Spotlight: Prom-wrecked by Jennifer DiGiovanni and T.H. Hernandez

Publication Date: May 6, 2019

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Their prom night ended in a jail cell with forty of their closest friends. But that’s hardly the worst thing that happened to them…

When the principal announces prom is canceled this year, senior Riley Hart is determined to save it. Armed with little more than her own enthusiasm, she ends up working closely with Owen Locklear, who is more than completely off-limits. Because he’s the boyfriend of her ex-BFF, Catherine Reed. Still, Owen knows Riley better than almost anyone, and his charming ideas for turning the prom upside-down and backward win Riley over.

Catherine is willing to join Owen and Riley on the prom committee, but only because her legacy as prom queen is at stake. She’s already suffocating under the weight of her parents’ expectations for after senior year, and compared to that, ensuring prom happens should be easy. At least until everything starts to go wrong.

First they lose their deposit. Then they book a band full of octogenarians. And lose their venue... Twice.

Riley will have an unforgettable teenage experience, damn it, if it’s the last thing she does…

Excerpt

RILEY – TWO MONTHS UNTIL PROM

I turn the corner and glance over my shoulder, hoping to catch another glimpse of Owen’s familiar dark brown hair poking above the crowd. When I recognize his spiky-messy style, my breath catches in my chest. With a wave to Catherine, he breaks away and trails behind me, leaving half a hallway between us. I veer off into an empty stairwell and wait.

Eventually, he makes his appearance, towering over me in the cramped space. Although he’s not as big as the basketball players, Owen stands at least six inches taller than me, which means I’m always looking up at him when we cross paths in school. We met during recess on the first day of kindergarten, when we decided to join up with Catherine and fight the imaginary monsters hiding under the playground equipment. Years later, Catherine has found other things to do with her free time, but Owen and I still fight monsters together—virtual ones, in our favorite video game.

“Haven’t caught up with you on Q-Chat lately,” he says, breaking into his familiar wide smile, one that could take down the entire cheerleading squad. Though it’s a struggle, I manage to remain upright. But just barely.

“Sorry, but I’ve been busy.” I speak too fast and nearly drop the bag of tech club pamphlets I printed last night. Talking to Owen in real life always seems to throw me off. It’s much easier to pretend I don’t have a crush on him when we’re battling aliens online.

Faking disappointment, he shakes his head. “Priorities, Riley. Immortal Quest released an update yesterday with an all-new army of zombies. They suck your life force away, and I really need your shields for protection.” His blue eyes brighten as he steps closer. “C’mon, Evil Skater Girl.”

I raise my finger to my lips. “Shhh! We promised never to call each other by our Quest names in school!” No one needs to know about my secret virtual superhero persona. At eighteen, I’m practically a grandma in the Immortal Quest world.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He backs away, darting his eyes toward the hallway, probably checking for his girlfriend. “Just…log on once in a while, okay? Keep me company.”

“Doesn’t Catherine do enough of that?” The words rush from my mouth before I think about them. I really don’t want to know what he and Catherine do when they’re alone together, but for some reason I can’t resist bringing her up, if only to remind myself that he’s in love with the girl who tossed me aside without a second thought way back in middle school.

Owen flashes his smile again. “No one does it like you, ESG.” He hikes his backpack higher on his shoulder and turns to go. Before I call him out on the name thing again, he says, “By the way, did you hear anything about prom being canceled?”

“What? Is that even possible?”

He breaks out in a small smile. “According to Cat, it is.” His smile falters before he picks it back up. “So, you haven’t heard anything?”

“No, but if I do, I’ll let you know.”

With a wave, he ducks around the corner and out of sight. I count to ten before continuing on to my locker.

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About the Author

Jennifer DiGiovanni writes light fantasy and contemporary fiction for teens. You can find out more about her books by visiting www.jenniferdigiovanni.com or following her on Instagram or Twitter @jendwrites.

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T.H. Hernandez is a young adult author of six novels, spanning the contemporary, post-global warming/dystopian, and urban scifi genres. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband, three kids, and a zoo-worthy collection of animals. Her latest release, PROM-WRECKED, was co-written with Jennifer DiGiovanni and releases May 2019 from Entangled Teen.

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Spotlight: Runaways by Rachel Sawden

Runaways
Rachel Sawden
Publication date: November 9th 2018
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Harper Rodrigues’ five-year plan was on track. She’d worked hard to secure her graduate marketing job, her boyfriend Adam was set to propose any day, and she was learning to process the death of her sister. She’d been through some dark times, but there was light at the end of the tunnel.

