In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety

In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety

by Krysten Lindsay Hager

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:   YA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Cecily feels like she has it all: great best friends, the beginnings of a career as a model/actress, and she’s dating her favorite singer, Andrew Holiday. Then Cecily’s best friend Lila begins to ditch her every time Lila’s boyfriend calls. Cecily feels lost, but she and Andrew begin connecting more and she’s never been in a relationship where she felt so understood. Andrew even begins to confide in her about his anxiety. Soon Cecily experiences her own anxiety on a magazine photo shoot, but she manages to impress the magazine staff. Just when it seems like all her dreams are coming true, everything comes crashing down when a photo of Andrew with another girl appears online. He swears nothing happened, but Cecily is crushed. She feels like she’s lost two of the people closest to her.

Was her perfect relationship real or was she in over her head?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPTS:

“Good luck at the photo shoot tomorrow,” he said. “You’ll be great.” 

I stared out the window on the ride back to the hotel taking in all the sites. As I walked into the hotel I felt a new air of confidence. Instead of just reading about someone going out with a pop star to some fabulous rooftop hotel restaurant and being in the big city, I was living it. This was my life and not some YA book heroine’s. Tomorrow I was off on a modeling shoot. I was living a dream and proving how I was ready for a big life. This was my destiny. I could do this. 

****

My alarm went off and at the same time an alarm went off in my brain saying, no, I could not do this. What was I thinking? Me, model? That’s where people take photos of you for the sole purpose of other people looking at them, which encouraged judgement and evil comments. People don’t just keep those comments to themselves anymore. Oh no, they grab their phone or laptop or whatever device helps them spew out unhelpful and cruel comments on people’s appearances online for all the world to see. 

My stomach felt like spewing all over the nice hotel sheets I was wrapped in.  Why did I ever think I was up for this? Those strangers online would destroy me within seconds. Girls like Harlow who were born with an undeniable beauty could do stuff like this and even then, I had seen strangers criticize her online when she posted selfies. 

Being anxious always made all my senses go nuts. I ate two slices of toast and then my stomach did a weird flipping thing. Oh no, not today. Looking over at the clock I realized it was almost time for us to leave. Come on, stomach. You’re fine. Just relax and…nope, time to hit the bathroom. Why can’t I just be a big girl and go to this stupid shoot which most girls would kill to do without my stomach freaking out?

A Word From the Author

1.Did you always want to be an author?

Yes, I was always coming up with stories when I was a kid and writing little storybooks from the time I learned how to write. I had a Cabbage Patch Kid kit that helped you create picture books and I used to play with that all the time. I always loved reading and dreamt of writing my own books someday. 

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.

I had been learning about the business for years and writing and submitting. The year before I got my book contract for True Colors (my first novel), I spent it doing constant critique groups and basically devoted my time to writing and editing. I was completely in that book world. I didn’t know what to expect when I found out I was going to get published, but I remember hearing authors say it’s not what you think it’ll be. There were always published writers at writing groups who looked like they hadn’t slept in days and going on about stress, deadlines, and expectations and you think, oh they don’t know how lucky they are and then one day it’s you and it’s like, I’d kill to sleep for a couple hours in a row and not have expectations I can never meet chase me down.

3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

There are so many in the YA genre, but I enjoy Cathy Hopkins so much. I was going through a difficult time one year after moving overseas and having a horrible reaction to a medication and her work helped me to escape my own world. I had been a fan of hers before, but I really appreciated the worlds she created to take my mind off my own troubles.

4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst?

The best part is hearing something you wrote made you feel less alone. The worst would be the expectations of others.

5.What are you working on now?

