Review: The Sacrifice by Diane Matcheck

From Goodreads:

An Apsaalooka (Crow) Indian girl has lived her life as a despised loner, overshadowed by her dead twin brother, who, it was prophesied at their birth, would become a "Great One" among his people. One night, she sets off on a forbidden journey to prove to her village, and her brother's spirit, that "she" is the one destined to become the true Great One. Her trek over the plains and into the mysterious region of modern-day Yellowstone National Park is a disaster, culminating in her eventual capture by a tribe of Pawnee. Strangely, these foreigners treat her with an unfamiliar respect, and the girl starts to let down her guard. But when it is suddenly revealed that she has been kept alive in order to be killed in a ritual harvest-season sacrifice, the girl is thrown back into her desperate battle for survival.


My Thoughts:
I am so glad I found this book again after all these years. I found it during my high school days in the school library and was deeply affected by it. Over the years I remembered the story, but not the title/author. So, after years of searching, I was ecstatic about sinking my teeth into it once more.
The Sacrifice follows an Apsaalooka (Crow) girl who has grown up on the fringes of her community, treated poorly because she was considered "bad in the head." When her father dies, and she is denied the opportunity to seek vengeance for his death, she sets out to follow the warriors, but loses track of them and her way. Her will to prove herself drives her to push forward rather than go back and face humiliation. She finds her way to modern day Yellowstone National Park, survives a bear attack, and is abducted by a band of Pawnee men. In the Pawnee camp, she is surprised to find happiness through Wolfstar, the boy who slowly softens her stone heart.
This story was as beautiful, heart wrenching, and as moving as I remembered. This coming of age tale about a "Crow" girl mesmerized me from start to the final page. Without spoilers, that ending still gets me and leaves me with a massive book hangover. In fact, it left me craving more.
I absolutely loved it.

Review: Ogre Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

From Goodreads:
In this prequel to Ella Enchanted, which can stand on its own, young healer Evie is transformed into an ogre by the meddling fairy Lucinda. She’ll turn back only if someone proposes and she accepts!

Returning to the land and many of the characters from her beloved Newbery Honor–winning Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine has written a delightful tale about a clever and endearing heroine who is determined to defy expectations.

Evie is happiest when she is healing people, diagnosing symptoms, and prescribing medications, with the help of her devoted friend (and test subject) Wormy. So when Wormy unexpectedly proposes to her, she kindly turns him down; she has far too much to do to be marrying anyone. And besides, she simply isn’t in love with him.

But a certain meddling fairy named Lucinda has been listening in, and she doesn’t approve of Evie’s rejection. Suddenly, Evie finds herself transformed from a girl into a hideous, hungry ogre. Evie now has only sixty-two days to accept another proposal—or else be stuck as an ogre forever.


My Thoughts:
I was so excited to win this advanced reader! It will take pride of place next to my first edition Ella Enchanted on my bookshelf.
Because it is an advanced reader, I wanted to get on it asap, so bumped it to the top of my TBR pile. Plus, Ella is so beloved and a book that has inspired me since I was twelve, I couldn't let it wait.
All up, it was a fun and light read. I prefer books that way. It has the same tone and feel as Ella, which is great since it's set in the same world.
It was fun to see some familiar faces, like Ella's parents, King Jerrold pre-crowning, and a smooth introduction into Ella's story as well.
Our heroine of Ogre Enchanted is Evie, a healer and recipient of one of Lucinda's infamous "gifts". At fifteen, it's no surprise she turns down a marriage proposal, but instead of giving Evie and Wormy the chance to work things out, Lucinda sticks her nose into things and turns Evie into an Ogre. Evie has sixty-two days to get another marriage proposal or she stays an ogre forever.
In typical Levine fashion, this young heroine sets off to discover her own path and a way to set herself free, leading the reader on a magical adventure around the familiar kingdom of Kyrria from Ella's story.
My only disappointments were the writing. It wasn't as crisp and deep as EE was. There are parts that just feel rushed, and other parts that feel like YA style cliches. I didn't feel like the character and world building was up to par for other Levine books I've read, which disappointed me. I wanted more to sink my teeth into, but it wasn't there.
Again, I did enjoy this book. It kept me turning pages and it brought me a smile. And, it made me pick up Ella Enchanted again!

