” Eric inquired conversationally.  Parker did not look up from the beaker he was emptying into the sink.
            “Here and there.  Not like I have a lot else going on on the weekend,” Parker’s smile was wry this time, Eric could not immediately tell the intention of the comment.  Was Lowe being self-pitying?  Self-deprecating?  Sarcastic?  Did he lead a double life as a drug kingpin or active gang member on his days off?  Parker seemed to relax in the silence that followed his comment and eventually said, in a way totally uncharacteristic of the much-whispered-about version of Parker Lowe, “You know, I don’t mind you as a partner.  At least you’re not a complete idiot.”
           
            “What the hell are you looking at me like that for?” Parker asked, an arched eyebrow climbing toward his hairline as Eric snapped back to his living room couch.
            “Oh… uh, no reason.  Sorry.”
 
 

In Which I Review... Secrets by Tim Mettey

SecretsThe Midwest lies in complete ruins after a catastrophic disaster kills tens of thousands and leaves hundreds of thousands injured. Nicholas Keller emerges out of the devastation as a shining light of hope for all. But his newfound fame comes with a price that his aunt will not let him pay. They flee into the shadows in order to protect his secret. However, as Nicholas begins his sophomore year at his fifth school in five years, strange and unexpected things begin to happen. He soon tumbles into a web of doomed love, extraordinary talents and a secret past, which threatens the lives of everyone he cares about. It’s up to Nicholas to confront the truth, even if it means his own death.
Paperback, 327 pages
Published November 3, 2012 by Kenwood Publishing Group




Tim Mettey's Secrets starts off with a resounding bang. When it opens, the reader is introduced to Alex, a young boy who has just gone through a terrible disaster. As you read about the events that transform Alex's life, anticipation of what is to come builds. Then you turn the page and Alex, he is gone. Instead the story focuses on Nicholas Keller, a high school student who has been on the move with his aunt Cora since the tragic death of his parents. The transition between plots is both sudden but subtle, and will have you wondering how these two characters have anything to do with each other.
After reading a bit more, you may begin to wonder if the book was printed wrong- I definitely did, considering I had a galley copy. But it is not. The form of writing is constant, and Mettey's style is constant throughout the telling of the lives of both Alex and Nicholas.
What may infuriate you is the fact that the bond between Alex and Nicholas isn't mentioned for much of the book. This however is an amazing feat for the author to pull off, because when the clues as to how they interact begin to emerge, and the paranormal reason behind it is revealed, the impact of the story is heightened profusely.

Nicholas' life is an exciting one, and witnessing his interactions, actions, and knowing his thoughts is an enjoyable experience.
This book took me through the wringer, and after reading it I immediately wanted more- which is shameful since Secrets will not be released until tomorrow- November 3.

After reading Secrets, I am highly anticipating the continuation of The Hero Chronicles, and more of Mettey's dynamic writing. I would recommend this book to many.

5 shining stars from me!

In Which Nadege Reviews... Significance by Shelly Crane

Maggie is a seventeen year old girl who's had a bad year. She was smart and on
track but then her mom left, her dad is depressed, she's graduating, barely, and
her boyfriend of almost three years dumped her for a college football
scholarship. Lately she thinks life is all about hanging on by a thread and is
gripping tight with everything she has.

Then she meets Caleb. She saves his life and instantly knows there's something
about him that's intriguing but she is supposed to be on her way to a date with
his cousin. But things change when they touch, sparks ignite. Literally.

They imprint with each other and she sees their future life together flash
before her eyes. She learns that not only is she his soul mate, and can feel his
heartbeat in her chest, but there is a whole other world of people with gifts
and abilities that she never knew existed. She herself is experiencing
supernatural changes unlike anything she's ever felt before and she needs the
touch of his skin to survive.

Now, not only has her dad come out of his depression to be a father again, and a
pain as well, but Caleb's enemies know he's imprinted and are after Maggie to
stop them both from gaining their abilities and take her from him.

Can Caleb save her or will they be forced to live without each other after just
finding one another?


330 pages
Published June 12th 2011

REVIEW

I'd had this book on my kindle for quite some time, maybe since it first came out. I'd been putting it off because of my lack of time, but about two weeks ago I finally got a chance to start and, within a couple of days, finish it. The blurb really captured me, so I was nothing but excited when I started reading.
The beginning was really gripping, and I loved Maggie straight off the back. But, I didn't enjoy SIGNIFICANCE as much as I thought I would. It is a fast read, but I felt some things could have been explained more.

Of course I haven't read the second book yet, but I'm still not clear on a few things, especially the overall plot and what the moral of the story is. Even now as I write this review, I have to refer back to the book because I didn't really understand.

I didn't push my way through it. Regardless of its confusing plot, I loved the characters and the LOVE. I always love a good, cute story. I get the whole SIGNIFICANT thing, and being with you soul mate, but it annoyed me how much time they spent together and their reactions when they were away from each other. I am, though, looking forward to the second book. I just hope it's worth it.


Again, I am still not sure 'what' they are and the plot...the story climaxed and gave the impression of something great...but it just went on and on, leaving you a tad disappointed. I guess I'm neutral on this one.

Anyway, I loved it!! Would recommend it.



Cover Reveal: Wicked Fate by Tabatha Vargo

Welcome to Mera's YA Book List! We are excited to be participating in the cover reveal for Tabatha Vargo's release Wicked Fate!

So keep reading for the newly released cover, the book's awesome blurb, and quick access to Tabatha's Wicked Fate Goodreads giveaway!

BOOK BLURB
What if you lived in fear of yourself?

For Mage McPherson being afraid of herself is just the norm. Thanks to that fear, being a loner in a small town never bothered the mysterious Mage. Once she received her secret abilities, she figured being alone was the safest way to be. That all changes during her sophomore year at Summerville High when Adam, her equally mysterious secret crush, starts to notice her.

Afraid that she might harm Adam, Mage must learn to either control or deny herself. With Adam by her side she's more powerful than she’s ever been, but is she powerful enough to defeat her worst nightmare? She learns a hard lesson about love and magic when her destiny comes to collect.


COVER REVEAL!!!

Tell us in the comments what you think of Tabatha's cover! I think my favorite part is the bottom, where the black designs start! Plus that's a pretty awesome font.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tabatha has been writing since she could pick up a pencil. Her first publication was a little poem in her elementary school paper, from that point on she was hooked. When she was a teenager, she traded in her girly magazines for personalized writing notebooks.

At nineteen, she met her own personal prince charming and writing took a back burner for a while. She is now married to that prince and the mother of a beautiful Six year old princess/rock star. Once her daughter was born, writing came back into her life, and she finished her very first novel in May of 2009.

She is pursuing a Bachelors in English and hopes to one day teach while continuing to write.

As a stay-at-home mom and full-time student, Tabatha enjoys the freedom of spending a good bit of her days doing what she loves the most…writing.




FIND TABATHA WITH THESE LINKS:

Good luck and be sure o check out Vargo's Wicked Fate on November 30th. 


Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wicked Fate by Tabatha Vargo

Wicked Fate

by Tabatha Vargo

Giveaway ends November 30, 2012.
See the giveaway detailsat Goodreads.
Enter to win