Blitz & Giveaway for The Secret of Sweet Treats Kingdom by Kim Davis

The Secret of Sweet Treats Kingdom

Kim Davis

(The Board Game Chronicles, #1)

Publication date: January 30th, 2024

Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Middle-Grade

Book includes a fun recipe for kids!

Amber Addison is fed up with her kindergartener sister. It’s Ava’s fault she’s missing her best friend’s birthday party, the most anticipated event in their sixth-grade class. To make matters worse, Ava has coerced her into playing Sweet Treats board game and she keeps losing to a five-year-old. When Amber’s irritation gets the best of her, she throws the game, destroying it.

As the board disintegrates, the two girls are swept into a swirling vortex and they find themselves in the middle of Sweet Treats kingdom. Ava is kidnapped by an evil queen, and Amber finds herself relying on a mint-green rabbit to help her find her way to Bonbon Castle with the hope of finding her sister. Along the way, she encounters more sweets than she could ever eat along with fantastical beings. Some will become her friend and others create danger that she must survive in order to save her sister and find their way home.

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EXCERPT:

A rumbling sound filled my ears and the ground started tilting and rolling. The light hanging over the dining room table began swaying and the wood mini-blinds rubbing against the windows sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard.

“Amber?” Ava grabbed my hand and held on tight.

“Don’t worry. It’s just an earthquake.” Growing up in Southern California you got used to this kind of thing. “Remember what they taught you at school? Drop, cover, and hold on?”

I pulled her toward the dining room table to hide beneath it, although I was positive by the time we got into position the quake would be over.

We were ten steps away from the table when Ava stopped walking. She yanked my arm and started pulling me backward, toward the family room. I heard the crash of glass breaking on the kitchen tile and was glad I had flip-flops on. Our family portrait fell from the dining room wall, the glass splintering from the black frame sent shards of glass flying across the room. A small piece caught my ankle, sending a sting up my leg.

“Knock it off, shrimp. We need to get under the table right now!” While I had been in several earthquakes, this felt different. It wasn’t slowing or stopping, like I thought it would. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was scared. Could this be the “big one” grownups talked about?

Instead of letting me lead her toward the dining table, Ava began pulling me harder toward the family room. With my feet sliding on the slick tile, I couldn’t stop.

“What’s that?” I had never heard my sister screech like that before, so I turned around to see what she was talking about.

The small fragments of the Sweet Treats board game were hovering in midair, swirling in a circle, going faster and faster. The floor tilted us toward the flying pieces, and we were slipping toward the growing whirlwind. The edge of the vortex was expanding outward at a rapid rate, while the center was a dark, black hole. It looked like a giant vacuum hose, and it was sucking us toward it.

My terrified sister started screaming, clinging to my legs. “Do something, Amber!”

I started shrieking as I tripped over Ava, and we were pulled head first into the middle of the vortex.

Author Bio:

Kim Davis lives in Southern California with her husband and mini Goldendoodle puppy, Missy. When she's not spending time with her granddaughters or chasing the puppy around, she can be found either writing on her next book, or working on her blog, Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder, or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats to share.

She also writes the Cupcake Catering cozy mystery series, the Aromatherapy Apothecary Mystery series, The Board Game Chronicles middle grade series, and a suspense novel, A Game of Deceit, written under K. A. Davis, along with several children’s nature articles in a variety of magazines.

Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

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The Secret World of Willowwood by Mystee Ryann Reveal

The Secret World of Willowwood

Mystee Ryann

(Homeschool Heroes Series, #1)

Publication date: November 11th, 2023

Genres: Fantasy, Middle-Grade

When twelve-year-old Mia’s family moves to the small town of Willowwood, she is bored and misses her old life. One day while exploring the nearby woods, she and her new friends, Tom and Lily, stumble upon a hidden cave. There, they discover a world filled with magical creatures, including mermaids, unicorns, and talking animals. The trio soon learns that they are the chosen ones to help save the magical world from an evil witch who wants to destroy it.

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Blitz & Giveaway for The Cassandra Curse by Hope Bolinger

The Cassandra Curse

Hope Bolinger

Published by: February 1st 2021

Publication date: Middle-Grade, Young Adult

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

STRANGER THINGS X CURSED PRINCESS CLUB

Charity’s acts of kindness always end in disaster, but when one clown costume too many lands her in the Vice Principal’s office, she receives a mysterious note from a group called “The Cassandra Coalition,” asking her if she wants to be rid of the curse that seems to follow her.