I’m working on the next book in the Cecily Taylor Series which has Cecily going back to NYC and being in a music video for a different singer. She also gets another acting job and her friend Allie has a big life change coming as well. I’m also working on another YA book as well as some adult romantic comedies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Krysten Lindsay Hager writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values. She is the author of True Colors, Best Friends...Forever?, Next Door to a Star,  Landry in Like, Competing with the Star, Dating the It Guy, and Can Dreams Come True. True Colors, won the Readers Favorite award for best preteen book and the Dayton Book Expo Bestseller Award for childen/teens. Competing with the Star is a Readers' Favorite Book Award Finalist. Landry in Like is a Literary Classics Gold Medal recipient.

Krysten's work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Beavercreek Current, the Bellbrook Times, Springfield News-Sun, Grand Blanc View, Dayton Daily News and on Living Dayton.  

Author links:

Website: http://www.krystenlindsay.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystenlindsay/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KrystenLindsayHagerAuthor

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KrystenLindsay

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VRYS65N/

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VRYS65N

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07VRYS65N

Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07VRYS65N

Amazon IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07VRYS65N

Book One: https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Come-True-Cecily-Taylor-ebook/dp/B079S3KJSH

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

Krysten Lindsay Hager will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Miss Not Together

Title: Miss Not Together

Author: Belle Brooks

Genre: YA/Romance/Humor

Release Date: February 10, 2019

Meet Hilary Watts: pretty, straight A-student, teachers’ pet, goody two-shoes, totally has it all together—and has never been kissed, or even had a boyfriend for that matter.

Meet Grayson Dymicks: badarse persona, new guy in school, just moved in next door, volatile—and a total jerk.

When Hilary finds herself attracted to the very person she shouldn’t be, she never imagines all her well-placed Jenga blocks will come crashing down—or that her first ever kiss will be with a boy every girl in school wants for themselves.

Hilary’s life is turned upside down and she realises she’s not as put together as she thought. Instead, she’s as totally messed up as all the other teenage girls her age—but is this a romance destined for a happily ever after or a broken heart?

If you love Beth Reekles and John Green, then you will adore Miss Not Together!

(ENTER HERE)

United Indie Book Blog - “Super sweet coming of age novel.”

Sheena - “The ordinary made extraordinary....”

PP’s Bookshelf - “It was hilarious. It was witty and full of sarcasm. It had all the awkward and cute moments of teenage love. Miss Not Together by Belle Brooks was like cool breeze in a warm summer day. I am in love with this sweet romantic story of Grayson and Hilary”

Born in Australia, Belle Brooks has always had a passion for books and creative writing. She loves exploring the different ways stories can be told through the use of text and in-depth characters. Since she was a child her strong talent and interest in creative writing was evident, explaining that her favourite class in school was English. Despite her love for all things books, she decided the world of advertising and marketing was where she could put her talents to use in the business realm, well that is until now. Belle enjoys creative writing and creating fictional stories that leave a valued message inside the pages.

HOSTED BY:

Gunfight at the Old Leake Canal

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. GB Hope will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In Liverpool, England, 18-year-old student and Freerunner, Bodie, survives an assassination attempt and flees for his life. His only thought is to secure the safety of girlfriend, Lily, and reach his journalist cousin, Anthony.

Bodie has stumbled into a diabolical plot from the world's governments to end terrorism, famine and global warming in one swift swoop. So begins a race for survival, joined by a variety of other characters, moving from one set piece to the next, as the world that everyone knows is about to change forever.

Read an Excerpt:

He didn’t have to wait long. But, instead of one or two marked police cars rushing to detain someone who had reported a murder, he was treated to the worrying spectacle of three black Range Rovers, with blacked-out windows, arriving at speed and whizzing up the ramp into the car-park. Very sinister indeed.

He got into the Beetle and drove off. Soon, he noticed that his bimbo manager had left the car with almost no fuel, so he pulled into the first petrol station that he saw. He filled up, before going in to pay with his Visa card. He also bought a packet of cheese and onion crisps, which he proceeded to eat, while he used the outside cash machine. Moving towards the Beetle, he suddenly heard the sound of the helicopter again, seemingly immediately overhead. Quickly, he grabbed the gun and ammunition from the glove compartment and bolted away. If he had driven out, he just knew they would have been straight onto him. Instead, he ran through the garage car wash, skipped a low wall, and was away across wasteland.

