Blog Tour + #Giveaway: A Pizza My Heart: An Anthology by Various Authors @hocuspocusco @yaboundtourspr #Pizzathology

A Pizza My Heart: An Anthology
by Various Authors
Genre: YA Fiction Anthology
Release Date: February 9th 2017
Hocus Pocus & Co.

Summary:

Gooey cheese and warm pepperoni, with a side of kissing and murder.

A Pizza My Heart is a quirky and fun anthology that crosses all genres. Fifteen extraordinary authors have united to tell stories of mystery, mayhem, romance, danger, deceit…and pizza.

Sometimes spicy, sometimes cheesy, but always delicious, A Pizza My Heart invites you to explore life, happiness, and the pursuit of pizza.

Stories Include:

A Slice of Adventure by Maria Carvalho

Between Slices by Andy Grieser

Fresh, Hot, and Deadly by Rena Olsen

KissingDancingPizzaMURDER by Darci Cole

Kneadful Things by Jenna Lehne

Love Pizza No. 9 by Vanessa Rodriguez

Madame Miraval’s Pizza Place by Kelly deVos

Password Is… by Jolene Haley

Pizza on the Brain by Emily Simon

Pizza Buddy by Brian LeTendre

Pizzamergency by Brett Jonas

Survival Pizza by Rebecca Waddell

The Last Stop at the End of the World by Jamie Adams

The Pizza Guy by Jessi Shakarian

Where There’s Pizza by Jasmine Brown

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

Guest Post:

How to Publish an Anthology

By Jolene Haley

I love pizza. Always have and always will. And one day I thought—wouldn’t it be so cool if there was some sort of pizza anthology (pizzathology, if you will)?

I wasn’t sure if anyone would want to participate because I wasn’t sure that other people shared the same level of pizza obsession that I had. So I put out a call for pizza stories, not really expecting to get any, and I got fifty amazing stories! I narrowed them down (it was so hard!) into what you see today for the A Pizza My Heart pizzathology—fifteen amazing stories from fifteen amazing authors and all of them revolve around something very important: pizza!

The nice thing about anthologies is that YOU normally don’t have to write all of the stories in them. Normally, if you write all of the stories in a book, it’s called a short story collection (and that’s another post for another time). For those who are new to this altogether, an anthology is a book or collection of stories, usually written by different authors, with a common subject thread.

If you really love a certain type of story or if you can picture something you would love to read but you can’t find, consider putting out your own anthology. The cool thing is that you can put eBooks out for almost no cost to you these days.

Here is what you will need to consider if you want to put out an anthology:

1.   What will be the common thread?

Will these be a book about pizza, like my Pizzathology? Will this be an anthology about space? Romance? Think of what kind of stories you want your anthology to be about.

2.   Who will be editing?

I have been the editor for all of my anthologies and I’ve loved doing it. But if you do not want to be the editor, if you have a friend or know someone who loves editing and is great at it, put out those feelers! Or, if you have the money, you can always hire a professional editor to help you.

3.   What guidelines will you have for your future authors?

You need to think about your guidelines and post it when you put out the call for stories. How long do you want your anthology stories to be? Normally 1,000 – 3,000 is my guideline. What about other things. Any specific setting? Time? World?  Going for any specific vibes or tone? Looking for a specific target audience? Be clear in what you’re looking for so you can get the best stories possible and the authors know what you are looking for. Here is a link to my original call for submissions so you can see how I did it.

4.   What kind of cover will you have?

Amazon Direct Publishing has Cover Creator that allows you to make a cover for free for your book. There are a gazillion stock photograph websites out there that you can get images from. Or, you can always consider hiring a cover artist. Our cover artist for A Pizza My Heart is Haley Crosby and she completely killed it with the type of cover I envisioned and the vibe I was going for! She’s amazing and so easy to work with. Check out her art work. It blows my mind.

5.   Will you provide payment to your authors?

I’m a fan of paying your authors for their work, even if it’s a flat fee. The authors in A Pizza My Heart were paid a flat fee. However, some people are happy just getting their work and their name out there. Whatever you decide or can do, make sure to be clear up front.

6.   Where will you sell it?

Decide if you’re only going to sell on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, etc. Amazon is my favorite place to sell books because you don’t need to purchase an ISBN for eBooks and that saves money if money is tight. Also, in my opinion, Amazon has a wider reach than most places.