Blog Tour: The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder by Cookie O'Gorman

The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder

by Cookie O'Gorman

Genre: YA Romance/Murder Mystery

Release Date: April 5th 2018

               

Summary:

In the south, everyone has a secret--and murder is served with sweet tea.

The word's out: Ethan Wilder’s coming back to town, and the people of Bowie, Georgia are in a southern tizzy. Everyone knows the story. He shot and killed his sister four years ago, and people say his father, Jim Wilder, the biggest holy roller this side of the Mississippi, sent him packing for just that reason. Even if her death was unofficially ruled a suicide, Ethan’s return has everybody talking.

Seventeen-year-old Delilah Doherty can’t go anywhere without hearing his name. Born and raised in Bowie, Delilah knows firsthand about the gossipmongers and how they love a good scandal. The daughter of a wild child and niece of the local psychic, she’s also the only one who doubts Ethan’s guilt.

After Ethan saves her life, the two start a slow and steady burn neither can deny. But when Bowie's spiritual leader is nearly murdered, it rocks the small southern town to its core. Delilah and Ethan are caught in the crossfire, their relationship threatened before it's even begun. Someone has it out for Ethan's family. With everyone convinced of Ethan's guilt, it's up to Delilah to unravel the mystery before someone else gets hurt or worse...dead.

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Excerpt:

“So,” Wilder said, “how much for the ride?”

I eyed him wearily. Seconds ago he’d looked like he was going to be sick. Now, he was teasing?

“Free?” He feigned surprise. “Wow Doherty, I didn’t know you cared.”

Alright, if he wanted to play, I wasn’t above a little teasing.

“Information,” I said, crossing my arms. Despite myself, I was still interested. “You like the truth so much, tell me something I don’t know, something about you. The real Ethan Wilder.”

“You mean, besides the fact that I killed my sister?”

His delivery was inspired, but I rolled my eyes.

“You did not,” I said.

“Oh?” His gaze narrowed. “You don’t believe me?”

“Not a chance.” I shook my head; no way did I believe that. “The truth, Wilder.”

Crossing his own arms, he said, “I’m gay.”

“You’re what?!” I nearly swallowed my tongue.

Ignoring my outburst, he went on.

“I’ve loved you, Delilah, half my life.”

At that, my heart skipped a beat. How could he say something like that so easily?

“I killed my sister.” He waited for his words to sink in. “If I told you only one of those statements is true,” he said, stare fastened to my face, “which would you believe?”

I thought it over. The first had to be a lie. I’d seen him with too many girls. No way Wilder was batting for the same team. I automatically discarded the second statement. It couldn’t be true either. I hadn’t met Wilder before this year, so his being in love with me for any extended period of time was simply impossible. His being in love with me at all was inconceivable. That left what he’d said about his sister. The idea flitted through my brain, in and out in less than a breath. The more I knew of Wilder, the more convinced I became that some terrible, terrible mistake had been made four years ago. I didn’t believe for a second he’d killed his sister, not even when he said it so convincingly. To think, the same person who’d jumped into that lake could be capable of such an unspeakable offense. No, whatever else he was, Ethan Wilder was not a murderer. He just couldn’t be.

Considering my options, I settled on the only possibility.

“So, you’re gay.” I shrugged. “No big deal. Next time I see Ronnie, I’ll let him know you’re fair game.”

Wilder laughed. The sound was real, filled with complete abandon. Hearing him laugh like that, knowing I’d caused that break in his cool façade, made a strange ache bloom in my chest. I wanted to hear that laugh again and again.

“You do that,” he said, stepping outside. “I’ll see you, Doherty.”

Unable to resist, I said, “Should I tell Ronnie to get your coffee from now on? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, seeing as how you love it so much.”

Wilder peered through the open door.

“I hate coffee,” he said seriously.

“You do?” I asked confused.

He nodded. “Always have.”

“Then why—?”

“I’ll see you.”