About the Author: GB Hope is the author of 11 novels of various genres. He lives in Manchester with his Indonesian wife and their two boys.

https://www.amazon.com/Gunfight-At-Old-Leake-Canal-ebook/dp/B01FBG6MFO
https://www.amazon.com/G.-B.-Hope/e/B005D47I8U

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Secret Lives of Royals

The Secret Lives of Royals

by Shalini Dua 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: New Adult, YA, Fantasy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Olivia can’t take it anymore. She’s had enough of the big city and it’s lack of fulfilling her dreams. Then, just when she’s about to give up and move home, out of the blue, she is offered her dream job. Olivia is suspicious but that could just be the New York in her. She decides not to pull at threads. Despite her best efforts to remain blissfully oblivious, the secret to her life upgrade is soon uncovered when she finds herself invited to be part of a secret society.

Olivia learns that there is a thin curtain separating our world from theirs. Just beneath the surface, an entirely different one exists. One that is controlled by those of Royal lineage. The chosen ones, the Royals, hold the fate of the world in their hands. Will Olivia be able to bear the weight of the crown?

Confessions of a Shopaholic meets The Adjustment Bureau, this contemporary fairytale is both relatable and aspirational. Taking a look at the current balance of media and power with a healthy dose of humor, fashion, food and wanderlust.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

“It’s on Thursday. We’ll meet there at 8PM. A car will come to get you.” He pauses, gives me a once over and says, “The girls in the closet can help you with an outfit.” I’m caught off guard and I just stare at Connor, coolly heading off in the opposite direction as if he hasn’t just casually knocked my fashion sense, my self-confidence and basically who I have been up until this very moment.

…

“Thursday morning when I step out of the glass elevator at Le Salon, what can only be described as a glam squad descends upon me. When I ask where they came from, I’m informed that Connor has sent them because as they delicately put it, 

“I need help.”

The first blonde eyes me warily as if I’m a 1,000 page report on her desk that she is about to dig into. 

“You are not, uh,” she looks at the others apparently searching for tact, “meeting a certain standard, uh, in terms of brand image.”

I feel like a reality TV star, a “before” to be clear. Though, I would die if anyone from Le Salon knew my thoughts were this basic. The crew sees me, moves their heads up and down to examine me in unison as if operated by the same spine, and exchanges a look that says, “We’ve got our work cut out for us.” To be honest, I’m finding them more than a little judge-y. I wouldn’t say I’m a hot mess. Although it’s true I could get my nails done a tad more often, but I live by the rule of two out of three, which is that if you can hit two of these three things every day, you are doing pretty well: hair, make-up and outfit. Admittedly, I don’t always hit two, but I had been doing okay since starting at Le Salon. I had repeatedly accomplished all three and was very proud of myself, so I’m not sure what these critical bitches are rolling their eyes about.

They introduce themselves.

“Hi, I’m Sophia.” She extends a hand, Starbucks cup in the other. Sophia has dark hair and olive skin; she’s dressed in skinny black leather pants, a chic purple blouse, black pumps and aged silver jewelry. Very edgy style, but she actually seems semi-nice when compared with the other two.

“Kaley,” barely glances in my direction as she sips from her Starbucks cup. Dressed in ripped dark blue jeans and a black blazer, she seems more than a tad intimidating and clearly doesn’t have time for me.

“Trista,” with a slight nod of the head, ad for Starbucks pose, black dress and black pumps, appears to be a bit of an airhead though apparently a wiz with a make-up brush.

Sophia hands me a coffee, which I think is quite a nice gesture despite their apparent personalities. 

