Blog Tour | Diary of a Rocker's Kid by Haley Despard

Diary of a Rocker's Kid

by Haley Despard

Release Date: December 1st 2015

Limitless Publishing

Summary from Goodreads:

Madison Daley’s father has concealed the truth from her for seventeen years…

Raised on a Kentucky farm, Madison is stunned when a conversational slip reveals her father Michael is a famous ’90s rock star known as the Grim Weeper. Michael left the spotlight and his mansion behind when Madison was dropped off on his doorstep by a woman in a black mask. A dark past is revealed, and the only thing Madison isn’t allowed to know is her mother’s name.

The answers Madison needs can only be found in Beverly Hills…

Though she does hope to persuade her dad to return to the stage, Madison’s real mission is to discover the identity of her mother. 

But she is slightly distracted—literally—by the boy next door. Giovanni Abate’s father is an action film star, his stepdad is a major designer, and Gio has his own claim to fame. Madison catches the handsome, young Italian actor’s eye, and their mutual attraction makes for a hotter summer than she ever could have imagined.

Madison hasn’t set foot in California since infancy, but a lot of people are certain she has…

After Madison has a makeover, people are sure they’ve seen her somewhere before, and she is extremely curious about the identity of her supposed doppelganger. As she looks into this strange situation, she’s unaware that Gio is hiding a potentially devastating secret.

Could finding the answers she seeks change Madison’s life forever?

Or will it just lead to more questions to fill the…

Diary of a Rocker’s Kid

“What if who you’ve always been 
isn’t who you truly are…”

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June 2, 2015

Mission L.A. Complete

We’re here…and it’s the best feeling in the world.

As soon as I walked in those double doors, I immediately felt at home. That has never happened to me before. The farmhouse felt like home because it was all I had, but this place has Dad, Cass, and me written all over it. It’s a rocker’s mansion for sure, and Dad already told me some stories about the wild parties they used to have in here. I enjoyed hearing about how completely off the walls Cass and he were. It makes me think maybe he’ll forgive me for the shit I plan to do once I’m legal…or not so legal.

He’s loosening up a lot now that we’re in L.A. He’s even treating me like an equal in a lot of ways. I guess he’s finally realizing I’m close to becoming an adult. Also, he said he plans to go out with Cass a lot while we’re here. Score for me! The less parental supervision, the better.

I’m not sure how to feel about meeting Stephan Lowe’s family tomorrow. According to Ana, Steph’s partner is Alfonzo Abate, a major action film star. He’s easily an A-list actor, and I’ve watched and obsessed over all his movies. His teenage son Giovanni is an actor, too. He was a supporting actor on one of my favorite tween-teen shows, Jackson and Julia, until it got cancelled last year. He is constantly in the news, and girls everywhere obsess over him. My palms sweat and my throat dries up just thinking about him. I mean, this guy is swoon-worthy, and I’m about to meet him tomorrow. That has me terrified. What am I going to say to two actors I’ve worshipped for the past few years of my life? Especially one my age?

I can see it now—

“Hi, I’m Mads. You’re gorgeous. I want to marry you. I know I’m the Basket Baby, but maybe we can look past that. I’m even willing to start over on a deserted island together and forget either of us has a name. We can just sit on the beach day and night in nothing but our birthday suits and let the world fade away for the rest of our lives. Sound good? Great. I’m on my way to the courthouse to get emancipated right now.”

I’m dying laughing over here. That’s so unrealistic it’s almost not funny.

Almost.

Anyway, now that I know who I’m meeting, I’m considering letting Ana give me a full-scale makeover tomorrow. She’s been wanting to do that for years, and now we’ve finally got the perfect opportunity. Plus, it’s kind of necessary. I’m looking at the ends of my hair, and…yep, I’ve got split ends. They’re all over the place. Definitely getting a haircut, and I might color it, too, even though that’s wayyy outside my comfort zone.

