The Kindle version of Going Under is now available on Amazon!
Not sure what else to say…
Go here to check it out and then come dance with me!
Oh, and a huge thanks to all those who read Going Under before it was available to buy. I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d be so kind as so leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads or maybe tell your friends, I’d be so grateful.
I couldn’t do this without any of you.
Hey, I’m fist-pumping, even if you’re not.
There’ve been so many setbacks, I can’t even name them all. You’re all still patiently waiting for The Morning Star (which will have its own FINALLY moment very soon), but in the meantime, you can sink your teeth into The Oracles of St. Ambrose: Going Under. This fun teen paranormal mystery is pretty much my pride and joy (for the moment.) I thought it would never arrive, especially after a mishap with champagne and the laptop had me convinced I’d never recover all my files. Guys, back up yo’ stuff. You’d think I’d learn my lesson after pushing back Morning Star due to laptop theft. I did not.
I digress. I ramble when I’m excited.
Before I share the trailer, I have some people I must thank. You’ll see the cover and some character shots, all of which are original. These are the work of Marshall Skinner – bass player for Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes, fantastic photographer, and all-around nice guy. Marshall took time out of his busy schedule last summer to do the shots (before the epic champagne disaster) and has probably been wondering what on earth happened to those photos ever since. Well, here they are!
I must also thank Nathan Merli of Heyrocco for agreeing to pose as the main character, even if a flat tire prevented him from doing so. His willingness to help should not go unnoticed. Susan Hisey features as Natalie, our snarky writer, and she saved the day by bringing along Greg Breal to fill in for Nathan. Greg was so perfect as the lead, I simply couldn’t stop staring. It was like he walked right out of my imagination! Finally, Bryan is portrayed by Christopher Gillespie, and I think you’ll agree he’s absolutely perfect for the job. His parents Tommy and Tracy were kind enough to allow him to sit in.
Then, there’s French Camp, whose song is so unbelievably perfect, I just can’t stand it. Owen, the lead singer and songwriter, has always been incredibly generous by allowing me to showcase his music in book trailers. I hope you’ll take a moment to seek out their other work.
And now, with a release date of August 24, I give you the trailer for Going Under, the first in The Oracles of St. Andrews series.
As a music blogger, I often get samples for review. Sometimes, the music I receive doesn’t fit the blog for which I write, and I have to sadly forego the review. In almost every case, I enjoy the music on my own time and wish I could find another outlet to let people know about the beauty I’ve absorbed. The latest album from Lunasa is one such album, but I enjoyed it so much, I had to share somewhere.
As most of you know, my husband is Irish. (Nooooo, really?) St. Patrick’s Day is something like Christmas around my house. We usually pick a city and take a roadtrip to enjoy the Irish culture in faraway places that aren’t as far away as Ireland. In the past, we’ve enjoyed New York City, Boston, Chicago, Denver, and Louisville. The Highlands of Louisville turned out to be so fun, we went back again this year. And we took Lunasa with us.
What can I say about this inspired CD? We were in the mood for traditional Irish, though Liam probably expected a rousing drinking song. What we got was far better. Opening with the lilting Casu, Lunasa captured us immediately. The harp, fiddle, uilleann pipes wove a mystical setting, and we all shut our mouths to listen. The song received the highest of praise from Liam, which was “feels like home.”
We loved the next song, Leckan Mor, just as much but for different reasons. The reel is playful, featuring the Irish flute (or penny whistle), but not at all grating. It perked us right up before slipping into another dance tune named, appropriately, Spoil the Dance.
I’ll admit we talked over the album as it played, but that was okay. When it reached the end, we let it repeat. And then again. The haunting An Buachaillin Ban stopped our conversation (and my heart) more than once, calling to mind ancient Irish hills, chilling mist, and ghosts of legend. Morning Nightcap inspired the dance and chatter again, as well as the lively Breton Set and The Minor Bee. The final song, The Merry Sisters of Fate, was so lush and full, we all had to stop and just listen again.
We had every intention of rocking U2, The Cranberries, Van Morrison, and even some Dropkick Murphys. And we did get plenty of raucous Irish fun in. But the best part—the part where we all felt truly connected to Liam’s homeland—was when we played Lunasa with the RTE Orchestra.
If you love Irish music, this is a must. In fact, check out some of their other albums from past years. I intend to listen over and over while writing book three from The Kingdom series, because the images these songs evoke are powerful. You won’t regret giving it a listen.
So, I got an office job. I’m still writing; I just do it while sitting around a table with a team of other writers. Because of this change in my life, I now have to make myself presentable each morning. It sounds like a normal thing. Lots of other couples in the world wake up at the same time and manage to get ready for work every day.
Why is this a problem in my house?
Now, to be fair, our bathroom is kind of small. Because our house was built before 1900, the master and guest baths were kind of…afterthoughts. Indoor outhouses, if you will. Still, I don’t need much room to put on deodorant or throw my hair up into a clip. For some reason, however, these five seconds I need during Liam’s bathroom time start World War III every morning.
On one particular day, my need for a bit of hair gel prompted a diatribe about how it was time to rearrange the furniture in our bedroom to promote better flow. For some reason, he believes this will give us more space in the bathroom. Male logic. I don’t get it. He is convinced, however, that moving the bed will make his life easier. A bit of marital feng shui, I suppose.
Personally, I think a bit of patience could solve the issue, but by all means, let’s move the bed. I don’t have enough patience for his impatience.