The teens of the coalition claim to be cursed by a mirror world connected with their hometown known as Delphos. To make things worse, Delphos appears to be invading their world and turning people into zombies—either that, or someone switched all the coffee to decaf.

When one of their members goes missing, they’ll try to track her down, close the portal to their world, and find a way to end their curse, before the curse ends them.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Light from a dangled candy cane overhead flashed red in Hector’s eyes.

“Did your former director ever happen to mention a handbell player named Cassandra?”

Bella jolted back and knocked over a folder stand on the table behind her. She clutched at her chest with a fist.

“No, can’t say that I have.” Her voice shot up to a high-bell octave. She weaved her gloved fingers into her hair, but the cloth caught on a curl. Abandoning ship, she left the glove in a tangle and polished the bells on the table with a black cloth.

“Come on!” Paris slammed his hands on the table. But because the players had covered the surface in a foam pad, the sound muffled. “We got evidence at the library that she played with this group thirteen years ago. You joined a year after. You had to have heard something. And if my brother is going to show up in public in that ridiculous Red Riding Hood cloak, then you better make it worth it.”

Wowza, Paris standing up to the man. Well, wo-man.

Not being under the scrutiny of Danae’s glare had its wonders and benefits.

Unfazed, Bella started to shove bells into a case. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hector pulled out his tablet—

Where on earth had he been keeping that?

—and the screen illuminated a scary-eager grin.

“Oh yeah, well take a look at—” his voice dropped, cracked, “this?”

Charity took two steps back and hoisted herself on her tiptoes to glance at the screen. The file had disappeared and a red “Error” replaced its slot. Had her touch back in the car eradicated the newspaper from the device?

Bella waved her hand at some invisible bug near her sharp nose. “Sorry, kids, but I don’t have time for this. We need to pack up in the next five minutes before the ‘Looking Sharp Jazz Choir’ gets here.” She jerked her chin over her shoulder at her other band members who hoisted suitcases full of bells onto rolling carts.

They needed to act, now.

When Bella turned to shove some mallets covered in yellow yarn into a black felt bag, Charity tore both gloves with her teeth, spat them on the floor, and gripped the handle of a bell the size of a baby doll’s head. Her arm swung down a few inches under its weight.

“What are you—” Bella stiffened. She sweetened her voice. “Now, put that thing down on the table. Nice and easy.”

With a knee crack, Bella lunged forward for the bell. But Paris and Hector stepped in front of Charity to form a barricade. Blanched, Bella whirled around to call for the aid of her bell-mates, but they were busy grunting and heaving the carts toward the door.

Now, for the bad cop sans good cop routine Charity’d practiced with her stuffed animals. This would, in no way, make Bella’s world a better place today. But she needed to do this for Io.

“I hate to do this, Bella, and I never envisioned myself being a CIA interrogator. That was twenty-seventh on my list of possible occupations for me in the future, next to skydiving instructor and corgi herder. But you’ve left me with no choice.”

“Listen, do you want money?” She dug a leather wallet out of her black slacks, opened it, and waved a neon-orange business card. “I have a coupon for two dollars off a pint of ice cream at The Scoop. You want?”

Oooh, ice cream.

Memories of sweet pralines of butter pecan mixed with cotton candy swirled over her tongue. Her favorite combo.

No, focus.

“Ma’am, if you do not tell us what you know about Cassandra, I’m afraid I’ll have to . . . have to,” she made a claw with her fingers. Digits wriggled like spider legs, “have to touch this bell with my bare hands.”

Bella slapped both palms against her over-blushed cheeks. She gasped.

Charity’s fingers squirmed so much, aches formed in her palms. She’d never threatened anyone before. Hoped she wouldn’t have to again. But for Io . . . she’d even get a fingerprint on this bell.

“Think of the oils from my skin.” She slithered each s like a snake. “The tarnish on this beauty. Bet it will take forever to wipe off. What is this?” Her thumb budged down an inch to reveal the label on the black handle. “A middle C.”

“Yes.” Bella’s voice tremored. She even crunched two crooked teeth down onto her pink lipsticked bottom lip.

“That’s an important note, isn’t it?”

“Some would argue that it’s the bread and butter that holds the music together.”

“Pity if I touched it . . . or even worse. Dropped it.”

Her fingers wriggled closer, closer . . . a centimeter away . . . .