At least, that’s how it had seemed until the day she was fired in the morning and dumped by nightfall.
Now, with her life plans in ruins, Harper turns to her best friends who are going on the trip of a lifetime – five-months traveling across Asia and Oceania. Determined to see the silver lining in her unraveled plans, she decides to book a plane ticket to join them and resurrect her dreams of becoming a travel photographer.

But Harper’s travels aren’t all sunshine and cocktails. With Adam begging for her forgiveness and proposing on the eve of her departure, Harper knows she must be on her best behavior. But when she meets Xavier, an enigmatic poet on the beaches of Goa, that may just be easier said than done.

Runaways is the empowering and racy tale of one woman’s voyage of self-discovery. A must-read for fans of travelogues and romance alike.

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—

EXCERPT:

Date: January 8, 2010

Toronto, Canada

Where would you go if you could run away? Trek the tangled jungles of Thailand? Camp under the constellations in the Australian outback? Or run wild with your lover on white sand beaches in the South Pacific?

“Nowhere,” I whispered. My heels clicked on the linoleum floor, punctuating the spiel from my presentation echoing in my head. “I am exactly where I am supposed to be.”

How could I not be positive? I was one of the lucky few to gain and maintain employment in the shadow of the Great Recession. Fresh out of university, I might add. Granted, my working unpaid for TMI Marketing during my summer years gave me a leg up on the competition. While my job consisted mainly of making coffee, filing papers, and having my ideas ignored, I worked my ass off for the past three years. And today was the day my hard work would pay off. It was the day it all would change. The career side of my five-year plan was on schedule.

A fresh wave of adrenaline pulsed through me as I made my way down the hallway of very unflattering lighting to my boss’s office to discuss the presentation I’d given that morning. A discussion that would hopefully lead to a new position in the company. One where I could take on actual responsibility and express my creativity. Perhaps be involved in art direction. A business card with a title: Harper Rodrigues, Marketing Executive.

I would actually manage my very own accounts.

We had secured a new client, a travel website, Madcap Travels, who was looking to reevaluate their social media marketing plan and contracted my company to manage it. Myself and a colleague had made competing presentations for the job. Only one of us could gain the account. Only one of us could be promoted. Only one of us could win today, and I wanted it to be me.

I had never been so excited about a project, and so damn scared about presenting.

Inspired by my friends’ upcoming “gap year” travels, I created the Run Away campaign harnessing the power of this growing thing called social media. When Facebook became a buzzword a few years back, my father said it was just a passing fad used by horny college students too lazy to go to the bar and talk to each other. He may have been right, but once it had been opened up to anyone with an email address there were millions of lazy, horny people of all ages across the world skulking around on confined areas of cyberspace. And that is gold to a marketer.

In a nutshell, the campaign would focus on incentivizing both amateur and professional photographers who were traveling the globe to connect and share their stories and photographs on social media platforms. Top entrants would not only gain recognition on the website but also chances to win prizes from partner sponsors such as airlines, tour companies, and hotels. I poured myself into this presentation. Putting myself in the shoes of one of the many runaways, I imagined my life living out of a backpack, seeing a new city every week, learning from other photographers, finding remote waterfalls and villages from the whispers of other vagabonds.

It was what I hoped to do had I not abandoned my plans to become a world-famous travel photographer.

It was what I could do if I abandoned my carefully crafted five-year plan and took off with Jade and Lana.

It was what I wanted to do with my sister, Audrey, since we were little girls. It was what we could have done if she were still alive.

Author Bio:

Rachel Sawden was born and raised in Bermuda. As the daughter of a Jamaican father and English mother the former model earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from McGill University in Montreal Canada. Today Rachel is an author, producer, and content creator in her beautiful island of Bermuda. The certified scuba and free diver explored the Great Barrier Reef and underwater worlds in Cuba and Indonesia. She is the ultimate travel maven having journeyed to over 35 countries across 5 continents since graduating college.

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Spotlight: Heart's Desire by Wendy LaCapra

Lady Clarissa has decided to live life on her terms. After the end of a ten-year betrothal, she wants nothing to do with marriage or the men of the ton. Least of all her friend’s brother, the very charming Lord Markham, or Hearts, as many ladies call the oh-so-handsome earl.

