The Electric Girl by Christine Hart (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT (Updated)

 

The Electric Girl

by 

Christine Hart

 

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GENRE:   YA / Magic Realism / Sci-fi

 

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BLURB:

 

Polly Michaels is trying to forget that her mom has cancer. She keeps busy at school and plods through a normal social life. Until a freak electrical storm and a unicorn appear in the orchard next to her house.

Sy’kai wakes on an orchard floor to the smell of rotting cherries and wet earth. She doesn’t know where she is—or what she is—but she knows something is hunting her.

Polly recruits her friends to find the mysterious creature she saw from her window while Sy’kai, a confused shape-shifting endling from another dimension tries to piece her mind back together. Once the human girls find Sy’kai (whom they nickname Psyche) the mystery unravels and the danger facing all of them comes into focus.

A gritty struggle ranges throughout the girls’ rural hometown and in the wild terrain around it. All while two questions hang over their heads. Can an alien deliver a miracle for a human mother? Can a group of teens defeat an interdimensional demon?

 

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EXCERPT

 

 

 

Polly crept softly downstairs and into the vaulted kitchen. In the window behind the double sink, her mom’s stained-glass butterfly reflected a glint of moonlight. Her gaze darted from the window to the sliding glass doors across the room, behind a small round oak table. A greasy takeout box and two plates of chicken bones on the counter—her mom’s only half-eaten—glistened in the faint light. She paused next to the table, gripped the padded back of a dining chair, and leaned toward the glass door. She peered out, across the backyard and into the orchard.

 

A large beacon of light flickered in the trees. It moved, as if floating. No, not floating—walking. The intense glow, marked by dark strips of trunk and branch, moved at a measured pace. She squinted, trying to make out an outline of . . . whatever it was that meandered through the trees.

 

It’s an animal. It has to be!

 

She lifted the latch on the sliding glass door and gently opened it. Chilly night air rushed in, smelling of ozone and the earth. Her flannel nightgown billowed in the breeze. She placed a bare foot on the smooth concrete of the patio. The cold was sharp and shot straight through Polly, causing her to gasp, but she forced herself to keep moving. She stepped all the way out and slid the door back into place, almost closing it but not quite.

 

The roving light in the orchard had grown larger. It was weaving between the dark rows of trees in the distance. The undulating pace of it . . . it wasn’t human. Whatever it was, it was moving—walking, she thought, but not on two legs.

 

Polly put one foot in front of the other, compelled by her need to know. She crossed the backyard, reaching the bumpy bare earth of the orchard floor. She steadied herself against a tree trunk as adrenaline raced through her veins. She leaned into the tree, hoping to conceal her figure without losing sight of the creature, whatever it was.

 

She waited, watching in both awe and terror as the glowing animal came closer. The creature made no sound at all. Polly watched, eyes trained on the glow itself, until finally she could make out a shape—a long, muscular torso flexed above four knobby legs. Pointed ears flickered.

 

It’s a horse! A white mare! Oh my god, she’s so bright.

 

The horse turned its head, flashing a spiraled horn—unmistakable against the dark branches around them.

 

NO WAY!

 

“Polly? Are you out there?” she heard her mom call. She turned to see her mom’s silhouette standing in the kitchen. Her mom flicked on a light, spilling yellow across the yard. Polly whipped around to see the unicorn again, but the orchard had grown dark, full of silent indigo trees.

 

The glowing animal was gone.

 

 

Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

Christine Hart writes from her suburban home on BC’s beautiful West Coast. She specializes in speculative fiction for young readers. Her stories feature detailed real-world landscapes as a backdrop for the surreal and spectacular.

 

Christine’s backlist includes YA, NA, and MG titles, including the speculative trilogy The Variant Conspiracy. Her debut YA, Watching July, won a gold medal from the Moonbeam Children's awards in the mature issues category and an honourable mention from the Sunburst Awards.

