Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts

Celebrate Halloween with Shel Silverstein and RUNNY BABBIT RETURNS!


HarperCollins Children’s Books to Publish
RUNNY BABBIT RETURNS, a Never-Before-Published Collection of Spoonerism Poems 
by Shel Silverstein!
New York, NY (February 8, 2017) – Today HarperCollins Children’s Books announced the publication of Runny Babbit Returns, a never-before-published book of spoonerism poems by the legendary Shel Silverstein and follow-up to the 2005 publication, Runny Babbit. Antonia Markiet, Senior Executive Editor at HarperCollins, acquired U.S. and Canada rights, and publication is scheduled for September 19, 2017.

Runny Babbit Returns takes us back to the green woods of Runny Babbit with 41 never-before-published poems and drawings. Compiled from completed but unpublished works in the Silverstein archive, this next installment encompasses beloved themes such as friendship, kindness, family, and, of course, food. The first Runny Babbit is a charming and witty collection of spoonerisms written and illustrated by Silverstein before his death and his first book published posthumously, in 2005. Filled with creative words and phrases with letters or syllables swapped (bunny rabbit becomes Runny Babbit), this poetry book follows the warm, insightful, and laugh-out-loud adventures of an endearing cast of characters. Maurice Sendak said of Runny Babbit, “I wish I had done this book!” 

Runny Babbit has sold over 770,000 copies and spent 39 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. This companion book, Runny Babbit Returns, features extraordinarily imaginative poems that embody Silverstein’s iconic humor and style, with tongue-twisting wordplay and uproarious characters. New and old readers alike won’t want to miss their chance to revisit their favorite Runny and meet even more of his woodland friends.

“We’re delighted to continue the legacy of the extraordinary Shel Silverstein, a household name for over fifty years,” said Suzanne Murphy, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books. “This never-before-published collection of poems and drawings will be cherished by readers of all ages and is a wonderful companion book to follow Runny Babbit.”

Generations have grown up with the works of Shel Silverstein, known not only as a poet and illustrator but also for his work as a cartoonist, playwright, performer, recording artist, and Grammy Award–winning songwriter. Silverstein’s children’s books have sold more than 39 million copies in the U.S. alone and have been translated into 46 foreign languages. He has encouraged children to dream and dare to imagine the impossible with his exceptional poetry and unforgettable characters. 

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ABOUT SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Shel Silverstein is the author of Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back; A Giraffe and a Half; The Giving Tree; Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?; Don’t Bump the Glump!; Where the Sidewalk Ends; The Missing Piece; A Light in the Attic; The Missing Piece Meets the Big O; Falling Up; Runny Babbit; and Every Thing On It.  He was a cartoonist, playwright, poet, performer, recording artist, and Grammy-winning/Oscar-nominated songwriter. Shel Silverstein’s children’s books have sold more than 39 million copies in the U.S. alone and have been translated into 46 foreign languages. You can learn more about Shel and his books by visitingwww.shelsilverstein.com.

ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN’S BOOKS
HarperCollins Children’s Books is one of the leading publishers of children’s and teen books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures and bestsellers such as Charlotte’s Web, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Where the Wild Things Are, The Graveyard Book and series including The Chronicles of Narnia, Ramona, Warriors, Pete the Cat, Fancy Nancy, Divergent, and The Selection. Consistently at the forefront of digital innovation, HarperCollins Children’s Books delights readers through engaging storytelling in all formats, including e-books and apps. HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, which is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, has operations in 18 countries, and is a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). You can visit HarperCollins Children’s Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and www.epicreads.com and HarperCollins Publishers at corporate.HC.com.
Posted by Once Upon a Twilight at 8:16 AM 1 comments
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Need a #WickedRead? Then get ready to be CURSED with #TheDeadHouse!


We can’t get enough of this haunting story…

Today, we’re channeling our addiction to scary stories, shock factor, and chills on chills on chills. Things are definitely getting creep-tastic around here…and we LOVE it. Hey, sometimes, you just need a Really. Good. Scare.


Real talk though: is there anything better than huddling with that scary story adrenaline during a spooky thunderstorm? We didn’t think so. And we’ve got the perfect, brilliant, psychological horror story for you. It’s one you won’t be able to stop obsessing/thinking/talking about… and it’s EPIC. Let’s just say you are in for a seriously chilling ride… We recommend grabbing a sweater or a blanket. And reading with the light on.


Innocent Carly gets the day. Sinister Kaitlyn has the night. The catch? They’re the same person. Mind blown? That’s just the beginning of this mysterious, juicy, dark, twisty, hair-raising, epically cool story that we can’t help talking about nonstop. Our brilliant rockstar author dawnkurtagich will suck you in and haunt your dreams. This book will give you ALL the feels (creepy ones included). Not gonna lie, we may have had to hide this book outside our bedrooms and keep the lights on for a solid couple hours after reading…

Ready to be cursed? Grab your copy of The Dead House and prepare to get spooked with us.


Read Andy's review for The Dead House!

Posted by Leydy at 3:00 AM 0 comments
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Peanutize Your Pumpkins! #PeanutsPumpkins


Just in time for Halloween, grab this Peanuts pumpkin stencil!


THE PEANUTS MOVIE
3D Animation
Release: November 6, 2015
Director: Steve Martino
Screenplay: TBD
Producers: Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, Cornelius Uliano, Michael J. Travers, Paul Feig
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved “Peanuts” gang make their big-screen debut, like they’ve never been seen before, in state of the art 3D animation. Snoopy, the world’s most lovable beagle – and flying ace – embarks upon his greatest mission as he takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis The Red Baron, while his best pal, Charlie Brown, begins his own epic quest. From the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of the ICE AGE films, THE PEANUTS MOVIE will prove that every underdog has his day.
Posted by Once Upon a Twilight at 12:00 AM 0 comments
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Month9Books Birthday Bash: Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki | Halloween in the Hole | Giveaway




Welcome to our stop during the Month9Books Birthday Bash! The full schedule is below and make sure to stick around for the EPIC Giveaway taking place!

Here’s a quick note from Georgia McBride, owner of Month9Books!
“Month9Books is turning 2 this year and I could not be happier. We are living proof that if you have a dream to write, create and inspire, you should follow that dream and let nothing keep you from realizing it. Thank you to all the readers, writers, agents, partners and friends who have made this possible. We write for you. --Georgia McBride, Publisher and Owner of Month9Books”




We have a ton of sequels coming as well as new books from awesome debut authors and we’re so excited to share them all with you! We have something for everyone from every genre from Sci-Fi to Fantasy to Paranormal and Horror!


Here at OUaT, we are thrilled to host Branded authors Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki. They created a special Halloween in the Hole post for you all to enjoy.


