So over the next few weeks you'll have the chance to read a little bit about a lot of books.
This is how it works:
First an author posts on their blog the exchange information about their
book (cover, blurb, 250-500 word excerpt, buy links and author links.)
Next they notify authors in the Eggcerpt Exchange list that they want to
exchange posts. Then two authors agree to exchange information about their books. Arrange the
dates ahead of time and exchange URL information via email. Each posts
the information on their blogsite with picture of the book, blurb,
excerpt, links to other author's site and buy links to the book.
So this is a fun way to learn about some authors you might not know anything about and perhaps find a few good books to read and who doesn't want to do that?
Anyway, I hope you will all enjoy the guest spots I'll have here for you to read over.
These
two shared some sort of history. And now I was in the middle of their story.
Sparks
flew through the air. But, they didn’t seem to notice—or maybe they just didn’t
care how uncomfortable they were making the rest of us.
I
scanned the room. The terribly odd thing was that while they stood in the
center of the cafeteria—arguing—everyone’s eyes were on me.
What is so interesting about me?
After
a few seconds, I heard whispered accusations slammed back and forth, like a
ping-pong ball. My name, muttered in odd and angry tones. No one seemed to mind
staring at me, but only the bravest few were sneaking sideways glances over at
Kelly and Kyle, hoping no one noticed.
This
wasn’t what I needed on my first day at a new school. I hadn’t come here
looking for instant enemies, but I knew I’d accidentally stirred a private pot
and things were already starting to boil.
I
needed to do something and quick. From the sounds floating around me, if they
got into an actual argument, I was going to get the blame.
I
spit out the first words I could think to say, “What’s a new kid to do, after school, around here… for fun?”
Kyle
sighed and chuckled, “That depends on what you’re hoping to find and what you think is fun.” He stepped back away
from Kelly for a moment. “You big city kids always think something needs to be going on. But in real life, in a small town,
not much ever happens.”
“We
could ask my Mom to drive us into Astoria to do some shopping,” I suggested. It
was a little too obvious—even to me—Kelly wanted me out of the picture and was
trying everything she could think of to keep me away from Kyle. I almost felt
sorry for her—but only for a second.
“Or,”
Kyle sat down and nodded for me to join him. I could feel a warm rush of air
and his scent worked its way up inside my head. I barely heard him finish, “We
could go for a run.”
“What?”
Kelly demanded, clenching her hands into tight-balled fists at her side.
“Savannah,”
Kyle lowered his voice and said my name slow, putting an emphasis on the last
syllable, like it was a soft sigh, ‘ah’. And, for the first time in my life, I
loved the sound of my own name. “Is a runner. And she’s fast. Aren’t ‘cha?” He
nudged me and moved even closer. I could barely think. His smell overpowered my
senses; it was the sweet woodsy scent of him that took me by surprise. I closed
my eyes and drank it in.
When
I opened them back up, Kelly’s eyes were shooting red flames of rage straight
at me.
I
gazed at Kyle and felt a warmth in my stomach again. It was working its way up
into my chest. “That’s not what you said this morning,” I laughed then spun
away.
“You
two went running this morning?” Her voice came out in a squeak that broke into
a high-pitched screech, like fingernails on a chalkboard.
“Yeah,”
Kyle said casually, then back to me he added, “And, I’d like to see how fast
you are.”
I
wondered if everything he said was going to have a double meaning but I wasn’t
ready to question his motives. He was my only real friend in this place, and it looked like I was going to need a few
because I was making more than a few enemies, without even trying.
“I
could use the exercise,” I nodded, looking around the table at the other kids’
faces and wondering why no one else had said a single word. “Plus, you could
show me around the town.”
“No
problem,” Kyle agreed, and I couldn’t help looking forward to it, even though I
knew Kelly wasn’t going to be happy about my running off with Kyle. “But I only
think it’s fair to warn you, there’s not much to see—so don’t get your hopes
set too high.”
“Great—I
mean about the exercise,” I smiled, and without even thinking how it might
sound, I added, “Then it’s a date.”
Kelly
only heard one word and it was like I’d pulled back a rubber band—hard—and
snapped it against her forehead.
She
wailed like a wounded animal, “Agghhh!” and spun around on her heels, stomping
out of the room.
Kyle
shrugged and started to walk toward the exit, then he twisted around to call
out, “I’ll meet you out by the flag post after seventh period.” His lips curled
softly, throwing me a quick backwards nod, “And, remember, it’s a date.” The last thing I saw was his
warm, sensual grin, as he glanced around the room before he gave me an
exaggerated wink—meant more for everyone else to see than for me, and then he
disappeared out into the hall.
I
wished he would have used a different word because he didn’t need to rub it in.
I
shrugged. Who cares? I told myself,
he’s been the nicest person in the entire school. If it weren’t for Kyle, I
wouldn’t want to ever come back to Mist High.
The
rest of the day dragged on and on. All I wanted was to see Kyle again, with his
sleek body and powerful frame. But what I found fascinating was the casual way
he had about himself. He said whatever he wanted, while I worried about
everything I said, how it would be taken, and what people would think of me.
Somehow,
Kyle was working his way into my system, like a powerful drug. And I was
beginning to feel addicted. I couldn’t wait for our meeting out by the flag
post.
