As I’m writing this, my husband and I have just gotten back
from seeing “The Avengers”. I’m not really a movie person. Okay, that’s not
true. I’m a HUGE movie person. But so often I’m disappointed in movies anymore
so I’ve gotten a little gun-shy in the theatres. I hate
to be trapped, unable to flee for my life or at least roam off to check my
email, if I get bored or pissed or start wondering how much money the writer
for this crappy movie got paid. And for the past couple of years, nothing has
really tempted me to run to the theatres. Oh, there were a few movies that got
me there, but nothing like now.
It starts this year with The Avengers! As a movie nerd, as a
Joss Whedon fan, I was shaking with excitement when we got into the theatre.
Often this leads me to be disappointed, but not this time. I laughed, I cried
and I’m already excited for Avengers 2 (not to mention Iron Man 3, Robert
Downey Jr., people).
But to my surprise, the previews for the summer movie season left me excited to go to the theatre over and over again.
First, there’s The Dark Knight Rises. This was one of our
previews and I’m so excited by it! I have loved the new Batman series and I
love Joseph Gordon Levitt, who plays John Blake in the movie (a cop secretly
helping Batman take down Bain). This movie is the end of the current Batman
franchise (with a reboot already scheduled for 2015, dare I hope to see Levitt
take the cowl?). It should be a fitting, explosive end to the series.
Men in Black 3 will be out by the time this blog is up for
your reading pleasure. I plan to be there within the first couple weeks of
release. I like Wil Smith and Josh Brolin is a great actor who should do Tommy
Lee Jones justice as he plays that out. At least, I hope he will. I’ll post a
comment on this blog and let you know what I think.
June 22 “Brave” opens. This is a new Pixar movie about a
Scottish lass who wishes to control her own destiny. Pixar has proven again and
again that it can create wonderful cartoons with depth and emotion. I expect
this one will be the same.
There are more, as well. Prometheus, the new Ridley Scott
movie. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter based on the book. A new Spiderman
relaunches that series. Not so interested in him, but I love Emma Stone.
Resident Evil, a re-release of Finding Nemo, and I can’t even express my
excitement over Hobbit. So there’s a lot to see and do this summer, even for a
movie scaredy cat like me.
In the meantime, while you wait for all this wonderfulness,
maybe you’ll pick up my new book, AN INTRODUCTION TO PLEASURE, out now from
Samhain. It probably won’t be made into a movie, but it will definitely pass a
few very sexy hours while you wait for one to start.
Thank you Jess Michaels for coming over to Netta & Tj's Review Spot!!!
Now all Fans!!!! Please comment what movie you are looking forward to this summer and one lucky winner will win the book "TABOO" by Jess Michaels. (Contest Ends June 24th)
All your dirty teenage dreams are about to come true.
Gorgeous but awkward, talented but weird, James Venora is a twenty-seven-year-old struggling musician mired in the eternal stigma of having once been the stuff of Tiger Beat centerfolds. Getting married in his late teens also rendered him completely clueless when it comes to dating, a fact that comes to light when his wife surprises him with a request for a divorce. Now James has never felt the passage of time more strongly, and he decides to shirk his well-behaved habits and start wronging some rights. Unfortunately, he has no idea where to start.
Enter his brother Wade and his childhood friend E.Y.—both his biggest fans and biggest detractors. At their behest, James reads fan fiction written about himself to glean advice on how to live up to his potential—and instead discovers that what he wants most might be something he already has.
REVIEW:
I would give this book a 3 stars
This book was a little hard to get into, but once there, I understood. This book helps you realize the struggles a pop star goes through with fame and what people expect from them. I really felt bad for James..one would think he had it all but there was more to him and his life then you would imagine! I now look at stars in a different light! Not to much of a spoiler, because i believe you need to read the book to get your own review.
Now for your change to win an E-BOOK.... Comment who was your favorite TIGER-BEAT Centerfold? Winner will be choosen Friday June 22nd.... Please invite all your friends over.
Available Tuesday March 27th, 2012, The Cowboy Takes a Bride
A unforgettable heartfelt new series you don't want to miss! Welcome to Jubilee, Texas: Where everyone knows everyone's business-especially if that business is love!
Ex-champion bull rider turned cutting horse cowboy Joe Daniels isn’t quite sure how he ended up sleeping in a horse trough wearing nothing but this Stetson and cowboy boots. But now he’s wide-awake and a citified woman is glaring down at him. His goal? Get rid of her ASAP. The obstacle? Fighting the attraction he feels towards the blond-haired filly with the big, vulnerable eyes.
When out-of-work wedding planning Mariah Callahan learns that her estranged father has left her a rundown ranch in Jubilee, she has no choice but to accept it. Her goal? Redeem her career by planning local weddings. The obstacle? One emotionally wounded, hard-living cowboy who stirs her guilt, her heartstrings, and her long-buried cowgirl roots…
Lori has a contest (WIN A IPAD2) event going on and wanted me to let others know about it; in-conjunction with this new release!
Go to her blogspot at http://wildelori.blogspot.com/ and comment (let her know you we sent you) if you have pre-ordered or plan to pre-order it by Tuesday AND comment here for a chance to win a $10 B&N or Amazon Gift Card (winners choice) ! You get two chances to win!
Extra points for sharing on your social networks, just leave a link here where you shared it.
We can't tell you enough how much we are please to have the one and only Janet Chapman visiting our site and giving away this special book "Spellbound Falls" it's a new series and once you start reading it and the new series you will see why this book is so dear to our hearts and souls.
We both got the chance to finally meet Janet while in New York this past summer and we had a very nice time with her for the hours we visited there. So now Janet is coming to us from Lakewatch, taking precious time away from her writing to stop by and be so generous to do this contest.
Welcome Janet,
Just a little hello to say how excited I am about SPELLBOUND FALLS's release. I happen to think this is one of my best stories. Mac is--be still my heart--so epic! And Olivia is perfect for him. And Henry is the best! I love this new small town I've created deep in the Maine woods off the beaten path, and I'm writing the fourth book in the series as we speak. I'm even moving a couple of my MacKeages to Spellbound Falls, because ... well, there's room for only so much magic in this state, so I had to pull them all together. We'll see the Midnight Bay crew in this series every so often, too. And you're going to get to meet Titus and Rana Oceanus, as well as see more of Mac's sister, Carolina. So here's my deal: You keep reading and I'll keep writing! -Janet
Thank you Janet for visiting with us..... so here's the special contest for the new release of Spellbound Falls that hits the shelves February 28th, 2012.
TO WIN A RARE SIGNED"SPELLBOUND FALLS" YOU MUST:
(1) COMMENT HERE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
(2) SHARE THIS CONTEST PAGE ON A SOCIAL NETWORK AND COPY YOUR LINK HERE
You will then be entered in the drawing for your chance to win this special treasure!
Contest begins February 23rd and will continue through February 28th, 2012.
THIS IS OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL, PLEASE INCLUDE IN YOUR COMMENT IF YOU ARE INTERNATIONAL OR USA....
(1) USA & (1) INTERNATIONAL, YES THAT'S TWO WINNERS! WHOO!
Jennifer Loy has been writing romantic novels since 2005 and continues her membership with the RWA Aloha chapter. While spending a short time in Hawaii, she discovered that poetry wasn’t all that she could write. The beautiful beaches and friendly people inspired her to write romantic tales. In one year she produced five novels. Unfortunately, she couldn’t stay in Paradise forever, but the writing continues. Now living in Southern California, she is writing more than ever and loving every minute of it.
Prior to writing full-time, Jennifer worked as a Travel Agent in Newport Beach, California. Alongside her writing, her other full-time job is raising her four children. Where does she find the time? A dedication for the love of family and creative writing. Her family is very supportive.
Living in and travelling to many cities over the years has given her free range to place her unruly characters in. There is never a dull moment in her books, you’ll certainly get a good laugh, and always have a happily ever after, so enjoy!
Blurb:
Who the hell can afford the four million dollar bra that comes out of the Victoria’s Secret catalog holiday issue every year? Devin Warner, Brittany’s boss could and he did. But why? She gets kidnapped before she finds out.
Ryan Blake, the world’s worst kidnapper has just discovered his mistake could very well work out for him, but can he convince the beautiful Brittany to take off this elegant jeweled bra? No way! They will steal it back and forth and enjoy every minute of it. An unruly adventure that criss-crosses across the country with more wild twists and turns than a rollercoaster ride.
Excerpt:
Plan B! Plan B!”Ryan slapped his own forehead with his palm.
A snicker escaped from my throat and Ryan glanced back at me.
“What are you laughing about?You’re not even important enough for anyone to notice you’re gone!Do any of those people look worried about you at all?”
Holy crap, he was right.I really was a nobody.Tied up with a million dollar bra on and no one cared and no one knew.It was like hitting the lottery and never being able to spend it.I put my head down.A few tears dripped onto the red satin on my thighs.
Ryan leaned down in front of me and tousled my hair.“Forget what I said okay.I’m sure you’re important to somebody.”
I growled and swung my shoulders toward him.
“Wow, feisty thing aren’t you?”He bent down and awkwardly patted my shoulder.
The strap from my dress slid down my shoulder.I slowly looked up and blinked tears from my eyes.Ryan saw the strap on my bra.He teetered back on his heels and then leaned in for a closer look.“Well, if those are real, Miss Brittany , I believe I’ve found Plan B.
I shook my head. “Mo. May arm eel,” I said.
Ryan pulled the bandana out of my mouth. “What was that?”
“They aren’t real.”
He lifted up his eyebrows and leaned forward to get a glimpse down my top. “The breasts or the jewels?”
Jennifer Loy ~ Warning: Books contain unruly adventures!
CONTEST: TO WIN: A KINDLE OR PDF COPY OF MILLION DOLLAR BRA or A PRINT COPY OF THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHEN COMMENTING INDICATE WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE IF YOU WIN.....
CONTEST ENDS: DECEMBER 9th, 2011 ; Share this on Social Networks and get a second entry, post here your Social Network Name ... Good Luck !!!
Welcome Lynne to Netta & TJ's Review Spot! We would like to start off with a few questions to help our followers get to know you a little bit.
To start with, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in Canada and have vivid recollections of how much our family read. One set of grandparents started out with Dr. Seuss books, added Scholastic, and tossed an Encyclopedia Britannica in for good measure. My mother added a book club and countless magazines, while my Dad ordered National Geographic & Scientific American. He read to us every night. Having twins after me rather exhausted my mother. They were insidiously dangerous despite their cherubic smiles. So, we read and went to the library every week. Some books would have been off-limits to other parents, ours encouraged us to read *anything.* We did. I enjoyed telling my elementary school friends about Gone With the Wind, was excited when I read The Godfather and scared to death by Rosemary's Baby. My favorite photo of my mother is one I took in college. I caught her unaware as she sat on a couch...reading.
What can you tell us about this book?
In a rather strange way this book's story mimics what happens in The Comrades. In my 2nd year of law school, I saw the school playboy with a huge fantasy book. Making certain my wedding ring flashed protective bolts of lightning I asked him how he found time for 'free reading.' Playboy answered if he didn't read something that wasn't law, he'd lose his mind. Incredible; the kid had a plan which didn't include include hitting on me! Armed with knowledge, I went home after school, grabbed the first novel I saw [Tolkien] read for a bit, then fell asleep. I dreamt about a handsome man, a beautiful woman and *knew* that a grudge meant they would never meet.
Do you plot everything out, from beginning to end, or does it just come to you as you write?
I do not plot; the characters do. Sometimes I am amazed at the things that I didn't see coming. I consider myself to be their scribe.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
I was a journalist who never planned to do anything else. At first I could only write dialogue. I began to research, then had to learn how to write dialogue, then edit everything not needed.
What were your feelings when your first saw the cover of the finished product?
It was gorgeous. My publisher had worked with me to find the font I wanted, with a sword as the focal point. My friends who are writers liked it, including Diana Gabaldon. Simple but striking; the sword hilt looks like a cross, which is a reader's first clue that the book will have an undercurrent of Christian themes.
When you are not writing, what do you like to do?
Read, talk, shop. Rinse, repeat.
Do you have a routine before writing?
You bet! I open up the laptop, begin a page and say, "Okay, guys, who's talking today?"
Do you write in your PJ's or do you get dressed and get ready to work?
Every day is different, today I had to go out for a while, so I have respectable clothes on. Some days, pj's.
We are please to welcome New Author in the YA Genre/Paranormal Emlyn Chand who is stopping by here for her Novel's Publicity Blog Tour.... with her New Release Farsighted, which was just release October 24th, and has invited us along for the tour!
Up Front and Personal Look:
Farsighted is about a boy "Alex Kosmitoras" who is blind but can "see" in other ways. Emlyn took you beyond what you would think the blind can see, hear, smell or touch their way through life. This isn't a story you can predict with all the twist and turns this YA Paranormal will definitely keep your head in the book.
Please read the excerpt of Chapter 1 and go to the bottom of the page to watch the trailer and comment for a chance to win *$100 Amazon gift card* in this grand Blog Tour.
Farsighted: Chapter 1
Our hero is about to embark on a journey. Life as he knows it is quiet, boring, and predictable, but it’s also comforting and familiar. That will soon change.
Today is the last day of summer, but I’m not doing anything even remotely close to fun. I’m just lying here in Mom’s garden, running my hands over the spiky blades of grass—back and forth, back and forth until my fingertips go numb. Until everything goes numb. I sigh, but no one’s around to hear.
“Alex,” Dad yells from the kitchen window. “Dinner.”
Already? How long have I been out here? I spring up from the ground and the grass springs up with me, one blade at a time – boing, boink, boint. The sounds would be imperceptible to any normal person, but they roar inside my ears. I picture an army of earthworms raising the blades as spears in their turf wars and smile to myself.
Dad opens the back door and calls out to me again. “C’mon, Alex. What’s taking you so long?”
Grabbing my cane, I shuffle over to the house, brushing past him as I squeeze inside. The kitchen reeks of fast food restaurants and movie theaters—butter and grease. That means it’s breakfast for dinner. We do this every Sunday night, because Mom goes out to garden club and Dad doesn’t know how to cook anything else. Plus it’s cheap.
Breathing heavily, Dad plunks some food onto both our plates and collapses into his chair. He groans and asks me to pass the butter, or rather the “bud-dah.” He grew up in Boston and every once in a while the accent works itself into his speech.
I slide the tub to dad; he reaches out and stops it before it can glide clear off the table.
“What’s this?” Dad asks.
“Uh, the butter. Obviously.”
Dad’s voice raises an octave. “I know it’s the butter, so don’t get smart. Why’d you give it to me?”
“Uh, because you asked me to.”
“No, I didn’t.” He exhales as if the wind has been knocked out of him by an ill-timed punch to the stomach. “Guess you must’ve read my mind.” He chuckles to himself and slides the cool metal knife into the butter and scrapes it across his toast.
Dad and I don’t usually talk to each other unless Mom is around, asking about our days, chatting on, working hard to create those warm and fuzzy family moments we don’t seem to create naturally. And even though Mom has reassured me a million times, I know that Dad resents me for being born blind.
I can tell he would have much rather had a son like Brady—the same guy who insists on making my high school experience as difficult as possible. Nothing’s worse than knowing that your own father thinks you’re a loser.
Dad and I finish our meal in silence and my mind wanders.
He rises suddenly from his chair, breaking apart my thoughts. “Let’s get this table cleared before your mother comes home,” he says, without pronouncing the r in cleared.
I stand too and pick up my plate and glass. Guess I’ll pass on that fifth biscuit.
“Your mother has a surprise for you.”
I smile for my dad’s benefit. My parents are horrible at keeping secrets. Last night, I overheard them talking in their room. Mom was bragging about how she found some “cute” new shades on Wal-Mart’s clearance rack.
About ten minutes later, the tires of Mom’s van crunch on the gravel in our driveway with lots of little pings and a big cuh-clunk. As usual, she steers directly into the pothole we don’t have the money to repair. Sometimes I wonder if she does it on purpose.
The door creaks open, inviting a comforting floral fragrance into the house. Mom always smells like flowers—today it’s tulips and jasmine. She steps lightly across the floor and places a wet kiss on my cheek. When she turns to greet Dad, I wipe at the left-over moistness with my shirt sleeve. I’m getting too old for this kind of thing—been too old for a while now actually, but this doesn’t seem to matter to her.
“How was your day, my little sapling?” she asks. I really wish she would stop calling me her “little sapling.”
“Hi, Mom.” I hug her, because it makes her happy.
“Are you excited for tomorrow?”
I snap my fingers, which is how I say “yes” without actually saying it, kind of how most people nod their heads. I’m excited to learn, to have something to do other than lie in the grass, to possibly make a friend. More than likely though, things won’t change. I’ll still be an outcast. I’ll still be all by myself, but at least I’ll know where I stand. No more wondering.
Ignoring him, I turn toward Mom. “So, Dad told me you’ve got a surprise for me?” I’d rather get this over with quickly before they try too hard to build up the suspense.
“Oh, yes,” she chirps, fluttering over to the other side of the living room, pulling out the drawer of the small table in the corner, and rustling the unpaid bills inside. She comes back over to me and places a small bag in my lap.
“Wait,” Dad says as my hand is about to reach inside the bag. “Before you open that, I just want to say that I know we haven’t been able to give you as many back-to-school supplies as you need this year. Your backpack is starting to tear and your boots are scuffed…”
I had no idea my boots were scuffed, but now that he’s pointed it out, it’s all I can think about.
“And all of this is my fault,” Dad continues as I wonder how badly my boots are scuffed. Where? On the heel? On the toe?
Mom clicks her tongue and rubs Dad’s shoulder sympathetically, dragging her fingernails across his thick shirt. The scratching sound draws my attention back to his melodramatic speech.
“I want to make you a promise, as soon as I get a job we’re going to buy all of those things for you. Okay?”
“It’s okay, Dad. I don’t need anything.” Except for you to be nice to me even when Mom isn’t around, and, oh yeah, a friend or two.
“That’s my brave little oak tree,” Mom says, giving me another hug. I swear, sometimes I think she’s from another planet, or at least another time period. But still, she loves me, even if she’s constantly saying stupid things like that.
When they seem to have nothing more to say, my left hand reaches into the bag and brings a pair of sunglasses up into the palm. I run my right hand over them, trying to make out their shape. They’ve got hard plastic frames and cushiony rubber ends for where they sit on top of the ears. They’re broad in front; the rim goes in a straight line all the way across about a half an inch above the nosepiece. These aren’t the normal bookworm glasses. They’re cool guy glasses.
“We thought you deserved a new pair of cool guy glasses since you’re practically sixteen,” Mom says.
Ugh, I hate when she uses the same words as me. I make a mental note never to say, or think, the words “cool guy glasses” again.
“And they’re even your favorite color!” Mom shouts, unable to contain herself.
Then they’re green. I “see” color through my nose and like green best because so many of the best-smelling things are that hue, like grass and leaves and vegetables and limes. But with green glasses, I’m afraid I’m going to stick out like a sore thumb—a sore green thumb. I smile and reach out my arms. Both my parents come in for a hug. I whisper a quick prayer for tomorrow and head to bed.
The next morning, my alarm starts yelling at six o’clock. Is it excited or trying to give me a warning? Well, time to get this over with, time to see if this year will be any different from all the crappy ones before. I reach over and flip the off-switch and stumble about in a sleepy haze, getting ready for the first day of the new school year.
On the way to the bathroom, I stub my toe on some bulky object that’s just sitting in the middle of the hallway, not even pushed up against the wall. I kick it to the side—clunk, straight into the wall—and continue to the bathroom. I shouldn’t need my cane to get around my own house. That had to be something of Dad’s. What, is he actually trying to kill me now?
I turn the shower knob and wait for the water to get warm. It’s taking forever since I’m the first one up today. Aggravated by the wait, I go back into the hall to find that object again. Stooping down, I attempt to work out the shape. Rectangular, with a handle, made of leather or something leather-like, with little metal clasps. A briefcase, I guess. But Dad’s a contractor, why would he need a briefcase? Why now? I flip the clasp, eager to find out what’s inside. But the case doesn’t open. Brushing my fingers across the top again, I find a twisty-turny thing on either side. A combination lock. If it’s so important, why’s it laying here in the middle of the hall like a discarded sock?
A wall of steam pushes into my back, returning my attention to the running shower. I return the case to its original position in the middle of the hall and go to wash up for school. Afterward, I towel off and put on my favorite shirt, which is soft and made of flannel. I wear my favorite pants too—they’re baggy with big pockets on the sides. As I’m pulling them on, I feel a tickle at my ankles where the hem now rests two full inches above where it should be. I groan, realizing I must’ve grown over the summer. How much taller can I get? I’m really tall now, at least a couple of inches over six feet, but we just don’t have the money to keep buying me new clothes every time I grow another inch.
To add the finishing touch to my first-day-of-school look, I slip my new cool guy glasses—er, sunglasses—on over my nose. The lenses are extra thick. Probably, if I wanted, I could sleep in class and no teacher would ever notice. But I’m not like that; I like to learn.
“Honey?” Mom calls from the end of the hallway. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m coming,” I yell back. “Just a sec.” I fiddle with my boots, trying to stuff my pants into them, so no one at school sees they’re too short. I’m sure this makes me look even more like a teenage Paul Bunyan than usual, but I don’t care. The boots are comfortable and help to support my ankles. Anyway I could probably wear nothing but expensive designer clothes and still be considered a freak.
Before standing, I run my hands over my feet. The right boot has a long narrow indentation across the toe. They are scuffed. Great. With a drawn-out sigh, I pick up my backpack and walk over to the kitchen where Mom is waiting. She has way too much energy for this early in the day.
“Yogurt with berries fresh from the garden,” she says, placing a glass in my hand. “You can eat in the car.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I jab a heaping spoonful into my mouth and finish it in five huge bites, then grab my cane from the hook near the front door, loop the cord around my wrist, and follow Mom out to the driveway where the rattly old family van is parked. As she shifts the car into drive, sadness washes over me. I’m almost sixteen, but I’ll never be able to drive. I’ll always be forced to rely on my parents for everything, my entire life.
We drive the twelve minutes to school, while Mom talks non-stop about new beginnings and the “carefree happiness of youth.” When the van stops, I take a deep breath, and wrap my fingers around the door handle, ready to find out what’s in store for me this year at Grandon High.
“Hey, Alex?” Mom stops me just as I’m about to step out onto the curb. I pause and wait. “Have a good day at school.”
“I will.”
“Dad’ll pick you up and bring you to the shop in the afternoon, okay?”
“Okay. Bye, Mom.” The longer we draw this scene out, the higher the chances of her kissing me on the head or calling me her “little sapling.” I just can’t risk starting out the year on such an embarrassing note.
I get out of the car and head straight inside the building. A bunch of kids are hanging around outside, chatting away about their summers, getting back into the swing of things. They don’t notice me as I slink by and make my way to my first hour, English—I memorized the location of all of my classes during the summer, so I wouldn’t embarrass myself by getting lost or arriving after the bell rings.
Entering the classroom, I drop my backpack on the floor, and prop my cane between the seat and the desk; that way it’s near at hand and easy to get later. Nobody else is here yet, not even the teacher. Bored already, I decide to go get a drink of water from the fountain. As I’m rounding the corner of the familiar hall, the air gets heavy like it does after a rainstorm. The aroma of wet grass and asphalt overpowers my senses. This definitely seems out of place for a high school hallway.
“Hey, Alex, how was it today?” Dad asks in a much better mood than usual.
I turn around in shock. What is my Dad doing here? Mom just dropped me off. Dad should be in bed still, not here at school embarrassing me.
“Dad?” I ask tentatively. “Dad, what are you doing here?”
“I’m not your daddy, you no-eyed freak!” comes the voice of Brady Evans, the running-back of the school’s Junior Varsity football team—my biggest enemy.
The air becomes lighter all of a sudden, as if a vacuum cleaner has sucked up all the humidity. The fragrance of sweat and Axe deodorant spray fills my nostrils. I’m totally confused now.
“Brady?”
“No, it’s your daddy. Loser…” Laughter comes from at least six different people, most of them girls.
“Sorry,” I mumble and head back to English class, forgetting to get my drink of water. Brady and his entourage follow me in, making jokes at my expense.
I put my head down on my desk, wishing I was a chameleon, so I could become one with the desk and fade out of view—being a reptile couldn’t be that much worse than having to endure high school.
“Mr. Kosmitoras, could you please come here?” the teacher calls, butchering the pronunciation of my name.
“Um, it’s Caas-me-toe-rh-aas actually,” I respond, getting up and walking over to the teacher’s desk at the front of the room. Brady and his friends are still laughing. I hope they’ve moved onto a new topic.
“Here are your textbooks for the year. We’re starting out with this basic reader,” she says, plopping a thick book into my hands. “Then we’ll be moving on to The Odyssey and finally Romeo and Juliet.” She places these into my outstretched palms as well.
“Thanks,” I mutter and head back to my seat. I begin skimming the basic reader, flipping through several pages at once, randomly trailing my finger over little snippets of text. Since no school around here caters specifically to visually impaired kids, my teachers special-order textbooks in braille for me. That’s all I need to get by, really. With very few exceptions, I can do anything other kids my age do. I’ve been this way my whole life; I know how to make it work.
Bit by bit, the other students trickle into the class. Someone who smells like cherry candy sits down across the room. Then, a series of loud thuds comes from that direction—she must’ve dropped her books.
“Simmi! Simmi, Jeez! Don’t make so much noise!” says some boy, who sounds a bit like Brady, but I don’t think is Brady. I don’t know anybody named Simmi, so this girl must be a new student. Why’s this boy being so mean to her already? Hope rises within me. Maybe she’ll be an outcast too; the two of us could team up.
The bell rings, taking away the cherries. I don’t pay any attention to the teacher as she introduces herself to the class. Instead, I think about the strange things that have been happening today. What was in that briefcase in the hall this morning, and why couldn’t I open it? Why did I think Brady Evans was my dad? Why do we have to read Romeo and Juliet this year in English class? We’re less than five minutes into first period, and my hopes for the new year are pretty much dashed.
Blog Tour Notes
THE BOOK: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com’s Kindle store or the eBook retailer of your choice. The paperback edition will be available on November 24 (for the author’s birthday).
THE CASH PRIZES: Guess what? You could win a $100 Amazon gift card as part of this special blog tour. That’s right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post you just read, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. I could win $100 too!Please help by voting for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll. To cast your vote, visit the official Farsighted blog tour page and scroll all the way to the bottom. Thank you for your help with that. Please click on our blog "Netta & TJ’s Review Spot" at the above traffic-breaker poll.
MORE FUN: There's more fun below. Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out which character is most like you!
THE AUTHOR: Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!
Thank you Jess Michaels for coming over to Netta & Tj's Review Spot!!!