Shutting the door, he took his time walking up the stone pathway.

About the Author

Cookie O'Gorman writes YA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her debut novel ADORKABLE is out now! Her second book NINJA GIRL was released March 30,2017!

Author Links:

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Blog Tour: Crossing the Line by Ellen Wolfson Valladares

Blog Tour: Songlines by Carolyn Denman

Songlines
by Carolyn Denman
Genre: Clean YA Fantasy
Release Date: August 20th 2016

Summary:

We belong to the Earth, Lainie-Bug. We were sent here in human form for a reason. If you don’t know what to do, then just be human.

 Right. Like that was ever a simple thing to do.

In the heart of the Wimmera region of Australia, an ancient gateway is kept hidden and safe by a creature so powerful that even the moon would obey her commands – at least it would if she had any idea that she wasn’t just a normal girl about to finish high school.

When a mining company begins some exploratory sampling near Lainie’s sheep farm, a family secret is revealed that makes her regret not having learned more about her heritage.

 What she’s told by their farm hand, Harry, can’t possibly be true, but then the most irritating guy in class, Bane, begins to act even more insane than ever, until she can no longer deny that something very unusual is going on.

When Harry doesn’t return from his quest to seek help to protect the area from the miners, Lainie sets out to discover the truth of her heritage, and of the secret she’s been born to protect.

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Excerpt:

The barking from the aged blue heeler echoed off the tin machinery shed as the sedan crunched to a halt on the loose gravel. Ruby rubbed her elbows to sooth a prickle of apprehension. Geoff was in the shed, searching the dusty shelves for the right sized ratchet-head she’d asked for so she could fix the hot water service. Harry was in the kitchen, doing what all nine-year-old boys do an hour before lunch – hunting for snacks.

A stocky man in a business suit emerged from the sedan, tossing his sunglasses on the driver’s seat. He appeared to be in his thirties, with dark hair, thick eyebrows, and a strong jawline that spoke of Italian descent. The man gave the yard a quick appraisal, and then checked his watch, a gaudy thing designed to impress clients.

Ruby met him at the front door.

‘Mrs Doolan? My name is Paul Dashner. I’ve been asked to make some enquiries on behalf of Celarsi Holdings about an item you recently sold to them. May I come in?’

Guardian instincts barred the doorway. The man wasn’t a threat, and yet he made her very uncomfortable. Whatever he had to say, he could say it where he was.

She crossed her arms. ‘My husband tried to call the company. Couldn’t even get a call back, and yet you’ve driven all the way up here from, where, Melbourne? What is it you want to know, Mr Dashner?’

The man licked his lips as if assessing her attitude before framing a reply. ‘We were advised that the ruby had been in your family for a long time. The new owner is curious about its origins. Can you tell me its history?’

A tug at her instincts told her that Geoff had emerged from the shed and was heading towards them.

‘The history of my ruby? It has no history to speak of.’

The man waited for more. His expression almost stern.

‘What am I supposed to tell you? Geoff’s father gave it to him. I don’t know exactly where it came from originally.’

Paul Dashner gave a cool smile. ‘Perhaps Geoff knows more.’

‘More about what?’ her husband asked as he stepped up onto the porch with his arms laden with tools. He dumped them at her feet like an offering to the Goddess of Broken Things.

‘Nothing. He was just leaving,’ Ruby said, stepping forward over the tools and closing the door behind her. She gestured for the man to start moving back to his car, but he ignored her.

‘Geoff Doolan? My apologies for not returning your calls. My employer is curious about the ruby you sold us. Was it mined locally?’

Geoff’s face paled and Ruby’s heart sank. This was exactly what she had repeatedly assured him wouldn’t happen. Why would they care about the origins of one ruby? It had great clarity, and excellent colour, but it wasn’t exactly a museum piece.

Her husband’s voice held no trace of the swallowed-tongue guilt she knew he felt. ‘Not locally, no.’

‘Can you tell me anything about its history? For insurance purposes, you understand. If the owner ever needs to replace it, he would like to get as close a match as possible. Even just the country it came from would be helpful information.’