Once you figure these things out you are set to go and can start working on putting out your very own anthology! It’s a fun thing to put together and, especially in this case, the authors and our cover artist make it even more fun because we’re all so excited.

I asked a few authors in the A Pizza My Heart anthology for tips and thoughts on writing and what makes a good anthology. Here is what they had to say.

Tips from the Authors

Maria Carvalho

Website

Probably stating the obvious here, but it's important to stick to the theme and the target audience. Don't try to take a story you've already written and then tweak it to make it fit the theme; instead, let the theme inspire you. I love writing for themed anthologies because it's a fun challenge to come up with something that has to incorporate a specific idea, and that tends to spark my imagination and lead me to stories I never would have thought of otherwise. I think a good anthology is one that has strong stories, each incorporating the theme in a different way and in a unique voice, that all work together to form a cohesive whole.

Jamie Adams

Website

I approached the anthology in pretty much the same way I approach my books—by asking "what can I do that will be most unexpected?" Whenever I have a general concept, I almost always immediately discard my first 3-5 ideas about how to bring that concept to life. I find those ideas are too easy, too general, or too close to a version someone else could tell. After I discard those, I consider their opposites, and then as I write I look at each turning point and ask if I want to do the expected or the unexpected. Sometimes I go with a more predictable path, because who doesn't love the slow build?! Other times I go for the shock and awe option, but I never let myself assume a story must go a certain direction—especially when a whole group of amazingly talented people are taking on the same task!

Rebecca Waddell

Website

Finding a theme that speaks into my soul the way pizza does is a great way to start writing an anthology story. A good anthology story is a good story all by itself. 

Like any flash fiction, it speaks to the theme as well as capturing my attention and making me feel things. The characters need to capture me and pull me into their world.

*****

A Pizza My Heart will be out on Amazon February 9^th, 2017, which is National Pizza Day!

We’ve got a special pizza promotion happening if you pre-order or buy it in the first two weeks. You can get the entire thing for only 99 cents. That’s less than a pack of gum these days! After that, it will go up to its normal price.

If pizza isn’t your thing, there are some amazing anthologies out there and I highly recommend checking them out if you are looking for fun reads that tie together.

If you have questions, feel free to check out my website for more tips or reach out to me on Twitter!

Here are some of my favorites from people all over the writing world:

Beware! The Little White Rabbit

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd

Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron

Grim (yes, fairy tales)

Rags and Bones

Halloween Night: Trick or Treat

Dark Carnival: An Anthology of Horror

Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYa anthology

Slasher Girls and Monster Boys

About the Publisher:

Established in 2014, Hocus Pocus & Co. loves to bring unique voices and stories to fruition.

Publisher Links:

Website│Twitter

Cover Design by Haley Crosby

Join the book buzz using hashtag #Pizzathology

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Book Tour + #Giveaway: The Rob Buckman Scifi Feature @SDSXXTours

Heart of Stone

by Rob Buckman

Genre: SciFi, Action

Mike Grainger had enough of killing and death, and all he wanted now was to be left alone in peace and to forget the past, finding a quiet place, high in the Rocky Mountains where he could live his life. Maybe now he could put the ghost that haunted him to rest. Here, death and destruction were forces of nature, something he understood, and respected, yet even as he watched a storms moving across the mountains another storm swept towards him, one that had nothing to do with the weather.

To Roland Hawkins', his world revolved around money and power, and gaining a fortune that nothing could destroy. To him, disposing of people who stood in his way meant nothing. He felt no remorse when he ordered people killed to fulfill his ambition. Now he wanted an insignificant section of land high in the Rockies, and to consummate his latest business deal he’d arranged the death of the previous owner. To his consternation, the land slipped from his grasp before his agents could obtain it, and due to poor judgment and timing the land was purchased by another. In fury, he ordered the property be obtained by any means necessary, thinking his power and money would protect him from anything. Nowhere in his calculation did he consider the new owner, Mike Grainger, thinking him nothing more than some local hick to be disposed of as quickly as possible. Bribery, extortion, and murder were tools to Roland Hawkins and used to justify his ambition. Mike Grainger used death and destruction as a tool to keep what was his. To him, life and death were meaningless, his own included. It would have all been so easy if Kat Ballard hadn't stepped into the picture. She gave him a reason to live, to care, and pushed the stakes even higher. Now, it was not just a question of fighting a pack of hired killers on their trail, but staying one jump ahead of them. He now had to consider someone else's life, as well as trying to discover why Roland Hawkins wanted his land so badly.