Christine holds a BA in English and Professional Writing, as well as current membership with the Federation of BC Writers and SF Canada.

She works as a content and communications specialist for a technology studio in Vancouver. And when not writing, she creates wearable art from recycled metals under the guise of her Etsy alter-ego Sleepless Storyteller.  She shares her eclectic lifestyle with her husband and two children.

Learn more about Christine and her books at her website.

 

 

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GIVEAWAY 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 

The tour dates can be found here

 

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My review:

 

 

3.75 out of 5 stars

 

The Electric Girl by Christine Hart centers around Polly Michaels as she deals with the specter of her mother’s cancer. If her mother dies, the young girl will be an orphan. A series of odd occurrences, including Polly’s sighting of a unicorn plus a vicious bear attack in the town, mark a potentially world-changing struggle that Polly and her friends may play a key role in, but her primary goal is helping her mother. Little does she realize that the two challenges may be connected.

 

 

This young adult fantasy story explores the bonds of friendship as well as the concept of extra-terrestrial lifeforms and alternate realities. There are many imaginative elements that should prompt curiosity and exploration of the concept of lifeforms other than those humans share the world with. The action is a bit uneven to me and I was a little disappointed in some of the choices made that will have negative effects on others, but overall this is a fun, thought-provoking tale.

 

 

A copy of this title was provided for review

How to Improve Study Habits by Christine Reidhead (VNBtM, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

I'm delighted to share a guest post from VERY busy author Christine Reidhead, who provides great suggestions for...

Top Seven (7) Tips to Having A Successful Life

 

by

Christine Reidhead

 

Imagine yourself in the next five years. You probably don't wind up as a bum in your imagination. It most likely goes like this- you're living the most comfortable life you can think of, with people and things you love around you. Now, close your eyes again and imagine the steps you need to take to get there. Not as warm and cozy as the first imagination, right?

 

Nothing on earth is rocket science - including success. Grit and determination still work, and although it's not a walk in the park, it might not be as difficult as you think. These seven steps would show you why I believe so:

 

1. Be clear and precise on what you want to do

Different roads lead to success - that's for sure, but you can't take all the roads. Be clear and definitive with your passions and careers. What do you want to achieve? Having a goal in mind makes it possible and more comfortable to start taking actionable steps.

 

Bonus tip: Do something you love. The rest of your life is a long time to do something you find uninteresting, or even annoying.

 

2. Have a daily routine

Repetition is the art of mastery, and successful people have things they do to keep thriving. In a world of equal resources, equal chances and opportunities, someone who is consistent would most definitely outrun an unstable person.

 

3. Avoid time sponges

It's exactly how it sounds - things that literally suck your time. It's also quite noticeable spending time on things that won't contribute to your success is not advisable. What then is advisable? Identify the things that eat up your time and don't contribute to your career and either eradicate them or keep them in check.

 

4. See failures as stepping stones.

Undoubtedly, you must have seen experts in different fields before. Let's use an expert chef as an example. Ask him for a recipe, what to use and how to use them, and he would comfortably tell you what to do and what not to do because he has most likely made those mistakes in the past. Don't be tempted into feeling depressed because of failures - on the contrary, they make you smarter and savvier!

 

5. Find a mentor

You'd do yourself a solid by finding a mentor, that is, someone who is on the same path as you but has gone way ahead of you. A mentor would be of great help to you in terms of guidance, relevant information about your career and can even help you build your network. Remember the chef analogy? He also probably sounds so food-smart not because he made the mistakes himself, but because his mentor or teacher told him to avoid such mistakes. Don't start your journey without guidance.

 

6. Improve your character and relationship-building skills

Two people come to you for help: One is the rudest, most ill-mannered soul you've encountered, the other is pleasant and great to talk to. You'd most likely be more inclined to help the second person. It's always a good idea to build positive relationships because you can never tell when you'd need help and who could recommend you to whom. Also, we need human contact every now and then, for what is life if we have all the money in the world but are without human connections and love to share?