I’ve been dying to host Sydney Logan, but we’re both busy girls. Thank goodness for Blogger Book Fair so I had a reason to buckle down and drag her over for a visit. Sydney’s book, Lessons Learned, is one of the best I’ve read in years. The story, while certainly a compelling (and hot) romance, focuses on timely issues for a well-rounded tale of love on every level. I highly recommend the book to anyone who loves romance with a deeper message.
Sydney Logan holds a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and makes her home in the hills of East Tennessee. With the 2012 release of her first novel, Lessons Learned, she made the transition from bookworm to author. She has a very unhealthy obsession with music, and her iPod is filled with everything from Johnny Cash to Eminem. When she isn’t reading or writing, she enjoys playing piano and relaxing on her front porch with her wonderful husband and their very spoiled cat.
As I always do, I sent Sydney my usual questions, and she was kind enough to answer even the silliest. Take a moment to get to know her, and enjoy the excerpt of Lessons Learned.
Lessons Learned is about a high school teacher named Sarah Bray. In the prologue (which you’ll read below), she witnesses a traumatic event at her school. This traumatizes her and sends her running back to her hometown of Sycamore Falls. It is a small, tight-knit, conservative (fictional) community in the mountains of Tennessee. She reconnects with old friends and makes a new one, in the form of Lucas Miller. He has just transferred to Sycamore Falls from a school in NYC. They begin teaching at Sarah’s old high school, and over time, their friendship turns into love. One of Sarah’s students becomes a victim of bullying, and she finds herself helping him face his demons, as well as some of her own.
I don’t recall the first thing I ever wrote. I’ve written poems and songs all my life. I do remember writing a poem in high school about my upcoming graduation, and it brought my teacher to tears.
Plaid. Stripes are not attractive on me!
I hadn’t considered publishing at all until a small, independent publisher approached me. One of the editors had read my online stories and asked if I wanted to submit something original. That’s how Lessons Learned came to be.
I am editing my second novel, Mountain Charm, and starting on my third book.
Instrumental music is fine, but I can’t listen to anything with lyrics when I write or edit. I do have to be careful with the music because it can influence my writing.
I use little snippets of people in most of my characters. I tell people that Lucas in Lessons Learned is very much my husband, and they are amazed. Yes, girls, good guys do exist! There is a lot of me in Sarah. The little nods to music and 80s movies – that’s all me.
Blue and white
Nicholas Sparks, because the man has never failed to write something that brought me to tears. That’s what I want to do (in the nicest way possible, of course.)
On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
My first novels are all set in fictional towns in the Appalachian Mountains. I live in a very rural town in East Tennessee, so describing the setting is easy. I take little pieces of surrounding communities to create the town.
Early in the process, I have to submit my first three chapters and a synopsis to my publisher. They then decide if they’re interested. Once I get the go ahead, I finish writing the story. I have pre-readers (trusted and honest friends) who read my story and offer valuable advice. Then, it is submitted to my publisher and to my editing team. I haven’t had to send out query letters. My publisher has always been happy with whatever I submit, thank goodness.
I actually have a complete playlist on my website, but probably Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me.”
http://www.sydneylogan.com/2012/11/purchasing-links.html
Prologue
Voices roar through the high school cafeteria while students navigate their way to the tables. The cliques are easily spotted: the jocks, the geeks, the beauty queens, the slackers.
Where will he sit today?
Despite the fact he’s a handsome and impeccably dressed young man, he fades into the background. Knowing it’s pointless, the girls don’t bother to look his way, and the guys deliberately avoid his eyes.
He grips his tray tightly and heads toward the corner table with the rest of the outcasts. They nod hello, but that’s the end of any real attempt at conversation. It’s an unspoken rule of sorts. This is their refuge—a tiny bit of sanctuary in the hell that is public high school—and they’re content to sit in peace.
He takes a seat, and I can see the exhaustion on his face. It’s not a weariness that comes from too many sleepless nights. This is a bone-tired fatigue no seventeen-year-old kid should ever feel.
He’s giving in.
Giving up.
In my peripheral vision, I see a senior stalk into the cafeteria. He’s tall, with deep brown eyes and jet-black hair that won’t stay in place. He’s good looking, popular, and a little conceited, thanks to his father’s wealth and status.
He has a reputation to uphold.
Rumors to squash.
A score to settle.
He pulls the silver gun out of his jacket pocket. Amid the chaos, no one notices.
I notice.
I try to run, but I’m frozen in place.
I try to scream, but there’s no sound.
The first shot rings out, and suddenly, everyone’s on the cold tile.
Tears, prayers, screams.
Another shot, and for some reason, I’m the only one who can’t move. Who can’t scream. Who can’t do anything but watch as the young man’s body slumps over his tray.
Finally, I find my voice and scream his name.
A young girl needs to spread her wings, but a young woman needs roots.
English teacher Sarah Bray never thought she’d return to Sycamore Falls, but a traumatic event at her inner-city school leaves her desperate for the sanctuary of home. By returning to her roots, an older and wiser Sarah hopes to deal with the demons of her present and confront the ghosts of her past.
She discovers a kindred spirit in Lucas Miller, a teacher from New York with demons of his own. As the newest faculty members at Sycamore High School, they quickly become friends – bonding through Lucas’s culture shock and their mutual desire to build new lives. When they open their wounded hearts to each other, their friendship effortlessly evolves into romance.
Their love is put to the test when Matt, the quarterback of the football team, shares his deepest secret with Sarah. When the conservative community finds out, Sarah and Lucas – along with the town of Sycamore Falls – are schooled in the lessons of acceptance, tolerance, and love.
You can win a prize pack with Lessons Learned and an Applebee’s gift card. Click the Rafflecopter link, follow the instructions, and cross your fingers!
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