Friday, January 31, 2014

COVER REVEAL ..FINDING MR. DARCY

Pressed Leaf Publishing is excited to work with 
YA Bound Book Tours in releasing the new cover for 
Author Erin Butler and her YA Romance,
Finding Mr. Darcy..High School Edition.


Finding Mr. Darcy: High School Edition
Release Date: 09/16/14

Summary from Goodreads:
Sixteen-year-old Liza Johnson takes fangirl to a whole new level of crazy when she decides to take dating advice from her literary hero: Jane Austen.



With the help of her best friends, Liza sheds her ancient-speak and complete Austen wardrobe for something a bit more modern in an attempt at finding her very own Mr. Darcy.



Enter Will, the new kid and Liza's Darcy incarnate. Add her BFF's ex to mix and the sexy Brit who kisses with an accent, and Liza is in trouble.


So, what's a girl to do? Without her mom to go to relationship advice, Liza turns to the only person she can truly trust with matters of the heart via her mother's copy of COMPLETED WORKS OF JANE AUSTEN.

It's too bad Austen's heroines have never played Spin the Bottle or Seven Minutes in Heaven. Liza's determined to find her true Austen-esque happy ending, but if she can't trust herself instead of books, she just might end up in her own tragic love story.


About the Author
Erin Butler is lucky enough to have two jobs she truly loves. As a librarian, she gets to work with books all day long, and as an author, Erin uses her active imagination to write the kinds of books she enjoys reading. Young Adult and New Adult books are her favorites, but she especially loves the ones with kissing scenes.

Erin lives in Central New York with her very understanding husband, a stepson, and doggie BFF, Maxie. She prefers to spend her time indoors reading and writing, but will venture out for chocolate and sunshine. She is the author of BLOOD HEX, a YA paranormal, HOW WE LIVED, a contemporary New Adult novel, and FINDING MR. DARCY: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION, a contemporary YA.


Author Links:
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Cover Reveal Organized by:

Monday, January 27, 2014

DARK MOON GATES, by LIONRHOD

Today we are returning to an author who gave us an article about Faeries and Sidhe…which by the way has had more visits than most anything we've put on this blog…people were showing up from twitter to check it out..so maybe you should go with the flow and check it out for yourself, as we've invited her back to introduce her book Dark Moon Gates, the first book in the Witches' Gates Saga.

After reading about the book here, please hit the link to take you to her article in case you've missed it..and read more about Lionrhod as well…thx for stopping by…enjoy this interesting work.




YA/NA Paranormal Fantasy
pages: 296
Author & publisher: Lionrhod


Description:
Willa, high school Junior and witch-in-training has a problem. No, not the ordinary problem of being a lonely, geekish misfit, though sure, she can add that to her list. And not the problem that she's got a crush on a delicious and evasive lord of Faery, and her mom's got the hots for him too. That's the easy stuff.

Teachers at her school are disappearing. The substitutes are faery Sidhe in disguise, and they're trying to uncover the identity of the child who will, according to prophecy, open the Gates to Faery. That kid happens to be Willa's 3-year old brother Arrie.

Since opening the Gates means the humans will invade and ravage the realm of Faery, the Sidhe plot to sacrifice Arrie at the dark moon, two weeks away. If they manage to do it, the Gates will close forever and the human world will perish for lack of magic. They haven't discovered Arrie's identity yet. They're narrowing down fast.

Then there's that pesky detail in the prophecy: Willa will be struck blind if she manages to stop Arrie's sacrifice.


here's some of what you can read about the making of this book from Lionrhod's article….

Dark Moon Gates was born out of a dream. In one part, insect-bodied faeries were staring in at me through the window, their eyes glowing like huge jewels. Later in the dream, I found myself running through a park. My younger brother was cuffed to a shopping cart and I was trying to wheel him to safety. Yet another part of the dream introduced me to Willa and the fact that prophecy said she would be blinded attempting to save her brother.