‘I’m sorry, but I never asked.’ Geoff started walking to the man’s car, and Ruby followed, hoping the man would take the hint.

‘Do you have any more?’

 And with those words, the air became still. Ruby stared at her husband. Geoff stopped walking, closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. His hands were clenched into fists and Ruby’s Guardian heartbeat raced to catch up to his. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the kitchen curtain twitch as her son’s concerned face looked out to see what was happening.

Everything waited. The breeze paused. The birds watched on, silent. The old dog stood, tongue hanging and eyes more alert than they had been in years, as if waiting for a command. She waited for it too. She could feel the authority in the space between air particles. The whole world was frozen in anticipation of a spoken word, a decree to tell it what to do, how it could serve.

Geoff turned, stepped up to Paul Dashner and looked him right in the eye. ‘There are no more gems. You will tell your employer not to enquire further, and you need not be afraid of his reply. There is nothing to be afraid of.’

Instead of the confusion Ruby expected in response to Geoff’s words, the business man’s shoulders relaxed, and he smiled. ‘That is good news,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell him there are no more gems.’

Ruby looked on, astounded, as the man got back into his car and drove away. How long before Geoff’s influence wore off and he began to question what had just happened? Would he come back, demanding an explanation?

‘Geoff. Why would you say that? “Tell your employer not to enquire further?” You know that will only make them think we have something to hide.’

Her bonded charge turned to her and held out his right hand, still clenched into a fist. His eyes were haunted, shining with a sacred light that held both terror and beauty.

‘We do have something to hide, and I don’t know that I did the right thing,’ he whispered.

‘Well, I understand exactly how that feels,’ she said, ready to comfort him, but just as she was about to take his hand, he opened it, and she gasped.

There, resting on his palm was a ruby cradled by angel’s wings. Its light pulsed in resonance with Geoff’s heartbeat – the rhythm of his life-blood that she always felt more clearly than her own. Sunlight sparkled from the jewel like tiny secrets escaping from its core.

Yet more heavy secrets that they now had to guard with their lives.

Purchase links:

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31364316-songlines

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/nz/en/ebook/songlines-the-sentinels-of-eden-book-one

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Songlines-Sentinels-Eden-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01KPT0L7M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508220508&sr=8-1&keywords=carolyn+denman

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/songlines-carolyn-denman/1124385855?ean=9781922200600

Odyssey: http://odysseybooks.com.au/bookstore/#!/Songlines/p/69548963/category=0

About the Author

Carolyn Denman writes speculative fiction for adults and young adults. She has written short stories for Aurealis and Andromeda Spaceways magazines. The third novel in her Sentinels of Eden series is due for release by Odyssey Books in 2018.  Carolyn lives on a hobby farm on the outskirts of Melbourne with her husband, two daughters, her parents and far too many pets. Co-housing is the future though, right?

Somehow, her science degree and work in the finance industry have equipped her to write great science-fiction while still making sure her protagonists can always meet their mortgage repayments.

Author Links:

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Blog Tour: Patriots: Book One by Will Kane Thompson @PatriotsNovel

Patriots: Book One
by Will Kane Thompson
Genre: YA/NA
Release Date: October 18th 2017

Summary:

Whether they admit it or not, or even realize it, their whole lives have been altered by the events of September 11th, 2001, when they were just kids.

They came to this paradise of a college campus to find freedom, themselves, their future, sex, love, fun, God, intellectual discovery, their creative core … but instead find their world being torn apart again by political divisiveness, extremism, rage.

And now one of them will turn back to the terror of their youth in the hope of finding answers.

The rest will be victims.

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PRESS:

NPR interview in South Florida after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas tragedy:

http://news.wgcu.org/post/book-details-attack-campus

(You can listen to the interview here)

From the interviewer:

“Mass killings on school campuses have, unfortunately, become commonplace in American society. Just a week ago today, a shooter opened fire at a Broward County high school – killing 17 people and injuring another 15. …

Perhaps no recent work of fiction better handles this subject – and all the gray areas in between the nation’s pretty black-and-white divide – than “Patriots” by Will Kane Thompson.”