 

7. Be an action taker

Renaissance Genius, Leonardo da Vinci once said “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” This takes us back to how we started. You could stay at the spot where you are right now, still imagining where you'd be in the next five years, or, you could get working immediately. I implore you to do the latter. Go for it, and if you fail, you can only get better.

 

 

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How to Improve Study Habits

by 

Christine Reidhead

 

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GENRE:   Young Adult

 

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BLURB:

 

For students 13 through college graduation, Christine Reidhead's guide to building study skills is an extremely important book for those who want to secure their future through good grades.Too many students' grades are falling, especially in a time when regular classrooms cannot fully open. Parents everywhere are at a loss regarding what to do with their responsibilities in the face of the increasing downturn in their children's grades. It seems as though, with the advent of social media, the attention of a lot of students has been shifted from their books to their smartphones or computers. Apart from social media, blame has also been put on a decline in the interest of students regarding education in general. Students, at the moment, do not have the motivation or zeal, as it seems, to even study.

Good study habits, or skills, are solutions to the problems experienced by students. This has been true for a long time, but the world is changing rapidly, which also means that the tools employed during study have to be changed in order to keep up.

This is especially true as a result of the covid-19 pandemic that has forced students to study and learn from home rather than in the classroom. E-Learning, or online learning, can be effective, but only if the student has the discipline and drive to succeed using the tools and materials they are provided by teachers. Without strong study skills the student will fall behind in the classroom. Online the failure to develop good study skills can be devastating, leading to an inability to achieve the success in life the student could otherwise achieve.

This excellent guide walks students through skills and habits which a student, or a person, employs while studying in order to make the most out of the experience. The kind of skills employed by a person, whether good or bad, determines how successful they will be in the process of learning, and Reidhead shows how to understand study skills, discover what kind of learner you are, develop great study skills, avoid bad study habits, identify the best places to study, and how to keep up with Online Learning during the current ovid-19 pandemic. It also helps parents and students to identify when certain students are studying excessively, harming the effectiveness of their studying.

This is a must book for students who want good grades. Both a guide and a self-help book, it can help any student of any age, middle school through graduate school, succeed in their classes whether they are held in a classroom or online.

 

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EXCERPT:

 

The preceding chapter mentioned that some people are auditory learners. There are also visual learners, kinesthetic learners, and even learners that learn best by reading. The differences stem from the fact that we all experience the world differently. Thus, the different ways we receive, retain, and use information also differs.

 

Learning about the different types of learning methods is important because it helps educators know how to cater to the needs of every student in their class. It can also eliminate some students lagging behind simply because the mode of teaching in the class is not best for them.

 

As a student, finding the type of learning style best suited for you is essential because it helps you know what works for you and what doesn't. The process of self-realization will eliminate many problems and help you focus your attention on the actual skills needed to excel academically. For instance, if you are an auditory learner, you will prioritize listening in class by taking notes. During your study time, it would be wise as an auditory learner, to listen to recordings, if the recordings are available, instead of reading. If auditory tapes are not available you will still have to read.

 

Amazon link

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Christine Reidhead is a philanthropist, former basketball player, professor, writer, podcaster, and proud mother of two from Arizona. She is currently based in New Mexico, where she works and lives with her family. She is an avid educator who loves to encourage people to make a difference in their lives. She is the author of the book series Tips to Starting College. Her expansive portfolio as a podcast host is growing wider every month, as she discusses topics as diverse as leadership, sports, social change, education, tribal college movement and so much more. Podcast episodes are currently available on her website for people to enjoy. She is the author of GET THAT JOB! Ace Your Job Interview – Every Time! and How to Improve Study Habits.

 

Christine is passionate about international charity work, as well as helping people preserve their culture and share it with the world. She is the founder of AfrikRising, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing critical resources to African children who deal with poverty and starvation, not to mention a lack of educational opportunities and health risks. She also does a lot of work with Native American organizations and in Mexico. Currently, Christine is a board member of Habitat for Humanity supporting people in need abroad and close to home.

