YA Book Release and Giveaway: Luminous Spirits by Dusty Crabtree...

Thanks for hosting me! It’s been way too long since my young adult, urban fantasy, Shadow Eyes was first released in 2012 by Musa Publishing! Now, finally, after 5 years, I’m releasing the sequel, Luminous Spirits. I am super excited to finally release the next installment in the Shadow Eyes Series and get it out there! I apologize to anyone who read the first version of Shadow Eyes five years ago and who had to wait that long for the sequel. This book is dedicated to you. J

(Everyone, don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a print copy of Luminous Spirits or Shadow Eyes – your choice! Also, Shadow Eyes is on sale for just 99 cents until 3/24!)

For those who haven’t read Shadow Eyes, let’s look at that synopsis first.

Iris thought she could ignore the shadows…until they came after everyone she loved.

Seventeen-year- old Iris Kohl has been able to see both dark and light figures ever since a tragic incident three years ago. The problem is, no one else seems to see them, and even worse…the dark figures terrorize humans, but Iris is powerless to stop them. 

Although she’s learned to deal with watching shadows harass everyone around her, Iris is soon forced to question everything she thinks she knows about her world and herself. Her sanity, strength, and will power are tested to the limits by not only the shadows, but also a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows, a new friend with an awe-inspiriting aura, and a mysterious, alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend. As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, Iris must ultimately accept the guidance of an angel to revisit the most horrific event of her life and become the hero she was meant to be.

Now let’s check out the synopsis for Luminous Spirits…

Old habits die hard. Old enemies, even harder.

Iris must now perfect her newfound abilities in order to help her shadow-oppressed family and friends, but more importantly, she must prepare for an impending fight with her most hated adversary. After the arrival of a new mean girl who seems to have history with Iris’s boyfriend, Iris quickly figures out that she is anything but the typical mean girl. She not only creates havoc and conflict among Iris and her friends, but her presence also means that Iris’s inevitable confrontation with her enemy may, in fact, be closer than she thought.

If Iris can figure out why the new girl is there and what her enemy is planning, she’ll at least be one step ahead of their game. But will she be ready when the time comes to face her biggest challenge yet? Or will they succeed in tearing Iris apart before she even has the chance?  

Author Bio

Dusty Crabtree loves a good story, but she also loves young people. These two loves are evident in all parts of her life. She has been a high school English teacher since 2006 and a creative writing teacher since 2014. She's also been a youth sponsor at her local church for as long as she’s been teaching. She feels very blessed with the amazing opportunities she has to develop meaningful relationships with teens on a daily basis. With her love of reading in the mix, becoming an author of young adult books was just a natural development of those two passions in her life. She lives with her husband, Clayton, in Yukon, Oklahoma, where they often serve their community as foster parents.

Check out Dusty’s blog at http://dustycrabtree.wordpress.com/

Find her on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Dusty-Crabtree-266681443395939/

Follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/dustycrabtree

Follow her on Instagram – dustycrabtree12

Check out Shadow Eyes on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15733491-shadow-eyes?ac=1&from_search=true

Check out Luminous Spirits on Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34533934-luminous-spirits

View the book trailer for SE – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7UP9A0Fm78&t=2s

View the Book trailer for LS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2_C1o113Ok&t=9s

Buy Luminous Spirits on Amazon (eBook or print) – https://www.amazon.com/Luminous-Spirits-Shadow-Eyes-Book-ebook/dp/B06XGTSS34

SE Amazon link - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KEM3P9G 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight on a Book Series: Darlene Foster and the Amanda Travel Adventure Series…

I want to thank and welcome wonderful (and well-traveled) MG author, Darlene Foster for sharing her personal experiences on writing a book series and showcasing her middle grade adventure series the Amanda Travel Adventure series with us on my blog today.

BONUS: One lucky reader will win an Amanda Travel Adventure ebook of their choice just by leaving a comment! Don’t forget to leave your contact info for a chance to win, and good luck! So let’s get this interview rolling…

 

Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write the Amanda Travel Adventure series, Darlene?

I was inspired by an amazing trip I took to the United Arab Emirates. While I was there, I felt as excited as a twelve year old. I decided it would be a great setting for a children´s book. I created the character of Amanda, an average girl who wishes for travel and adventure as she blows out the candles on her twelfth birthday. The next day an airplane ticket arrives in the mail for her to visit her aunt and uncle who live in the UAE. What follows is an adventure of a life time. Once Amanda got the travel bug, she had to see more interesting places. I suppose I created Amanda because as a child, I wanted to see the world.

Seems like you made your dreams a reality! How many books are you planning to write in this middle grade travel adventure series?

I was only going to write three but I keep getting new ideas. So I guess I will write as many books as there are interesting places for Amanda to visit. My readers keep asking, “Where will Amanda go next?” Her adventures are based on my travels. I just don´t get into as much trouble as she does.

