SNEAK PEEK of Chapter Two of the upcoming young adult ebook "The Priest and the Peaches"

A sneak peek of chapter two of The Priest and the Peaches - an upcoming young adult ebook release from Tribute Books by Larry Peterson

Look for the ebook on January 1, 2012:
Kindle ($2.99)
Nook ($4.95)
iPad ($4.99)

CHAPTER TWO
"Before"

“What's wrong with me? What's WRONG with me? I'll tell you what's wrong with me—that mean old lady in the other room. That's what's wrong with me. And nobody cares, nobody, not Pops, not you, not anyone. She’s so mean to me. I hate her. I swear—I hate her. And now I'm going to hell because I hate my own grandmother.”

Teddy fumbled around inside himself trying to find something to say. His 15-year-old wisdom was still in the early developmental stages so all he could come up with was, “Hate her? Going to hell? That's ridiculous. I don't think…”

She cut him off and began to ramble, “Ridiculous! I'll tell you what's ridiculous. The fact that you and Pops don't have any idea what’s going on around here. That's ridiculous. She's gone crazy. Half of the time she thinks I'm Mom and calls me Elizabeth. Then she's nice. Then, all of a sudden, I'm Joanie and I'm scrubbing the woodwork again and, then I'm not doing it right and have to do it over. Sure Teddy, you are absolutely right. You don't think. The ceiling could fall down and you wouldn't think. Pops is never home. She hates him and is always saying mean things to him. So he stays away. LUCKY him. She tells the boys how rotten he is and tells them that he killed their mother…”

www.ThePriestAndThePeaches.com

Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.

They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of "grown-up world." A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Emlyn Chand - Farsighted - Author Interview

My thanks to Emlyn Chand for stopping by The Plot Thickens for an author interview during the blog tour for her book, Farsighted.



Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
Alex Kosmitoras, a blind teenage boy who discovers he has unwanted psychic powers.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
When Alex’s unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider.

3. When does the plot take place?
Modern day. Well, actually 2012 :-D

4. Where does the plot take place?
Farsighted takes place in Grandon Township, a fictional Midwest town. Grandon is a lot like my hometown Oxford, Michigan. It’s very small, boring, and can be a bit suffocating, especially if you don’t fit in with the main crowd or excel at sports. Alex lives a very lonely life in Grandon, which is why it means so much to him when he finally makes a friend.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
I started with Alex and created the rest of the story and characters to fit around him. Using the runes as a structural framework for this novel created an outline for me too. Shaping each chapter around a rune gave the story order. Whenever I got stuck and didn’t know what should happen next, I was able to learn more about that chapter’s rune and get the inspiration I needed to continue. The runes themselves tell a story, one that is successfully completed. I felt that boded well for Farsighted.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
Everything started with a single image—my face in these tacky oversized sunglasses reflecting out at me from the car’s side mirror. I was daydreaming while my husband drove us across Michigan for my sister’s wedding. Something about my image really struck me in an almost horrific way. I felt the glasses made me look blind but found it so weird that there was still a clear image within them; it seemed so contradictory. At the time, my book club was reading The Odyssey, which features the blind Theban prophet, Tieresias. I started thinking about what it would be like to have non-visual visions of the future and began forming a modern Tieresias in my mind. Lo and behold, Alex Kosmitoras was born. I didn’t want him to be alone in his psychic subculture, so I found other characters with other powers to keep him company. Thank God for my poor fashion sense.

About the Book
Farsighted

Book Details:
Publisher: Blue Crown Press
Published: October 2011
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 224
Format: paperback, ebook
Price: $12.95 paperback, $0.99 ebook

Buy Links: Amazon, Kindle

Blurb:
Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival--an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future.

Excerpt:
Simmi and I arrive at this rally point together from Mrs. Warszynski’s to wait for Shapri. Several minutes go by. I want to suggest we leave without her but don’t think that’ll score me any points with Simmi.

“You didn’t want Shapri to come tonight, did you?” Simmi asks.

“Well, I—no, I mean, it’s fine. I’m glad she could come,” I sputter.

“You’re such a horrible liar,” Simmi teases, pushing me playfully.

“Hey, that’s not fair. I can’t hit you back. You’re a girl.”

“I’m just teasing you.” Simmi blows a raspberry and pulls her body up onto the circular wall surrounding the flagpole area. I hesitate before pulling myself up too. Simmi scootches over so we touch at the hip. She loops her hand through the crook of my arm and places her head on my shoulder. “I never would have gotten away with this in India,” she says. “But I’m glad I can here. I’m a psychic feeler. I need to be in touch with others.” She pauses and strokes my arm with her free hand. “You know, when I touch someone I can make them feel what I want them to, but I can also sense their existing emotions. It’s almost the same as being able to read minds. Everything important has to do with the heart, not logic.” She lightens her tone. “But don’t tell Dr. Brown I said that, he’d take marks off of my next chem exam out of spite.”

I laugh nervously. Is she like Miss Teak in a way? Can she read my feelings for her? If she can, why hasn’t she said anything? I contemplate reaching over and kissing her, so I can know for sure how she feels. But I’ve never kissed anyone before. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to initiate it. Do I take her out for dinner and a movie first? Or make some lengthy speech declaring my intentions? Do I kiss her, just like that? Or do I ask for her permission before making my big move?

I decide to ask if it’s okay. Simmi is a classy girl. She needs respect. I swallow, hoping the motion will open up my airway, because right now, I’m kind of having trouble catching my breath. “Simmi,” I start.

“Yeah, Alex?” She lifts her head and links her hand in mine, nudging her slender fingers in between each of mine.

“Would it be okay if I…”

“There you two are!” Shapri says, running over to us, panting heavily. “I thought we were meeting in the commons.”

“No, we agreed on the flagpole,” Simmi says, hopping down from the wall.

The moment is gone. I don’t know when I’ll get the chance and the nerve again. My opinion of Shapri transforms from cautious indifference into outright hatred. Why did she invite herself along?

Shapri clears her throat. “Did I—Did I interrupt something here? Maybe a little romance?”

“What? No, no,” Simmi says shaking her head adamantly. “Nothing like that, Alex is like a brother to me.”

Ouch. Pain. Stabbed in my heart. I’m like a brother to her? I guess this means romance is off the table…

About the Author
Emily Chand

Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit emlynchand.com for more info. Don't forget to say "hi" to her sun conure Ducky!

Connect With Emlyn:
Web Site
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Google +
Novel Publicity

About the Tour

Goddess Fish Promotions

GIVEAWAY:

A $50 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

Tour Participants:

November 28: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
November 29: I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!
November 30: BK Walker Books
December 1: The Character Connection
December 2: The Book Sisterhood
December 5: Judge Not By The Covers
December 6: A Bookish Affair
December 7: A Pen and Fire
December 8: Hope. Dreams. Life... Love
December 9: The Plot Thickens
December 12: Fresh Pot of Tea
December 13: Reader Girls
December 14: City Girl Who Loves to Read
December 15: Dawn's Reading Nook
December 16: Good Family Reads
December 19: This is the Life
December 20: We Fancy Books
December 21: It's Raining Books
December 22: Sarah Ballance
December 23: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer

Coral Russell - Amador Lockdown - Author Interview & Guest Post

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
Father and son – Hector and Darren

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
Doing the right thing even if the end result doesn't end well.

3. When does the plot take place?
Contemporary time. Age of the iPhone and all.

4. Where does the plot take place?
El Paso, Texas

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
I tried to make an outline and had a general one going and then things had to go in different directions so I had to make changes on the fly. Luckily I had wonderful crit partners and people who could steer me in the right direction when I panicked. Then I started getting inspiration from different little things around me. I jotted them down on my iPhone and when I got to that scene, I would look over my notes to see if anything good popped up. Now, is this the best way to go about it? No, I think I wasted a lot of time and I think you can still have a good outline for a story that's flexible enough to allow for inspiration. My next story I'm taking this into account and using a much stronger outline before writing the story.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
I went to a real Amador Lockdown in Las Cruces, NM and had a great time. I knew it would make a great fiction story. I started writing Amador Lockdown that week.

Guest Post

The secret to a good plot did not originate from me. Jim Butcher wrote about it in his journal and it sounds like some awesome advice that I haven't fully utilized. Ha, just imagine how good my stories will be when I do! First you have a story question that goes like this – When something happens your protagonist pursues a goal but will he succeed when the antagonist provides opposition? For example, in Amador Lockdown, Hector runs a successful ghost hunting group who is called to investigate the Amador Hotel and either debunk the haunting or get rid of whatever is causing the disturbances. The spirit haunting the Amador Hotel wants to live again and will use whoever is available to get what he wants. From here all your scenes and sequences (scenes=actions, sequences=your characters reactions to the actions) move toward the conclusion of your story question otherwise known as the climax. I love Jim Butcher's saying, “Yes, it is that simple, but I never said it was easy.”

Book Summary

Something has moved into the Amador Hotel. Hector, Marcos, Bev, and Tony of the Paranormal Posse are called in to either debunk the haunting or get rid of whatever is causing the problems. With the surprise arrival of Hector's son, he tries to keep his professional and personal lives separate, but whatever is haunting the Amador Hotel has other plans.

Price: $0.99
Format: ebook
Pages: 154 pages
Genre: horror
Publisher: alchemyofscrawl
Release: 10/24/11
Buy Links: http://www.amazon.com/Amador-Lockdown-ebook/dp/B005TDRKZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318792863&sr=8-1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/amador-lockdown-coral-russell/1106472265?ean=2940013232594&itm=1&usri=amador%2blockdown


Author Bio

Coral Russell runs the blog alchemyofscrawl
Stop by for the latest in book reviews, news, and resources.

Ms. Russell won the 2003 McCaleb Peace Initiative which produced the non-fiction articles Peace on the Peninsula (proceeds from this eBook go to benefit rebuilding Joplin, MO). You can also find various articles written by her on Technorati and BlogCritics.

Want more Hector and Marcos ghost hunter stories? Check out Playing with Fire Anthology of Horror for Devil of a Ghost Tour and Key to a Haunting. Also available The DIY Guide to Social Media Marketing and eBook Publishing.

Look for Cube in the Twelve Worlds Anthology for Charity which benefits Reading is Fundamental.

My Stalker Package http://alchemyofscrawl.wordpress.com/my-stalker-package/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuWCi6xjLaE

SNEAK PEEK of Chapter One of the upcoming young adult ebook "The Priest and the Peaches"

A sneak peek of chapter one of The Priest and the Peaches - an upcoming young adult ebook release from Tribute Books by Larry Peterson

Look for the ebook on January 1, 2012:
Kindle ($2.99)
Nook ($4.95)
iPad ($4.99)

CHAPTER ONE
"If only I had—"

Pops said nothing. Besides pain and fear, there was a resolute sadness etched into his face. It frightened Teddy, although he did not understand it. Their eyes locked, blue on blue, father and son, sharing what would turn out to be their final moment together. Teddy thought he noticed a solitary tear drip from Pops' eye and slowly roll down onto the pillow. Still, he remained by the door. He broke the silence saying, “Okay Pops, I gotta get home. See you tomorrow.” As he turned and headed to the elevator, Pops raised his hand and held up his thumb and pinky finger, but Teddy did not notice.

Walking away from the hospital, Teddy briefly stopped, turned and looked up at the third floor. He located the window of Pops' room and stared at it. Whispering, “I love you, Pops,” he began to cry. He knew he should go back, but he didn't. That decision would transpose into a lifelong, heartbreaking memory transfixed around the words—if only I had… Sometimes, you just don't get a second chance.

www.ThePriestAndThePeaches.com

Booking Through Thursday

CATEGORY

All things being equal, which would you prefer–a mystery? Or a love story?

I like a heart-tugging, down to earth romance like Tommie Lyn's On Berryhill Road.

Christine Young - Highland Honor - Author Interview

My thanks to Christine Young for stopping by The Plot Thickens for a guest post during the blog tour for her book, Highland Honor.

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
Hawke and Callie are the primary characters in Highland Honor. Their journey and how they overcome the demons that chase them is the basis for this story.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
Callie is the daughter of James Whitcomb. Hawke believes Lord Whitcomb tried and convicted his father of treason against the English King. And he further believes his father was innocent of any wrongdoing. When Hawke and Callie first meet there is instant chemistry between them. But Callie doesn’t know Hawke seeks revenge against her family. All is thrown asunder when the most unlikely couple fall in love.

3. When does the plot take place?
November 1512

4. Where does the plot take place?
Scottish Highlands, Boars Head Inn, and the clan MacPherson castle.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
Both Hawke and Callie were on a mission. They both wanted to prove their fathers innocence and they both needed to discover who was responsible for framing their fathers.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
The characters seem to write their books. First I write the conflict. If the conflict doesn’t carry the story, the story will lose interest. I love to write bad guys and so the plot develops with the antagonist in mind and the protagonists have to come up with the answers to ultimately win. In Highland Honor both antagonists, yes there are two, want money, land and power. One believes he will gain all this by marriage and the other by the death of the heroine. They are both totally deranged.

I usually have a beginning, middle and end in mind. But sometimes the characters will say, “Hey, wait a minute. I don’t like the way this is going.” In this case they begin to write the story for me. It’s great when this happens because it makes the story easier to write and I don’t get bogged down in a mire looking for a way out.

About the Book
Highland Honor

Book Details:
Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Press
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: ebook
Price: $5.99

Buy Links: Kindle

Blurb:
Willfully stubborn, innocently courageous, Callie Whitcomb braves a journey through the treacherous highlands to the MacPherson castle. Callie flees from an unwanted marriage as well as her ruthless half brother. Naively she believes Colin MacPherson, the head of the clan, is loyal to her father and will give her sanctuary, protecting her from the vile plans that have been made for her.

As hard and as unyielding as the winter storms that sweep through the countryside, Colin is irresistibly drawn to the impetuous beauty who has magically appeared on his doorsteps. Despite his vows of revenge against her father, she stirs his passion as well as his sense of justice...but to love her would violate all his vows of revenge.

Excerpt:

"Where are we going?" she asked as they rode side by side across a vivid green meadow. Even before she asked the question, she had guessed his intentions. They were two-fold.

"To find a private spot, a place where we can eat and," he paused thoughtfully as he turned to look her way. Then his roguish smile captured her heart. He could make her heart melt with just a smile.

"And?" she queried even as her cheeks heated, knowing the answer before he spoke.

His grin widened, then he winked. "Race ye to the trees." He waited silently for her
to accept the challenge he tossed her way.

"Ye would like that wouldn't ye? But I won't fall for the bait ye toss my way. We both know who has the fastest horse."

"And who would that be?" he asked, laughing.

"I do." She had waited long enough for him to drop back a few strides, giving her more of a head start than she knew he would have allowed. She gave a silent command to her horse. The mare lunged forward.

"Callie--" she heard him cry out her name, laughingly. "Cheater. I'll get my revenge."

About the Author
Christine Young

Born in Medford, Oregon, novelist Christine Young has lived in Oregon all of her life. After graduating from Oregon State University with a BS in science, she spent another year at Southern Oregon State University working on her teaching certificate, and a few years later received her Master's degree in secondary education and counseling. Now the long, hot days of summer provide the perfect setting for creating romance. She sold her first book, Dakota's Bride, the summer of 1998 and her second book, My Angel to Kensington. She is the author of 10 published romance books and 2 novellas. Christine is a retired high school math teacher. Her teaching and writing careers have intertwined with raising three children. Christine's newest venture is the creation of Rogue Phoenix Press. Christine is the founder, editor and co-owner with her husband. They live in Salem, Oregon.

Connect With Christine:
Blog 1
Blog 2
Publisher

About the Tour

Goddess Fish Promotions

GIVEAWAYS:

* a $50.00 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter for the blog tour.
* a Clan MacPherson book mark awarded at each stop to one randomly drawn commenter.
* Antique Gold Double Thistle Broche for the blog host with the most comments (excluding Christine's and their own).

Tour Participants:

November 28: Me Want Food
November 29: It's Raining Books
November 30: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
December 1: Roz Lee Contemporary Erotic Romance Author
December 2: Book of Secrets
December 5: The Character Connection
December 6: Among the Muses
December 7: The Plot Thickens
December 8: Under The Covers Book Blog
December 9: Reading Romances
December 12: AsianCocoa's Secret Garden
December 14: Seductive Musings
December 15: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
December 16: Reviews by Molly
December 19: Reader Girls
December 20: Book Lover's Hideaway
December 21: Sarah Ballance
December 22: Realmantic Moments

B.K. Ethridge - Black & Orange - Author Interview

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
The plot of “Black & Orange” is broken into two main storylines. You have the two Nomad characters, who are essentially the good guys, and then you have the Church of Midnight characters, which represent the bad. There are a couple brief subplots that revolve around other characters with proximity to the main ones, but essentially in this novel you have two large trains moving toward a connection spot.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
For the Nomads, the plot centers on them working toward finding the Heart of the Harvest, a sacrifice they are bound to protect every Halloween. Recently they have run into a series of complications, the largest of which is that the character of Teresa has cancer and doesn’t want to do anything about it. She just wants to continue doing their job, but her partner Martin can’t accept that, so when he has a chance to help her, he goes after it.

For the Church of Midnight, the plot centers on the relationship between the ambitious Paul Quintana and the Priestess of Morning and all the things he goes through to have her. Paul’s only real goal is claim her physically. He and the Priestess both become powerfully bound to each other through an attraction they cannot explain. Things go too far with them at one point and he decides he’s willing to do anything to get her back, even if it means working with the enemy.

3. When does the plot take place?
I tried to make the actual date and year ambiguous, but with some the technology used, it has to be considered the 2000s.

4. Where does the plot take place?
Southern California. In a small city called Colton.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
I always wanted to write a novel about a cult from the point of view of a cultist. Most I had read or seen in movies always had the cult characters relegated to corny little subplots and there was little substance. As I wrote “Black & Orange” I realized that I had my good guy story, so why not have a bad guy story too? Why not give them equal space in the book? The plot flowed from that point and with the help of the characters I’d created, the events that they took on and the choices they made seem to propel the overall story towards its destination.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
For the Church of Midnight plot, I had a lot of material to work on from having obsessive relationships and seeing some of my friends and family have obsessive relationships. I knew how those stories tended to roll out. With the Nomads, I’d also unfortunately seen my fair share of loved ones with cancer, as well as experienced certain stubborn natures from the pool of people I knew—so I had an idea what somebody with cancer, who also happened to be pigheaded, would add to an already stressed-out relationship based on obligation. For me, it’s the characters that created the idea for the plot. Once I knew them, I knew the story, and the plot followed.

Bio:

Benjamin Kane Ethridge is the Bram Stoker Award winning author of the novel BLACK & ORANGE (Bad Moon Books 2010). Beyond that he's written several collaborations with Michael Louis Calvillo, one of which is a novella called UGLY SPIRIT, available in 2011. He also wrote a master's thesis entitled, "CAUSES OF UNEASE: The Rhetoric of Horror Fiction and Film." Available in an ivory tower near you. Benjamin lives in Southern California with his wife and two creatures who possess stunning resemblances to human children. When he isn't writing, reading, videogaming, Benjamin's defending California's waterways and sewers from pollution. Say hi and drop a line at ben@bkethridge.com or tweet him at @bkethridge, or Facebook him at www.facebook.com/benjamin.kane.ethridge