“Wait!”

Author Bio:

Hope Bolinger is literary agent, freelance author and editor, YA novelist, and obsessed with anything to do with theater.

Books include The Quiet and the Storm (Taylor University Press), Blaze (IlluminateYA), Den (IlluminateYA), Dear Hero (INtense Publications), and Dear Henchman (INtense Publications). She's also contributed to books that were published by Broadstreet Publishing and New Hope.

When she isn't busy adding to her 600+ bylines, or showing up in her town square dressed as Red Riding Hood, she loves to connect with readers. Find her at hopebolinger.com or connect with her @hopebolinger

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The Cassandra Curse by Hope Bolinger Reveal

The Cassandra Curse

Hope Bolinger

Publication date: February 1st 2021

Genres: Middle-Grade, Young Adult

STRANGER THINGS X CURSED PRINCESS CLUB

Charity’s acts of kindness always end in disaster, but when one clown costume too many lands her in the Vice Principal’s office, she receives a mysterious note from a group called “The Cassandra Coalition,” asking her if she wants to be rid of the curse that seems to follow her.

The teens of the coalition claim to be cursed by a mirror world connected with their hometown known as Delphos. To make things worse, Delphos appears to be invading their world and turning people into zombies—either that, or someone switched all the coffee to decaf.

When one of their members goes missing, they’ll try to track her down, close the portal to their world, and find a way to end their curse, before the curse ends them.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

Author Bio:

Hope Bolinger is literary agent, freelance author and editor, YA novelist, and obsessed with anything to do with theater.

Books include The Quiet and the Storm (Taylor University Press), Blaze (IlluminateYA), Den (IlluminateYA), Dear Hero (INtense Publications), and Dear Henchman (INtense Publications). She's also contributed to books that were published by Broadstreet Publishing and New Hope.

When she isn't busy adding to her 600+ bylines, or showing up in her town square dressed as Red Riding Hood, she loves to connect with readers. Find her at hopebolinger.com or connect with her @hopebolinger

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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Blitz & Giveaway for Friends to the End by C.L. Colyer

Friends to the End

C.L. Colyer

Publication date: September 27th 2021

Genres: Action, Adventure, Middle-Grade, Supernatural

Zach doesn’t believe in ghosts…but he should.

Twelve-year-old Zach is convinced he’ll never be happy without his best friend Jeremy by his side. But both of their lives changed with a bang five months ago, and as far as Zach’s concerned, it’s his fault Jeremy will never see his twelfth birthday.

When Zach moves with his family to a Chicago suburb, he quickly becomes friends with a group of thrill-seeking kids trying to find a disappearing haunted house. But Zach’s not worried. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, so he follows them into a wild, dangerous encounter that becomes a battle to decide what’s real and what’s not.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“We were going to look for the ghost house.” Dom adjusted the faded NY Yankees baseball cap he wore. “But Morgan has to be home by five.”

“We’ll never make it there and back in time, and we never leave a man behind,” Josh added, dropping a backpack on the grass next to him. It landed with a clunk.

“Ghost house?” I repeated, picturing a boarded-up, decrepit building built during the Civil War or something.

“Haven’t you heard the stories?” Josh asked, eyes wide in amazement.

I shook my head.

Dom walked over to our open garage, grabbed my skateboard out of one of the boxes, and said, “It’s known as the disappearing house.”

My bewildered gaze slithered from Dom to Josh, finally coming to a stop on Morgan as I tried to decide if they were crazy.

“If the house is invisible, how do you expect to find it?” I asked.

Morgan sat on the stoop next to me. “It’s not always invisible. My brothers saw it once. They said it’s a big house with a long porch. It vanished before they could set foot on the first step, and I’m glad, too.”

“Why? What would have happened if they were on the steps?” I asked. Not because I believed an old ghost story had any truth to it, but I was curious to know what she’d say.

Morgan had to pick her jaw up from the walkway before she could answer, and when she did her voice came out in a high-pitched squeak. “If they had been on the porch or worse—” she swallowed loudly “—inside, they would have disappeared with it.”

“That’s a myth,” Dom said as he rode the skateboard down the driveway.

“It is not!” Morgan shot back.

“Come on, how is a solid person going to disappear?” Dom asked from the sidewalk.

“The same way the house does! Duh!” Morgan shook her head as if Dom was the loony one.

