Saturday, May 31, 2014

Story Saturdays


Summer!


     School has officially ended and everyone is running haywire trying to find something to do with their time. Or, you might be one of those who has too much planned for the summer. You'd love to switch places with the person who is utterly bored because they have plenty of time on their hands. Whoever you are, here are some book excerpts for you to enjoy for some of my WIP's that I'll be working on this summer, though I can't promise they'll come out this year, as I am currently in the process of finishing two books, writing four more, and beginning rough drafts for nine others.
     And more ideas are constantly popping in my head.
   
     First off, I'd like to reveal the final edit of my Atlas Cain cover. I hope to be editing the book by Christmas, but we'll see how my summer series is coming along by then.

Atlas Cain


             Suddenly, my thoughts are broken my the news streaming through.

“In other news, Jonathan Perez is under suspicion for the murder of seventeen-year-old Shelby Murdock. However, police are only keeping him overnight, due to the fact there is no solidarity evidence to incriminate Perez.”

I stare numbly at the screen as they show a picture of Shelby Murdock. She looks almost exactly like me.

I gasp as the realization hits. A realization I’d denied for as long as I could.

He was back for me.
“Police say to be on the watch for Perez. Police investigations are being held and they request the public report any suspicious findings immediately.”
I’m sucking in ragged breaths as I try not to pass out. Jonathan’s back. I never thought he’d be back. Never thought he’d find me. But, he is and he did.
Immediately, I’m off my bed and heading out to my car. Screw Atlas. I need that studio. And I need it now.
In minutes, I’m parking my car and pushing my way through the doors to the locker room.
I change.
I stretch.
Then I go looking for Atlas. I need a target. I need to punch and hit and do some major damage to someone's face.
He’s in his office on the phone, but hangs up when he sees me. I can tell he’s confused as to why I’m there, but I need something.

“I need you.”

And here are some books that will be being worked on over the summer and some excerpts from them:

The Perfect Now


"There are many things that test the validity of your beliefs. Likewise, there are a great many things that shape your beliefs, worldview, and structure or deplete your cognition. One of these things is the way you see happiness.
Happiness - a noun meaning ‘the state of being happy’, according to Google - greatly differs from Joy. Joy, also awarded the pleasure of being a noun, differs from Happiness in the way that it is the feeling of great pleasure and happiness, it isn’t the state of being happy. We have all felt Joy at least once in our lives, whether it was for a lengthy period of time, or simply a few moments.
I’ve had moments. I’ve grasped onto those moments with an iron grip, trying to make them last, afraid of letting them go. They never stay. They fade away like a leaf in the wind, reminding me of the void I’d felt, yet suppressed, during those few moments of Joy. I no longer want Joy. It leaves a craving inside of you that is unsated. I want Happiness. Miles of Happiness covering my life like cement on a paved road.
Everyone wants Happiness. “The pursuit of Happiness” is the emblem of the American Dream, everyone striving, fighting for the pursuit of happiness that the goal of finding happiness becomes muddled, tainted by the fight, until happiness is a dream and joy is a reality.
Little bits of Joy.
But I want an eternity of Happiness. A perfect now that I can enjoy, instead of simply a substantial future.
Because life is too short to be anything else."


And here's the first book in a dystopian trilogy I'm beginning which is the head-off of another dystopian trilogy my cousin and I are co-authoring.


Syndicate


"The government has symbols. The symbol represents who the United States are as a nation and what they stand for. Well, we have symbols too. Our symbols are close to the government's; to wear a foreign tat is considered treason. But, our symbols, well... they mean something entirely different.
Our symbols look like a modified version of theirs. Our meanings? Well, let's just say they're closer to rebellion than modification.
We do this to set ourselves apart. And, if we get caught, we can just say we're being 'creative'. Call it cowardice or whatever you want, but this is how we survive while we fight. We can't get caught. Not yet. All our memories, our security information, our lives are on the computerized ink which stains our wrist as a symbol.
There's only one person who does the symbols our way, so we know who's on our side. But someday, we won't know. The government will figure it out and our syndicate will be infiltrated. Someday, we won't know the good from the bad. And when that day comes...
Lord have mercy on our souls."




Saturday, May 17, 2014

Story Saturdays

I'm so excited for the release of my new book! And I'm pretty sure the rest of you are tired of waiting. So, for being such good sports, I'll give you some teasers and more book suggestions you can read while you wait.

Cinderella in the Surf by Carly Sims

Kindle: $2.99
Rachel West loves the water. It feels like she's been surfing since before she could walk. But when a horrific accident ruins her love for the sport, she's not sure how to stay afloat. 

Walker Gracin is a southern guy on vacation for the summer when he meets Rachel, a pretty, broken ex-surfer, and he's determined to show her she can have a life free from the sea. 