Finally,
after what seemed like absolutely for…ev…er, the bell rang.
I
rushed out of class, down the hall, and out the front doors of the school to
meet up with Kyle.
But
as I got closer, my spine tingled. Something was wrong. I could feel it. Then I
knew why.
Kyle
wasn’t standing underneath the flagpole; someone else was there, waiting for
me.
“Kelly,”
I muttered under my breath.
She
stood beneath the red, white, and blue banner with an enormous grin carved into
her face, like a giant jack-o-lantern beaming up at me. But this look was way
more sinister and gloating. My knees suddenly felt weak and my throat went dry.
This
girl just kept surprising me.
BLURB:
When Savannah meets Kyle, its love
at first sight. And why wouldn't it be? He's perfect, as far as she can tell.
But when she starts finding dead animals in her yard and hears something
scratching at her window at night, she starts to worry. What’s worse? Kyle
appears whenever things go wrong. Maybe he isn't everything she thought he was.
It's a complete mystery until she discovers the water in Cullaby Creek is being
bottled and sold as vitamin “infused” water. Mistic Water promises the
impossible. And then, like a magical elixir, it delivers. People who drink it
feel younger, smarter, faster...healthier. But it doesn’t take long before side
effects hit. Everyone begins to change or “tate”. Some are becoming dangerous
animals. Literally. And the secret to what they are tating into has to be in
the water…or is it something more?
And join me on Twitter or stop by and
see what I'm pinning on Pinterest and, if you've read one of my books and have a
question or simply want to share a comment, please feel free to send me an
email. I love connecting with readers.
A dark power is rising, and a
kingdom is in dire need of a leader when the King of the Faeries falls in
battle. Or so, that’s what they’re led
to believe, but his only heir and daughter, Aurora, suspects murder.
But when she and her loyal friend
Percy, the Captain of the Elite Guard, discover an ancient prophecy foretold by
the enigmatic Faerie Sorcerers, Aurora finds herself an unwilling pawn in a
dark plot that will threaten everything she holds dear.
Her courage and magic will be
her greatest weapons if she hopes to succeed where all others have failed. But will she?
Aurora must ask herself this very question: just how far is she willing
to go to save her kingdom, and at what costs?
Author Bio:
Julianne grew up on a small farm in central Arkansas and now
lives in Tucson, Arizona with her husband.
When not writing, Julianne loves playing video games, listening to music,
hiking, and binge-watching Falling Skies while eating non-nutritional food.
Okay, so I know we're just finishing one holiday and I'm already looking forward to the next one...but that's me. I love to find any reason to celebrate and, I know this is hard to believe, sometimes I can go an intsy-bitsy bit overboard, so I have to plan ahead.
And to plan ahead, I have to practice what I'm going to do. You might ask, "What are you going to do?"
Well, we're planning a Valentine's Day Dessert party and I want to make sure I have all the desserts figured out in time for the party. So, I wanted to make my Valentine's Day Conversation Heart Cakes. And this is my first one of the season. And, I learned a few things from making this practice cake.
Here's how I started. First, of course, I baked a cake. But then I frosted it very lightly with a buttercream frosting. You could use a store bought frosting for this purpose but I took a package of confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) and blended it with one cube of softened butter. The reason I did this is because if you're going to use fondant, you're going to have to glue the fondant in place with something edible and buttercream frosting is the perfect glue to use. It's sweet, yummy and -- I'll admit it -- delicious.
Then I rolled out the fondant.
I do this on a silpat, or silicon sheet, but you can use gallon size baggies - they work well too. The purpose of this is so that the fondant doesn't stick to whatever surface you're rolling it out on.
Then I started cutting out the pieces of fondant to create a puzzle of cake covering pieces.
I cut the pieces a little large because it's easier to fix if they are too big rather than too small. And I fit the pieces together to cover the cake.
Then I pinched the edges together with my fingers, sort of like pinching the edges of a pie crust but I tried to leave the edges as smooth as possible. I also tried to smooth out the connection points. Then it was time to start decorating.
I moved my cake to a cake stand using a long spatula. Then I started to edge the cake with candy covered chocolates.
The only problem with these round chocolate candies is that they roll around. So I used a little cookie decorating gel to "glue" the "beads" in place.
This was what I learned, it's better to use frosting to "glue" the beads in place because the gel runs a bit and you can see it if you look close enough. So next time it will be pink frosting that I use for my "glue".
Then I started decorating the top of the cake.
I started adding "decorations" very slowly because, like I said, I can get carried away...
And, wah-lah, I had a pretty "test" cake all ready to celebrate Martin Luther King's Day. Maybe this isn't the best way to celebrate but at least I can have my cake and eat it too. ;D
So whether you're honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or getting ready for the next holiday, here's one loving way to do it.
When Savannah moves to Mist and meets Kyle, its love
at first sight. And why wouldn't it be? He's perfect, as far as she can tell.
But Kyle appears whenever things go wrong. Maybe he isn't everything she
thought he was. It's a complete mystery until she discovers the water in
Cullaby Creek is being bottled and sold as vitamin “infused” water. Mistic
Water promises the impossible. And then, like a magical elixir, it
delivers. People who drink it feel younger, smarter, faster...healthier. But it
doesn’t take long before side effects hit. Literally. The secret has to be in
the water…or is it something more?
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