 

 

Publisher

Website (Tips to starting college)

Website (Author website)

Facebook

Instagram

 

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

The tour dates can be found here 

 

 

 

 

 

In Between Days by Anne Jamison (VET, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

In Between Days

by

Anne Jamison

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GENRE: Young Adult

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BLURB:

Chicago suburbs, 1985. The high school. The mall. The blood-stained Mercedes. Misogyny. Homophobia. Class warfare. Cocaine.

(And the first semester isn’t even over yet.)

The Jocks with their pastel Izods. The Barbies. The loser Burnouts.

High school in the 1980s had rules. Barbies and Jocks can mix. Barbie cheerleaders steer clear of the losers. Punks want to burn it all down.

Samantha Ward doesn't love the rules, but she plays to win. So when a snarky Burnout goes after her in a face-off, of course she fights back. Of course she fights mean. She may not get his sex joke, but she knows he made one. About her. In front of the entire cafeteria. And what's worse, she feels a tingle when she looks at bad-boy Jason.

How could she know her mean girl put-down would launch a war? Or that the school she knows hides a darker world she never even dreamed of?

In Between Days is a pitch-perfect story of first love, friendship, and enemies; of loyalty, betrayal, and the power of secrets. This darkly funny, suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of The Outsiders and The Breakfast Club.

"GRIPPING AND UNPUTDOWNABLE." --Christina Lauren, international bestselling authors of Dating You/Hating You “THIS WAS a bittersweet tumble into eighties high school nostalgia, with all the angst, sexual tension and emotional confusion involved with first love, and so well done it was a non-stop read to the end.… (Oh, and one of the best first kisses I have EVER read...),” says one reviewer

Author's Note:

This is a historical novel that contains period language that is, and was then, and should be, offensive.

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Exclusive Excerpt

”So who the hell are you, anyway?”

Everyone laughed. Dylan Dougherty totally lost it, stoned off his ass as usual. Bogart just looked confused. Jason hoped he didn’t look as confused as Bogart. Ever.

 ”I’ll give you a clue. Seventh grade homeroom. Two seats over. One seat back.” Blue-haired girl made each word a revelation.

Jason stared, blank to incredulous. “Prissy all-my-clothes-are-pink-and-monogrammed-and-no-way-in-hell-are-you-her Hines?”

 ”The same. And that is the last time you ever call me Prissy if you want to keep your balls somewhere in the vicinity of your body, Jason Devlin.”

Jason put his hands up in surrender. “Dude.”

“Wrong again. Just Pris.”

Dylan’s eyes widened. “Like from fuckin’ Bladerunner? That is so awesome. Like, dude. Not like I’m calling you that, but with the neon, and those robots and time to die with the dove? Like, ‘Hi Roy,’ and Daryl Hannah goes all apeshit on Han Solo’s ass?”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Pris’s eyes narrowed at the end of sentences like punctuation.

Dylan looked at Pris like she was an angel come to speak only to him.

Jason shook his head. Prissy in Pink to blue-haired freak. His mom used to work in the same office with her dad. Yeah, well. Things change a lot in a few years.

First bell rang and the group started moving towards the entrance. Jason whispered in Shelly’s ear. “Behind the bleachers. After school. Bring a Coke.” She’d understand he’d have something to go in it. She nodded and took off with Dylan to their lockers. Skinny and Not-Prissy turned with Jason.

They passed a knot of jocks and Barbies, no doubt planning some after-school pep enhancement. Typically Jason ignored these kids, but he caught a look off one of them, some muscly dude in a pink polo shirt, that made his blood boil. The kid actually put his arm around one of the girls and steered her protectively out of Jason’s path. Which she wasn’t in.