Together they fought the mountain, the mercenaries, the elements, and each other in a wild death hunt over and under the mountains, finding love and losing it. Now he was mad. Roland Hawkins would pay a high price for his ambition: his life. The hunted would now become the hunter. No quarter asked, or given.

Goodreads * Amazon

He Who Dares: Book One

The Gray Chronicals 1

by Rob Buckman

For Mike Gray, his life was a series of mysteries and unanswered question. Even the man who raised him, his paternal grandfather, was a question mark. Beyond the love, understanding, and nurturing lay the unanswered question of why a disgraced ex-Royal Naval Admiral would pulled himself out of a bottle and take upon himself to bring a one year old child home as raise him as his own. The question of why his family, the Tregallion clan, refused to come to his aid went unanswered. Even so, between them they build a life for themselves until the fateful day he died. After that, Mike fled across the stars, swearing he would never again take the responsibility for another person’s death. Fate and destiny had other ideas, plunging him into one situation after the other where he had to take command, and decide the fate of others. With war on the horizon, and the future of the free stars hanging in the balance, Mike reluctantly accepted his destiny, and the part he must play. For better or worse, he would find the answered to his question, and make those responsible pay a terrible price.

Goodreads * Amazon

He Who Dares: Book Two

The Gray Chronicals 2

For Mike Gray, his life continues to be series of mysteries and unanswered question. Even the man who raised him, his paternal grandfather, was a question mark. Beyond the love, understanding, and nurturing lay the unanswered question of why a disgraced ex-Royal Naval Admiral would pulled himself out of a bottle and take upon himself to bring a child home as raise him as his own. The death of his one grandfather still haunts him, and even after confronting the head of the Tregallion clan, so many question remained unanswered. Mike battled his way across the stars, looking for answered, swearing to protect the lives of the men and woman under his command and just do his duty. Fate and destiny had other ideas, plunging him into one situation after the other where he had to take command, and decide the fate of others. With war on the horizon, and the future of the free stars hanging in the balance, Mike reluctantly accepted his destiny, and the part he must play. For better or worse, he would find the answered to his question, and make those responsible pay a terrible price.

Goodreads * Amazon

He Who Dares: Book Three

The Gray Chronicles 3

For Mike Gray, his life continues to be series of mysteries and unanswered question. Even the man who raised him, his paternal grandfather, was a question mark. Beyond the love, understanding, and nurturing lay the unanswered question of why a disgraced ex-Royal Naval Admiral would pulled himself out of a bottle and take upon himself to bring a child home as raise him as his own. The death of his grandfather still haunts him, and even after confronting the head of the Tregallion clan, Max Tregallion, so many question remained unanswered. Still looking for answers, Mike battled his way across the stars now that the Sirriens have declared war, and prepares to take the fight to the enemy. In a covert war in new ships and untested crew, all the while swearing to protect the lives of the men and woman under his command and just do his duty. Fate and destiny had other plans, plunging him and the woman he loves into one desparate situation after the other, and the future of the free stars hanging in the balance, Mike reluctantly accepted his destiny, and the part he must play.

Goodreads * Amazon

The Prize

Book 1

To everyone in the Empire military, all human's were stark raving mad, and no matter how hard they tried, or how many they killed, the crazy human's wouldn't stop fighting. What the Emperor, Director Markoff, and the Empire military should have remembered the old adage. …never trust a human, and especially Richard Penn.

For Penn, the hated and despised human killer, the choice was simple, go on a suicide mission to a forbidden planet, or another human city with over a million men, woman and children would die. To make the mission even more interesting, Director Markoff send along seventeen cold eyed killer as his escort who'd rather see him dead than breath. Seventeen cold eyed killer, an inexperience Captain who couldn't find his butt in the dark with a flashlight and a map, and one human female, Sub Major Ellis. A beautiful, gray eyed, cold hearted bitch in cast iron panties. She hated and despised Penn more than all the others put together, and held the other end of his electronic leash.  

So all he had to do was crash land on a forbidden planet you couldn't escape from, lead the motley team through a hundred miles of trackless jungle full of death traps, unimaginable monsters, and alien troops, to a mountain size pyramid shaped building.  

Surviving the crash landing was one thing, surviving forty eight hours with seventeen killer another, getting to the building and finding the Prize would be a miracle, so how could he refuse such an offer. Getting to the building was easy compared to what they faced inside. Here, he had to face the most dangerous monster of all to collect a prize he didn't want, and maybe lose the prize he truly wanted.

