Sunday, September 29, 2013

An Excerpt from "The Super Spies and the Pied Piper!"





Chapter One
“What do you mean you lost them?” Sarah Cole fidgeted as she waited for Agent Gray to answer. I can’t believe it! He lost the only clue to our parents’ location. What is wrong with this picture?
Agitated, Sarah shifted in her seat and chewed on her lip. She was uncomfortable in the folding chair and rearranged her petite frame so she wouldn’t feel the cold metal against her bare legs. Shivering, she glanced around the alltoofamiliar  room.

The gray cement block walls no longer gave her that creepy, closed-­in feeling she’d used to get when she first came to the interrogation rooms. She remembered the first time she’d been in that tiny space. It had been the day she’d discovered the Cat Lady’s dead body. Sarah shuddered at the memory and then smiled when she remembered forming the Super Spies and bringing the Cat Lady Killer to justice. Glancing around the room again, she realized she’d been in this room quite a bit these last few weeks, not only during the Cat Lady investigation, but the High School Bomber investigation as well. Shivering again, Sarah rubbed her arms but she really wasn’t cold. Her mind filled with the image of the bomber the Super Spies had helped apprehend just a week earlier.

Wow! Was it just last week?

She tugged at a lock of her honey colored hair, then brushed it away with an impatient hand. She sighed and glanced at her younger sister. Lacey sat beside her with her legs crossed, jiggling her foot at such a rapid rate it seemed like her whole body was electrified. She caught Sarah’s eye, and for a moment her eyes glittered like emeralds before she shifted her gaze to Aunt June, who had placed her hand on Lacey’s leg in what appeared to be an attempt to quiet her. Sarah shifted in her chair and sighed again
.
Are we ever going to find Mom and Dad?

A commotion out in the hall drew everyone’s attention. Sarah leaned forward and craned her neck to see what was happening.

“Chief, we’ve got an OD!” An officer yelled.

“What?” Chief Johnson yelled as he rushed by. “An OD on what? Give me the details.”

“The parents found their son unconscious in his room this morning, and an empty bottle of prescription medication on his bedside table.”

“What was it?” Chief Johnson asked.

“It’s Myodine.”

“Who makes it?”

“Ah… Piper Drugs.”

“Call Poison Control with the name and manufacturer and ask them what to do about an overdose. Instruct the parents to get their son to the hospital pronto,” Chief Johnson ordered.

“They’ve brought him here.”

“What?” Chief Johnson exclaimed.

The sound of policemen rushing through the hall pulled Sarah and her sister out of their seats. They hurried to the door, unable to stifle their curiosity. Peering down the corridor, Sarah caught a glimpse of a young man sagging between two officers as they desperately tried to keep him on his feet. One officer gently slapped his face while the other officers held him up. The young man blinked and then gagged, puking on the officer in front of him.

The rancid stench of fresh vomit filled the air. While plugging her nose, Sarah ducked back inside the interrogation room, followed by her sister. Sarah closed the door, hoping it would keep the smell from penetrating the room.

“Did you hear that, Lace? Piper Drugs! That’s the company Dad works for,” Sarah whispered in her sister’s ear before proceeding back to her seat.

Lacey opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when Agent Gray cleared his throat and motioned for them to sit down.

He continued his conversation as if they hadn’t been interrupted. We were on our way to the location of the ping… but before we got there it disappeared.”


“So, what does that mean? Did you find our parents or what?” Sarah blurted out as she sat down. She stared into Agent Gray’s icy blue eyes, trying to read his mind.

Thanks for stopping by. This is the third book in the Super Spies series. If you'd like to check out the first two books in the series, their covers and blurbs are below.