I tend to work on several projects at once, and at the time, was focused on writing the first edition of Spellcraft Secrets. I wrote the first few chapters about Willa and brought them out to polish on occasion, but was stumped by how--and if--she would manage to save Arrie without being blinded.
read more here

Twitter @Lionrhod
Available at most retailers (amazon, b&n, kobo, sony, etc)


Sunday, January 26, 2014

GIVEAWAY WINNERS





Our winners from the Dreaming of Books Hop Giveaway are two of our very own followers here at Pressed Leaf Publishing..so YAY for that!

The first winner of the print book version goes to Michelle Willms up in Canada…we're sending your copy off straight away Michelle, congrats!

And our second winner of an ebook version is Elizabeth at Book Attict…so happy happy to both our winners…hope you both enjoy Benjamin McTish and the Door Through The Grandfather Tree.
Don't forget, reviews are welcomed.

We have a couple more interviews coming this week and a loaded calendar for February and March with guest posts, interviews and giveaways from other talented authors of YA Fantasy…so check in and look at the left side bar right under the social media tabs for each months listing of upcoming events/authors.

Thx for following and keeping up with us here at PLP…have a good one!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

THE AWAKENING OF AGNOSTOS

So here we go with something REALLY special!  This is a book written by a mother, Jennifer Paquette and her 15 year old son, Nicholas Perrotti.  They are of Greek heritage and while Jennifer was working on her Mythology she would ask her son about certain details regarding names and such as he was studying about Greek Gods in school …I think I'll let THEM tell you their story.

In the meantime, the cover is so magnificent we are able to show the whole thing, front and back…isn't this spectacular!  Do me a favor and at least read the prologue to the story…if that doesn't grab your interest to go further, nothing will.  It looks like a terrific read…so enjoy our interview and then head off to Amazon and read it for yourself…and then you'll see..I told you so!

And a psthis is Jennifer Paquette, the writing partner to our own Stephanie Greenhalghthe author of the Truly Twisted Tale of Ruby Hood..who co-wrote with Jennifer,  "If The Silver Slipper Fits" a revamped version of Glinda.  Writing is what Jennifer Paquette doesenjoy!



  • Series: Myths of the Olympians
  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Write More Publications; first edition (July 4, 2013)

Again, I need to start by commenting on the cover. when you open the book flat the entire scene is exposed. really exciting! Great job.  Thank you!


1.  I know you talk about this in your book and bio, however, it really is the obvious place to begin for our readers...how does a mother and her 15 year old son decide to author a book together?

It didn’t start that way!  I was answering a call for a fantasy submission and decided to do a Mythology story.  Being Greek I have always loved Mythology and was thrilled when Nicholas became interested in it as well when he was in middle school.  At the time I was writing the submission, Nicholas was reading a very popular Mythology series, so I was running all my ideas past him.  He kept telling me “that’s been done already” and I was getting very frustrated.  By the time I finally found something that he “approved” of, he was excited about the story and kept asking me questions about how I was going to do certain scenes.  I decided to give him a scene to write, and he did it beautifully.  If I remember correctly, not a word has been changed from the original copy that he wrote.  After that, I starting sending him chapters and scenes and he would make comments, rewrite or redirect.

2.  Nicholas, do you find you have a real voice in collaborating with your mother?  Do you have any ideas you wish to move forward with on your own?  

Absolutely!  I remember when she sent me a battle scene – it needed a lot of work.  I told her she did not know how to write a battle scene, so she told me to do it.  We had a lot of fun writing it.  I also helped her with the dialogue between the gods and goddesses, especially with their personalities and how they would say certain things.  Right now we are working on the next book in the series, “Sea of Strangers”!  


3.  Jennifer, you are not new to collaboration.  Some of our readers may recall our recent interview with Fantasy Author Stephanie Greenhalgh, whose partner (our same Jennifer), works with her on the Precious Gem Series, in particular, If The Silver Slipper Fits, a revamped idea about Glinda, the Good Witch.  What is it about working with another author that inspires you or apparently “works” for you?