Goodreads * Amazon

The Prize

Book 2- Retribution

For Penn, the hated and despised human killer with bright, yellow, tigers eyes, the choice was simple, go on a suicide mission to a forbidden planet, or another human city with over a million men, woman and children would die. Director Markoff send seventeen cold eyed killer as his escort who'd rather see him dead than breath. So after crash land on a forbidden planet you couldn't escape from and leading a band of killer through hundreds of miles of trackless jungle full of death traps, unimaginable monsters, and alien troops. Reaching the mountain size pyramid shaped building was a walk in the park compared to what waited inside. Here, he had to face the most dangerous monster of all to collect the prize he truly wanted. But even after winning the prize, there was no rest. Now he had to put planet earth back together, build an army, navy and air force, and get ready to take the war to Director Markoff and Emperor Cytec. Just when he thought he had a handle on thing, everything went sideways and he had to fight and kill again to win the one prize he valued above all others, a beautiful, gray eyed wildcat, by the name of Alexandra Ellis.

Goodreads * Amazon

Echo of Tomorrow

The Drake Chronicles Book 1

For General Scott Drake the attack on four American cities by religious fanatic using nuclear weapons destroyed not only US cities, but his life as he knew it. They say that vengeance is a dish best served cold, but to the men and woman who went with him over the border to deliver that vengeance, it was dish served hot, and out of the barrel of a gun and cannon, and from the air. Yet in victory came defeat as he found three hundred years later in the world he woke up in. One far different from the one he'd left behind when he went into cold sleep. Now he had to find a place in this strange new world, one without the means to wage war against an alien race raping the planet of its young people. First, he had to build an army, navy and air force from scratch while fending off attacks from the aliens and the secret government that wanted to put him and his men back into cold sleep or the grave.

Goodreads * Amazon

Echo of Tomorrow

The Drake Chronicles Book 2

For General Scott Drake the attack on four American cities by religious fanatic using nuclear weapons destroyed his life as he knew it. Yet in victory came defeat as he found three hundred years later in the world he woke up in. One far different from the one he'd left behind when he went into cold sleep. Now he and his men and women had to find a place in this strange new world, one without the means to wage war against an alien race raping the planet of its young people. First, he had to build an army, navy and air force from scratch while fending off attacks from the aliens and the secret government that wanted to put him and his men back into cold sleep or the grave. Now it was a race against time as they struggled to build a fleet while fighting saboteurs with one hand and a religious fanatic on the other. Now it was a question of if man could retain his place at the top of the food chain, or be reduced to the status of sheep.

Goodreads * Amazon

I am a 65 year old retired mechanical engineer, ex-soldier, ex-sailor, have mined and prospected for gold in the Amazon jungle in places no white man has ever been, and generally tried to be a ‘jack of all trades’ and turn my hand to many things. This came in handy when I started to write, as I could draw on many different experiences, both positive and negative to build my stories and characters. To me, writing is similar to another activity that men do alone… no, not that, I meant fishing (lol), in that it gives your mind a chance to wander down strange pathways, and try to answer the question ‘What if?’. Like many self published authors did before me, I posted my stories before I had the means, or readership to edit or proofread the stories, for which you have my apologies, and have attempted to correct that oversight.  Like any good author, I try to write an entertaining story of interest to a particular group of reader, i.e. Sci-fi fans, and not to win an English essay contest, composition award, or a spelling bee. With luck I have achieved that end, and beg your indulgence, and hope you will overlook any irritating errors you still may come across while reading and not let them detract from the your overall enjoyment of the storytelling.

At the moment I am working on Book Three of both ‘Echo of Tomorrow’ and ‘He Who Dares’.  During my ‘spare’ time I’m also working on several short stories and plotting out sequels to a couple of my other short stories.

Member of Sci-Fi Writers of America

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Kinky Sex Magic by Kailee Reese Samuels @KRSamuels @XpressoTours

Kinky Sex Magic
Kailee Reese Samuels
Publication date: February 14th 2017
Genres: Erotica, Romance

Sex is sex. Love is love.

When Sal Raniero is contracted to find incriminating information on his former Mistress, the only payment he requests is the whereabouts of his best friend Iris Kettles. The friendship by day twists and turns into a turbulent love, but at night she craves his seduction.