“Isn’t the whole thing…um…you know…a myth?” I asked. There were no such things as ghosts, and buildings didn’t just go poof and disappear into thin air. “I mean, you don’t really believe in—”

“The house is real, dude,” Josh said.

“And we’re going inside of it.” Dom did an Ollie, lifting all wheels of the skateboard off the ground.

“No, we’re not!” Morgan shook her head as if that reinforced what she’d said. A dark auburn curl snuck out from under her baseball cap. “We are,” Josh confirmed. I was with Dom and Josh. Not the part about believing in disappearing houses, but if one happened to exist and I managed to find it, I’d want to see inside of it, too.

Author Bio:

Professional network technician by day, novelist by night, Cherie lives a quiet life in the Chicago suburbs with her charming husband. She has four amazing sons who she loves dearly. Cherie magically weaves together stories with a paranormal twist. She’s the author of the Embrace series (Embrace, Hold Tight, and Entwined), Challenging Destiny, Damned When I Didn’t, and Friends to the End. She waltzes into the adult novel world with this enchanting holiday romance, Merry Little Wishing Spritz.

She happily visits schools, libraries, and book clubs, and is a member of SCBWI (Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators).

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Friends to the End by C.L. Colyer Reveal

Friends to the End

C.L. Colyer

Published by: The Wild Rose Press

Publication date: September 27th 2021

Genres: Action, Adventure, Middle-Grade, Supernatural

Zach doesn’t believe in ghosts…but he should.

Twelve-year-old Zach is convinced he’ll never be happy without his best friend Jeremy by his side. But both of their lives changed with a bang five months ago, and as far as Zach’s concerned, it’s his fault Jeremy will never see his twelfth birthday.

When Zach moves with his family to a Chicago suburb, he quickly becomes friends with a group of thrill-seeking kids trying to find a disappearing haunted house. But Zach’s not worried. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, so he follows them into a wild, dangerous encounter that becomes a battle to decide what’s real and what’s not.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

Author Bio:

Professional network technician by day, novelist by night, Cherie lives a quiet life in the Chicago suburbs with her charming husband. She has four amazing sons who she loves dearly. Cherie magically weaves together stories with a paranormal twist. She’s the author of the Embrace series (Embrace, Hold Tight, and Entwined), Challenging Destiny, Damned When I Didn’t, and Friends to the End. She waltzes into the adult novel world with this enchanting holiday romance, Merry Little Wishing Spritz.

She happily visits schools, libraries, and book clubs, and is a member of SCBWI (Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators).

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Max and the Isle of Sanctus by John Peragine Reveal

Max and the Isle of Sanctus

John Peragine

(Secrets of the Twilight Djinn, #2)

Publication date: September 2021

Genres: Fantasy, Middle-Grade

In this second book of Secrets of the Twilight Djinn, Max Daybreaker faces new adventures like never before. Max battles a kraken, rides a fire-breathing dragon and must defeat the evil djinn whose powers are growing every day. The stakes are high for Max as he tries to protect his friends from angry sea gods and a vengeful sultan while also saving his mom from a terrible curse! With magic up in the air and foes on all sides, Max must reach the Isle of Sanctus before time runs out.

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Author Bio:

John Peragine is an author of over fourteen books. The Secrets of the Twilight Djinn series was written as a bedtime story for his son Max to cope with medical issues he was facing as a little boy. John is a full-time ghostwriter who lives with his son, wife, and a menagerie of animals on his vineyard overlooking the Mississippi River.

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Nightmasters by Loran Holt Reveal

Nightmasters

Loran Holt

(Nightmasters, #1)

Published by: Acorn Publishing

Publication date: June 30th 2020

Genres: Fantasy, Middle-Grade

Kelgan Defthand is used to being top dog at the Academy of Magic where he is Senior Apprentice Mage. Compared to his peers, he’s faster, more skillful, and well aware of it, but when he finds himself beset by fearful voices that come in the night, his confidence is shaken.
Adding to his worries, Kelgan is summoned to the headmaster, Sargal’s presence; it looks like he’s really in trouble. But to his bewilderment, he finds he’s being sent on a “mission” with two very hostile-seeming aristocratic twins, Neroma and Nevander Di Nerrill.
Upon embarking on this mission with the twins, Kelgan soon realizes the world outside the cloistered Academy is a bit different than he imagined. First of all, there seems to be women doing magic! Secondly, he’s not the only one hearing voices.
Following a strange compulsion, Kelgan and the Di Nerrills find themselves seeking out the source of the voices, hoping to put an end to it.
The fateful journey tests Kelgan’s underdeveloped skills to the limit, and could come at an unbearable cost to both to him and his companions. Once Kelgan accepts the challenge of Magehood, there’s no going back.