Halloween in the Hole 
by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki

You’d think in a place like the Hole, Halloween would be a no-brainer, right? I mean lets face it, the Hole could be Halloween every night. There is no shortage of thugs, horrors, and more tricks than treats. But we forget something important: the Commander.

The Commander isn’t a fan of Halloween. He says it promotes the seven deadly sins, especially gluttony and lust, and forbids anyone to celebrate it. And since he’s the biggest monster we know, why dress up and pretend to be him?

Now, the parents old enough to remember the excitement of Halloween find other ways to celebrate. In hushed tones, they sit around fires they’ve build to keep warm, regaling their children with their favorite tales. Huddled close together, they watch as their whispered words light up the eyes of the children they hope will carry on their traditions.

But the difference in many of these stories is the heroes usually win over the terrible demons. The good always triumphs over the evil, and the children are left desiring the hero, the one who slays monsters like the Commander, climbs walls like the Hole, and brings joy to everyone.

While in the Hole, the monster still lives on, in their hearts, they’re free. Yes, Halloween in the Hole is a night of hope, not a night of fear, for one day they hope to rise against the monster who keeps them caged there. That one day the monster will be defeated and somehow their society can be saved.

Yes, the Commander has more than one reason to fear Halloween in the Hole.

BRANDED (Sinners #1)
Author: Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki
Release Date: August 19, 2014
Pages: 380
Publisher: Month9Books
Formats: Paperback, eBook


Fifty years ago The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society.

To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.

Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home.

Constant darkness.

Brutal and savage violence.

Excruciating pain.

Every day is a fight for survival.

But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole.

I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.


About Abi and Missy:

Abi Ketner is a registered nurse with a passion for novels, the beaches of St. John, and her Philadelphia Phillies. A talented singer, Abi loves to go running and spend lots of time with her family. She currently resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her husband, triplet daughters and two very spoiled dogs.

Missy Kalicicki has her degree in History from Millersville University. She’s enjoyed working in several different fields from alternative fuels to health care. She’s happily married with two rambunctious boys and two dogs, Buckwheat and Spanky. Her passions include writing, running races, kickboxing, traveling, and trying new things. She remains an avid Cleveland sports fan despite the last twenty years.




Meet the Authors and amazing host Blogs!

All posts will be live on October 31st!
Posted by Once Upon a Twilight at 8:00 AM 8 comments
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It's Halloween so Author Julie Kramer explains Playing Dead!



If you have ever wondered how much detail an author puts into their work, then what you are about to read from author Julie Kramer will show you just how extreme one can get into their research.

About JULIE KRAMER

Julie Kramer is a journalist turned novelist. She writes a series of thrillers set in the desperate world of TV news. Julie has won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Mainstream Mystery/Suspense, RT Reviewer’s Choice for Best First Mystery as well as the Minnesota Book Award. Her book has also been nominated for the Anthony, Barry, Shamus, Mary Higgins Clark and RT Best Amateur Sleuth Awards. She formerly ran WCCO-TV’s investigative unit before becoming a freelance network news producer for NBC and CBS. She lives with her family in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

Playing Dead by Julie Kramer

I could have simply imagined a lid closing over my face as I lay still in cramped quarters. Or I could have searched the dimensions of a casket online. But I like to live my research, so I visited my friendly neighborhood funeral home: Mueller Lake Mortuary.

 I waited until a day when the parking lot was empty so as not to interrupt a funeral. I didn’t want to cause a scene; I wanted to write one.

 My upcoming thriller, Delivering Death, needed one more chase scene. And I would go to hell and back to get it right.

 A woman greeted me in the lobby, asking how she could help. We appeared to be the only living souls in the building. “I’d like to look at caskets,” I said.

 Apparently, it was a common request. She introduced herself as Taelor Johnson and led me back to the show room where caskets were displayed along the walls like the latest models of cars at nearby auto dealerships. She was gentle in her approach. “Tell me a little about what you’re looking for.”

 “It’s not for me,” I answered. “Or anyone in particular. I’m a writer. I’m here for research.”

 Taelor looked at me skeptically, so I fumbled for a bookmark with my author photo, as if that proved anything. I also name-dropped Lady Madeline, a tortured twin wrongly entombed in Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre “Fall of the House of Usher” – a favorite story of many funeral home employees. The approach worked and Taelor agreed to answer my questions. Within minutes, I learned that caskets were not airtight, so one of my characters could certainly hide inside without suffocating, but that claustrophobia would be the bigger challenge.

 Then came the real reason for my visit: “Would you mind if I tried one out?”

 Now she looked at me suspiciously, as if I harbored some dark fetish about being buried alive or this whole thing might be part of some creepy bucket list stunt. “I don’t think that would be such a good idea.” Taelor was worred the casket might tip and crash as I climbed inside. Their insurance probably wouldn’t cover that type of accident. At least that’s the excuse she gave.

 “How about if we used a chair?” Trying to be helpful, I pulled one out of a corner. Prior to becoming an author, I was a journalist and asking pushy questions came naturally.

 “Oh, all right.” She lifted the cover and helped me lower myself inside. “Stay calm now.”

 “This requires a certain amount of trust on my part,” I said.

 Taelor didn’t respond, so I felt some trepidation that she might not let me out. Life is full of risks, I told myself. My eyes automatically shut as she closed the lid; when I opened them, the interior wasn’t totally black. I could see a dim line of light around the middle. That kept me from panicking, but I was still anxious to finish my research and return to my desk job.

 “Breathe slowly,” she advised.

 And so I did. The satin padding actually made for a comfortable resting place. I pushed up, my hands against the lid, surprised it was so heavy. And this was without six feet of dirt.

 “Would you mind walking around?” I asked. “I’m curious whether I can hear footsteps.” She did and I could. “How about talking? I want to see how much I can hear from inside.”

 Taelor’s voice was clear, not at all muffled. “Are you done in there?” She sounded like she was looking at her watch, probably worried a paying customer might walk in on our experiment.

 “Just a little bit longer.” I kicked off a shoe and reached for my foot to gauge the amount of wiggle room available.

 The light startled me when she opened the lid. “Time to go now.”

 I took a deep and welcome breath of fresh air and handed her my cell phone. “Would you mind taking a picture of me in here?”

 “That’s not going to happen,” she said. “Enough is enough.”

 So no new author photo for me. But I climbed out, energized to finish writing my scene, even if it meant staying up late, working the graveyard shift.


From the author of Stalking Susan comes the latest installment in the “compulsively readable” (WCCO-TV) bestselling Riley Spartz thriller series, featuring a smart, sassy, and always entertaining TV reporter as she matches wits with a media-savvy killer.