The vibe the dude was putting out wasn’t even like they were a couple. He was just taking care of a pure young girl whose shadow needed to be kept free of burnout footprints.

Turned out it was very thing Jason needed to focus his free-floating morning rage outwards on a worthy target. I don’t wanna hang with you either, dude, but I don’t feel the need to let you know you’re scum first thing on a Monday morning. Maybe that was part of the problem. Maybe he should feel that need.

 Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

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Apple

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Anne Jamison is the author of three critical books, including Fic: Why Fanfiction is Taking Over the World. She lives in Salt Lake City with her dogs, her son, and an avant-garde poet. She is an English professor, but not the kind that corrects your grammar (unless she is actively grading your paper). In Between Days is her first novel. 

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

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GIVEAWAY

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The tour dates can be found here

Starting Over by Sheri Levy (VBT, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY)

It is my pleasure to share a guest post by author Sheri Levy, who gives us a glimpse of her hobby...

It is pretty easy to tell you about my favorite hobby. I grew up with a   brown, miniature Dachshund, Heidi. She roamed from room to room at night. My canopy bed was higher off the ground than Mom and Dad’s or my brother’s. When Heidi ventured to my room, she stretched her short legs as far as she could and whined. She’d wake me, and I’d lean over to lift her on to my bed. She immediately burrowed under my covers and warmed my feet.

After I married, my husband rescued the neighbor’s five-year-old German shepherd, Charlie. When she passed on, my husband was lost. While he traveled for his job, my two children and I plotted a surprise for his birthday. We discovered an eight-week-old, White shepherd and brought her home. I had never had a puppy, and I learned how much attention puppies needed.

I found a small wooden playpen in our attic and strung sheets through the slats to keep her small body inside. She used her paws to push the sheet down and would squeeze herself out. Of course, as soon as she was free, she peed on the carpet.

When Murphy arrived home, we had kept the puppy hidden and told him to go sit on the couch. He did as we commanded. My two children made Dad keep his eyes shut. I plopped the puppy on his lap, and she preceded to lick his face. His eyes popped open in shock. We let Dad choose her name. Since our four-year-old daughter couldn’t say Gretchen or Gretel and mixed the two words, we named her Gretchel.

This started my trek on training dogs. We didn’t have a fence, and Gretchel learned to stay in our yard. She loved to fill her mouth with rocks as we walked. When she couldn’t add another in her mouth, she’d drop all of the rocks on the street, and rearrange them in her mouth to fit one more.

After Gretchel, our children were gone, and we chose our first Aussie, Sydney. Aussie’s can learn words like a two to three-year-old child. I was teaching special education and became fixated on teaching Sydney as many words as I could. He knew the names of each of his toys, the colors, and many commands.

A black Lab blew into our yard during a snow storm when Sydney was six-months-old. The dog’s ribs were visible, and he had three puncture wounds. Once the snow melted, we took Jake to the vet and adopted him. Jake was full of mischief. He uprooted plants, chewed on electrical wires, tree trunks, and ate the tongues out to Murphy’s work boots. He needed a lot of positive attention!

Sydney and Jake enjoyed Edisto Beach. They learned about boating, and not drinking salt water, When I decided to write, I wanted to use my dog experiences and our days with close friends on Edisto Beach. Both Sydney and Jake had moved on to the Rainbow Bridge. But I continued learning new dog skills. I trained my next Aussies in Rally and in Agility. I researched service dogs and learned from PAALS.org how they handled and trained their service puppies.

At graduation services, the dog’s new forever companion shares how their lives have been made better because of their service dog. Their stories make me tear up.

Seven Days to Goodbye was published and my memories are on paper. The sequel, Starting Over, encompasses other memories from teaching many types of children. You cannot teach a child without getting involved in their life.

My multi-handicapped classroom became an oasis for troubled children. The minute they walked into my room, they knew they were safe and loved. My students understood about positive reinforcement. If they did what I asked, they received rewards.  During the summer, I enjoyed bringing a needy child to my home for a few hours. They had a chance to go swimming, picnic, and see movies. My children were young and they enjoyed having older playmates.