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Author Bio:
Recently retired from a job as a University Professor, and looking for diversion in sunny Southern California, Loran Holt did what any Southern Californian does – took up writing, of course. Feeling that sword-and-sorcery suited her personality admirably, she set her sights on that genre. Nightmasters is the result and her first published work of fiction, but she is already the published author of two books on the Silent Film era, with a third on the way.

The Ghost on Firefly Lane by Pamela McCord Reveal

The Ghost on Firefly Lane 

Pamela McCord 

(Pekin Dewlap Mystery #2)

Published by: Acorn Publishing

Publication date: November 28th 2019

Genres: Middle-Grade, Mystery

A heartbroken ghost searches in vain for her baby. Pekin Dewlap and her best friends Scout and Amber are hired to help her spirit go into the light by the kindhearted homeowners who’ve grown fond of the crying ghost. The teens move into the house while their clients are on a cruise, and their first order of business is to find out the ghost’s identity. A neighbor is able to provide the name of the house’s last owner, and the story of how his wife died in childbirth. Now, armed with the ghost’s name, along with those of her husband and baby daughter, it’s time to set the ghost free.

However, it isn’t as easy as the kids expect. First, Lily the ghost doesn’t seem to be aware of their presence, and when she finally “sees” them, she becomes angry and destructive. The Ghosties track down Lily’s husband and daughter to ask for their help, but, much to their surprise, their invitation is met with hostility. The father has secrets of his own that he must protect.

If Pekin and her friends can’t convince the father to help them, they may never be able to set Lily free, and send her into the light.

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Sequel to:

Author Bio:

Born in Arkansas and raised in Southern California, Pamela McCord started writing later in life when she was challenged by a friend to create a book out of his story idea. Since then, she's become an internationally published author. Pam has spent over 40 years working as a legal secretary at a law firm in Orange County, California. Aside from writing, she follows the stock market, buying, selling and trading stocks and options. In contrast to that, she loves trips to Las Vegas where she can spend many happy hours at the Pai Gow tables. She shares a condo with her very own My Cat From Hell TV star, Allie, who manages to exude just enough affection to make her scary feral ways tolerable.

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Silver Batal and the Water Dragon Races Blitz & Giveaway

Silver Batal and the Water Dragon Races

K.D. Halbrook

(Water Dragon Races, #1)

Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Publication date: June 4th 2019

Genres: Fantasy, Middle-Grade

Set in a vivid, Arab-inspired world filled with friendly and fearsome water dragons, K.D. Halbrook’s Silver Batal and the Water Dragon Races is a middle-grade fantasy adventure, with illustrations by Ilse Gort, that’s perfect for fans of Tui T. Sutherland, Sayantani DasGupta, and Roshani Chokshi.

Silver’s dreams of becoming a legendary water dragon racer come true when she befriends a rare dragon that can swim and fly.

Thirteen-year-old Silver Batal calls the desert home, but her heart belongs to the waters. Although she’s expected to become a jeweler like her father, Silver harbors a secret and forbidden wish to race water dragons. Destiny comes calling when her friendship with a mysterious old woman leads her to Hiyyan, a baby dragon that can swim and fly.

Risking everything, Silver, Hiyyan, and her resourceful cousin Brajon set off across the desert to join the legendary races in the royal city. But the road to Calidia is filled with danger, and the trio must band together as they encounter ferocious cave beasts, clever desert foxes, and cutthroat competition.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

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EXCERPT:

Nebekker whistled. “Come on out, pretty one. My turn to be your mama for a little while.”

Silver waited, pretending not to be watching. Who in the desert was Nebekker talking to? Surely there couldn’t be children down in the cavern.

Nebekker whistled again. Her teeth flashed as she grinned. Silver followed her gaze across the river. There was something moving among the stalactites. Crouched…or even slithering. Something that matched the blue light and pale silver of the cavern.

The thing across the river purred.

Purred?

The sound touched Silver to her very core. She got to her feet and moved toward the river without thinking, as though a string tied to her middle pulled her. There was no staying away if she’d wanted to. The need to meet the creature on the other side of the river was far too great. She stepped into the river.