Markham pursues relationships with no ties that bind. Acting the rake leaves everyone satisfied...until he overhears a wager that could lead to Clarissa’s ruin. He can’t help but step in and claim she’s his intended bride.

Clarissa is appalled. She did not need to be saved. Reluctantly, she agrees to the fake courtship, if only to experience what the rakish Markham can offer. But when lust becomes love, Clarissa must make up her own terms and bet it all on Hearts.

Excerpt

Markham lifted his brows. “At present, you are my only concern.”

Oh, heavens. Why did being his only concern seem like all she could ever want?

She flashed him a quelling look. “You must stop that.”

“Stop what?” He asked, frowning.

“Stop using that voice.”

“You mean my voice?”

“You sound as if you are sincere.”

“I have given you my word. I am sincere.”

She went hot. Then cold. Then hot again—a fluctuation that matched her conflicting desires. “Forgive me. I—I have never been in quite this position before.”

“You must believe,” he looked deep into her eyes. “I am not out to harm you in any way. And I will always respect your wishes.”

Always.

She rather liked that word.

She nodded slowly. “I wish—” What did she wish?

I wish…I wish…I wish…

Her unfinished wishes wafted between them like seeds flying on little feathered umbrellas.

I wish…I wish…I wish…

But would her wishes land on fertile ground, or would they be crushed beneath a boot?

“I wish us luck,” she finished.

He smiled warmly. And suddenly she was thinking of trees in unlikely places—hanging off cliffs, pushing up between flagstones.

“Would you permit me to hold your hand?” he asked.

Hearts—rake of the seasoned ton—asked to hold her hand.

And, his voice had shaken.

“Now?” Silly question. When else would he mean?

The color in his cheeks deepened. He nodded.

She held out her hand. “Since we’ve made an agreement, I suppose we should shake hands.”

At first, he did not move. She began to wonder if time itself had frozen—caught inelegantly between desire and impossibility. Then, his warm, gloveless fingers closed over hers and the sensation was divine.

“Clarissa…”

Pillowed by the rich tones of her voice her name was not so much a name as a blessing.

He threaded his thumb under hers and stroked between her thumb and forefinger. She closed her eyes, leaving their hands entwined. Behind her lids the world turned gray as he traced indecipherable lines into her hand.

Only they weren’t lines, were they?

He was tracing a heart.

Her eyes flew open.

Markham was looking down at their joined hands with a raw, bewildered expression.

“I just remembered something my mother used to say.”

“What was that?” she asked.

“Come here and give me a kiss for courage.”

“Are you asking me for a kiss?”

He lifted his brows. “I don’t suppose we can approximate a proper courtship without a kiss.”

“Well,” she replied, “I had a life-long betrothal without a kiss.”

He blinked. “Really?”

She could not decide if he looked hopeful or concerned. She, on the other hand, felt awkward and uneasy. The gap in their experience yawned wide, yet, with her hand in his, she wanted nothing more than to discover the secrets he knew.

“How does one go about kissing?” She unconsciously wet her lips. “I’ve never actually seen a kiss. Not a proper kiss, anyway.”

His throat moved. “That, I can help you with, if you wish.”

“I wish,” she repeated, realizing what she’d been hoping for all along.

“Just to be clear, you wish to be kissed.”

She lifted a brow. “Yes.”

He cocked his head. “…Though not specifically by me.”

Of course specifically by him. “A general knowledge would be helpful, don’t you think? No one would believe you courted me and hadn’t stolen a kiss.”

“I don’t steal.”

“What do you do?”

Sensual knowing entered his eyes. “I offer.”

She was beginning to understand his reputation. A kiss suddenly seemed like a terrible mistake.

“Kiss me chastely, Lord Markham, and let us be done.”

“Chastely.” He exhaled. “I’m not experienced in chaste...but I can try.”

He placed his fingers against the back of her neck, heating four individual points that spanned from her shoulder into her hair. His thumb rested beneath her chin. With a gossamer-light touch, he moved her face until she formed a mirror of his. As he drew closer, his features blurred. Her senses filled to overflowing.

She closed her eyes. And then, his lips brushed hers.

Sparks ignited in every nerve, tingling as if she’d smoothed her skin with a potent, warming salve. Deep inside, those sparks lit hope, a promise of warmth and tenderness, and burgeoning passion.

Then, the hot points of his touch disappeared, and she was left bereft.

