Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Wrong Side of Town: Chapter One




Chapter One

Estella

There were eyes on me as I hopped out of the car. I could feel them burning into me as I hurried towards the Penthill Community Center.
The Madden gang. They were the ones watching me.
About eight of them sat on motorcycles in the deserted parking lot of Jensen’s Grill across the street.  The parking lot was probably deserted because of them. I didn’t know anyone who would voluntarily want to be in the same vicinity as the Madden gang. Anyone who did was, in all honesty, downright insane.
There were only three things I knew about the Madden gang. The gang had begun with three brothers, but had over twenty members in it now. Secondly, they were rivals with the Allbrook motorcycle gang. And, finally, I knew that they absolutely terrified me.
They were intimidating, muscular figures covered in tattoos and piercings, notorious for drinking, dealing drugs, and were responsible for most of the violence that occurred in the small town of Penthill. Thankfully, I lived in Statlen, which was a good half hour’s drive to Penthill, so we rarely saw them around.
Still, when I did venture to Penthill to volunteer in the soup kitchen two afternoons after school, I always kept an eye out for the Madden gang. I’d been coming to Penthill for about a month now and hadn’t run into them.
Until today.
The sound of an engine throttling startled me and I stumbled forwards and fell onto the pavement. A roar of laughter erupted and, straightening myself up, I glanced across the street to find that the boys of the Madden gang were laughing. At me.
My face went hot and I knew that it was as red as a beetroot right now. Why had I let something so trivial scare me? I really had to get my act together. I couldn’t have a mental breakdown every time I heard a motorcycle being revved or saw the Madden gang.
Feeling beyond embarrassed, I tried to collect myself as I continued down the street to where the community center stood. I’d never been happier to see the rundown place in my life.
As I pushed open the glass door and entered the building, I could distinctly hear the boys still laughing. I’d never been more relieved to be out of the street.
Penthill Community Center was a dilapidating building that was used for numerous purposes. Town meetings and elections were often held here, but every Monday and Friday afternoon at 5 pm it became a soup kitchen for the local homeless.
I’d started volunteering here a month ago after my brother, Nathan, had seen an ad posted on a noticeboard at his college. I’d been a volunteer at the Statlen animal shelter for a while, but I’d wanted to do more for the community, so I’d signed up here.
“Hey, Estella!” Michelle said from behind the service desk. Michelle was in her late-twenties with beautiful red hair that flowed halfway down her back and had a smile that could brighten up your entire day. Michelle was the one who ran the volunteer program and managed everything. She was great at what she did.
“Hi,” I said as I walked up to where she was sorting through some paperwork. “You’ve started early today.”
Michelle shrugged and shot me a forlorn look. “We lost two volunteers in a week so I’m trying to reassign tasks. I have to work something out until we can get someone to manage the substance abuse group.”
The woman was a machine. If she wasn’t helping out in the kitchen, she was doing paperwork. If she wasn’t doing paperwork, she was running one of the self-help groups.
As well as feeding the homeless, after dinner we split them into smaller groups to help them with their personal problems. Some of them were alcoholics, gamblers or addicted to drugs. The older volunteers would take a group and talk to them about their options and how to work towards getting off the streets. I didn’t manage a group, but I liked to stick around and absorb what everyone had to say.
“That sucks,” I said with a frown. “Hopefully we’ll find people to fill in.”
Michelle didn’t look hopeful. “No one wants to work in Penthill for free with that Madden gang lurking around.”
My cheeks went hot from the fresh memory of being laughed at by them. “Yeah, speaking of them, they’re right across the street.”
Michelle’s expression darkened. “I know. I saw them on my way in. I hope they don’t scare away our clients.”
“Are they really as bad as everyone says they are?”
Michelle shook her head. “No, they’re worse. They steal, they vandalize, and they beat people up to the point of being unrecognizable. If you’ve ever heard a story about the Madden gang, multiply it by ten because those boys are just about the worst thing around these parts.”
I frowned. “If I ever run into one of them, I’d like to give them a piece of my mind…”
“If you ever run into one of them, I suggest you run in the opposite direction if you value your life.”
I sighed. Michelle was right. You didn’t poke an angry bull in the eye; you ran away from it screaming. “Why don’t the police do anything about them?”
Michelle shrugged. “Too scared, I guess. I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of one of those boys. There isn’t a law, or a bone, they won’t break.”
Her words sent a chill down my spine, and I felt cold all over. All this morbid talk about the Madden gang was bringing down the mood. I really wanted to be done with this conversation.
“Is everyone else here yet?” I asked, changing the topic.
Michelle went back to sorting through her papers. “They’re prepping for dinner.”
“Okay, I better go help out,” I said, bringing a smile to my face.
Michelle nodded absently and I left her to do her paperwork. As I headed towards the kitchen to help with dinner, I was looking forward to losing myself in my work and forgetting all about the Madden gang.
Those boys were the stuff nightmares were made of.