But when Rachel's faced with an impossible choice -- get back on her surfboard or give up her dreams forever -- she risks losing everything she and Walker worked to build. 

Can Rachel overcome everything that wants to keep her down or will she sink under the pressure?




Blink of an Eye by Ted Dekker

Kindle: $7.99
The future changes in the blink of an eye . . . or does it?


Miriam is a Saudi princess promised to another, a pawn in a political struggle that could shift the balance of power in the Middle East.


Seth is a certified genius with a head full of numbers, a life full of baggage, and an attitude born on the waves of the Pacific.


Cultures collide when they find themselves thrown together as fugitives in a high-stakes chase across Southern California. A growing attraction and a search for answers fuel their fight to survive . . . but with no sleep and a massive manhunt steadily closing in, their chances of surviving any future are razor thin.






These are two wonderful books that I recommend you to read anytime you get the chance. Blink of an Eye is, hands down, one of my favorite books. I recommend these two authors anytime you get the chance. 

Along with these two novels, I also have an excerpt from a few more of my books. At this point, I just have story-lines, so, it will be awhile before they're out on e-book. The writing has begun, but, as I said, it will take some time. These books aren't intended for younger readers as the novels hold mature content and topics.

Remember Me

Flat.
Just like the earth was once believed to be shaped. Just like a failed souffle. And an opened soda. Flat like a deflation. Like a tire. Flat like someone without a depth of character. Flat like a line. A line you had to walk to remain standing if you didn’t want to fall into an abyss. Flat like a line. A line between life and death. A line which appeared in a cold, clean, pristine, hollow hospital room the instant someone you loved was no more.
Flat. Just like me.
I didn’t want to be flat. I wanted to be remembered, but I’d done nothing worth remembering. At least, nothing worth savoring. Oh, I’m sure I’d be remembered for things I would love to change, to forget. But, I knew I’d never be remembered the way everyone one wanted to be remembered. No, I’d be forgotten just as billions of others had been all because I was just me. Mistakes and all. I’d never done anything worth anything. And the day I died? Well, that was my biggest regret. Not dying, everyone has to die. I just regret dying forgotten.
No one should die forgotten.


The Regret Message


Aug. 26, 2014

Dear Lilly,
It’s a funny feeling when you finally accept things as they are. You still have this lingering, nagging doubt in your mind that the peace you feel won’t last. And maybe it won’t. But, I hope it does. Everything from the past two years has been tearing me up inside and I could use some peace right now.
Right about now, you’d probably feed me some psychological babble about how things are meant to be and and that crap. Whatever. I never did believe you when you said that anyway.
I miss you. I guess that’s a given as how I’m writing this letter to you. But I do. I miss the way you smile. The way you laugh. The way you always had my back and I always had yours. I miss the way you call me out on my junk. And, honestly, I just miss you. All of you.
I know I screwed up in the end and I regret that everyday. There are a lot of things I regret. I regret how stupid I was. That I didn’t listen to you. That I acted like I didn’t care. I did. Maybe that’s where I went wrong. I cared too much. But, they say you can’t care too much about someone.
There are some things that I don’t regret, however. The first day I met you. Our first kiss. Man, that was something, wasn’t it? (I guess you don’t have to agree, but I know you know it was).
So, I guess this is what I’ve become. A boy resigned to writing you bittersweet regret messages sent to you on a piece of recycled wood otherwise known as paper by the supreme populous.  
And that’s about as good as it gets, unfortunately.
Because you’re there, and I’m here, and all I’ve got is our memories.




Saturday, May 3, 2014

Finally - 6 Weeks and 4 Days Left!

The Playbook (July 1st)










Finally! I have gotten the hard cover and two paperback covers of my book! Yay! I'm doing some final editing, but this book will be out on e-book in Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and an assortment of many other companies July 1st. It will be on sale for $0.99 for two weeks, before the price will go up to $2.99 permanently. So, get it while you can! Likewise, a sample of Book One in the TimeKeeper's Chronicles, Key of Time (The first 100 pages),
Key of Time (May 30)
will come out on e-book May 30 for free! The full copy is due to come out sometime in September, along with a couple of my other books (ssshhh! They're secrets!). All I can say, is that one of them is a WIP, and the other is a short story that contains some very heavy content and not suitable for children. It is very controversial and deals with some mature situations and events.

So, all you patient waiters, thank you so much for your support and cheering! I finally made it and have to say I am quite pleased of myself. The wait is almost over and soon, very soon, you'll get to reap the fruits of my labor!!

Click the link below. It's a promo slide for The Playbook. I have to apologize about the sound. For some reason, it isn't working, but I'm trying to fix that. Enjoy!


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