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Patriots-Book-Will-Kane-Thompson-ebook/dp/B07655DBJ9/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1520001562&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/patriots-will-kane-thompson/1127188699

Author Links:

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Sparrow Squadron by D.L. Jung

 

                                                        Sparrow Squadron

by D.L. Jung
Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Action-Adventure
Release Date: February 2018

Summary:
"There was a time when flying didn't mean looking over my shoulder for death coming at me."

World War II. June 1941. Hitler's war machine turns to the Soviet Union.

Escaping her hometown ahead of the Nazis, 16-year-old Aelya Makarova seizes a chance to live her dream. Obsessed with flying, she joins a women's fighter squadron to defend her homeland against the invaders. She'll go faster and higher than she's ever gone before.

But the harsh reality of Air Force life shatters her expectations and forces her to grow up fast. The squadron is split by petty rivalries, male pilots treat them like a joke, and the ideal country she thought she was fighting for doesn't really exist.

Finally given a chance to prove herself in battle, Aelya is pushed to breaking point. With all her talent, the help of her comrades, and a lot of luck, she might just make it through. But will there be anything left of her humanity?

With fast-paced action and a heart-rending mix of humour and tragedy, Sparrow Squadron is an adventure novel for young adults that brings an overlooked episode of history to life.

Add to Goodreads   Buy on Amazon

Sparrow Squadron Blog Tour: Prepared Interview Questions

Introduce yourself.

My name is D.L. Jung. That doesn't match the name on my birth certificate, but then again, neither does the name on my desk at work. I work in IT, am married and have two intermittently tolerable kids. That sucks up most of my time. Pretty much every free second outside of that is devoted to goofing off, I mean, writing.

I live in Canada, but I'm lucky enough to spend part of my time in New Zealand.

What inspired you to write this story?

A long time ago, I happened upon the documentary "Wasps and Witches" on TV.

It tells the parallel story of the American Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP’s) of World War II and the female combat pilots fighting for the Soviet Union at the same time. I was particularly fascinated by the Soviet women, and read as much on them as I could. Until then, I had no idea that women had fought in combat during WWII, let alone flew fighters and bombers.

There's now been quite a bit of fiction and non-fiction written about the night bomber pilots, the "Night Witches," but very little about the fighter pilots. I thought that was a shame, so I decided to step into that gap. And so, many years later, Sparrow Squadron came into being.

Did you write Sparrow Squadron what is currently happening in society in mind?

I think all fiction reflects the world around the writer. While the idea for the novel came much earlier, the bulk of it was written a year and a half ago. Probably the biggest external influence was the lead up to the 2016 US election. Because a female US president was a likely possibility, there was this strange mix of uplifting inspiration and rampant misogyny. Neither of these things is new. As each generation faces its own struggles to make progress, it's good to be exposed to what previous generations faced and achieved. All of that was definitely playing in my mind when I wrote the novel.

How much of Sparrow Squadron is fiction?

Aelya’s story itself is fiction and all of the people, with one notable exception, are all inventions of mine. However, I wrote this with the intent that all the events in the novel could reasonably have happened. Obviously, the major historical events all happened and many incidents are drawn from real-life accounts. The backgrounds of many of the characters are also based on real-life people.

What was your favourite discovery in doing your research?

As a result of Lend-Lease, in which the United States sent supplies to the Soviet Union to support their war effort, Soviet military personnel got inundated with a Spam-like canned meat. They took to calling it "Second Front." This was in part a dig at the repeated promises and delays the West made to open up a second front against Germany while the Soviets continued battling every day.

Describe your writing routine.

Everything in my schedule is based around the fact that I have a full-time job and kids. I usually schedule as much as I can around breaks at work and at night, after the kids’ bedtimes. I try to go several weeks without a lot of sleep, then crash for a week, then get back to it. That may sound crazy, but I find I’m actually way more productive when I have limited time to write. I try to remember that any moment of writing could be my last!

What can we expect in the sequel?