***
My brother was running late.
Nine out of ten times I loved Nathan, but tonight was not one of those nights. He was supposed to be here thirty minutes ago, but he’d texted me to say that he’d been late leaving his girlfriend’s house after dinner.
Everyone was gone and I was left standing in the cold outside the community center. The weather in winter was unpredictable. We’d wake up with cool mornings that would end with freezing nights. I was foolishly dressed in baggy jeans and a t-shirt made from a flimsy material that seemed to absorb the cool air.
“Estella Markson, you are a silly, silly girl,” I said to myself in a British accent as my teeth chattered.
Don’t ask me why I spoke to myself in a British accent. The habit had started when I’d been little and my mother and I had watched British comedies together. Mom and I had begun imitating the actors and it had sort of just stuck with me. British accents made simple words sound so much better.
“Estella Markson, do you always talk to yourself?”
The voice came out of nowhere and I jumped back, glancing from side to side. The streetlights were on the other side of the road, so this side of the street was full of shadows. From my right, a solid figure detached itself from the wall and began walking towards me.
It was a boy. Well a man, I guess. He looked like he was a few years older than me. He was dressed in fitted black jeans and a black leather jacket. My senses were on high alert and I didn’t take my eyes off him.
As he came closer and the dim light fell on him, I noticed that he had longish brown hair that was slicked back. A strand or two fell onto his face like they’d been artfully placed that way. And, wow, that face. It was chiseled and taut with full lips and a cleft on the chin.
The guy was downright hot and he’d heard me talking to myself. Could I be any more embarrassing? Still, hot guys could be muggers or rapists and I wasn’t going to let my guard down just because he had a pretty face.
“Um…uh…I.” I glanced around, hoping to see someone around, but there was no one walking the streets. It was just me and the guy.
“What are you doing out here all by yourself, Stelle?”
Stelle. The hot guy had just called me Stelle. He had just spoken to me and a normal person would say something back, but obviously I wasn’t capable of being normal for one second.
“Oh…I’m...uh…waiting for someone.” I was still feeling threatened. Maybe he was a distraction and he had an accomplice who would grab me from behind. I darted a glance over my shoulder, but the streets were still empty.
He cocked a brow. “Your boyfriend?”
I deserved a medal for how stupid I was acting. Now the hot, possibly dangerous, guy thought I was a complete psycho and that I had a boyfriend. “No, no, my brother.” Then, for good measure, I added, “He’s a decorated police officer.”
The guy leaned against the wall of the community center and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. He lit it up, inhaled, and blew out a cloud of smoke before turning back to me. “Is that so?”
I nodded, scrunching up my nose at the horrible smell of the cigarette. “Yep, and he has a gun and a Taser.”
“Fascinating.” The guy regarded me with his dark eyes and then smirked. “Your brother’s not really a police officer, is he?”
My heartbeat accelerated from my lie being caught out. I shook my head, my body trembling from the biting cold. “N-no. He’s a student at Statlen University.”
His eyes sparkled. “Let me tell you something, darlin’. If you’re in this part of Penthill this late at night by yourself, don’t lie to a guy you don’t know and then admit that you were lying. At least follow through with the ‘my brother’s a police officer’ story.”
I gulped. He was right. I was stupid for coming up with the lie and even more stupid for admitting that I’d lied in the first place.
“Just because my brother’s not a police officer, doesn’t mean that he still won’t kick your ass if you try anything funny.”
The guy held up a hand in defense, an amused smile lingering on his lips. “I’m not gonna lay a hand on you unless you tell me to, Stelle.”
There he went calling me Stelle again like he’d known me for years. And I still had no idea who he was. “I don’t even know your name.”
“Vincent,” he said simply, taking a puff of his cigarette again.
I narrowed my eyes as the cigarette smoke drifted into my face. “Well, Vincent, if you’re going to continue talking to me then you need to put that thing out.”
Vincent’s eyebrows shot up and he regarded me with this look on his face, like he couldn’t quite figure me out. Finally, he sighed and flicked the cigarette onto the pavement and put it out with the sole of his boot.
He turned back to me, looking thoroughly annoyed. “So, Stelle, is there anything else I can change about myself to accommodate you better during this five minute conversation?”
Taken aback by his tone, I shook my head. Seriously, where was my brother when I needed him? There was nothing stopping this guy from kidnapping me except for a vague threat about my no-show brother.
“N-no, it’s f-fine. I j-just…” I trailed off, my teeth still chattering. I wasn’t too sure if my teeth were chattering in fear or from the cold.
Vincent sighed. “Oh, for God’s sake. Here!” He began pulling off his leather jacket and I started shaking my head, not wanting to annoy him further.
“I’m not c-cold…Y-you’re not trying to get me to let my guard down and then kidnap me, are you? Because my family has no money to pay for a ransom…”
I was hypnotized by how dark his eyes were, as he swung the jacket over my shoulders and slipped both my arms through each sleeve. Shivers ran up my arms as his hand brushed my skin.
A slow grin spread across Vincent’s face that both excited and terrified me. He leaned in closer and my eyes snapped to those full lips of his. “I think I should be the one fearing for my safety. You were just talking to yourself in a British accent a few minutes ago.”
Heat spread from my neck to my face and then back again. Feeling mortified, I lowered my gaze onto his neck. There was a squiggle on it. I squinted at it, trying to figure out what the marking was. Giving up, I let my eyes wander to his bare arms.
I stopped breathing.
Oh my God. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Layer upon layer of tattoos were inked on his arm—both arms, in fact—intertwined with one another, some images, some words. I’d never seen someone with that many tattoos in my life. Why would someone want to get so many? What purpose did they serve?
And that’s when my eyes shot back to his neck and the squiggle that was on it. The squiggle wasn’t a squiggle at all. It was a tattoo in a medieval looking style that said “M”.
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks.
The purpose of the tattoos was to instill fear and intimidate others, that was why he had them. The ‘M’ wasn’t some random squiggle or letter. It had a purpose too. It defined who he was, what he was known for.
He was in the Madden gang.




Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Falling For Hadie Teaser #1

For those of you who don't follow me on Facebook, I thought I'd post the Falling For Hadie teasers that I've been posting onto my blog. I'll post the rest throughout the week.

Enjoy!


Lincoln's POV


Taking her hand again, I smiled and her face brightened.
“Are you saying you have a crush on me, Hades?”
Hadie rolled her eyes, but didn’t seem annoyed. “I’m saying that I might have more than a crush on you.”
Frowning, I stroked my chin with my free hand. “Well, this creates a bit of a problem.”
Hadie’s face fell and her eyes were somber as she drank me in. “What do you mean?”
Sighing, I tried to keep a straight face. “I mean that I don’t know what my wife’s going to think about me having a girlfriend.”
Hadie stared at me, her mouth hanging open as my words sunk in. My mouth twitched, and Hadie shot me a glare before she started hitting me all over my body.
Laughing, I grasped her by the arms and we fell back onto the long grass, rolling around on the damp ground for several seconds before Hadie managed to climb on top of me.



Friday, January 18, 2013

Falling for Hadie Stats

The first draft of Falling for Hadie is finally done! YIPPPPEEEE!

It is officially complete at 75, 684 words which was WAY more than I was aiming for. Falling for Hadie was my NaNo novel and I went over the 50K mark by the end of the challenge. It took me so long to write because in December I took a much needed break. Plus, there was some family stuff going on which I won't go into, but let's just say it frustrated me and writing was the last thing on my mind.

Another reason this took me a lot longer to write was because I found it emotionally draining. Also, I was getting used to being a new author and all the promoting that has to be done. I mean, I didn't really promote the heck out of my book because that's not my style, but I did get super distracted responding to messages and emails.

I think I have the best readers ever! They are so kind and we talk about random things completely unrelated to books sometimes. It's great to connect with people who love your books and are waiting for the next installment. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that there are people WAITING for my next book.

Something else that is super exciting is that my debut novel, Impossible, is still doing really well. As I write this, it's ranked #1, 432 on the Amazon U.S. site and #173 on Amazon U.K! Thank you to everyone who has bought, read or reviewed Impossible. You have no idea how much love I have for you! <3

As for Falling for Hadie, I don't have an exact release date for it yet. I would like to have it out by the end of February, but I can't guarantee that because I refuse to take any shortcuts on my editing process. If there is anything else to update then I will let you guys know!

Enjoy your week! <3





Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Cover Reveal: Wrong Side of Town!!

I have no words. I absolutely love this cover and Eden pretty much nailed this in one mock up. Wrong Side of Town is the third book in the With Me series and is preceded by Impossible and Falling for Hadie. You can read the books out of order though as they aren't direct sequels.

