In One Moment, There was Clarity

Every day that passes brings us one day closer to Christmas, and another day of the ONE MORE DAY blog tour rolls along. Today, THE COVER CONTESSA is hosting our blog tour with a guest post by Kimberly Kay, a book review and a link to a Rafflecopter Giveaway, so make sure you stop by and see what’s going on.

There is also a big ONE MORE DAY Virtual Facebook Party going on tonight between 8 and midnight EST so make sure you stop by. There will be lots of virtual cake, champagne and real giveaways and fun.

Today, I have the feature author of ONE MORE DAY, L.S. Murphy with me to answer the question I’ve asked all of the anthology authors: If you could freeze one moment in time for all eternity, what would it be? I can so relate to her answer.

***

One Frozen Moment

The first time I saw my daughter. That’s the moment I would freeze forever. In the moment, there was a clarity to the world I’d never experienced before. Life seemed worth living and the world was full of pure love. Every single day of my existence for the last five years has been an expansion on that one moment in time.

Everyone should experience something so pure, so beautiful they never want to let it go. Bean is mine.

Yeah, I’m a sap. J

Linda

***

It’s okay to be a sap when it comes to our children, Linda. I still get all gooey inside when I think of mine and they are grown.

Want a copy of ONE MORE DAY? Here are a few links.

AMAZON – PAPERBACK AMAZON – KINDLE BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

Want to connect with Linda? Visit her on the web at any of her locations:

Website Facebook Twitter Linkedin Google + Pinterest

And don’t forget to check out all the other works by Linda. There are quite a few. Click on the pics for more info from Goodreads.

One Publisher; One Author’s Life Changed Forever (jennykellerford.wordpress.com)
A Bright Spot in Someone’s Day (jennykellerford.wordpress.com)
Blog Tour: One More Day by L.S. Murphy and more (http://lolabookreviews.blogspot.com/)
ARC Review: One More Day by L.S. Murphy and Various Authors (http://kookiekrysp.com/)
Review: One More Day (Anthology – Various Authors) (Total Teen Fiction.blogspot.co.uk)

ONE MORE DAY Kickoff

December is a very busy month. There’s food to be bought, baking to be done, lights to put up and…a book to promote?

Yep, in the middle of all the fixings and trimmings, the strands of tangled Christmas lights, ensuring the dragon is well-fed, seven YA authors (myself included) are preparing for a whirlwind internet tour of the new anthology by J. Taylor Publishing, ONE MORE DAY. There will be virtual parties, giveaways, games, virtual cakes and good eats throughout the month of December, and everyone is invited to travel with us and join in the celebrations.

Not sure what ONE MORE DAY is about? From the back cover…

What if today never ends?

What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—never happens?

Whether sitting in a chair, driving down the road, in surgery, jumping off a cliff or flying … that’s where you’d be … forever.

Unless …

In One More Day, Erika Beebe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, Danielle E. Shipley and Anna Simpson join L.S. Murphy to give us their twists, surprising us with answers to two big questions, all from the perspective of characters under the age of eighteen.

How do we restart time?

How do we make everything go back to normal?

The answers, in whatever the world—human, alien, medieval, fantasy or fairytale—could,maybe, happen today.

Right now.

What would you do if this happened … to you?

***

Sounds great, doesn’t it? The book releases December 2, 2013, and to kick off the blog tour, I asked each of the authors a simple question: If there was one moment in time you could freeze for eternity, a moment you’d love for everyone to see, what would that moment be? From December 1 – 7th, you will find each of the authors’ answers right here, so I hope you drop by to experience those moments. Sprinkled throughout the month, you will also find various guest posts and/or interviews by some of the authors so you’ll have more than one opportunity to get up close and personal with them.

In the middle of all the ONE MORE DAY posts here, I will also bring you a few interviews and blog posts for other authors who have their own books they’re proud of and want to show off. After all, the spirit of the holidays and Christmas is not about tooting our own horns. It’s about helping others and giving them boosts, applause and accolades whenever we can.

J. Taylor Publishing has a list of many of the blog stops and the dates which you can find here. There is a virtual Facebook party on December 6, 2013, beginning at 7 PM CST. There will be giveaways, fun contests, and a lot of fun to be had, so sign up and I hope to see you there. I am also in the process of setting up a Goodreads giveaway, so stay tuned for more details.