I love running ideas past a fellow author who is as passionate as I am about a certain subject or storyline.  It’s quite a rush when you’re both of the same mindset and the words can’t get from your brain to your fingers fast enough.  Collaboration can’t be forced!  I see my fellow collaborating author as a Muse in every sense of the word.  I have one other collaboration to reveal – I am working with my mother, a journalist, on a cheeky mother daughter memoir with a Grecian twist!

4.  Nicholas, what do your friends think about your early career move to become a writer? Do you believe you’ll continue to write after this Mythology series is complete?

My friends all think it is really cool and it will be a unique thing to put on my college applications next year!  Right now we are working on the next book in the series, but I’d love to keep writing after that as well.

5.  This first story takes the idea of the Bermuda Triangle and puts it into folklore with the Greek Gods in a real twist.  I really enjoyed the prologue, it truly grabbed my interest, I want to read more.  It’s a very intriguing piece of mystery to change up and make your own.

How did the inspiration come to use such a place on the planet..and can we expect more mystery spots to emerge as leads in your continuing series?

I wanted to weave a story around an unexplained phenomenon, and as I mentioned, everything I ran by Nicholas had been “done already” in a very popular Mythology series.  Then I thought of the Bermuda Triangle and we knew we had a great basis for our story.  In the next book, “Sea of Strangers” we explain the Drake Passage, which is the tumultuous body of water at the bottom of South America that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  As we were crafting the four books in the series, we decided they would all have water as their main theme and be a little educational as well.

6.  What is it about water in particular that seems to inspire you both?

We are lucky enough to spend a lot of time at the ocean, and it has always been our “happy place”.  A long walk on the beach is the perfect way to let creativity flow and become inspired.  And as a bonus, Nicholas’ sign is Aquarius, the Water Bearer!

7.  And finally, this is the time where I bring up the dedication and ask for personal meanings in these words...however, I noticed no dedication.  Why did you choose to forgo the typical inclusion of a dedication...and would you like to leave one for us now?

Instead of trying to separate a dedication and an acknowledgment I just wrote something from the heart.  When it was finished, I realized it worked better at the end of the story.  Here is what I wrote: 

Seeing your first story through publication is like sending a rowboat out into the ocean.

Thank you Carole, mother and grandmother, your Greek heritage and love for mythology inspired us to set sail;

Thank you Nicholas, you were the compass that steered the story in so many right directions I had no choice but to have you on board;

Thank you John Sr. and John Jr., you were the seat of support as we embarked on this journey;

Thank you Stephanie, muse and dear friend, you were the paddles that propelled us, kept us moving, and cheered us on;

Thank you Write More Publications, you were the vessel that carried us safely across the ocean, into the hands of our readers.




Tuesday, January 21, 2014

THE SKINWALKER'S APPRENTICE



Today we're introducing Claribel Ortega, author of the YA paranormal novel of two young witch's whose lives are 300 years apart and how they connect.  Pre-orders for the book available, follow links below.  Publishing date Feb. 24enjoy!




The Skinwalker's Apprentice
Release Date: 02/24/14

Summary from Goodreads:
“Welcome to The Empire State, where banshees, witches, and skinwalkers wait…”

Margo Pennyfeather is being hunted. The 16-year-old witch has always been an outcast, in her home back in England, and now in the village of East Hampton New York where her family has settled. No one but her family has ever cared for Margo, but now the most important witch in the magic world wants her as an apprentice, giving her a chance to bring her family out of poverty.
Before long, Margo realizes things aren't what they seem, least of all, what kind of witch she really is. Now, the young witch must face a terrifying monster on her own, and the reverberations will reach farther than she could have ever imagined.