Aelya's going to be pushed into more of a leadership role, whether she feels ready or not. We're also going to see Aelya's first visit to the home front since she joined up. The relationships between the surviving pilots are going to get a lot more intense as they're thrown into the Battle of Kursk, which will push them further beyond the limits of anything they experienced at Stalingrad.

What are your future writing plans?

First and foremost, I need to finish the trilogy that starts with Sparrow Squadron. Then I have some epic fantasy that's just burning to get out of my head and onto the page. A significant part of it is inspired by a North Korean-style authoritarian personality cult.

What would Aelya like the most about our present day world and what would freak her out?

The extent of air travel available today would thrill Aelya, though she'd be a bit disappointed that we haven't gone to other planets yet. She'd be first in line for that job! As a child of Soviet society, I think she'd be overwhelmed by all of our entertainment choices and distractions. She'd probably want to escape into a cockpit at the earliest opportunity.

Who was your favourite character to write?

Obviously Aelya, being the protagonist, feels very much like my own child. But I loved letting loose on the "bad girl" Tonya. She doesn't really have a heart of gold, but there's a certain reasonable logic behind everything that she does and it was fun getting into that mindset.

What were some books that influenced your writing for this novel?

For Sparrow Squadron, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins was probably top of mind. I admired the tense, action-oriented writing. The Agency Series by Y.S. Lee, with its underdog, teenage heroine in a historical setting, also had a polished mix of humour and danger that I tried to emulate. Another huge influence was the Battle of Britain novel Piece of Cake by Derek Robinson. Its realistic depiction of the confusion of combat and the camraderie of the pilots makes it really stand out among war fiction.

What do you like to do in your downtime?

I like to reserve Fridays evenings, after the kids go to bed, as do-nothing times. It's a holdover from my college days. I'm so disciplined (by necessity) most of the week, I think I'd go crazy without that one off day. I usually spend it in a combination of watching TV or playing video games. Not very exciting, but I put all my spare energy into my writing.

What might readers be surprised to know about you?

Mainly because I forgot to mention this in any of my bios, they might be surprised that I once tried to run a sports analytics business. It didn't take, but I got to watch a playoff hockey game from the owner's box out of it!

About the Author
DL Jung has been an enthusiastic student of history since grade school, when he spent lazy afternoons flipping through an old Encyclopedia Britannica set. He enjoys blogging about history and writing historical fiction. He also writes fantasy and horror fiction as Darius Jung.

Jung is married, with two children, and lives in Toronto, Canada. They are lucky enough to spend part of the time in New Zealand. Outside of writing, he has tried stints as an industrial engineer, a film and TV script supervisor, an IT consultant, a professional game show contestant, and a grossly under-qualified business wear model. Sparrow Squadron is his debut novel.

Author Links:

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Guest Post: The Heroines Journey by G. Miki Hayden

Blurb:

Two girls separated by centuries, one living in the Middle Ages and one in the here and now, find common ground in their heroines’ journeys: the need to forge their own lives and identities and the hope of meeting that one, true love.

Amazon

Heroines Rule in The Heroine’s Journey

We’ve heard about the Hero’s Journey for most of our lives. That’s the model of what all fiction is supposed to be. But now, we girls and women are coming into our own—the time is up, and today is ours. Our struggles have become noticeable in society and the gender so totally submerged throughout human history is on the rise—and owning our equality with the male.

Yet the truth is that life isn’t all about gender; it’s about finding our authentic selves and being able to live from that with courage and intelligence.

Mostly, though, my novel, The Heroine’s Journey, is meant to be fun. Two girls help each other across the centuries and are clever enough and determined enough to succeed at what they need to do.

Today, this very day, youth is coming into its own and taking hold of the ideals that have been held up in our society while not being entirely enacted. So, hero or heroine, this is our time. Humanity and love will certainly conquer.

Here's an excerpt for a little taste!