Here goes nothing. Hopefully I won’t come back bald. That’s my secret fear when entering a salon.

Ttyl,

Mads

Buy Links:
Amazon│Amazon UK│Amazon CA│Amazon AU

Diary of a Rocker’s Kid #1 Playlist

Diary of Jane – Breaking Benjamin

American Idiot – Green Day

Whisper – Evanescence

Fire and Ice – Within Temptation

Victim – Avenged Sevenfold

Unholy Confessions – Avenged Sevenfold

Meant to Live – Switchfoot

Extraordinary Girl – Green Day

Let’s Get Rocked – Def Leppard

Beverly Hills – Weezer

The Best Damn Thing – Avril Lavigne

Madness – Muse

I Love Rock N’ Roll – Joan Jett

Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses

Dani California – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Rockstar - Nickelback

Riot – Three Days Grace

Complicated – Avril Lavigne

Titanium – Madilyn Bailey

Oceans – Evanescence

You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid – The Offspring

Famous – Puddle of Mudd

Lost in Paradise – Evanescence

Afterlife – Avenged Sevenfold

Welcome to the Family – Avenged Sevenfold

About the Author

Haley Despard was born and raised in small, yet ever-expanding Simpsonville, South Carolina. She discovered a love of writing at age fourteen and hasn't been able to turn off the motor fingers since then. Today she lives just a stone's throw over in the country side of Greer, SC with her husband, son, and Boston Terrier. Her hobbies include amateur photography, designing teaser graphics for her novels, and composing piano music.

Haley's current project is a YA Contemporary Fiction series, but she also loves writing fantasy, romance, and occasionally horror fiction. Defying standards and norms and thinking outside the box is Haley's strong suit, and she plans to write something that makes it big someday. Until then, she's content with her growing author family and a head full of ideas.

Connect with her at the links below and don't hesitate to contact her at hdespardauthor@outlook.com. Haley loves interacting with readers and other authors.

Author Links:

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Blog Tour | How to Get Your Heart Broken by Rose Fall

How to Get Your Heart Broken

by Rose Fall

Release Date: March 21st 2016

Genre: YA Contemporary

Summary:

A self-proclaimed cynic, Eli is unsurprised by her boyfriend’s betrayal. Yet, its impact goes beyond what she realizes; a cruel bet, an array of secrets, and a thousand lessons not yet learned teach her how to trust again as an unlikely boy shows her a kind of love she never knew existed.

After Eli finds her boyfriend cheating on her, she seeks an escape. She heads to the beach to spend the summer before college with her two best friends. When Eli is unable to move past the betrayal, the girls devise a distraction; a bet about their handsome neighbor. Yet their thoughtless competition goes too far and their friendships are tested as they began to wonder how much they really know about each other and themselves. In the chaos, they manage to learn the truth about love, self-acceptance, and the journey back from rock bottom. 

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Buy Links:

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Book Trailer: 

SpotifyPlaylist

Author Interview:

Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?

It was fan fiction. It was about One Tree Hill which is still one of my favorite shows in the world. I used to write it by hand and then give it to one of my best friends to publish online, because we didn’t have internet at home. Medieval times…

Who are your favorite authors?

KIM HOLDEN! I’ve never before felt the way I did while reading Bright Side and Gus. It didn’t feel like reading a book, the devastation was so real. I feel like I came out of that a different person! I also love John Green, Lauren Oliver, Rainbow Rowell…

What inspires you to get out of bed each day?

One of the mottos I live by is a quote I read once: “Don’t take life too seriously; no one makes it out alive anyway.” My friends happen to think I have a pretty morbid sense of humor, but to me this idea is very liberating. It means I’m free to do whatever the h-e-double hockey sticks I want!  None of the mistakes I make are going to bring about the end of the world, and since I already know how this story ends (with death) there’s no need to worry about screwing it up…Yes, my friends are right.

When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?