Whatever you do, please make sure you visit each one of the ONE MORE DAY authors’ websites, take a look around and leave a message or several messages throughout the month. Don’t forget to like their Facebook and Twitter pages. We would all love to hear from you because without you, our words, our stories would be homeless. We bow to our readers’ stupendousness. You guys completely rock my world. On behalf of Linda, Erika, Anna, Marissa, Danielle, Kimberly and myself, thank you for your support, and have a wonderful holiday season. Hope to see you around the internet and don’t forget to bring your friends! The more the merrier!

Author Websites:

ARC Review: One More Day by L.S. Murphy + Others (bookarooju.wordpress.com)
“Anthology” or “So Many Stories, So Little Time to Wait!” (everonword.wordpress.com)
ARC Review: One More Day by L.S. Murphy and Various Authors (kookiekrysp.com)

“Dragon Flight” Exposed!

Squeeel!! My publisher, J. Taylor Publishing, gave the green light to the authors of the soon-to-be-released YA anthology, ONE MORE DAY, to share the first 500 glorious words of their short stories. That means I get to share Dragon Flight!!!! Are you ready? A few words of caution…keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times and don’t look down.

I grip the handles of the harness and squeeze my eyes tight as the coaster tops the three-hundred foot lift.

Oh, geez. What was I thinking? I hate heights. I hate things that go fast. Not a great combo for rollercoaster riding.

My pulse thumps in my throat as the metal beast curves to the left. I squeeze my eyes so tight they hurt. Oh, no. Here we go. Here we go. The scream hangs in my throat, waiting for the drop.

It doesn’t come. The steel dragon jerks to a halt, with me in the front row and nowhere to look but out and down.

What? No, no, no. We’re not supposed to stop! I’ve watched this ride a gazillion times. It never stops. I picture the track in my mind. Up, around, down, flip, corkscrew, insanity, heart attack. One and a half minutes of terrifying scream time. No. This can’t be happening! Why? Why now? Why did I get on this ride?

The answer sits in the seat next to me. Dean McCall. Damn his tall, dark-haired good looks and jewel-blue eyes. I’ve crushed on him since sophomore year, ever since he showed up in Mr. Wilkins’ history class wearing a pair of oh-my-God-nice-butt jeans and a Halo game T-shirt. I tried then not to salivate like Pavlov’s dog, but it was useless. Not much has changed since, as I’m pretty sure I just about melted out of my skin when he cornered me by the popcorn stand and asked if I wanted to ride Dragon Flight with him. Me! Book nerd extraordinaire.

So what if he waited for Grad night to notice me ? No one’s perfect, right? I gulped, mesmerized by his hypnotic eyes and charming, spearmint smile, and uttered something intelligent like, “Uh-huh.” Of course, my insides turned all gooey, and my heart struck up a crazy fast Congo beat because I’m such a feet-on-the-ground kind of gal. My brain shouted, Speak, you dolt! Tell him no. Tell him you’re afraid of heights. He’ll understand. Instead, I shook my head and said, “I-I … okay.”

Major face palm, but really, I had no choice. It was Dean McCall, and if I turned him down, I’d look like a moron in front of everyone who was anyone. Besides, who better to face my fears with than the cutest guy to ever walk the halls of Newbury High? Now, as I sit stranded at the top of this freaking ride, I’m beginning to question that logic.

I press my head back against the coaster’s seat. Get a grip, Amber. Breathe deep. You’re okay. You’re strapped in. You’re not going anywhere.

Clunk. Clunk.

My eyes spring open.

What was that?

I fight back the urge to scream.

The harness releases and lifts off my shoulders, its movement stopped by the belt latched to the seat. I squeak like a frightened mouse and clutch the restraint tight to my chest, my knuckles as white as the moon staring down at me. Oh, God, I’m gonna die.

So, what do think?

One More Day

by Erika Beebe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, L.S. Murphy, Danielle E. Shipley, Anna Simpson

Release Date: December 2, 2013

Target Reader: Young Adult

Keywords: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Romantic, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

Description

What if today never ends?

What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—never happens?