The ice-cold water over her boots slowed her down for only a moment. But that was long enough for Nebekker to grab her arm and hold her in place.

“Of course this would happen.” Nebekker sighed wearily.

“Let me go!” Silver had to get to the other side of the river.

“Stay right here. He’ll come to you. The stars know it’ll affect the both of you.”

In the back of her mind, Silver wondered what the old woman meant, but she didn’t ask because the pull to cross the river was still so powerful.

“I have to…”

She struggled to free herself, but Nebekker was incredibly strong. Just then a shadow slipped into the river with a splash and made its way to Silver and Nebekker. Silver knelt into the water, waiting. She didn’t know what for or if she was in danger. She only knew that she had to open her arms and greet it.

When the creature finally burst from the water, it bowled Silver over. She landed on her back hard, rocks digging into her spine. Her arms and chest became even colder than before, soaking in the river water. But she didn’t care. She was awash with euphoria. Within seconds, the warmth of the creature bled into her skin. Its happy heartbeat thudded in time with Silver’s. It purred again and licked her face until the smell of fish and river weeds overwhelmed her nostrils.

Silver laughed and opened her eyes. A pair of obsidian-dark eyes looked back down at her from a sky-blue face ringed with white.

“Another Aquinder,” Silver marveled. “A little one!”

“If your definition of little means the size of a house.” Nebekker stood over them. Her hands were on her hips and she didn’t seem particularly happy. “Kirja’s son. Another troublemaker, if you ask me.”

“No, he’s perfect.” Silver’s heart swelled nearly to bursting. “And I won’t have you calling him names or else.”

Nebekker snorted. “Or else what?”

“I don’t know what. But I’ll think of something. I’d do anything for…for…what’s his name?”

The water dragon licked Silver some more, then rolled over and let his tongue loll out to the side, just like Kirja had. Silver rubbed his belly.

Author Bio:

K.D. Halbrook is an author of Middle Grade and Young Adult novels (as Kristin Halbrook). Her debut Middle Grade book, SMOKE AND MIRRORS (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books) was called "captivating," "enchanting," and "artful" in trade reviews and, in a starred review, the BCCB said, "The novel's wistful prose and a relatable search for the Light will be rewarding for readers who can see in the Smoke any number of metaphors for the things that haunt us."

K.D.'s next Middle Grade is the first in an exciting series: SILVER BATAL AND THE WATER DRAGON RACES, releasing in June, 2019 from Macmillan/Henry Holt BFYR.

K.D. is a graduate of the University of Washington and lives with her family and floofy goldendoodle in Seattle. When not writing and sharing her love of books with readers, she enjoys cooking and baking, running and triathlon training, yoga, gardening, painting, hiking, and travel. She would love a dragon that swims AND flies.

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The Haunting of Elmwood Pamela McCord Blitz & Giveaway

The Haunting of Elmwood Manor

Pamela McCord

(a Pekin Dewlap Mystery)

Published by: Acorn Publishing

Publication date: March 1st 2019

Genres: Middle-Grade, Mystery

Pekin Dewlap hasn’t seen a ghost since she was twelve. But she’d do anything to get them back. Starting a ghostbusting business with her two best friends, Amber and Scout, seems like the perfect way to accomplish her goal. Of course, playing with ghosts isn’t high on their wish list, so Pekin has to do some arm-twisting to get them on board.

Once committed, Pekin and her friends find themselves in deep, trying to solve the disappearance of fourteen-year-old Miranda Talbert. Miranda went missing in 1918, and her spirit has wandered the halls of Elmwood Manor for the last hundred years.

In the midst of finding Miranda, discovering her budding feelings for Scout, and consoling a terrified Amber, Pekin is met by an angry ghost set on thwarting her plans. Will the Ghosties be able to help Miranda, or will Pekin’s business die before she solves the mystery?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks

—

EXCERPT:

THE IDEA WAS SCARY. Exciting. Overwhelming.

She wanted to tell her best friends, Amber and Scout, about her new ghost-hunting business. Amber being Amber, she would freak out and say no way before Pekin could explain all the reasons it was a good idea.

Pekin had decided to do all the legwork before telling Amber and Scout about her big plan. Get her ducks in a row, be ready to answer any question or objection they threw at her. The next day, she would convince her friends how exciting this adventure would be.