"Cinderella," griped Gwen to her best friend Kresta, while the two sat in the noisy cafeteria eating a "Healthful Wednesday" lunch of chow mein. "What was Cinderella's claim to fame? The size of her foot? Give me a break here. So she got the guy. That's it?""You're right," agreed Kresta, tapping a bit more soy sauce from a miniature paper cup onto her food. "She didn't do anything clever or smart. She was just a ‘good' girl. Any luck she stumbled over was by way of the fairy godmother's generosity. Very handy.""Yeah," continued Gwen. "And those females in Shakespeare who dressed like men. What's up with that? They had to hide their gender to achieve anything? That can't be what the Heroine's Journey is all about."The girls stared at one another. Gwen pondered.As two of the members of the boy's basketball team passed the girls' end of the table, Gwen's attention wavered, and Kresta shifted in her chair: Lance Reilly and Jerod Afifa. Gwen's heart rate increased, and her mouth drained of moisture. Although getting the guy wasn't her idea of an ultimate objective, the concept did have a certain pulse-accelerating appeal.Deep in a conversation that demanded hearty peals of male laughter, neither athlete gave the girls a glance.

G. Miki Hayden has published a steady flow of short stories in anthologies, national magazines, and small press publications. She has had a number of novels in print, including Question Woman & Howling Sky, a new adult fantasy set after a series of cataclysmic ecological disasters; Strings, a middle grade fantasy based very loosely on string theory; and The Heroine’s Journey, a young adult mind-meld fantasy spanning many centuries. Miki teaches writing online at Writer’s Digest University, has been on The New York Times summer reading list, and won a short story Edgar.

Cover Reveal: Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi

Blitz: Keeper by Kim Chance

Daughter of the Goddess Blitz

Daughter of the Goddess
Rita Webb
Publication date: November 20th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

The wind calls her to play.
Will she listen?
I was a nameless child abandoned on the temple doorsteps.
Soul, the gods called me. So they named me Nephecia.
My plans don’t include marriage to some silly nobleman. When I come of age, I will take vows and devote my life to serving the goddess of Light. As a priestess, a daughter of the goddess, I’ll make the world a better place.
The summer before my eighteenth birthday, an oracle arrives with word from the gods: I must leave the only home, the only family, I’ve ever known, to marry a stranger in a foreign land.
There must be some mistake.
If I follow my own plans, I’ll disobey the very goddess I want to serve. But how can I trust the gods have my best interest at heart?
______________________________________________________
Daughter of the Goddess is a Young Adult Fairy Tale retelling of the Greek myth Eros and Psyche, set in a fantasy world.
If you enjoy sweet love stories and fairy tales, then you’ll fall in love with Nephecia’s story. Grab your copy today.

Goodreads / Amazon

99¢ for a limited time only!

—

Q&A with author Rita Webb

Where did you get the idea for Daughter of the Goddess?
My favorite Greek myth is the story of Eros and Psyche. I think it’s the only Greek myth I read with anywhere close to a happy ending, even if there was a great deal of turmoil getting there.
The philosopher in me always wondered what a soul really was. When someone says, “That music is full of soul,” what does that mean?
So Nephecia epitomizes what I believe soul means. I took her out of Ancient Greece and put her into a world of my own making.
How did the name “Psyche” become “Nephecia”?
I searched other languages for the word “Soul” and found nephesh in Hebrew.
How did the name “Eros” become “Gabin”?
Gabin is a variation of Gabriel (according to my baby name book), that means “Hero of God.” I remember something about it meaning “Beloved by God” too.
Why do you write stories?
I have 3 daughters, ages 15, 13, and 11, and I want them to grow up believing in their dreams. The only way I can see that happening is if I believe in my own.
What’s your secret to success?
My husband. He believes in me, and when I’m discouraged, he never lets me give up.
What one piece of advice do you have for new writers?
Read, write, study, write some more. Never give up. Okay, that’s 5 pieces of advice.

Author Bio:
Leaving the house to go to school, I had schoolbooks spilling out of one hand, the other holding my place in a Nancy Drew novel, and bunny slippers still on my feet. My mom was a wee bit upset.
I haven't changed much. Still always have a book (or two) in my hand or creating stories in my head, and although I don't have any bunny slippers, I love writing in my jammies and snuggly slipper socks.
With my husband TJ (my own cuddly werewolf), I home-school our three girls, who keep us busy with art, science projects, books to read, dance classes, and walks about the park.

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