She opened her eyes to a completely different world.

A world in which she’d become, apparently, mute.

“Right, then,” he bowed. “I’ll await the list of events you’ll be attending.”

Before she found her voice, he was gone.

She’d been wrong.

A kiss could change everything.

A kiss just had.

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About the Author

Wendy LaCapra has been reading romance since she sneaked into the adult section at the library and discovered Victoria Holt & Jane Aiken Hodge.  From that point on, she dreamed of creating fictional worlds with richness, intrigue and passion. Her stories have placed in several contests, including the 2012 Golden Heart® and her debut series, a trilogy about three Ladies who refuse to play by society’s rules, was released by Entangled Scandalous. She lives in NYC with her husband and loves to hear from readers. For new release and sale alerts, sign up at http://bit.ly/GetWendyNews

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Site: www.wendylacapra.com

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/WendyLaCapra

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Spotlight: Little Girls Sleeping: An Absolutely Gripping Crime Thriller (Detective Katie Scott Book 1) by Jennifer Chase

He looked down at the little girl, sleeping peacefully, her arms wrapped around a teddy bear. He knew he was the only one who could save her. He could let her sleep forever.

An eight-year-old girl, Chelsea Compton, is missing in Pine Valley, California and for Detective Katie Scott it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago. Unable to shake the memories, Katie vows she won’t rest until she discovers what happened to Chelsea.

But as Katie starts to investigate, the case reveals itself to be much bigger and more shocking than she feared. Hidden deep in the forest she unearths a makeshift cemetery: a row of graves, each with a brightly coloured teddy bear.

Katie links the graves to a stack of missing-persons cases involving young girls—finding a pattern no one else has managed to see. Someone in Pine Valley has been taking the town’s daughters for years, and Katie is the only one who can stop them.

And then another little girl goes missing, snatched from the park near her home.

Katie’s still haunted by the friend she failed to protect, and she’ll do anything to stop the killer striking again—but can she find the little girl before it’s too late?

Compulsive and gripping crime fiction for fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh. Katie Scott’s first case will have you on the edge of your seat and gasping with shock.

Book Excerpt:

Prologue

The oversized tires obliterated the rural roadway before the large truck came to an abrupt stop. The driver stalled the engine. Dust rose in a curious flowering cloud, swirling in front of the vehicle’s hood and creeping toward the back of the camper shell. When the surrounding vicinity finally cleared, a dense forest landscape emerged.

The truck overlooked the sheer cliff and rugged scenery that had become a permanent roadblock. The usual silence of the deserted region was interrupted by the incessant and rhythmic sound of a cooling engine.

Tick… Tick… Tick…

The vehicle remained parked. No one moved inside the cab or got out. The truck stayed immobile as if an unlikely statue in the vast wilderness—a distinct contrast between nature and manufactured steel.

The truck sat at the ideal vantage spot, which was both mesmerizing and terrifying for any spectator; but still the occupant chose to wait. The intense high beams pierced ahead into the picturesque hills, leaving a hazy view of the area above the massed trees.

When the driver’s door finally opened, a man stepped out, his steel-toed leather work boots hitting the dirt. They were well-worn, reflecting the many miles he had walked and the many hours he had labored. Swiftly the door shut as the man, medium build and wearing only a plain dark T-shirt, walked to the back of the truck and, with a loud bang, released the lift gate. He moved with purpose and with a calm assertiveness, as if he had performed this particular task many times before. His weathered hands, calloused from years of working with heavy tools and machinery without the protection of leather gloves, had a certain agility and speed.

He grasped two well-used shovels, a large arching pick, and a bulky utility garbage bag. As he tossed the bag onto the ground, the top burst open and several medium-sized teddy bears spilled out. Their smiling faces accentuated the brightly colored ribbons tied around their necks, contrasting with the muted shades of their surroundings.

The man pushed the floppy bag aside with the toe of his boot. He worked in quiet solitude, no humming, no whistling, and no talk.

He flipped on the flashlight fixed to his baseball cap. Straight ahead and slightly arced, the large beam illuminated his path while he strode steadily toward a particular wooded area.

The surrounding thickets and trees remained still without any wind to rustle the leaves. The only audible sound was the man’s quick footsteps—never with any hesitation. He walked with the gait of a young man, despite his stature of someone older.