Despite her anxiety, Pekin slept fairly well and was awake half an hour before her 7:30 a.m. alarm. She rolled onto her back and opened her eyes, nervous at the prospect of coming clean with her friends. With extra time before needing to get ready for school, Pekin propped up on her pillows and looked around her room, going over her plans.

Her bedroom reflected her personality, more practical than all fan girlie over the latest boy band. She kept it clean, her bed made every morning. Clothes were never tossed on the floor. She wasn’t into the rumpled look. A full-length mirror was tacked to the closet door for examining her outfits, since changing her clothes multiple times before deciding on the perfect look was her norm.

Two posters graced the walls, both copies of the ones hanging in Agent Mulder’s office in The X-Files, one reading “I Want to Believe” and the other proclaiming “The Truth is Out There.” A white bookcase reflected her obsession with the paranormal, as it was stocked with tales of haunted houses and ghostly visitations. Ghosts weren’t the only thing Pekin loved. Her bookshelves also contained a healthy dose of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books. Sure, they were popular when her mom was a kid, but they were still full of great ideas for teenage sleuths and fueled her daydreams of solving mysteries.

Her gaze fell on a photo of the three friends she’d stuck in the mirror of her dresser. She loved this picture. It was taken six months ago, and showed Pekin, bookish and nerdy, and Amber, looking short next to Pekin and Scout, her beautiful auburn hair wisping around her face. Then there was Scout. Tall, good looking in a Bill Gates sort of way, glasses, studious. And the reason Pekin loved the picture.

Pekin had known Scout since second grade (he was in third grade at the time, an older man), and this year he’d blossomed (if you could say that about a guy), shooting up three inches, getting contact lenses, losing the braces. Her heart plunked the first time she saw him after summer break was over and he’d come back from spending two months in Europe with his family. But he couldn’t know about that, and she made sure not to let on that she liked him, not even to Amber, who would no doubt let it slip to Scout. Pekin would be so embarrassed if he knew.

Twirling a strand of blonde hair around a finger, she pondered how to approach Scout and Amber. Pekin wanted to be a ghostbuster. She wanted excitement, and imagined herself and Scout searching for ghosts in haunted houses. Amber would be there, too, of course, but Amber didn’t figure in Pekin’s daydreams the same way Scout did.

Still dressed in pajamas, Pekin wandered into her walk-in closet and inspected her options. Jeans, of course, but what top? She selected a white T-shirt with a big orange Cheshire Cat grinning on the front. She loved the way her hazel eyes popped when she wore it. Running her fingers through her hair, she turned sideways so she could admire the way it fell around her shoulders and down her back, then headed for the bathroom to brush her teeth and shower.

During her shower, Pekin considered her outfit, the one she’d picked for the day. Scout once said that the Cheshire Cat was his favorite Alice in Wonderland character. She hoped he’d notice her shirt and admire it the way she wanted.

As if. The three of them had been friends for ever. They’d grown up together. Scout probably thought of her as a sister. Just because she now saw him in a new light didn’t mean he felt the same about her.

Amber had already started attracting attention from boys. Pekin was a bit jealous, but not about the other boys. She only wished Scout would notice her in that way.

Pekin stepped out of the shower and used a wide-toothed comb for the damp tangles of her hair, confiding in Grandma Virginia that this business was a perfect fit for her. She’d been obsessed with all things ghost for as long as she could remember. She couldn’t count the number of times she, Amber, and Scout had sat in her family room watching scary movies or TV shows.

Pekin was nervous about meeting Amber and Scout for lunch. She’d been nervous pretty much all the time since she’d taken steps toward making her big idea a reality. As her planning had taken shape, she’d found it hard not to give off any clues that something was different with her.

The time had come to fess up.

Author Bio:

Pam was born in Arkansas several decades ago. She’s not sure if that makes her a Southern Girl or if moving to Southern California when she was five revokes her Southern Girl card. She started writing later in life when she was challenged by a friend to create a book out of his story idea. Reaching the first 5,000 words was a milestone, but with time and hard work she managed to finish an entire book, much to her surprise. Since then, she’s written several novels, in several genres. Romance, middle grade and paranormal comprise most of her work. Pam has spent over 40 years working as a legal secretary at a law firm in Orange County, California. Aside from writing, she follows the stock market, buying, selling and trading stocks and options. In contrast to that, she loves trips to Las Vegas where she can spend many happy hours at the Pai Gow tables. She shares a condo with her very own My Cat From Hell TV star, Allie, who manages to exude just enough affection to make her scary feral ways tolerable.

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