Like a rogue eclipsed in the shadows, he stands guard, ready to attack. He’s following Iris, watching her eat and sleep, flirt and f@#k. Protecting and stalking, Sal keeps his submissive safe.

Fearing never deserving or earning his love and respect, Iris accepts her fate. She cannot let go with Sal. So she runs, unable to stop and face the truth in Sal’s eyes. His love unequal, he will always be there, chasing her down with relentless devotion. Pushing further away, Iris enters a dangerous game, confronting the men who want to hurt her body and hating herself for knowing the Master she truly needs to completely surrender.

KINKY SEX MAGIC is an author’s cut of select scenes from the novel Juliet. Kinky Sex Magic is new material unavailable in Juliet.

KAILEE REESE SAMUELS writes romantic suspense with an erotic flair. Let her words whisk you away, escaping with delicious guys, toe-curling kisses, and addictive stories.

WARNING: This book contains graphic BDSM, strong sexual situations, and explicit language. Contents intended for MATURE readers 18+ ONLY.

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo / Smashwords

EXCERPT:

The Texas sun glared down in early June, unforgiving and tanning Sal’s already dark complexion an even deeper shade of sexy.

He always made a point of thoroughly cleaning Serene’s stables twice a year in June and December. His dedicated routine of daily chores helped make it easier, but it didn’t change the heat.

Emptying the stable at six in the morning, Sal worked the better part of the day, stopping to answer Serene’s business line, a call from Jack, and another interruption by Zoe, slowing him down to the point of frustration. Hot, sweaty, and filthy, Sal paced on the phone. With all the distractions, the clean-up took too damn long.

He picked up the call for a longtime client of Serene’s, wanting to schedule her for a week in Florida after the Fourth of July. As always, Sal handled the call professionally without any hint of his personal struggles.

Jack called to ask Sal if he’d like to go to Houston early Friday morning. He had a consultation with a colleague for plastics work on a patient and a gala art reception Saturday night. It hadn’t been unusual for Jack to grab the young version of himself, hightailing it away for a few days. Typically, that involved Jack’s sports boat, fishing, and copious amounts of beer, but a classy weekend would work, too.

Sal never knew who he might meet when they went out dressed to kill. Those rich little bitches loved him, and well, he didn’t mind their money. Spending a night with an over-middle-aged-trying-to-be-twenty-something poshed-up, plastic doll was never a bad time.

Sure, there were things he would rather be doing, but work was work—his talents and body provided a privileged life. Sal never bit the hand that fed—unless she asked and paid for the service.

When Zoe brought him a bottle filled with ice cold tea, Sal knew she had ulterior motives, a sweet inquisition about his latest little flirtation with her new friend, Iris. She flipped a five-gallon bucket over, plopping her ass down. The questions turned into an interrogation, but Sal knew her curiousness translated into caring. Zoe acted like his baby sister, and it would have been odd for her not to say something, especially considering Sal nor Iris could seem to keep their eyes off one another.

Zoe pointed out, “She’s been gone almost a full week, and you haven’t said a word.”

Sal moved small bales of hay, feed, and gear back into the straightened stable. Opening the bottle, he took a long swig as his arm muscles flecked in dirt and shimmered with sweat. Wearing ripped jeans with his rugged, worn belt, boots, and now stained, white tank top, he looked hot.

Zoe knew he showed up many a woman’s dream, but to her—Sal held the role of her older, very protective brother. Her bro who developed quite a crush on one Ms. Iris Kettles.

Wiping his mouth off with a bandanna, he shoved it in his back pocket. “Z, you know girl… She’s just another applicant to Juliet. Iris is nothing special.”

Zoe stood up, ready to fight. “Bullshit, Salvatore! You and I both know she’s not just another notch in your well-punched up belt. I saw the way you were looking at each other. There is something special there.”

“Heh.” Sal shook his head, taking another swig of the tea. “Okay, I concede there may be an attraction, but there isn’t much I can do about it.”

“You’ve been with her,” Zoe declared.

Sal shot Zoe a flabbergasted look of—who me?—like she caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. A slight blush rose up on his sweaty, grinning face.

“I have done no such thing,” he said, smirking and trying to evade the issue. Sal knew he couldn’t deny it. His thoughts raced back to the hotel. After Kate removed his collar, Sal held Iris in his arms after a serious heavy petting session. He decided not lie to Zoe.

“I may have stained her Midsummer dress… Just a little,” he proudly snarled.

“You are so bad.” Zoe laughed.