Whether sitting in a chair, driving down the road, in surgery, jumping off a cliff or flying … that’s where you’d be … forever.

Unless …

How do we restart time?

How do we make everything go back to normal?

The answers, in whatever the world—human, alien, medieval, fantasy or fairytale—could,maybe, happen today.

Right now.

What would you do if this happened … to you?

Psst! Wanna know a secret?

Today I’m revealing a big, big secret I’ve been keeping for weeks. Trust me, I’ve wanted to share it with you for so long but my publisher wouldn’t let me. Today, however, they released me and six other authors from our bondage and said, “Go! Tell everyone you can! Shout it to the world, to outer space! Give them ONE MORE DAY!”

So here it is, everyone! The cover reveal of J. Taylor Publishing’s latest anthology, ONE MORE DAY! And my YA short story, Dragon Flight, will appear on the pages inside. Isn’t it pretty??? 🙂

Blurb:

What if today never ends?

What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—

never happens?

Whether sitting in a chair, driving down the road, in surgery, jumping off a cliff or flying …

that’s where you’d be … forever.

Unless …

How do we restart time?

How do we make everything go back to normal?

The answers, in whatever the world—human, alien, medieval, fantasy or fairytale—could, maybe, happen today.

Right now.

What would you do if this happened … to you?

***

Does the blurb excite you? Anyone up for helping out with upcoming blog tours, interviews etc.? If so, give me a shout out! The book releases December, 2013 in ebook and paperback (this makes me very happy! I’ll actually be able to sign a book!!!) There will be tons of giveaways coming up over the next few months, not just from me, but all the authors involved, so get ready to jump on the ONE MORE DAY train. Reciprocal reviews and blog tour spots for your works may be possible as well for joining in this adventure.

In the meantime, enjoy the cover and stay tuned for more news. If you’re into YA, you’re not going to want to miss one word about this anthology. It’s going to be tons of fun.

Why I read and write Young Adult fiction by YA author L.S. Murphy

Today’s guest is the wonderful L.S. Murphy, author of REAPER, a young adult urban fantasy coming out January 7, 2013. You can find the details about her book at the end of the post.

This feisty YA author has agreed to hang around for a day or two so feel free to leave comments and ask her any questions you may have about her book, writing, etc.

On that note, Linda, take it away.

In the late 90s, a boy wizard burst onto the literary scene. Maybe you’ve heard of him. I refused to read them. They were “kiddie books” and I only read serious novels. Snob? Oh yeah, I was a complete literary snob.

When Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out, I’d heard there was a major death in the novel. As a lover of pop culture, I couldn’t be left in the dark so I succumbed to my usual “need to know” attitude. They weren’t bad.

For “kiddie books.”

During this time, I had returned to college to get my degree as a non-traditional evening student. My class choices were limited and I had no choice but to sign up for a course called “Adolescent Lit.” I figured it would be a blow off course and an easy A.

I was wrong.

Instead of taking a course to fulfill my academic requirements, I discovered what I was supposed to do with my life.

We read Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech first. It was … literature. I was shocked. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson came up next. I was blown away. These weren’t “kiddie books.” Along with our assigned reading, each class member had to choice a middle grade or young adult book to read and report on. I picked Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas.

I can honestly say that this book changed my life.

Rats Saw God is about high school senior Steve York who must complete a 100 page paper so he can graduate. He writes about how he ended up where he is. The brutal honesty of Steve’s journey struck a chord with me. But it was the relationship with his father that hit me the hardest. It mirrored mine more than I expected.

It tore at my heart.

My father and I spent three years not speaking. My choice, not his. At the time that I finally read this book, our relationship had been patched up, but still not healed. Even though I was not seventeen anymore, I knew how Steve felt. I understood his pain more than I could Harry Potter’s or Melinda Sordino’s.

As soon as I finished it, I knew what I wanted to do. Write for young adults.

Writing had always been my dream.

Thank you, Linda, for being a part of this week’s YA Blog Takeover! I had tons of fun learning more about you.

Now all you peeps…check out Linda’s new novel, REAPER, and put it on your Must Read list today!

Reaper Description: There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe … just maybe … that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

Links to L.S. Murphy:

Blog: http://lsmurphy.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LSMurphy
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LSMurphyAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5046440.L_S_Murphy