He hesitated as if he had forgotten something, standing motionless with his arms down at his sides and his head hung forward as he shone the bright light at the ground and the tops of his boots. He still held firmly to the tools. He mumbled a few inaudible sentences of a memorized prayer, which sounded more like a warning than a passage from the Bible, then he raised his head and continued to walk into the dense forest.

Dropping his tools, he carefully pushed a pine branch aside and secured it with a worn piece of rope that had been left for the purpose. An opening was exposed—a tunnel barely large enough for a man to enter.

He grabbed his digging tools once again and proceeded. The flashlight on the front of his cap brightened the passageway as it veered to the right. He followed, only ducking his head twice before the path opened to an area with several boulders sticking out of the cliff. Clusters of unusual rock shapes, some sharp, some rounded, made the terrain appear more like a movie set or backdrop.

A narrow dirt path of crude, sloping man-made steps dropped fifteen feet to a landing jutting out from the rock formation. A small yellow flag was stuck into the earth, marking a spot. A slight evening breeze picked up, causing the flag to flutter.

The man balanced the shovels and pick against the hillside and pulled a hunting knife from a sheath attached to his belt. Pressing the bone handle tight against his palm, he drew the blade through the packed dirt to mark a rectangular pattern on the ground.

He stared intently at the soil, then retrieved the pick, gripping it tight, and swung it hard against the dry, heavily compacted earth. It dented the surface, spewing chips of dirt in every direction. A few small rocks buried in the soil since the beginning of time hampered his progress, but after several more arced swings, the ground began to crumble, exposing the fresh earth.

The heavy pick was exchanged for one of the shovels. Soon there was a small pile of California soil, comprised of sand, silt, clay, and small rock. The repeated movements of dig, scoop, and deposit continued for more than forty-five minutes at a brisk pace. The hard work of manual labor didn’t deter him. It only made him more determined to create a work of genius—his ultimate masterpiece.

At last he stepped back and admired his handiwork, perspiring heavily through his shirt from the effort. Exhilaration filled his body, keeping his muscles flexed and his heart pumping hard. He leaned against the shovel, a smile forming on his lips as he waited for his pulse to return to normal, and marveled at the unmistakable outline of a freshly dug grave.

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About the Author

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.

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 Author Blog: https://authorjenniferchase.com/

Spotlight: Ask My Anything by Molly E. Lee

“Edgy and smart with a sweet and sexy core.” —Rachel Harris, New York Times bestselling author of Eyes on Me

I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kick-ass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice.

And holy hell, the site went viral—and we’re talking way beyond Wilmont—overnight. Who knew this town was so hard up?

Except now the school administration is trying to shut me down, and they’ve forced Dean—my coding crush, aka the hottest guy in school—to try to uncover who I am. If he discovers my secret, I’ll lose him forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to.

Ask me anything…except how to make things right.

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About the Author

Molly E. Lee is an author best known for her romance novels, the Grad Night series and the Love on the Edge series. She is a 1001 Dark Nights Discovery Author for 2017. Molly writes Adult and Young Adult contemporary featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores.

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Spotlight: The Girl Puzzle by Kate Braithwaite

Her published story is well known. But did she tell the whole truth about her ten days in the madhouse?

Down to her last dime and offered the chance of a job of a lifetime at The New York World, twenty-three-year old Elizabeth Cochrane agrees to get herself admitted to Blackwell’s Island Lunatic Asylum and report on conditions from the inside. But what happened to her poor friend, Tilly Mayard? Was there more to her high praise of Dr Frank Ingram than everyone knew?

Thirty years later, Elizabeth, known as Nellie Bly, is no longer a celebrated trailblazer and the toast of Newspaper Row. Instead, she lives in a suite in the Hotel McAlpin, writes a column for The New York Journal and runs an informal adoption agency for the city’s orphans.

Beatrice Alexander is her secretary, fascinated by Miss Bly and her causes and crusades. Asked to type up a manuscript revisiting her employer’s experiences in the asylum in 1887, Beatrice believes she’s been given the key to understanding one of the most innovative and daring figures of the age.

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About the Author

Kate Braithwaite grew up in Edinburgh but now lives with her family in the Brandywine Valley in Pennsylvania. Her daughter doesn’t think Kate should describe herself as a history nerd, but that’s exactly what she is. Always on the hunt for lesser known stories from the past, Kate’s books have strong female characters, rich settings and dark secrets.

The Girl Puzzle is her third novel.

For more information, please visit Kate’s website and blog. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The Girl Puzzle