Keep’em coming, Darlene! What sets the Amanda Travel Adventures series apart from other series in the same genre?

Amanda considers herself a regular girl leading a boring life, but tends to get caught up in other people´s problems. She is braver and more curious than she thinks she is. She also has a good friend, Leah, who lives in England and is quite different from her. This friendship evolves in the series. I believe these books provide an opportunity for children (and adults) to learn about another country while following Amanda and Leah. I try to include details kids would find interesting and often amusing. Maybe something they wouldn´t necessarily learn in school. Teachers who have introduced these books to their classrooms, tell me the children love learning about the places Amanda visits. It entices them to look up more information about the sites on the internet.

How long did it take for you to start and finish each book from the Amanda Travel Adventure series?

The first book took me three years to write but the last two took about eighteen months. I guess you get faster once you know what you are doing. (As if you ever really do!)

I wish I could say the same thing. LOL! What are some of your favorite book series, Darlene?

Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Little Women, Pollyanna and Anne of Green Gables (all with unique and strong female characters!)

Little Women was one of my favorites too. Loved Jo! Do you have any advice for other writers striving to write a series?

Get to know your characters well and then have them evolve. The characters should always learn something new about themselves. Each book should be able to stand on its own. My books don´t have to be read in order.

Excellent! Readers need someone to route for, and watching characters evolve keeps them begging for more books. What’s next for Darlene Foster the author?

I have a bi-lingual book coming out called Pig on Trial/Cerdito a juicio. One page will be in English and the other in Spanish. It is a medieval tale about a young boy who tries to save his pig who is on trial. I am also working on Amanda on the Danube-The Sounds of Music

Sounds like you’ll be one busy author, Darlene! Okay, here’s one for me, since I’m writing a time travel series—IF you could time travel into Earth’s past, WHO would you love to meet, and WHY?

I love time travel and your books are great. I would love to travel back to the time of Jane Austen so I could have a chat with her about her writing. I would so enjoy listening to her wonderful words and terrific wit. I love her books and her characters are delightful.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to be a guest on your blog Sharon!

You’re very welcome, Darlene! And readers please don’t forget to leave a comment and your contact info for a chance to WIN an Amanda Travel Adventure ebook of your choice! Darlene will draw the lucky winner at the end of this week! Cheers!

Amanda Travel Adventure Books:

Amanda in Arabia-The Perfume Flask

 Amanda Ross is an average twelve year old Canadian girl. So what is she doing half way around the world in the United Arab Emirates? It's her own fault really, she wished for adventure and travel when she blew out those candles on her last birthday cake. Little did she know that a whole different world awaited her on the other side of the globe full of intrigue, mystery and folklore. A world with a beautiful princess, a dangerous desert and a loyal camel called Ali Baba. Join Amanda on her first adventure as she discovers the secrets behind The Perfume Flask.

Amanda in Spain-The Girl in The Painting

 Amanda Jane Ross is certainly becoming a world traveller; she's now in sunny Spain on vacation with her friend Leah. While there, she encounters a mysterious young girl who looks eerily like the girl in a famous painting she saw in a Madrid museum. Even weirder, the girl keeps showing up wherever Amanda finds herself - Madrid, the remote mountains of rural Spain, the beaches on the Mediterranean Sea, a lively fiesta and the busy streets of Barcelona. Amanda wants to help this sweet, young girl and her beloved pony escape the clutches of a mean horse-dealer. Come with Amanda on her next adventure as she attempts to unravel the mystery behind the Girl in the Painting while she treks across Spain - always one step ahead of danger!

Amanda in England-The Missing Novel

Amanda Ross is visiting England and taking in all the sights. She gets lost in the maze at Hampton Court, does some shopping at Harrods, meets the ravens in the Tower of London, explores Windsor Castle, and rides the London Eye. When she discovers a vintage book is missing from a collection, she is determined to find out who stole it. Amanda befriends a pair of tough teenagers from the streets of London, an elderly bookshop owner, and a big, friendly, clever, Maine Coon cat named Rupert. Follow Amanda through cobblestone streets, medieval castles, and underground tunnels in her quest to find the missing novel!

Amanda in Alberta-The Writing on the Stone

Amanda is delighted to show Leah around Alberta during her visit from England. They take in the Calgary Stampede, go on a cattle drive, visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, spend time with the dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum and explore the crazy Hoodoos. When Amanda finds a stone with a unique mark on it, she doesn't think it's important until everyone seems to want it - including a very ornery cowboy. Is this stone worth ruining Leah's holiday and placing them both in danger? Spend time with Amanda as she explores her own country while attempting to decipher the mysterious writing on the stone and keep it from those determined to take it from her.

Amazon Buy Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Arabia-Perfume-Darlene-Foster/dp/1926760360

http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Spain-The-Girl-Painting/dp/1926760557/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-England-The-Missing-Novel/dp/1926760778/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z

http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Alberta-Writing-Darlene-Foster/dp/1771680199/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424526808&sr=1-1&keywords=amanda+in+alberta+the+writing+on+the+stone

Darlene Foster is a writer of children’s stories, an employment counsellor, an ESL tutor, a wife, mother and grandmother. She loves travel, reading, shoes, cooking, sewing, music, chocolate, walking on the beach and making new friends. Her grandson calls her “super-mega-woman-supreme”. She was brought up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, where she dreamt of traveling the world and meeting interesting people. Children from seven to seventy enjoy her Amanda travel adventure series. She believes everyone is capable of making their dreams come true! Her and her husband divide their time between the west coast of  BC, Canada and the Costa Blanca in Spain.

website www.darlenefoster.ca

blog https://darlenefoster.wordpress.com/

facebook https://www.facebook.com/DarleneFosterWriter

twitter https://twitter.com/supermegawoman

YA Author Krysten Hager's Top 10 Facts About TRUE COLORS...

1. The idea for the story came about originally when I was in the sixth grade. I used to read those YA and middle grade novels about those groups of girls who had the perfect close-knit relationships—the whole best friend forever thing personified. I was in grade school and I saw the cover of the Bangles “Everything” cd and they looked like that type of clique and I wondered what they were like at thirteen/fourteen.  As an adult I wrote the story to show how Landry thinks everyone else has these tight groups of friends who never get mad at one another and everything is always perfect and she wants that and hopes to find it with Devon, Peyton and India. However, reality sets it…reality is such a bummer sometimes, isn’t it?

2. The older actor Devon has a crush on that the other girls make fun of her for is based on my crush on Liam Neeson.

3. People ask if I had best friend necklaces/bracelets/earrings/etc. when I was growing up. Yup, with several friends. Some I’m still close with, too. The day I told my writing group about my book contract I noticed I was wearing a silver bracelet with a heart charm and it never occurred to me before how much this was like the bff bracelet in the story—or the bracelet Landry’s dad gives her. I took that as a sign and that’s why you see the broken bff heart on the cover dangling off the, “s,” in “Colors.” BTW, one of my favorite gifts is still a thoughtful bracelet from a friend.

4. Landry’s last name, “Albright,” comes from Madeleine Albright. As a kid I was very aware there weren’t a lot of female role models in my social studies books. I distinctly remember being amazed as a kid seeing Benazir Bhutto in my Weekly Reader at school. So I used the name to pay tribute to a woman who broke through the glass ceiling—the first female U.S. Secretary of State.

5. The designer, Franciszka T, all the girls are obsessed with got the name because my great-grandmother, two of my great-great-grandmothers, and my great-great-aunt, were all named Franciszka. I picked “T,” because the great-great-aunt used to design and make clothes (she made her sister’s wedding dress and her own bridesmaid’s dress). Her last name started with a, “T.” I also look a little bit like her—we have the same big alien eyes.

6. When I first saw the possible cover models, I thought the one who ended up on the cover looked like a couple cousins of mine. I knew she was the perfect choice. Months later, the cover model found out about being on the book and contacted me. Turns out she lives in Poland and is from a town next to the city my great-grandpa was from! Crazy coincidence.

7. I’m not from the city the story is set in (Grand Rapids, MI), but my parents were, so I decided to have Landry and her mom live there. I’m actually from the other side of the state—an hour north of Detroit.

8. Landry’s name was originally, Sydney, but I changed it because the name was getting overused. My mom suggested the name Landry because she had a little girl in her class years ago with that name. I loved it and what’s funny is she had a student named, “Krysten,” too, and she told me that Landry and Krysten were best friends.

9. I named the ice cream parlor everyone hangs out at in the story after my great-grandfather. I picture the ice cream place being  in Grand Rapids, MI (where the story is set)right near where he lived when he first moved to this country. In case you’re from the area and curious, I picture it being on Diamond Avenue.

10. Like Landry and Ashanti, I was a big soap opera fan. My favorite was, One Life to Live. I pictured two of the characters, Colin and Lanie, as being Landry’s parents. If you look at the cover model, she really resembles them both.

Krysten Lindsay Hager is an author and book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like.

She’s worked as a journalist and also writes middle grade, YA, humor essays, and adult fiction. TRUE COLORS is her bestselling debut novel from Astraea Press. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in South Dakota, Portugal, and currently resides in Southern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing. She received her master’s in American Culture from the University of Michigan-Flint.

Krysten's Links:

Website:
http://www.krystenlindsay.com

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KrystenLindsayHager?fref=nf

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/KrystenLindsay

True Colors Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22444090-true-colors?from_search=true

Krysten's Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8298036.Krysten_Lindsay_Hager

Google+

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KrystenLindsayHager/posts

Amazon Link: 

http://www.amazon.com/True-Colors-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B00L2G0YJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412131104&sr=8-1&keywords=True+colors+by+krysten+hager

Author Giveaway Krysten Hager