Cover Reveal: My Super Sweet 16th Century by Rachel Harris

I have an awesome cover reveal to share with you today.  It's for My Super Sweet 16th Century by Rachel Harris.  Check out this cover and this excerpt.

About the Book:

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever

Excerpt:

Alessandra jerks back like I just suggested she prance around the square naked or something. “No! I believe I understand your meaning, and Lorenzo is certainly not my suitor. He is like a brother to me—the three of us grew up together.”

She resumes walking and I fall in step beside her, understanding there has to be more to the story. And as we near the end of the row, I finally ask, “If you’re not into the guy, then what’s the problem?”

At that same moment, a rich, deep chuckle hits my ears. My stomach involuntarily clenches and my gaze sharpens on the back of this mysterious Lorenzo.

Alessandra sighs. “That is the problem.” She places her hand on my arm and solemnly looks me in the eyes. “You must be careful. Lorenzo is beautiful, and it is not uncommon for a girl to walk away from meeting him with a piece of her heart left behind. But he is just eighteen, and not yet ready for marriage.”

I roll my eyes and laugh, then realize she’s serious. “Yeah, I assure you, there’s no danger on my end. I’m not exactly looking for marriage myself.” Because that would be crazy-town.

Alessandra wrinkles her nose as if she doesn’t believe me, but she removes her hand. We close the distance and Cipriano flashes me an open, honest to goodness, lighthearted smile.

“Lorenzo, this is the cousin I was telling you about.”

Slowly the guy turns and I fall head first into the richest chocolate-brown eyes I’ve ever seen. He blinks and long, luscious lashes feather across his bronzed cheeks. I can feel myself gawking, but I physically can’t drag my eyes away. Lorenzo doesn’t smirk or act all conceited, either. He simply stares back, his eyes casually skimming over me, causing my skin to warm and break out in a whole body tingle.

Time seems to stop, and the sounds of the market mute. Alessandra was right. This boy is beautiful.

And he’s looking at me.

My Super Sweet 16th Century, by Rachel Harris is available for pre-order on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble Be sure to add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads! 

Be sure to connect with Rachel at:
www.RachelHarrisWrites.com
www.twitter.com/@RachelHarrisYA
www.facebook.com/RachelHarrisYA
www.goodreads.com/RachelHarris

Author Interview: Jordan Dane (On a Dark Wing)

Today I have a great interview with Jordan Dane, author of On a Dark Wing as part of the Teen Book Scene Tour.  I reviewed On a Dark Wing last week and really enjoyed it, be sure and check out my review after enjoying the interview.

1.     Describe the area you write in.

It’s actually not too cluttered right now, compared to what I’ve had in the past. I have a very large office/media room that I work in upstairs with a door that I can close to keep out my playful cats & dogs when I need to work—and my husband who sometimes needs a swat on the end of his nose with a rolled up newspaper. I have a desk, filing shelves for work supplies, books, and general office stuff. I also have a love seat and sofa and a chair for guests—a half bath and a walk-in closet for more storage. Very cool actually. My window blinds are usually shut so I don’t get distracted.

2.     What's your favorite season?

Winter. (I live in Texas, so winter means something different here, but I love a good fire and fall clothes and a hearty bowl of vegetarian chili.)

3.     If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

Anywhere? I’d love to be a time traveler if I could control where & when I went. Uber-cool. I’ve traveled some in my life, but loads of places interest me. I’d love to visit Japan, back to the UK again, Australia, Greenland, all sorts of places.

4.     How difficult was it making the transition from writing Romantic Suspense to Young Adult?

I really think of myself as a romantic thriller author, but maybe not even that. There are so many subgenres within thriller and my idea of romance is only elements, not very traditional. I think it’s always more interesting to have a man and a woman or a love interest involved in any suspense/thriller plot to deepen the conflict. When I was on a panel at a BoucherCon conference for readers of crime fiction and mystery lovers, I got asked how much romance is in my books. I jokingly said that “with my idea of romance, usually money changes hands.” 

But to answer your question, the voice of YA is not easy. I brought my thriller craft to YA so I could capitalize on the crossover appeal of YA with adults too, but I also had in mind to introduce thriller writing craft to younger readers. To do that, you have to rethink how you craft a plot and the voice of your protag. I also have mixed first with close third POV to give me more flex on scenes when I unfold the plot and I thread subplots into my story with emotional layering to add depth. It’s very cool to see how younger readers respond to something they haven’t read before, when they notice the difference.

I do a workshop on writing YA. I’m doing one online now actually. I’ll do another one in November 2012 for the Colorado Romance Writers. There is a lot to learn about YA to make the leap, but it’s very worth it. The imagination it takes to write YA is another big plus. I think writing YA has made me a better adult author.

5.     Which character really spoke to you when you were writing On a Dark Wing?

On another blog tour, I did character interviews and it was amazing how I could fall into my characters again – Abbey, Nate, Tanner, Death. It was so fun to be in all their heads. Death was a real challenge, but I loved being inside him. Imagining what a conversation between him and Abbey was GREAT fun for me. Tanner was also another favorite of mine. My cousin, who is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair since he was 22, helped me “fine tune” Tanner. My cousin Dave is a physical therapist, helping people to get back on their feet when he can’t be on his. He’s a real hero to me and he made Tanner a joy to write. Good question.

About On a Dark Wing:

The choices I had made led to the moment when fate took over. I would learn a lesson I wasn't prepared for. And Death would be my willing teacher.

Five years ago, Abbey Chandler cheated Death. She survived a horrific car accident, but her "lucky" break came at the expense of her mother's life and changed everything. After she crossed paths with Death—by taking the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and sky—she would never be normal again.

Now she's the target of Death's ravens and an innocent boy's life is on the line. When Nate Holden—Abbey's secret crush—starts to climb Alaska's Denali, the Angel of Death stalks him because of her.

And Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.