I certainly have no shortage of hobbies. There are two categories for me; there are those hobbies I pick up and put down almost as quickly and then there are those I'm relatively committed to. In the past the former has included fencing, knitting, yoga, running, swimming, you can probably see a pattern with sports. Also on this list is ballroom dancing but that's something I would like to pick back up because I actually really enjoyed it. The other category includes baking, songwriting, reading, and travelling. 

Quick. Something weird…

I've always dreamed about having a cooking show and sometimes when I'm cooking alone I talk to myself and explain all the steps, pretending there's a camera there.

What is your writing process?

It depends on the story. I have one short story called "Easy as 1, 2, 3" that came about in that strange state that's somewhere between dreaming and awake. Once I woke up all I had to do was write it! A lot of them begin with "What if..." then I play out a loose sequence in my head and try to decide if it's interesting enough that I would read it. Sometimes I'll write down a quote or song lyric I found interesting and months later revisit it to see what comes to me.

Where can your readers connect with you?

I have a blog, rosesarecool.wordpress.com for anyone that wants to leave comments, questions, pictures of their cats…

I also have a twitter (@rosesarecool) though I'd be lying if I said I'm an active twitterer.

 A word that you use way too often?

“Absurd.” Because everything is absurd. 

About the Author

Rose Fall was born in New York City to Senegalese immigrant parents. She is currently studying Communication and Global Studies at UNC Chapel Hill. Her debut novel "How to Get Your Heart Broken" is set to be released Spring 2016. You can find her at her blog on rosesarecool.wordpress.com

Author Links:

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Blog Tour | Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors by H.L. Burke

Blurb:

Nyssa Glass is a reformed cat burglar turned electrician's apprentice, settled into a life repairing videophones and radio-sets. However, when her past comes calling, she finds herself framed for murder and forced into one last job. No one has entered Professor Dalhart's secluded mansion in almost a decade, at least not that returned to tell the tale.

If Nyssa wants to ensure her freedom, she'll brave the booby-trapped halls and mechanized maids. Nyssa has skills, but this house has more than its share of secrets. As she steps into the cobwebbed halls lined with dusty mirrors, she has to wonder. Is the House of Mirrors really abandoned?

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From the Author

Of all my guilty pleasures, I think adventure games are my favorite. I used to go to this site that would give you two hour trials of various games, and I'd occasionally kill an afternoon downloading the free trial and doing my best to beat it before the game locked me out. They were pretty simple games,without a ton of story or production value, but every so often I'd find a gem, one that I might even end up buying because the challenges took me much longer than the trial period … or because I wouldn't mind playing it again and again.

The premise to a lot of these games is similar. A protagonist (usually represented by you) is dropped into a situation and must solve a mystery or defeat a series of challenges to get out again. These can range from escaping a ghost town or abandoned house to navigating a film set to solving a murder mystery. The best have an atmosphere that becomes a character itself, either whimsical and fun or downright spooky.

I love these sorts of games.

Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors owes a lot to these games.

·         The hero in these games spends a lot of time alone, trying to discover the truth. Nyssa is on her own inside of Dalhart Manor, except for the disembodied voice belonging to a sarcastic computer system.

·         The setting is in someways a character itself, driving the story along with its atmosphere and evoking an emotional reaction. Dalhart Manor is as creepy as all get out, but there's also a sadness beneath the surface. It gives up it secrets slowly, almost in a calculated way, trying to scare Nyssa away so she can't complete her mission and solve its mystery.

·         The hero faces a series of challenges. Nyssa has to break into a house, fight killer robots, solve puzzles, and outwit the bad guys. Every time she catches her breath, another challenge presents, knocking her back a step or forcing her to fight her way forward.

So yeah, I totally love adventure games, and journeying with Nyssa through Dalhart Manor provides me with that experience only in written form. I'm hoping readers will want to come along for the adventure too. 

Author Bio:

Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic. 

An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture. 

Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are. 