The most appealing mystery heroine since Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, TV reporter Riley Spartz is a star investigative journalist for Channel 3—and no stranger to the seedier side of her hometown. But when she receives a package of smelly human teeth in the mail at work, she’s quickly embroiled in a homicide investigation that spirals into one of the odder cases the Minneapolis police force has ever seen. Though the cops try to keep certain grisly details quiet, this murder has a strange twist—it seems that the killer wants the crime publicized.

Is it a revenge killing, or something more? Riley’s investigation takes her inside a lucrative identity theft ring that links low-life crooks like now-dead Leon Akume to white-collar opportunists like once-wealthy Jack Clemens. Despite a prime motive for murder, Jack also has the ultimate alibi: he's behind bars. While Riley pushes to keep the homicide in the news, her boss is convinced that coverage of the Mall of America’s unique version of a royal wedding is key to the station winning ratings. As the stakes continue to rise for her job and her life, Riley must outwit the killer in a trap that could leave yet another person dead...

An irresistible suspense novel that will keep readers turning pages until the stunning conclusion, Delivering Death brings the humor, intrigue, and twists and turns Julie Kramer’s fans have been waiting for.
Posted by Once Upon a Twilight at 3:00 AM 1 comments
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Halloween Character Booktacular: Katherine Grace Bond + Giveaway




Welcome back to our site during the Halloween Character Booktacular celebration. Today is the last day to celebrate because its HALLOWEEN! So Happy Halloween everyone. OUaT's day to post was  every Weds during October. You can still see the full schedule HERE. This event is hosted by A Book Lovers Review and Good Choice Reading.


Today's author is known for a book called The Summer of No Regrets that was released this year through Sourcebooks Fire. Katherine Grace Bond wrote a special Halloween treat for all the readers to indulge in. This treat might contain Aliens, so enjoy! 


Katherine Grace Bond Links: Web • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter

About this author: Katherine Grace Bond is the author of THE SUMMER OF NO REGRETS (Sourcebooks, 2012) and of the bestselling LEGEND OF THE VALENTINE (Zondervan, 2002), a story of the civil rights movement. She often finds herself in the woods escaping from giant cats and shadowy figures in cloaks. The creator of TEENWrite acting/writing workshops, where participants come as their characters, she lives with her husband in a dimension populated by younger people, some of whom resemble her.

For this little Halloween story, I indulged one of my favorite obsessions.
--Katherine

THE AUTUMN OF NO REGRETS: ALIEN INVASION

Natalie’s tombstone-covered lawn was freezing, despite all the layers I was wearing. My face itched where I’d wrapped my headpiece way too tightly. Was this a stupid thing to wear? It had seemed like a good idea earlier. But now, with Luke gone, I was second-guessing everything. Even if he’d been in town and able to come to the party, I wouldn’t have asked it of him. He got attention everywhere he showed his face, even if he told people, “No, I am not Trent Yves.” That’s why he kept to himself, why he confided in almost no one. Except me.

I stepped onto the porch and nearly jumped out of my skin as a zombie swung out at me, shrieking. The second stair triggered two strobes, which began to flash wildly, making me queasy. Halloween was Natalie’s favorite holiday. It wasn’t mine. I was here because I’d promised her, because she loved costume parties more than anything—except perhaps movie stars.

Last summer, when people heard there was a guy in Kwahnesum who looked just like Hollywood’s favorite bad boy, things had gotten interesting. They got even more interesting after I saved his life—but that’s a long story. It had been nearly a month since Luke had climbed on a plane—again. I didn’t think I’d ever be used to it. Texting and talking on the phone weren’t the same as having his arms around me.

Before I could ring the bell, the door opened and a bunch of people I didn’t know spilled into the yard. The crowd included Darth Vader, with Beyoncé on his arm, Harry Potter laughing at something Kristen Stewart had said, and Simon Cowell, who squinted at me and shook his head. Behind them, I could see Natalie in a blonde wig, wearing a white dress and very red lipstick, and sipping coke out of a clear blue cup. “Marilyn Monroe?” I shouted over the din.

“There you are, Brigitta!” She put the cup down and pulled me inside, then held me out in front of her and looked me up and down. “You’re a nun,” she sighed. “I said, ‘Come as a celebrity.’”

“I’m Saint Theresa of Lisieux.”

“Whoever that is.”

“She’s sort of a celebrity.”

Natalie tugged on the black veil part of my headpiece. “Is he coming?”

“Who?” I tried to bluff.

“Brigitta, you know who I mean. I didn’t tell anyone; I was saving him as a surprise.”

“You were saving him? Like the last piece of pie?” This was exactly what I was afraid of. And exactly why I had waited so long to tell her about Luke last summer.

“Well?” she pressed.

I shook my head. “Gone,” was all I could contribute.

“He found out you’d become a nun.” She gave me one of her upside-down smiles.

“Who else would I come as?”

“Blake Lively, Ashley Olsen,” she counted blondes on her fingers. “I think you could even pull off Paris Hilton.”

“I don’t have the dog.”

Cheryl Thompson appeared from the basement dressed as Cat Woman. “You could have borrowed my dog,” she said. “He’s pretty laid back.”

“Oh!” squealed Natalie, “Wait until you see who Cheryl’s brother came as.”

Cheryl rolled her eyes.

“Who?” I said.

“Not telling,” said Natalie.

Under my habit my cellphone buzzed. I couldn’t pull it out because Natalie was already towing us through a cluster of Anime characters, past She-Hulk and Ashlee Simpson and down the stairs. I wanted to find somewhere private to read the text. And I had no desire to run into Zach Thompson, who had made “obnoxious” into an art form.

At the bottom of the stairs, I slipped into the bathroom and flipped on the light, startled me to see how convincing I was as a nun. Luke’s text said only:

(___)==(|

For just a moment my mind flooded with horrible emoticon interpretations: Narrowed eyes--meaning “I’m mad.” (So mad that one of my ears is bigger than the other?) Or were they closed eyes and it meant “You put me to sleep.” Or maybe (___) was me and (| meant “I’ve found a girl skinnier than you.”

“???” I texted back.

All I got in return was:

;-)

Luke loved to text these little treasure hunts to me. Once the clues had led me into the treehouse where he’d left a book of poems for me in the window seat. Another time, they led me to a jewelry shop in Bellevue Square where there was an amethyst pendant waiting. It made the separation easier, but I’d have given up all the presents just to have him back. What I really wanted to do now was go home and call him, but I’d given Natalie my word that I’d stay at least an hour.

Someone pounded loudly on the bathroom door. “Just a sec.” I tucked my phone away and stepped into the hall. Zach Thompson leaned against the wall, shirtless and wearing a cowboy hat and sunglasses.

“Well hello, Sister!” He whistled. “Do you want to hear my confession?” He smelled of beer, which was out of place at one of Natalie’s parties.

Cheryl, coming around the corner, almost tripped over the hem of my habit. She scowled at her brother and shouldered past him. “You don’t look anything like Trent Yves, Zach.”

“Don’t I?” He waggled his eyebrows at me over his shades. “You ought to see my sword.”

Leaning against the other wall a guy who was, I think, supposed to be Arnold Schwarzenegger, guffawed.

“Don’t encourage him,” Cheryl shot over her shoulder as she disappeared into the Inner Sanctum, which was what Natalie called her rec room.

I hadn’t planned on encouraging Zach. As insufferable as the real Trent Yves was known to be, Zach was ten times worse.

I followed Cheryl, but not before Zach reached out and pinched my butt, whispering, “I’d love to get into your habit, Sister.”

In the Inner Sanctum Natalie was singing “Some Like it Hot” into a karaoke mic while Frankenstein and Taylor Swift cheered her on. The room was full of fake spider webs, a glowing cauldron on the latte bar and multiple pumpkins along the walls. I grabbed some punch in a clear, blood-red cup. Obviously, Natalie’s little sister Bekah had been the decorator. Against the closet was something covered in black crepe paper that looked more like an ironing board than a coffin; behind the couch was some kind of octopus-shaped sculpture covered in orange lights; and next to the sliding door was another hulking metal sculpture that looked like a giant saltshaker with a camera lens protruding from its lid. A toilet plunger and an egg whisk stuck out of it at odd angles. Bekah was nothing if not original.

My pocket vibrated again. I found a lamp. The text said:

Dalek.

What language was that? Danish? Was he in Denmark?

I texted back:

???

At the karaoke machine, Zach sidled up to Natalie and slid the mic out of her hand. “’Scuse me, babe,” he said. She smiled and blew him a kiss.

Zach whipped off his cowboy hat and put on a top hat. “Here’s a little Trent Yves magic for ya,” he growled into the mic. “Let’s talk about my wand.”

Draped over Arnold Schwarzenegger’s arm, She-Hulk snorted.

Did the boy only have one joke?

Luke’s next text said:

Hostile alien.

I texted:

Extraterrestrial Scandinavian?

Zach took a swallow of beer from a bottle that had appeared from somewhere-or-other. A flash of worry crossed Natalie’s face. Her parents trusted her with parties strictly because she’d never given them a reason not to. Her older brother had been a different story.

Another text from Luke:

Scandinavian? Don’t you watch Doctor Who?

“What is Doctor Who?” I texted back.

“Trust me,” he texted.

Looking around the room, I saw a few more bottles. And outside the sliding door, Darth Vader reached into a cooler and came up with another.

Behind the latte bar, Natalie nervously pulled more food out of the fridge.

“Song time,” said Zach. “This one is for Sister What’s-Your-Name over there.” He pointed the beer bottle at me and hit the button on the karaoke for the opening chords of “Whistle.”

My phone buzzed again, but I didn’t have time to look at it because She-Hulk laughingly propelled me towards Zach, with a little help from Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Zach grabbed my wrist and spun me toward him. “Don’t be shy, Sister,” he sang, to the tune of the song.

Natalie came out from behind the latte bar and called something, but I couldn’t hear her over the chuckles that were spreading around the room.

I tried to laugh like I was having fun. “I think I need to, um, go pray,” I said.

Zach put a sweaty arm around me and pulled me against his chest. “Don’t you want to blow Trent’s whistle, baby?”

“Not so much,” I said.

Zach pulled me closer to him and grinned.

Then, from the back of the room, a furious electronic voice cried out, “Exterminate!”

Everyone turned. Bekah’s giant salt shaker was gliding across the floor. “Exterminate!” it cried again, its voice rising in pitch. Its camera lens swept the room like an alien eye stalk.

“It’s a Dalek!” someone yelled. “Woot! Whovians unite!”

A Dalek? Luke’s Dalek? Was this what he had wanted me to find?

Zach let go of me as the thing moved mechanically toward him. “You can’t exterminate me!” he blustered. “I’m Trent Yves!”

The Dalek waved its toilet plunger arm. Was Luke controlling it? From wherever he was? How?

“Trent Yves must be exterminated!” the electronic voice raged. “Delete! Delete! Delete!”

“Get out!” Zach swatted the air.

“No, you get out!” The Dalek pronounced as it continued to advance.

Zach snorted. He tipped his bottle over the Dalek and the brown liquid ran down its sides.

“Trent Yves versus the Dalek!” She-Hulk shrieked. “Ya want some more beer, Trent?” She handed her bottle to Zach, who poured it over the Dalek. Darth Vader gathered up the cooler and brought it inside. The atmosphere grew more raucous, as people surrounded Luke’s robot, which somehow kept moving and talking. They were going to short it out if they kept it up.

“That’s enough!” Natalie tried to get everyone’s attention, but they all ignored her. She started to cry. This was completely out of hand.

I picked up the clear red cup I’d left on the table and suddenly had an idea.

I raced up the stairs, nearly tripping on my nun’s habit. By the front door I snatched up the blue cup Natalie had left, and breezed outside. Wind and rain blew at my veil. I felt around the wet porch until I found the two little strobe lights. I put the red cup over one and the blue over the other. This was crazy. Who knew if it would actually work? I stepped down to the second stair.

Flashing blue and red lights lit up the trees, the lawn and, most importantly, the basement windows. The laughter downstairs stopped, replaced by cursing and yells of “Cops!” I crept around the house to see the rec room clear out as Zach and his crew and everyone else raced for the woods.

I pulled my veil and headpiece off and shook out my hair. The rain had stopped, but it was still too cloudy to see the moon. I turned when I heard a noise behind me. It was Luke’s Dalek, with its eyestalk going back and forth. I laughed. “I don’t know if you can hear me, wherever you are, but that was brilliant. That was the best one yet.”

The plunger wagged up and down as if it agreed. Maybe he could hear me.

“I just wish it was you instead of a robot,” I sighed. “When are you coming home?”

In response, the entire top half of the creature tipped open. “How about now?” a voice said.

I jumped back with a rather embarrassing scream as Luke hoisted himself out of the Dalek and landed on the lawn. His hair stuck out wildly and his white tee-shirt was streaked with grease. His blue, blue eyes twinkled. He folded me in his arms and spun me until we both toppled into the wet grass. When I’d stopped laughing, I patted the Dalek. “Where did you get this?” I asked.

He grinned. “I’m sworn to secrecy.”

“You’re my favorite secret,” I told him.

He touched my face. “You’re my favorite nun,” he said.
The Summer of No Regrets
Author: Katherine Grace Bond
Reading Level: YA
Released: May 1st 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Available: Amazon • BN.com • IndieBound

Summary: (from goodreads) This was the summer that would change my life.No more being what everyone expected. No more doing what everyone else wanted.
So when Luke came into my life, I decided to keep him a secret. Maybe he as a dead-ringer for notorious Hollywood bad boy Trent Yves. And it was possible that everything he told me was a lie. And yes, I was probably asking for trouble. But all I saw was Luke--sweet, funny, caring--someone who would let me be the real me.
But which was the real him?
Since its Halloween, you all get a chance at a treat. We are offering a signed copy of The Summer of No Regrets and 3 bookmarks. So fill in the rafflecopter and make sure to read the terms and conditions. Happy Halloween!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Halloween Character Booktacular: Elizabeth Richards + Giveaway



Welcome back to our site to during the Halloween Character Booktacular celebration. OUaT's day to post is every Weds during October. You can follow the full schedule HERE. This event is hosted by A Book Lovers Review and Good Choice Reading.

Today's author that we are featuring wrote a book I just recently fell hard for. Elizabeth Richard and that book is called BLACK CITY. To stay in the theme of Halloween, Elizabeth wrote a special scene for her fans. 


Elizabeth Richards Links: Web • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter

BIO: (via Elizabeth's blog) Elizabeth Richards is an award-winning journalist, who spent her early career reviewing video games before making the bold (or crazy) move into travel writing, despite suffering from terrible travel sickness.

In her spare time, she ran a successful lifestyle website aimed at teenage girls, where she got to interview many of her favourite bands, go to gigs and basically blag loads of free swag all in the name of ‘research’.

Elizabeth lives in Buckinghamshire, England, with her husband. Black City is her debut novel.



Things that go bump in the night (Elizabeth Richards – Black City) 
LADY OF THE MANOR

“Why didn’t you tell me I look stupid?” Day moans, as she checks her pumpkin outfit in the tarnished full-length mirror.
“I think you look cute,” I reply, trying not to laugh at her bright orange face.
She throws me a poisonous stare.
I sit down on the plush four-poster bed, sending a plume of dust into the air. Everything in the mansion is covered in a thin layer of ash from the air-raids that destroyed Black City last year, but even so the elegant bedroom still has a haunting beauty to it. On the dressing table to my right is a jewelry box, some phials of perfume, and a few other dust-covered objects including an ornate silver candlestick. My eyes are drawn to a large portrait hanging over the dressing table of a young woman with silken black hair and ebony eyes, wearing a scarlet dress. Even though she’s smiling, something about her eyes seems so sad.
Day sighs, looking at the woman in the painting. “It must be wonderful being rich.”
“It’s overrated,” I reply, plucking a loose black thread from my dress. “What time did the boys say they’ll get here?”
“Nine o’clock,” Day replies.
I check my antique watch. “They should be here any minute, then.”
“What?” Day says, alarmed. “I can’t let Beetle see me like this! I need to change.”
“Into what?” I say.
She waddles over to the ornate mahogany wardrobe in her pumpkin costume and throws open the cupboard doors. She lets out a squeak of fright as several moths flutter out. I giggle. Inside the wardrobe is an array of silken bustle gowns, their jewel colored fabrics glimmering in the warm light, cast by the crystal chandelier above us.
“The lady of the manor must’ve left them here when they were evacuated,” I say, joining her by the wardrobe.
Day pulls out a scarlet dress with a corseted bodice and long bustle train – the same dress the woman in the portrait is wearing.
She grins. “This is more like it.”
“You can’t take that!” I reply.
She rolls her eyes. “Oh come on, Natalie. It’s just a dress. What’s the worst that can happen?”
“You shouldn’t say things like that on Halloween.”
Day pretends to look scared. “Ooooh, the Lady of the Manor is going to get me.”
I laugh.
Day shuffles into the en suite bathroom, while I look through the rest of the wardrobe, running my hands over the expensive silk dresses. I’m surprised they weren’t taken – no typical Sentry woman would leave her designer clothes behind, even if the city were being bombed!
A pair of cool hands slips over my eyes, startling me.
“Boo,” Ash whispers in my ear.
“You scared me,” I laugh, spinning around.
He gazes softly down at me, his black hair spilling over his dark, glimmering eyes. My heart fumbles.
Standing beside him is his best friend, Beetle. He’s wearing our red-and-black school uniform, and his usually scruffy brown hair has been carefully coiffed, so he looks just like the head prefect in our class, Gregory Thompson.
“Terrifying,” I say to him.
He grins.
Ash slides a hand around my waist, pulling me toward him.
“I missed you,” he whispers.
I roll onto my tiptoes and kiss him. The second our lips touch, a spark of electricity shoots into my heart, making my pulse flutter. I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to that!
“Urgh, get a room you two,” Day says, emerging from the en suite.
I reluctantly break our kiss and glance at Day. “We’re in a room.”
“Preferably one I’m not in, I meant,” she says. “You know I hate it when people get all smoochy in public.”
Beetle grabs her and kisses her on the cheek. She playfully slaps him away.
He whistles appreciatively at Day. “Woah, that dress is something else.”
“Do you like it?” She spins around, making the bottom of her dress fan out. “I’m the Lady of the Manor.”
I have to admit, Day’s the spitting image of the woman in the portrait, apart from the little smudge of orange face-paint still on her cheek. Beetle licks his thumb and rubs it off for her, grinning.
Out the corner of my eye I notice Ash lift something off the dressing table and slide it into his jacket pocket, although I don’t see what it is. I raise a questioning brow at him, but he just smiles innocently back at me. It was probably an old brooch or something that he hopes to pawn at Mr. Tubs’ shop. I don’t say anything. I know he needs the money, and I’d rather he gets it this way than dealing Haze.
“And who are you supposed to be?” Ash asks, eyeing my scarlet lips and severe black dress.
“My mother,” I reply. “There’s nothing scarier than her.”
He chuckles.
I study his regular shirt and pants, frowning. “And you’ve come as…?”
“Me,” he says.”
“That’s cheating!” I say.
“No it’s not.” A smile tugs at his lips, revealing the tips of his fangs. “I’m the thing that goes bump in the night, after all.”
I shake my head, laughing.
We sit down in a circle on the rug in front of the four-poster bed. Beetle takes out a small bottle of Shine from his jacket pocket and passes it around the group. I only take a little sip, as I’m not supposed to drink because of my medication, before handing the bottle to Day.
“So, does anyone know any spooky stories?” Beetle says.
“Yeah, I have one about this very manor in fact,” Ash says, then adds in a low whisper: “Apparently this bedroom is haunted.”
“No it’s not,” Day says, edging toward Beetle.
“Why did you think I suggested we come here?” Ash says. “The Lady of the Manor and her lover were brutally murdered by her jealous husband, right where we’re sitting.”
Day eyes the rug nervously. “You’re lying.”
“No he’s not,” I say playing along. “I remember my housemaid Martha telling me all about it. It was terrible. The guy who did it used to work in the science labs with Doctor Craven.”
Ash gives me a secret smile.
Day passes the Shine to Beetle, who takes a long swig, already a little rattled, as Ash begins his tale.
“Miriam Greaves was a young, beautiful woman, who was beloved by all who knew her, apart from one man: her husband, Alan—a selfish and ambitious man, who only cared about wealth and accumulating more possessions,” Ash says.
“Sounds like a typical Sentry,” Beetle mutters.
I scowl at him.
“Heartbroken, lonely and angry at her husband, Miriam sought solace in the arms of another man—Alan’s younger brother, Edward,” Ash continues. “It originally started as a fling, but as the months drew on, Miriam found herself falling in love with Edward. She realized he was the brother she should’ve married all along.”
“Aw, that’s so sad,” Day says.
I stifle a laugh. Where does he come up with this stuff?
“But Alan was a violent and jealous man, and even though he didn’t love his wife, she knew he would never agree to a divorce,” Ash continues. “So one day, Miriam and Edward decided to run away together. She pawned her diamond engagement ring to get the money to pay for their train tickets to Centrum, and knowing her husband would be working late, told Edward to meet her here at nine o’clock that night.”
I look up at the portrait of Miriam Greaves and at the sadness simmering in her ebony eyes. I can almost believe Ash’s story.
“Unfortunately for Miriam and Edward, that same eve the government begun the air-raids on bomb Black City,” Ash says. “As soon as the bombs started to drop, Alan raced home—not to warn his wife, but to start packing up his precious belongings. He went straight to the bedroom to collect his wife’s diamond engagement ring, not realizing she’s sold it, and that’s when he saw Miriam and his brother kissing under this very chandelier.”
We all glance up at the crystal light. I small shiver runs down my spine.
“Alan threw into a violent rage and murdered his brother with a silver candlestick, before strangling Miriam,” Ash says.
Day eyes the candlestick on the dressing table. “Not that candlestick?”
Ash nods. “Alan rolled their lifeless bodies in the bed-sheets and threw them in the canal. When questioned where his wife and brother where, he claimed that they’d both tragically perished during the air-raids,” Ash says. “No one doubted his word, not even when their Darkling housemaid came forward and said she had witnessed the whole thing. No one believed her of course, but that’s how the story got out.”
“That’s terrible,” Day whispers.
“Every night since then, at exactly nine-sixteen—the time she was murdered—the ghost of Miriam Greaves returns this room, in the hopes that one day her husband will come back for her diamond ring, and she can enact her revenge,” Ash says.
I check my watch. “Ash…it’s nine-sixteen now.”
He looks at me with mock fear and I try really hard not to laugh.
The chandelier above us suddenly flickers.
I look up, alarmed.
“What was that?” Day says.
“Maybe it’s the Lady of the Manor’s ghost?” Beetle says.
“Yeah, she wants her dress back,” Ash teases.
“Don’t say that,” Day replies.
“There’s no such thing as ghosts, babes,” Beetle says, putting his arm around her.
The light dims again.
His face pales.
“The wiring in these places must be shot-to-pieces after the bombing,” Beetle says. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
The lights turn out, plunging us into total darkness. Day lets out a squeak of fright.
“What’s going on?” I say, gripping Ash’s arm, genuinely afraid now.
“I don’t know,” Ash replies. “Maybe a fuse has-”
The lights suddenly flare on again, making my heart leap into my mouth.
“I want to leave,” Day says, standing up.
“Don’t be daft,” Beetle says. “There’s nothing to worry abo-”
All the lights in the room suddenly flash on and off.
“I’m getting the fragg outta here, bro!” Beetle says, darting for the door.
“Matthias Jones, don’t you dare leave me here!” Day says, running after him.
As soon as they’re gone, Ash turns around and bursts out laughing.
“What is it?” I say.
He takes something small and metal out of his jacket pocket.
A dimmer switch remote! So that’s what he took off the dressing table?
“It was you turning the lights on and off all along?” I say.
He smirks, standing up. “I had to get rid of them somehow.”
I giggle as he sweeps me up into his arms.
“How about we test out that bed?” he says.
“I thought you’d never ask,” I whisper. “Happy Halloween, Ash.”
“Happy Halloween, blondie,” he replies, kicking the bedroom door shut behind us.
Black City
Black City Chronicles #1
Author: Elizabeth Richards
Reading Level: YA
Release Date: November 13th 2012
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR
Available: Amazon • BN.com • IndieBound

Summary: A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

Yes your welcome, I know you all enjoyed the special treat for Halloween from Elizabeth. Let her know how much you love it on Twitter or Facebook. Read the rafflecopter terms and conditions below. Don't forget... you can also enter to win a Kindle + $25 Amazon gift card just for following the tour! Full details over at Good Choice Reading or A Book Lovers Review!
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Halloween Character Booktacular: Holly Cupala + Giveaway



Welcome back to our site to during the Halloween Character Booktacular celebration. OUaT's day to post is every Weds during October. You can follow the full schedule HERE. This event is hosted by A Book Lovers Review and Good Choice Reading.

Today we are featuring one of my favorite books written by one of my favorite authors. Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala. You will get to read an excerpt from Don't Breathe a Word. 


Holly Cupala Links: Web • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube


Biography: Holly Cupala wrote teen romance novels before she ever actually experienced teen romance. When she did, it became all about tragic poetry and slightly less tragic novels. She has worked with the Western Washington chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, been a readergirlz diva, and now serves on the board of the University of Washington Writing Program. When she isn't writing and making art, she spends time with her husband and daughter in Seattle, Washington. These days, her writing is less about tragedy and more about hope.

TELL ME A SECRET is her first novel, and her second, DON'T BREATHE A WORD, is now available from HarperCollins. Ten percent of the author's proceeds go toward World Vision's Hope for Sexually Exploited Girls.


Excerpt from Don’t Breathe a Word

By

Holly Cupala

The night of the Halloween party, everyone from the normals to the most strung-out hipsters jammed into an abandoned warehouse building for what was sure to be an epic party.

They took IDs and cover at the door, but Creed had a backstage pass—he was handling equipment for all three bands taking the stage, if you could call it that. Plywood sheets scattered across some crumbling concrete blocks, with a tangle of cables and extension cords.

Creed dressed in his usual raggedy T-shirt, jeans, and army surplus jacket, though he had borrowed my black eyeliner to complete his look—either zombie or dead rock star. I didn’t ask. We weren’t talking much since the fight.

I wore a shredded black lace number I’d smuggled out of St. Vincent’s under the potato coat. My skin had whitened as my cough wore on, dark circles spreading under my eyes. I could barely keep them open some days.

That night, I tucked an inhaler and my cell phone against my ribs before stashing the coat in a bush. I ran through the rain into a totally different universe—one populated with the manic menagerie of the underground.

A cough caught me off guard and shook me violently. It was cold in here, and then hot, with not enough air for the hundreds of people pouring in.

“How do I look?” Santos appeared in a shiny pleather skirt and bustier with a weird, enormous thrift-store necklace with fishnets and heels. I had to do a double take. He almost looked like May, except without the track marks and haunted pallor. He wore heavy makeup—lashes long and exaggerated, lips the color of dried blood. He made a prettier girl than May.

“You look hot, actually.”

Santos grinned. “Yeah?”

I giggled. “Yeah. You make a pretty smokin’ girl.”

Santos grabbed my shoulders and planted a crazy kiss on my lips. “You, too, beautiful. You know I love you. Oh, that reminds me.” He dug into his pocket and pressed a half-full bottle of amoxicillin in my hand. “Hard to get this time—sorry it took me so long.”

I silently offered a prayer of thanks. This would keep the floodwaters in my lungs at bay just a little while longer.

When Santos disappeared back into the crowd, I touched my lips and came away with a streak of red on my fingers. My skin still tingled, like in that kiss there had been some kind of farewell. A surge of missing came up in my chest—missing the squat house. Missing Santos coming up the stairs in the middle of the night and cuddling in a puppy pile with May and Faulkner. Missing the simple kindness of coffee made from old grounds. Missing Creed.

The DJ worked magic on the crowd, first lulling them with hypnotic beats then tearing them up with gut-wrenching guitar riffs. It seemed like everyone under the age of twenty-five was here, sweating and kissing and throbbing into this twisted night. It was illegal to smoke in restaurants and public buildings in Seattle, but in this dingy warehouse the lights bounced off a choke of haze.

At first, I thought Creed didn’t see me, he was so focused on his job. But then he spotted me in the outer rings of the pit. He nodded, then went back to his work.

The first band took the stage late, ripping through their instruments in typical Seattle indie style. No one batted an eyelash when I found my way over to the keg and scored a free beer. Creed didn’t drink, which made me want a cold draft all the more. He leaned against the wall behind the stage, closing his eyes like he was listening to a lullaby. Even if the music sounded like it came out of a garage, maybe he could hear the hidden beauty of it, woven among the notes.

Santos was working the crowd, laughing and talking to a thick figure in full getup. My eyes kept wandering back to him in his costume. He looked as much like a real girl as May or me and nothing like the boy I remembered from the pool, bare and as dear to me as any of my own brothers.

That seemed so long ago now. That was the night I’d first lied to them, and I’d been lying ever since.

At last the band ended their set. Creed sprang into action, a tall shape moving in the darkness. The DJ went back to the pulsing techno.

I weaved my way back among the bodies, watching for allies and enemies as I went. My teeth chattered at the chill that swept through the room, and I wrapped my arms around myself. Some guy in creepy clown outfit grabbed me. “What’ll you do for twenty bucks?” he asked with a leering grin.

What would May have said, now that she had given all of her powers to Maul? I ignored him and pushed past with my beer in hand.

Creed frowned when he saw me. He looked out over the sea of heads. “May’s here,” he shouted through the throng of sound. “Maybe you can find her and see if she’s okay.”

I stared at him. A retort died on my lips. For Creed, checking on May was only that: checking on her, nothing more. I suddenly felt ashamed for ever thinking anything else. I would tell him, as soon as the party was over. Maybe I would tell him the truth…about everything.

For now, I just nodded.

The second band started up, ramping the music to the next level. Neeta would have loved it. She’d be hovering around the merch table as soon as the show was over, chatting easily with the band. The table, piled with T-shirts, CDs, and buttons, was guarded by a werewolf and some kind of mutant punk video-game monster ready to put up a fight if someone like Santos tried to filch a sticker.

Creed talked in low shouts with one of the organizers—the band was cutting their set short because of some argument between the lead and drums. I tried to catch Santos’s eye, but he’d disappeared. The guy he’d been talking to was nowhere to be seen.

I slipped around the edges of the smoky hoard, the room spinning a little as I went. Noise from the string of giant speakers filled the space where warm, weirdly costumed bodies didn’t.

No one noticed a skeletal girl in a slip as she staggered back and forth, grinning a bloody grin before letting her strap fall down one shoulder and pushing against one guy, then another.

Nobody except me.

As she teetered closer to me, I could smell a stench on her breath like an open grave. She looked around, but it was impossible to recognize anyone in the pounding sound and darkness. Maul could be everywhere and nowhere, like God or the devil. It didn’t matter if he was actually watching, as long as we felt like he was. Just like Asher.
Don't Breathe a Word
Author: Holly Cupala
Pages: 320 pages
Reading Level: YA
Release Date: January 3rd 2012
Review Source: HarperTEEN
Available: Amazon • Barnes & Noble • IndieBound
Review: Yara's 
Two chapter sneak preview

Summary: (from goodreads) Joy Delamere is suffocating...

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words—tender words, cruel words—until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe…if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

How was that excerpt? If you haven't read this book, DO IT NOW!!! We are giving away a signed copy of Don't Breathe a Word and an special edition audiobook of Tell Me a Secret. Read the rafflecopter terms and conditions below. Don't forget... you can also enter to win a Kindle + $25 Amazon gift card just for following the tour! Full details over at Good Choice Reading or A Book Lovers Review!

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Halloween Character Booktacular: Beth Fantaskey + Giveaway


Welcome back to our site to keep the celbration going on for Halloween Character Booktacular. OUaT day to post is every Weds. You can follow the full schedule HERE. This event is hosted by A Book Lovers Review and Good Choice Reading.

Today we our featuring a special scene for Halloween for Beth Fantaskey's Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. 


Beth Fantaskey Links: Web • Goodreads • Facebook • Twitter

Mindy and Raniero’s Halloween
Beth Fantaskey
“Raniero, what do you think you are doing?” I asked my former-vampire-assassin, still-bloodsucking Italian boyfriend, because he’d arrived at the crazy Halloween beach party he’d talked me into attending dressed as – get this – a vampire. Like, a traditional one. Honestly, as he came trudging across the sand, he looked like Count Dracula – only way more muscular and tan, because Raniero Vladescu Lovato was a near-champion surfer. Dark, gloomy castles kind of freaked him out.

“Seriously, do you think this is a good idea?” I whispered, when he got close enough for me to see his smile by the light of a huge bonfire. Because while his cheap tux might’ve come from a costume shop, the FANGS he was flashing were the real deal. “Ronnie,” I sort of snapped, grabbing his arm and tugging on it. “Put those things away!”

“Hush, Melinda Sue,” he said, grinning and taking my hand off his arm, so he could lace our fingers together. Which was nice, but didn’t make me any less worried for him. He bent down to speak softly in my ear, sort of nipping it – and laughing. “It is a costume party, yes? No one will ever guess at what I really am. It is a private joke, and amuses me.”

I wasn’t so “amused.” My best friend Princess Jessica Packwood Vladescu’s vampire husband, Lucius, had once shown his fangs to some American high school students and ended up with a stake practically through his heart. “Ronnie...”

Then I unhooked our hands and held up one finger, like “hold that thought,” because the phone I’d tucked into the pocket of my not-very-original hobo-costume jeans – sadly, I could rig “hobo” out of clothes we actually wore – was ringing with the special tone I’d set for Jess, so I’d never miss a call from her big “estate” in Romania.

“Hello?” I held the phone up to one ear and plugged the other with my free hand, because the beach was always windy at night. I didn’t get why everybody in California partied there after dark. Why not go inside or something? “HELLO?” I said louder. “You there, Jess?”

“Yeah,” I heard her say, pretty clear, thank goodness. Sometimes – between West Coast beach wind and the lack of towers in middle-of-nowhere Romania – we could barely communicate. “I’m just calling to wish you happy Halloween.” I could tell she was smiling, which made me happy. As I knew all too well, royal life – even with the world’s hottest vampire prince – wasn’t always easy. “I was thinking about the year we made a dragon costume out of a big cardboard box – then ended up fighting over who got stuck being the rear end...”

All of the sudden, before I could even start laughing, I heard a much deeper, accented voice on the phone, so I knew it had been snatched away from Jess. “Please, Melinda Sue. Tell me that my wife – my princess – was never the ‘tail end’ of any creature. Even a mythical one.”

“Hey, Lucius,” I greeted the prince who’d hijacked the conversation. “You know I got stuck being the butt. Jess was always the brains of our little operation.”

I was joking, but Lukey sounded serious when he said, softer, “You underestimate yourself, Melinda. Never do that.”

He was talking about how I’d figured out that Jess was being poisoned by her hideous relatives, and how I helped save her and Lucius from both getting killed. I was distracted, though, because a few feet away from me, some girl in a skimpy cat costume was pointing at my boyfriend’s teeth and saying, “Those look amazingly real!”

I didn’t care that cat girl was obviously flirting with my vampire – well, I kind of cared. But, when push came to shove, Raniero would never cheat on me. I was mainly worried about that thing she’d said about his fangs. I kept watching as sexy cat waved to some of her friends, telling them to come check out Ronnie’s mouth, and said into my cell, “Hey, Lucius...?”

I was going to ask Lukey to talk some sense into Raniero – they were cousins, but like brothers – but apparently Lucius had handed the phone back to Jess. “Sorry, Min,” she said. “It’s me again.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t sound so disappointed!”

I turned my back on the gaggle of girls – all of whom were wearing next to nothing, while I was freezing in jeans and a flannel shirt – so I could talk to Jess more privately. “I’m just worried because we’re at this costume party...”

“Oh, sorry,” Jess said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Nah, it’s okay.” I turned a little to see that Raniero was completely circled by curvy cats and what looked like maids from Jess’s castle – if she dressed her staff in fishnets. He met my eyes and gave me this grin, like, “You see that your boyfriend is desirable, no? You should maybe get off the phone and claim him, yes?”

I held up one finger again, telling him, “Just a sec, Drac.” Then I stepped to the very edge of the party and asked Jess, “Do you think I’m weird to worry that Raniero came dressed as a vampire?” I lowered my voice. “Without the plastic teeth.”

I could tell, by the silence, that Jess was concerned, too. “He’s not showing his fangs, is he?” she finally asked. “Because those things... The guys don’t know how powerful they are. Even when I refused to believe that Lucius’s were real, I sort of... did. And I liked them.”

I knew exactly what she meant. There was something about those teeth... Even if you didn’t really believe they were legit, they had this certain allure. You could just tell how they’d feel as they brushed your throat...

I kept watching Raniero mingling with his admirers, his white teeth gleaming by the firelight and that cheap costume somehow managing to make him look like the heir-to-the-Vladescu-vampire throne that he really was, and I got almost hypnotized and forgot I was in the middle of a call.

I love you so much, you stupid, undead, Buddhist, slacker assassin.

What are you waiting for, Mindy...?

“Min, I really think you should get Raniero out of there,” Jess suggested, snapping me back to reality. “Even on Halloween, I think he’s playing with fire.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I agreed, still without taking my eyes off my boyfriend, who was suddenly not smiling or talking to other girls. He was ignoring them and watching me, very serious, like even from a distance, he sensed that something had just changed between us. Or was about to change. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” I promised Jess. “Talk to you then.”

Because I’ll have big news. MEGA, MASSIVE news about a serious change in my life. My “existence.”

“Bye, Min.” I heard Jess sign off, as I ended the call and tucked the phone away.

Then me and Raniero... We walked to each other like we were both magnetized. He just left those other girls in a confused, disappointed huddle, never taking his eyes off me, even though I was dressed as a different kind of tramp. The pathetic kind. And when we finally met up, just inside the reach of the firelight, he took my chin in his strong hand and tilted my face up, so he could see my eyes very clear – so I couldn’t look away – when he asked me, “You are sure, yes?”

Sometimes I did still get tripped up, trying to decide whether the right answer was “yes” or “no,” when Raniero phrased stuff that way. But I knew the correct response to that question.

“Yes,” I told him, nodding, so I felt the pressure of his fingers against my jaw. I stared up into his unusual, gray-green eyes, which drew me as much – even more – than those fangs. Eyes that I wanted to look into forever. I nodded again and promised, “Yes.”

Then me and Raniero Vladescu Lovato re-laced our hands together and left the party without another word to anybody. I wasn’t dragging him away because I was jealous of other girls making a big fuss over him – or because I was afraid he’d get exposed as a real vampire, anymore.

I was taking him back to the perfect little shack we shared on the beach to join him – join with him – for eternity. And even though it was Halloween, and what I was about to do... share blood, for the first time, with an honest-to-gosh vampire... I wasn’t the least bit scared.

In fact, as Raniero’s fingers tightened around mine, and we walked into the dark, I’d never felt so safe in my life.
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
Jessica #1
Author: Beth Fantaskey
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Released: February 1st 2009
Publisher: Harcourt
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.
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Posted by Once Upon a Twilight at 8:39 AM 16 comments
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