More than three hundred years later, in 1984 Emerald Kipp is a high school senior in New York City. A troubled teen with a rebellious streak, Emerald can't seem to figure out what to do with her life, and unfortunately for her, “witch” isn’t one of the available career choices in her guidance counselor’s office. As she struggles to figure herself out, Emerald is faced with the threat of being stuck in school and missing her final summer with her three best friends. Her last year of high school is turning out to be the worst yet, and Emerald thinks it can’t possibly get any worse. Unfortunately for her, she’s dead wrong.
And there’s something else, something far more sinister stirring in Emerald’s world, and she’ll have to believe in herself if she wants to get through it alive.

Two witches, three hundred years apart, one inescapable fate.



EXCERPT


Emerald slid one sneaker off with her right foot and kicked it in the air, then did the same with the other, not bothering to check where it landed. They’d put themselves away, she thought. Since her room was the only place she could use magic, she used it freely, enchanting every last thing from her socks to her wallpaper. Her walls were covered with posters of her favorite bands, and they all came to life as she entered the room. One drummer in a black and white poster twirled his drumsticks in an infinite loop, while the guitarist shredded his guitar midair, legs splayed out to his sides. The little wallpaper that was showing from underneath her posters, swayed as if the flowers were in a breezy meadow instead of an apartment in downtown Manhattan. Her mint colored robe laid lazily on her bed, its fluffy sleeves turning the pages of her precious Vive Le Rock magazine as if it could actually read, or see for that matter. Emerald shook her head and smiled, just as her slippers plodded out from underneath her bed, stopping at her feet. 
“Not yet,” she dismissed the slippers, and they shuffled back into the darkness underneath her iron wrought bed. Records lined the shelf to the right of her bed, and a record player sat on the sill of the bay window that looked out into her backyard. 

She looked at her record collection and twisted her mouth in thought. Before she could make up her mind what to play, a record flew off the shelf, slipping out of its sleeve and floating over to her stereo set. The needle settled on the vinyl disk, and “Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops,” began to play.  


The Skinwalker's Apprentice is a prequel to the upcoming novel, Emerald Kipp and The Riddle of The Timekeeper, a terrifying magical scavenger hunt through the gritty streets of 1980’s New York City,set to a killer soundtrack, and perfect for fans of Harry Potter and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Part of The Empire Witches series.

*Available February 24th, 2014 on Smashwords,iBook, Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and more!
(Pre orders available Jan. 20th)

About the Author
Claribel Ortega is a graduate of the SUNY Purchase journalism program, and got her start writing for the school’s Independent Newspaper. There, she quickly rose the ranks from editing the student’s often times hilarious ads and ramblings on the back page of the paper to staff and feature writer.
After graduation, Claribel worked as a reporter for The Rivertowns Enterprise, a local paper in lower Westchester County, New York. As a reporter, she enjoyed going to board of education meetings and texting the town mayors about the line at Starbucks.
Today, Claribel works for The Combined Book Exhibit, a book marketing company in Westchester NY.
She lives in New York with her really awesome boyfriend, her suspiciously intelligent yorkie Pancho Villa and is surrounded by an impenetrable fort of books she gets from her job.

“The Skinwalker’s Apprentice” is her first book, and cheese is her favorite food.

Author Links:
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***GIVEAWAY***
Prize pack: (US only)
Forever 21 Mint green Handbag 
Forever 21 Emerald glitter nail polish 
Forever 21 Cat charm bracelet 
Forever 21 Pink heart gold necklace 
iTunes Playlist of all the songs in "The Riddle of The Timekeeper" (Playlist attached) 

Bookmarks and ebook of The Skinwalker’s Apprentice


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

Sunday, January 19, 2014

THE KEY from Jennifer Anne Davis




From Girls Heart Books Blog Tours comes the first book in the YA Fantasy Series by Author Jennifer Anne DavieThe Key. Filled with castles and Kings and a 17 year old girl at the center of it allI love the map in the beginning of the book…I know this is random, but I LOVE the chapter title font she used..it gives the book a really ancient authentic fantasy story feel…this looks like a good read everyone…don't forget, you can always download a sample on Amazon…that doesn't cost a thing..it looks worth it to me…have a great tour and enjoy meeting Jennifer Anne Davis.