She is the author of a four part fantasy/romance series entitled "The Scholar and the Dragon," YA/Fantasy "Beggar Magic," and MG/Fantasy "Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon," among others . Her current projects are a young adult Steampunk fantasy and an epic fantasy trilogy. 

Social Media Links:
www.hlburkeauthor.com

www.hlburkeblog.com

www.facebook.com/hlburkewriter

www.instagram.com/burkesdragons

www.twitter.com/typativemamacat

author.to/hlburke (amazon)

Blog Tour | Lions in the Garden by Chelsea Luna

Lions in the Garden

by Chelsea Luna

Release Date: March 1st 2016

Lyrical Press (Kensington)

Summary from Goodreads:

Prague, 1610

Ludmila Novakova--Mila--has barely set foot outside Prague Castle in her seventeen years. But with the choice between braving the bandits and wolves of Bohemia's uneasy roads or being married off to a disgusting old baron, she's taken what she can carry and fled.

Escape won't be easy. Even Mila has heard the rumors of a rebellion coming against the court. The peasants are hungry. The king hasn't been seen in months. Mila's father, the High Chancellor, is well known and well hated.

But Mila can't sit behind a stone wall and let fear force her into a life of silk gowns and certain misery. Her mother's death has taught her that much. She has one ally: Marc, the son of the blacksmith. A commoner, a Protestant--and perhaps a traitor, too. But the farther she gets from the castle, the more lies she uncovers, unraveling everything she thought she knew. And the harder it is to tell friend from enemy--and wrong from right . . . 

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The beauty of Prague Castle—my home—filled me with an overwhelming sense of panic.  I shivered, partly from fear of returning to the castle and partly because my thin cloak didn’t provide enough warmth from the night’s chill.

                “You’re cold,” Marc said.

                “I’m fine.”

                He slipped his hand under my cloak and rubbed my bare arm.  “You’re not fine. You’re freezing.” 

“We’re almost there.  I won’t freeze.”

Marc drew me to him until my back lay against his chest.  I shivered again with the unexpected contact.  He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned into me, using his large frame to shield my body from the whipping wind.  I couldn’t stop myself—I nestled into him, seeking his warmth.

“That’s better,” he whispered. 

I was incredibly aware of how close we were and how much of our bodies touched.  I’d never been this close to a man.  My mind buzzed with activity.  Was he as aware of me as I was of him?  Or was I being silly? 

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes and Noble│Google Play

About the Author

Chelsea Luna is the author of the bestselling NEW ENGLAND WITCH CHRONICLES, a young adult paranormal romance series comprising of four novels. Chelsea is also the author of the bestselling LOVE & THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, a young adult horror trilogy.

Chelsea received a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School in New York, New York in 2007, and a B.A. in Sociology, with a concentration in Criminal Justice, from the University of Tennessee in 2004. She lives in Tennessee.

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Blog Tour | Temple of Paris by Laura DeBruce

The Temple of Paris (The Quick Silver Legacy Series #2)

by Laura DeBruce

Release Date: February 5th 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

An adventure through Paris 

American teenagers, Hana and Alex, travel to Paris on a mission to save the people they love. They have to decode an obscure message to find the only woman on earth who can help them. They soon discover unexpected allies — a quirky detective with a crystal dowser, and two young Italians studying in the City of Light. When a mysterious dwarf stalks Alex, and sinister characters from the past reappear, Hana questions the truth about their newfound friends. 

The first lives Hana and Alex need to save may be their own.

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The Riddle of Prague (The Quick Silver Legacy Series #1) on Goodreads

Book Trailer for The Riddle of Paris: 

One of the intriguing new characters in The Temple of Paris is a dwarf who seems to be following Alex all over Paris. In the scene below, Hana and Alex spot the little man in the Madeleine Church.

Excerpt from The Temple of Paris

Chapter Twenty-Three

            I squeeze Alex’s hand and point. It’s the little man from the Pantheon. The dwarf. I recognize the thick, dark hair flopped over to the side. He’s exchanged the suit and bow tie for jeans and a turtleneck.