“I am not bad. I am just trouble, and ya, particularly with Iris. I do have a thing for her—a big fucking thing—I can do nothing about. She’s not looking for a boyfriend, Z. She’s looking to find out who she is, and I am not going to be the one to stand in her way,” Sal argued.

His phone went off in his back pocket, the simple message from Ella.

“Kaiser’s tonight.”

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Zoe, scowling at the phone and him.

“I know something is up with that message, too. And I think you better be careful, babe. There are a lot of murky, gray puddles in the land of Juliet. Don’t you go get yourself stuck in the mud now. If anyone hurts you, I swear to the heavens above—I will kill someone,” Zoe threatened.

“I’ll be good,” he said, finishing his tea. “Good, but trouble,” he flirted with a wink.

Author Bio:
Embracing diversity. Coffee addict. Mango lover. Blueberry fetishist. Sweet peach tea crazy. Red wine devout. Whiskey deviant. Tattooed & pierced. Loves shoes. Collects rosaries. Fanatical organizer/cleaner/list-maker. Never sleeps. Hermit and recluse. 

Storyteller. 

KAILEE REESE SAMUELS has been spinning tales since she can remember. Her books are contemporary fiction with a no-holds-barred attitude. She adores listening to her characters ramble and putting them into situations that push the boundaries. 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Cover Reveal: Help Wanted by Allison B. Hanson @AllisonBHanson @SDSXXTours

HELP WANTED

by Allison B. Hanson

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pub Date: 9/12/2017

Who said mixing work and pleasure was a bad idea?

For Kenley Carmichael, getting fired for sleeping with the boss’s husband is almost funny—at 28, she’s still a virgin. Not that her now ex-boss would believe it—Kenley’s got the face and figure to attract plenty of men, even if she’s never found the right one. A job at New Haven Custom Boats is a chance to start fresh and learn a whole new skill set. Trouble is, she can’t stop wishing her incredibly hot new boss would introduce her to some decidedly un-businesslike pleasure . . .

Zane Jackson needs a new assistant, but when his pregnant sister hires her replacement, she chooses a girl who reminds him of the kind who broke his heart in high school. Zane might not be that shy boy anymore, but sweet, sexy Kenley makes him feel every bit as awkward as he did then—and even hungrier to kiss her. She’s the perfect woman for the job—but he wants her to be so much more.

Interoffice dating can only lead to trouble—unless it leads to true love . . .

Amazon * B&N * GooglePlay * Kobo * Apple

Allison B. Hanson lives near Hershey, Pennsylvania. Her novels include women’s fiction, paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery suspense. She enjoys candy immensely, as well as long motorcycle rides and reading.

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NBTM + Review + #Giveaway: Stealing Magic by Alex C Vick @GoddessFish

Stealing Magic

by Alex C Vick

GENRE:   Middle Grade Fantasy

BLURB:

Shannon thought there was no such thing as real magic. Until that day. The day that changed everything.

Put yourself in her shoes. Would you open your eyes, if you were the one that heard them? Two magic-takers from another world, arguing about whether they can collect what they came for before you wake up. It sounds like a crazy dream, or a practical joke.

But what if the air around you started to vibrate with an invisible force field? What if, all at once, it felt scary, yet familiar too? You would have no way of knowing that this discovery would set you on a path no-one from our world has taken for centuries. Towards a deadly enemy, and a fight you will almost certainly lose.

All you know is that your heart is beating so fast you're worried they will hear it, and your brain is starting to buzz as the force field reaches it. Would you open your eyes?

Join Jax and Shannon as they live through the most exciting and terrifying ten days of their lives!

Excerpt:

“I knew it!” shouted the voice triumphantly.

Shannon nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected words. Abruptly the force field seemed to snap back inside her head, leaving her hands and the surface of the tree completely back to normal.

She scrambled to her feet to confront the owner of the voice, knowing already who it was.

“Jax, I presume?” she said, as calmly as she could manage, though her heart was still jumping from the shock, and she was already half-smiling in amazement at what was happening.

Jax, standing with his hands in his pockets, and smiling the same mischievous, slightly mocking grin that she remembered from last time, raised his eyebrows.

“You have the advantage over me, Terran,” he said. “I don’t know your name.”

“Shannon,” she answered. “And you knew what exactly?”

Jax gave a half-bow. “Pleased to meet you Shannon. And I knew you were a magician.”

Shannon’s mouth fell open. Before she could reply, he continued.