The Trina Ryan Novel series, has a new service puppy, teen issues, tough choices, family dynamics, changing relationships, horseback riding, and a fun first-time romance.

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Starting Over

by Sheri Levy

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GENRE:   Contemporary Young Adult

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BLURB:

Trina Ryan’s challenging summer starts off with puppy-fueled energy burst as she takes on another service dog for training-an eight-week-old black Labrador named Colton. And to help explore another dream, she’s taken a job at the barn next door in exchange for riding lessons with the barn’s schooling horse. It doesn’t take long for Trina to butt heads with Morgan Hart, an award winning rider with a gorgeous thoroughbred named Knight- and a demanding, nasty demeanor with both people and her horse.

Adding to the list of frustrations is the difficulty in maintaining a long distance relationship with Chase, her first boyfriend from last summer, while trying to deal with unwanted attention from a new boy in her puppy training class.

At least best friend Sarah still has her back, but Trina wearies of Morgan’s constant insults and her heartless treatment of Knight, she decides to use her dog training skills to look underneath Morgan’s hostile attitude and develop a sense of trust.

Slowly, Morgan’s angry shield cracks enough to where she’s able to share a troubling family secret. Can Trina help Morgan confront her family problems and make a fresh start?

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EXCERPT

At three o’clock in the morning, I sat with my butt squished against the wall on the hard tile floor, my forehead resting on bent knees. I’d given up going back to bed and waited for Colton’s next outburst.

Seconds later he whined. I lifted my head as his nose poked out of the crate, sniffing. He tilted his head and toddled toward me. His tail beat back and forth. After a quick pee on the clean newspapers, he crawled onto my lap.

He put his front paws on my shoulders, and his dark eyes flirted mischief.

I smiled. “Ms. Jennifer and Mom warned me you’d be waking up all night.”

Colton’s ears drooped, and I stroked his velvety fur. Cradling his plump body, I buried my face in his fuzz. I inhaled his toasty puppy smell, trying hard not to think about Sydney, the first service dog I trained.

Sydney had come to me when his family moved away from South Carolina. At six-months-old, he was trained in his basic needs. He even slept through the night.

During our beach vacation, Sydney had worked his special magic with Logan, a young boy with autism. My best friend Sarah and I had met his cute older brothers, Peyton and Chase.

Sydney and I had snuggled on our last night and I’d told him about my memories of our year together.

In the morning, I’d clenched my teeth behind a fake smile and returned him to be matched to his forever companion.

Minutes before leaving the facility empty-handed, large, brown puppy eyes from the nursery had connected with mine. I’d decided to train another.

Eight-week-old Colton was a blank slate. I would be his first and only foster momma until he turned eighteen months old.

Colton nosed me again. He lifted his chocolate brown eyes to mine, and warmed the achy parts of my heart.

Starting Over will be published August 1^st, 2017.  Please pre-order with FictionAddiction

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Sheri S. Levy is the author of an award-winning debut novel in her series, Trina Ryan’s Dogs in Training. Seven Days to Goodbye, won in 2015, and her magazine article, Scent with Love, won in 2011, with the Dog Writers Association in the Special Interest category. She is an active member of SCBWI and SIBA.

After a twenty-five-year teaching career in special needs, Sheri remains active with tutoring teens in reading and writing. PAALS, (Palmetto Animal Assisted Living Services), has helped with her research on writing about service dogs and how they change lives. Sheri, in turn, shares her book proceeds to support PAALS.org.

Sheri enjoys doing author visits and teaching writing workshops. When she is not writing, she reads, plays with her two dogs, listens to music, and hangs out with her husband and family. 

You can find more information on her website; and Facebook, Sherislevyauthor; Twitter, @SheriSLevy

Fiction addiction

Amazon author page

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GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here