Book Info-
Title- The Key
Series- The True Reign Series #1
By- Jennifer Anne Davis
Publication Date- November 15th, 2103
Published By- Clean Teen Publishing


Blurb-
Within these pages lie kingdoms with castles and princes who fall in love with fair maidens, but make no mistake−this is no fairytale.


His father’s kingdom is on the brink of upheaval and at the center of it all is an ordinary girl who could be the key to its undoing. When faced with the ultimate choice, will he choose the girl he’s falling in love with or the kingdom he has sworn to protect?


An ordinary girl with an extraordinary past. All she wants is to be free. What she doesn’t realize is that freedom comes with a price she can’t afford to pay. She’s forced to accept the proposal of a prince she despises, even though her heart belongs to someone else . . . his brother.


Seventeen-year-old Rema lives in a brutal kingdom where travel between regions is forbidden, people are starving, and looking at someone the wrong way can mean death. Nineteen-year-old Darmik is the king’s son and Commander of the King’s Army. He spends his days roving the island, doing his father’s bidding and trying to maintain control over the people.


When a chance encounter throws Rema and Darmik together, they share an instantaneous connection, but any sort of relationship between them is strictly forbidden. Darmik’s brother, the Crown Prince, notices Darmik’s interest in Rema and, in a calculated, political move, blackmails her. Faced with an impossible choice, Rema is forced to sacrifice her heart in order to save her family.


As Rema is taken to the palace with the Crown Prince, Darmik confronts the growing rumor that a legitimate blood heir to the throne exists and is trying to overthrow Darmik’s family. In Darmik’s quest to hunt down and kill the threat, he discovers that nothing is as it seems. Locked in the king’s castle, Rema finds herself a key player in a massive power struggle. When Darmik shows up, she’s not sure if she can trust him. The line between friends, enemies, and loyalty becomes blurred. As truths are unlocked, Rema understands that she just might be the key to finding the rightful heir and restoring peace to the kingdom… if she can manage to stay alive long enough.


Links-
Kindle-




About the Author-
Jennifer graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential. Afterwards, she married her high school sweetheart, worked as a legal assistant, and taught high school English. Jennifer is currently a full-time writer and mother of three young children. Her days are spent living in imaginary worlds and fueling her own kids' creativity.


Links-


Facebook Events-

Tour Schedule

January 13th-
My Devotional Thoughts-  Excerpt/Spotlight, Playlist

January 14th-
Kelly P’s Blog- Excerpt/Spotlight

January 15th-
Lost in Ever After- Review, Character Bio

January 16th-
Jeanz Book Read N Review- Excerpt/Spotlight, Book Soundtrack, Playlist, Character Bio

January 17th-

January 18th-
Niecey’s Book Addiction- Dream Cast, Book Soundtrack

January 19th-
Andi’s Young Adult Books- Excerpt/Spotlight, Guest Post, Top Tens

January 20th-
Pressed Leaf Publishing- Excerpt/Spotlight

January 21st-
Desert Rose Reviews-Excerpt/Spotlight, Dream Cast, Book Soundtrack, Playlist, Character Bio

January 22nd-
Lindsay & Jane’s Views and Reviews- Playlist

January 23rd-
Addicted Readers- Excerpt/Spotlight, Top Tens

January 24th-
The Avid Reader-  Excerpt/Spotlight, Dream Cast, Book Soundtrack, Character Bio

January 25th-
Dalene’s Book Reviews- Excerpt/Spotlight, Book Soundtrack, Playlist, Character Bio
Sassy Book Lovers- Excerpt/Spotlight

January 26th-
Kimber Leigh Writes- Excerpt/Spotlight
Crazy Beautiful Reviews-  Excerpt/Spotlight, Playlist

January 27th-
KJ Reads a Lot- Review, Excerpt/Spotlight
Girly Girl Book Reviews- Review, Excerpt/Spotlight