I feel a set of hands on me as they collectively drag me into an entirely too brightly lit room somewhere left of the large closet that houses all of the fashion we use for various shoots. They push me into the tall black chair used for making-up the subjects of said photo sessions. And that is how I find myself in every woman’s nightmare, staring back at my early morning reflection, pre-coffee, in a mirror lit by at least thirty 100-watt light bulbs, which is when I stop protesting. Seriously, maybe models are not overpaid. I cannot imagine doing this for a living. I immediately develop a new respect for the gazelle-like creatures that float through this place on a daily basis and who, until today, I have been envy-judging with Mads after work in an effort to preserve the last shred of my self-esteem, which has been unceremoniously murdered by Sophia, Kaley and Trista early this morning. RIP self-esteem. You will be missed. I sip my coffee and ingest the singular source of warmth in this room.

Author Interview:

1.Did you always want to be an author?

I actually didn’t want to be a writer. I was more interested in visual mediums as I come from a long line

of artists. My Dad is great at sketching and painting so, naturally, I thought I’d inherited the talent. When I tried my hand at painting, it turned out that particular skill had skipped a generation. I’ve always

written so I started to develop that muscle as a creative outlet and once I started I couldn’t stop pouring

out the ideas rattling around in my head.

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.

The Secret Lives of Royals is self-published. It is my first book and I’m really proud of it but at the same time, much like an indie movie, production values will vary with a small budget and hopefully the story more than makes up for that. 

Self-publishing is like running a small business. From the investment to wearing many hats, you are

responsible for everything so it’s quite a lot of work. Beyond writing, there is so much to think about.

A good friend of mine, Lauren Connor, is a very talented packaging designer. She created the cover for

me. We’ve been friends since we were six so she knows me pretty well. Lauren read an early galley of

the book, went away and came back with six concepts. I picked my favorite and she sent me different

iterations that I fed back on. It was a very collaborative and fun process.

I had a small launch party for the book with family and friends which was a lot of fun and so nice to feel that love and support for something that I had worked so hard on. I also got a mention in Buzzfeed which I was super excited about.

3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

It’s a New Adult/YA crossover. I love Sophie Kinsella, John Green and Cindi Madsen.

4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst?

The best part is getting the chance to tell your story. It’s an amazing feeling to have the words come together just right and have that completed work.

Writing is hard! It takes a lot of focus and concentration and is often un- or under-paid. But it’s worth it!

5.What are you working on now?

I am working on a follow up to this novel. In the follow-up Olivia gets deeper into this world and it’s almost like she was born and bred for royalty, but this type of life comes with responsibilities that she may not be ready for. 

I’m also working on an entirely different novel about a haunted circus. I’m working on a script for a tv series and I’m working on a poetry collection.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

An international upbringing and a love of stories laid the foundation for wanderlust. Shalini aspires to spend her time country-hopping and consuming pop-culture, comedy and good food but the reality is often frantically downing coffee, meeting deadlines at exactly the last second and working her unglamorous corporate job to fund all of the other pursuits.

The Secret Lives of Royals is Shalini’s debut novel. Her other work includes published poetry and scripts only she has read.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITE LINKS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShaliniDuaBooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShaliniDua126

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ididntmeantofeelanything/

Website: http://www.shalinidua.com/books

BUY LINKS

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HxD1uZ  

iBooks: https://apple.co/2w0APXd 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Shalina will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Eternal Bloom

Title: Eternal Bloom

Author: A.E. Gamrat

Genre: Coming of Age / YA/NA Romance

Release Date: January 30, 2018 

After her mom ends up in the hospital, Gwen knows nothing will ever be the same. She has so many questions and so few answers.

Will her mom survive? And if she does, will the tension in their relationship ease?

Will Kame come back for her?

No one knows the answers to all of life's questions; Gwen's only option is to hold on as the storm rages on around her.

Growing up writing was second nature that soon become a distant memory. Turning 30 (not saying when) that memory was going to be brought back to life. Lover of all books I try to grab my audience in and never let go. Hoping to get all these thoughts and ideas down for everyone to enjoy, even if it's a moment or a life time. 

This is the new chapter of my life story. Hope everyone enjoys!

HOSTED BY: