M is for Marlowe: THE OTHER MARLOWE GIRL by Beth Fred

M is for Marlowe Girl.

Want to combat real-life pirates? 

Me, too! 

Today I'm sharing Beth Fred's sequel to THE FATE OF A MARLOWE GIRL. 

Add it on Goodreads

Book Two, titled THE OTHER MARLOWE GIRL, is about an ex-ballerina-turned-stripper-turned-ballerina-again.

The blurb:

When twenty-four-year-old dance school drop out Kammy Marlowe is evicted by her mother, she goes to her favorite bar. She finds an unlikely friend in the blunt eye candy, Enrique. But Kammy knows there is no way she and Enrique have a shot because he's her brother-in-law’s brother and has been privy to her wild past. 

Enrique swears he’s only interested in the person she is today, but their relationship is tested when her ex-husband's drug dealer attacks her, looking for money. With no options and a money hungry drug dealer on her back, Kammy accepts a position as a dancer at a strip club. But when Enrique shows up at the club, their relationship is over. With no reason to stay in Texas anymore, Kammy auditions for the Bolshevik Ballet and gets the opportunity to go to Russia. Only Enrique is determined to stop her. 

Will she give up the chance of a lifetime to stay with the man she still loves?


A little bit about Beth:

You know she's sweet because she used the A to Z challenge to promote OTHER writers! I caught wind of her beautiful book and pirate trouble while reading this post featuring Afterglow's own Jen Daiker.

From her darling blog:

Meet Beth Fred! That's me! I'm a full time ELF keeper and part time writer/blogger/writing instructor. I'm represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyons Literary Agency. I like my tea hot, my romance sweet, and my guys chivalrous. Real men hold open doors, refer to you as ma'am, make promises they keep, and aren't afraid to profess their undying love. It's not breakfast if there aren't carbs(at least, not in the South). Fajitas, carnitas, and churros are just few of my favorite things. Bet you can't guess where I'm from ;)

Pens for Paws, Poison, and the Robin Hobb Blurb

OPERATION AWESOME's Multi-Pack of Awesome is up for bidding at charity auction Pens for Paws today (until tomorrow)! So if you'd like to win a 20-page critique from Yours Truly, along with a handful of critiques from other OA members and signed books/swag, too, get over and bid now! (Other items for bidding include agent critiques!)

Here's a screen shot of the Operation Awesome prize:

So much goodness, it didn't all fit in one screen cap! Go check out the rest: http://pensforpaws.blogspot.com/2013/03/awesome-multi-prize-package-from.html

POISON:

"Bridget Zinn's first YA novel, Poison ...released by Hyperion on March 12, 2013. Unfortunately, Bridget died from cancer in May 2011 at the age of 33. Being published was Bridget's dream. Now, nearly four years to the day from her diagnosis, her novel is at last reaching readers. On her behalf, her friends and family want to celebrate her accomplishment and help get her book into the hands of readers."

Tragic story. But here's something that isn't tragic:

Bridget Zinn's book is beautiful!

And these reviews are beautiful, too:

Kirkus Reviews

"Don't let the title or cover fool you! No grimdark teen fantasy or angst-y heroines here; just a frothy confection of a fairy tale featuring poisoners, princesses, perfumers and pigs, none of whom are exactly what they appear (except maybe the pigs)…. Good silly fun—a refreshing antidote to a genre overflowing with grit and gloom."
—Kirkus Reviews

Publishers Weekly

"The late Zinn's debut novel unfolds as a romping, fairy-tale quest with more than one twist up its sleeve. The story is vivid, headlong, and occasionally tongue in cheek, and the narrative's dark moments never get too scary because everything else is so much fun." Ages 12–18. Agent: Michael Stearns, Upstart Crow Literary.—Publishers Weekly

I don't know about you, but it sounds right up my alley. I can't wait to read it, and while I do I'll think of the author Bridget Zinn who didn't get to see these glowing reviews, or probably even the beautiful cover art. And I'll feel a little sad. But what better way to honor her than to share in her dream and enjoy the book she wanted to share with the world?

WONDER LIGHT: UNICORNS OF THE MIST has been blurbed! By International Bestselling Author Robin Hobb!

Check it out at author R.R. Russell's blog

And here's the short blurb on the new cover:

Exhilarating! -Robin Hobb
Add it on goodreads
Pre-order it on amazon

THE MEME PLAGUE Cover LOVE! (by Angie Smibert)

I just ate up MEMENTO NORA and THE FORGETTING CURVE (read my Afterglow reviews here and here), and then found out I have to wait for THE MEME PLAGUE to be released before I can have any closure.

Gah!

But to my happiness, author Angie Smibert updated her blog with this gem last Tuesday:

On goodreads

And some good news! THE MEME PLAGUE has a new release date: AUGUST 13, 2013!!

So I still have to wait, but not as long as for some other books I'm anticipating. And at last we'll get to hear more from Meme Boy, or whatever he's calling himself now, and have some more news from the underground. Yes, yes, I know I am a nerd.

The Memento series is cult-worthy. If you haven't read the series yet, check out the books below:

In other news, I'll have a fabulous daily deal to share with you bookish bargain hunters tomorrow. So come back and take advantage of that!

THE LIVES OF TAO by Wesley Chu: Cover Reveal!!

Sharing the awesome! Operation Awesome's very own Wesley Chu has his cover for his SF book.  Introducing...

THE LIVES OF TAO

Seriously, just stare at this for a minute if you're not laughing yet. It goes perfectly with the book.

When out-of-shape IT technician Roen woke up and started hearing voices in his head, he naturally assumed he was losing it. 

He wasn’t. 

He now has a passenger in his brain – an ancient alien life-form called Tao, whose race crash-landed on Earth before the first fish crawled out of the oceans. Now split into two opposing factions – the peace-loving, but under-represented Prophus, and the savage, powerful Genjix – the aliens have been in a state of civil war for centuries. Both sides are searching for a way off-planet, and the Genjix will sacrifice the entire human race, if that’s what it takes. 

Meanwhile, Roen is having to train to be the ultimate secret agent. Like that’s going to end up well…

~~~~~~~

Here is the link on good reads: HERE

It comes out in just a few short months (April 30th) so add it to your list.

Or go ahead and PREORDER it now!

~~~~~~


Wesley Chu was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Chicago, Illinois when he was just a pup. It was there he became a Kung Fu master and gymnast.

Wesley is an avid gamer and a contributing writer for the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland. A former stunt man and a member of the Screen Actors Guild, he can also be seen in film and television playing roles such as “Banzai Chef” in Fred Claus and putting out Oscar worthy performances as a bank teller in Chicago Blackhawks commercials.

Besides working as an Associate Vice President at a bank, he spends his time writing and hanging out with his wife Paula Kim and their Airedale Terrier, Eva.



OKAY, now don't forget the always awesome MYSTERY AGENT CONTEST on March 1st. We've got an agent who specializes in children's books (PB, MG, YA) with specifics here.

THE CHAOS OF STARS by Kiersten White: Cover Reveal

Epic Reads revealed Kiersten White's cover for her November 2013-release, THE CHAOS OF STARS:

*faints from the pretty*

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.
Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.
Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.

I love that this book has a young girl dealing with being normal around paranormals, so to speak, just like Paranormalcy did. Of course, Evie finds out she's a lot more than normal in that trilogy. Will Isadora discover she has more power than she thinks, too? Methinks so. :) 

Kiersten also has a psychological thriller called MIND GAMES coming out this month, but I haven't decided yet if I'm going to read it. I'm one of Kiersten White's biggest fangirls, pretty much from the moment I met her blog and her adorable book. But MIND GAMES is a different sort of book from what I generally read. It makes me nervous, the way HUNGER GAMES did when I first heard of it. I may cave and read it, but probably not before I have the pleasure of diving into Isadora's world in THE CHAOS OF STARS!

Squee! So excited!