            Alex tugs me down into a chair. “That’s the guy who’s been following me!” We crouch behind a large family filling the row in front of us.

            “Who is he?” I ask. “He’s definitely looking for someone.”

            “Yeah,” Alex notes grimly. “Me.”

            “But why? And how would he know you’d be here?”

            Alex . . . puts his hands on his thighs. “I’m going to find out.” He starts to stand.

            “No.” I pull him back down. “He could be dangerous.”

            Alex keeps the dwarf in his line of sight. “Nah. I have this feeling he’s kind of looking out for me, you know?”

            “I don’t know,” I reply. “And neither do you. All we know for sure is that he’s creeping around after you. We can’t just go over to meet him.”

            “Not we.” Alex pats my hand. “I’m going to talk to him.”

            “That’s a bad idea, Alex.” I can tell from the determined look on his face that he’s not listening.

            “What’s he gonna do in the middle of a crowded church full of tourists? I’m just going to find out why he’s been following me.”

            “And what am I supposed to do?” I really don’t like this plan.

            “You stay right here.” He nods toward an elderly lady sitting a few chairs away from us. “Granny over there will look after you.”

            “You’re not funny, Alex.”

            He gives me a hug and stands up. “I’ll be right back.” I watch him weave through the rows of chairs. As Alex nears the podium, the man sees him. A look of surprise, bordering on panic, crosses his face. Alex climbs the steps until he’s right next to the dwarf. He bends down to hear something the little man says. They walk down the steps. I stand to see where they’re going. Alex turns and motions to me. “Stay there,” he mouths, giving a thumbs-up.

            I feel helpless as Alex and the little man disappear behind the columns near the altar. How long am I supposed to wait? What if Hank Riggins is back there, poised to kidnap Alex? I take a deep breath and try to calm down. Someone taps me on the shoulder. When I turn around, I am staring into the face of a ghost.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Introducing… Jepp. 

One of the new characters in The Temple of Paris is a dwarf named Jepp who served as a jester to the astronomer, Tycho Brahe, in the late 1500s. The painting below is of another dwarf jester who was at the court of Philip IV of Spain, Sebastian de Morra, but this is how I imagine Jepp looked.

Neither the dwarf below nor Jepp were treated very well, as the look on the man’s face below seems to indicate.

Here’s a conversation between Jepp and Alex from The Temple of Paris in the Café Car on a train. It’s based, in part, on a legendary story about Tycho Brahe and a beer-drinking elk:

             “Tycho Brahe was my master, and I, his loyal servant.” Jepp looks through the window at the shadowy landscape rushing by. “If I look back with today’s sensibilities,” he continues, “I see a somewhat abusive relationship.” His lips curve into the slightest of smiles. “Ah, but when I put myself in the shoes I used to wear, I laugh at the hijinks and shenanigans. Tycho was not only a brilliant astronomer. He had a tremendous sense of humor.” Jepp’s face darkens slightly. “True, I was often the butt of the joke, but, I do not think I minded.”

            “What do you mean by shenanigans?” Alex asks, gathering up another handful of the French fries on his tray.

            “Suffice to say they entailed much drinking of alcohol and tomfoolery with household pets.” Jepp takes a long sip of his bubbly water.

            “Pets?” Alex raises an eyebrow. “Like the wolfhound under the table?” He chews the fries.

            “Tycho’s favorites were the elks,” Jepp says.

            “Oh.” Alex’s eyes brighten. “The elks were household pets? As in deer with large horns?”

            “There was one with particularly large horns.” Jepp suppresses a chuckle

About the Author

LAURA DEBRUCE worked in the television business in Prague where she fell in love with the city and its legends. She is a documentary filmmaker and writer who currently lives in Maryland. The Riddle of Prague is her first novel.

To learn more please visit www.theriddleofprague.com

Author Links:

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