“I shouldn’t even be able to travel here on my own. You see this symbol on my shirt?”

He pointed to the star, the centre of which was spinning again just as it had the week before.

“It wasn’t until I met you that it started to spin. It’s not supposed to be able to do that until I come of age. In four years’ time.”

He paused, to make sure she understood the significance of this fact. “Who are you? Why is this happening?”

Shannon laughed. To think that Jax was the one asking questions of her! 

My Review:

Jax and Darius live in world with magic and are sent out nightly along with other teens from their world to Terra, Earth to harvest the magic from the trees. While they are on Terra one night harvesting the magic they spot a girl about their age asleep in the garden behind her home. Darius being the one that likes to follow the rules informs Jax they have to leave before this girl wakes up and sees them.

Now the reason they go to Terra at night to harvest the magic is because no one on Earth is supposed to see them if anyone does there will be terrible consequences to face. But before they can make it back to their world through the portal the girl Shannon wakes and sees them.

Jax being your typical teenager who is very mischievous does not take to well to following all the rules and likes to do his own thing. Besides the boy has a very inquisitive mind. So therefore asks lots of questions as to why they have to harvest the magic and what the reasons are behind all the rules. Once the boys break the rules and then are caught doing it the boys try to make amends.

I really enjoyed following Jax, Darius, Shannon and all the other characters on their quest of harvesting the magic and finding out all the secrets that the people on Androva have been keeping through the generations. The world building was out of this world magnificent. I can’t wait to read more about Jax, Darius and Shannon and what adventures they will take us on next. If you have not read Stealing Magic then let me suggest that you do well that is if you like reading all things magical.   

Guest Post:

Pick a favorite event in time that you would like to visit: Example: Salem Witch Trials, Civil War, The shooting of Abraham Lincoln etc…..(please pick one) 

Tell us why you would like to visit and/or would you like to visit this event just to see and know what really happened or would you like to visit as a participate in the event?

Firstly, thank you to Nancy for giving me the chance to write a guest post for her Avid Reader blog today! This suggested topic appealed to me because I had to research a certain historic event more closely for my third book, and now I really wish that I could have seen some of it for myself.

I would like to visit Pompeii in its final days, before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius encased the city in such a sinister and perfect tomb of hot ash. So much of what we know today about the Roman Empire comes from the excavations of that famous city. It’s as if that one day in 79 AD has been frozen in time forever. But what was the reality behind it all, and why did so many people stay behind?

I’ve always been intrigued by Ancient Rome. It had stunning architecture, a sophisticated culture, and real people as incredible as any you could dream up. Yet underneath this veneer of civilization, the reality could be quite brutal. It was a way of life built on slavery and lands conquered by force.

If I had the chance to visit Pompeii, I would prefer to be an observer, so that I could see as much of the city as possible from different points of view. As time would be limited, I’ve chosen three people that I am particularly curious about:

• Julia Felix, a wealthy heiress and property owner, whose villa had its own baths and apartments for rent. What was her life like as a businesswoman in Pompeii?

• Eutyche, a female slave owned by Aulus Scarus. His business supplied nearly one third of the fish sauce that Pompeiians served with everything they ate. I have read that Eutyche was important enough to actually run one of the manufacturing shops. She even had her own seal. Was her position as unusual as it seems?

• Aulus Vettius Restitutus, one of the Vettii brothers. They were freedmen (former slaves) who became such successful merchants that they owned one of the most luxurious villas in the city. What was the story behind their success?

I don’t know if these three people escaped Pompeii before the volcano destroyed it. I don’t know if they knew what was going to happen to their city, or how it appeared to them at the time. The people that stayed behind seem reckless to us now. But maybe the people that left the city were mocked for being incredibly cautious. Despite all that we continue to learn about Pompeii, some secrets will never be uncovered.

The influence of Ancient Rome can be seen today in everything from our legal system, to the language we speak, and the way our cities are built. If you could visit somewhere in Ancient Rome, where would you go? Would you want to participate or just observe?

Thank you for reading, and thank you again to Nancy for featuring my post!

AUTHOR BIO:

Alex writes contemporary fantasy books for a middle grade audience and older. There are three (self-contained) stories in the Legacy of Androva series so far, with a fourth on the way. You can contact Alex, and find more information about Androva, including a character interview, at http://www.alexcvick.com

Alex lives in the South of England with her husband and two daughters. When she's not working, or writing about magic, she also loves reading and photography.

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