I hope you love the cover as much as I do!




Estella Markson is a good girl. She studies hard, stays out of trouble, and is struggling to hold together her family that is falling apart because of her alcoholic father.

Vincent Madden is the guy your mother warned you to stay away from. He doesn’t follow the rules, is in a notorious motorcycle gang, and doesn’t care if he breaks the law or someone’s bones.

One night after a chance encounter, Vincent starts to take an interest in the innocent girl who is so different to him. Despite Vincent’s infamous reputation, Estella is also intrigued by him. There is something about this bad boy that gives her an escape from her world of problems, and she can’t stay away.

As Estella slowly strips away Vincent’s defenses, she finds that underneath the tattoos and tough exterior is someone who is just as broken as she is.  And Vincent will do anything to hold onto the girl who makes him want to be a better man.

Everyone warned Estella to stay away from the boy from the wrong side of town, and now she’s in too deep.


Thanks for stopping by! :)




Monday, January 7, 2013

Cover Reveal: LARK by Erica Cope

I am so freaking excited to share this cover reveal and blurb with you guys!!!!! Erica Cope is one of my nearest and dearest friends, critique partner, and all round one of the sweetest people I know. And guess what?? She is publishing her debut novel, LARK in a couple of months!

The wonderful Eden Crane was responsible for the stunningness (yes, I am just making up words here!) that is the cover of LARK! Okay, is everyone ready...??








Here it is!











The last time she checked, Mia Carrington was pretty sure that she was a normal girl with a completely ordinary life.
She goes to high school, has a crush on the gorgeous and mysterious new boy in town, and has strange dreams that she can’t help but feel are real somehow.

Okay, so maybe she’s not all that normal after all.
A freak accident changes Mia’s life forever when she is thrown into another world and left to deal with the revelation that she is the daughter of the King of the Light Elves. Throw in an ominous prophecy predicting that Mia will break a curse unleashing the Dark Elves on the world and well, things don’t look too good.

There is danger lurking at every corner in this strange world and Mia isn’t sure who she can trust…

The only thing she is certain of is that the Dark Elves know about her, and they will stop at nothing until they have her.


Isn't is fabulous?? I am seriously in love with it! I can't wait until everyone gets to read LARK and see how awesome Erica is! If you'd like to find out more about Erica, check out her blog!





Saturday, January 5, 2013

My Favourites of 2012!!

What an amazing year in books! My shelves are overflowing and my Kindle has so many books on it that I've lost count. 2012 was such a great year for me reading-wise because I discovered Contemporary Romance novels. My Contemporary kick started off with The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines, and I never looked back. Thus, my TBR of fantasy/paranormal books was sorely neglected.

The funny thing is that every book that I was anticipating to read in 2012, I didn't read! Maybe because they were all fantasy novels and 2012 was all about Contemporary Romance for me. Go ahead and check out my Favourites of 2011 for a refresher in what I read and loved in 2011.

As for 2012, well, I fell in love, I had my heart broken, I cried, I sulked, and I laughed. That's what I love so much about books; I am always being affected in some way by a well-written story.


Favourite Book Covers

Stitch - Samantha Durante


The Vincent Boys - Abbi Glines


Easy - Tammara Webber


Endlessly - Kiersten White


The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden - Jessica Sorensen



Favourite Couples

Jacqueline & Lucas - Easy

Alex & Aiden - Deity

Ashton & Beau - The Vincent Brothers

Piper & Victor - The Owens Legacy: Revelations


Favourite Female Character

Alex Andros - Deity

Runner Up:
Scout Donovan - Destiny Binds


Favourite Male Character

Lucas Maxfield - Easy

Runner Up:
Daemon Black - Obsidian


Exciting New Series

Crossroads - J.J. Bonds

Fallen too Far - Abbi Glines

Lux Series - Jennifer L. Armentrout


Favourite Books (Read in 2012)

Obsidian - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Easy - Tammara Webber

The Vincent Boys - Abbi Glines

Pure - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Destiny Binds - Tammy Blackwell

Fallen Crest High - Tijan

Fallen Too Far - Abbi Glines

Deity - Jennifer L. Armentrout

While it Lasts - Abbi Glines

Hollowland - Amanda Hocking


Most Anticipated Releases of 2013

Apollyon - Jennifer L. Armentout


Never Too Far - Abbi Glines


Suddenly Royal - Nichole Chase


The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die - April Henry


The Summer I Became a Nerd - Leah Rae Miller




I would love to hear what your favourites of 2012 were, so stop by and leave a comment. :)