This book opens in a small town in Michigan where fifteen-year-old Sarah Cole is stuck spending the summer at her Aunt and Uncle’s with her sister, Lacey. She’s not happy with the situation until she befriends a girl named Jackie. The three girls stumble upon the ruthless murder of a reclusive neighborhood woman. One of the officers investigating the crime believes the girls are responsible for her death. Fearing that this officer will frame them for the murder, the girls organize their own detective squad. They become the Super Spies and start their own fact-finding mission.  The Super Spies can’t understand why anyone would want to murder the “Cat Lady” until they start digging into her past and discover a horrible crime that happened thirty years ago. They uncover a connection between the two crimes and attempt to bring this information to the police, only to be reprimanded for meddling in the inquest. Not only are the girls upset by the admonition, but they also struggle with the fact that their exuberant investigating could provide a legal loophole allowing the killer to go free. To make matters worse, the police don’t even believe them. Frustrated by this turn of events, the Super Spies realize it’s up to them to snare the Cat Lady killer, or die trying…



This book opens in a small town in Michigan where Sarah and her sister Lacey are now living with their Aunt and Uncle. Still reeling from the fact her parents have disappeared, Sarah starts the school year with her new friend Jackie Jenkins. When Sarah learns the school has been bombed, she’s filled with dread. Uncle Walt is a teacher, and he was in the school when the bomb exploded. Taking matters into her own hands, Sarah decides to search for him. The rest of the Super Spies are right behind her. When a fireman chases them away from the school, Sarah becomes suspicious. She decides to investigate. The FBI arrives on the scene. Sarah realizes this bombing could have even bigger implications. Searching for the bombers, Sarah is introduced to the world of terrorism. She fears that the bombing and her parents’ disappearance are connected and terrorists are involved. To make matters worse, the bombers are determined to finish the job. Can the Super Spies find the bombers before it’s too late?





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Saturday, September 28, 2013

New Releases: SET, TIERS, and AFTERSIGHT

We had three new releases at AP this week: a volleyball romance, one set at the London Olympics, and a paranormal/horror (yup, we have those too).


Set To Love by Jennifer Rae Gravely
$2.99
Contemporary, Inspirational, Sports
 
The championship is her dearest desire, not love. Recently appointed girls’ volleyball coach at Keowee High School, Randi Sly spends the night with rival coach Blake Steele after getting sick from drinking too much wine. Rumors swirl as the two battle for the State crown.
 
BUY LINKS
 
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Aftersight by Brian Mercer
$2.99
Coming of Age, Horror

Becky Reynalds is a girl with otherworldly powers she doesn’t want. Having survived a car accident in which all her friends are killed, Becky has been “gifted” with the ability to hear spirits, a gift that brings with it the power to divine other people’s feelings and innermost secrets, whether she wants those secrets or not. Recruited to Waltham Academy for Psychic Sensitives in Northwest England, Becky meets three hauntingly familiar girls with unique psychic talents, only to discover that their meeting is no accident.

BUY LINKS
 
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Three Tiers for Win by Kathy Bosman
$2.99
Contemporary, Sports, Romance
Three Tiers for Win is a story of adventure, romance, and family passion that unfolds with the backdrop of the 2012 London Olympics. Elaine said she would never date an athlete as they’re too driven. That’s until she meets kind, yet intensely focused and ambitious South African Olympic swimmer, Winston Harper. He stands for everything she’d chosen not to go for. Win also has a bad family history which keeps him from opening his heart to her. When intense attraction and affection breaks through some of their barriers, family secrets and conflicts pull them apart again. Only Elaine’s support and Win’s brokenness can draw them back together, but will that be strong enough to wipe away the past?
 
BUY LINKS


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

An Excerpt of Just Dessert


An Excerpt of Just Dessert


Dessert…the perfect remedy when nothing in life is going right.

What do you do when you are the sole protector of four children, your brothers and sisters?  When each day is haunted by disappointment, disillusionment and desperation?  When you believe that everyone who ever loved you, including God, has abandoned you?

You bake a pie, of course.

What do you do when you find a woman whose heart is consumed by fear?  Who does not know how to trust?  Who scoffs at your faith and throws your kindness back in your face?

You eat a pie, of course.





Excerpt:
Seventeen year old Mary Fitzgerald stepped up next to the deacon, a beautiful looking strawberry pie in her hands. Today was the day she started taking lasting steps to protect her family. Pa was passed out at home, having drunk so much there was no way he would be waking up to come to the festivities at the church today.
She had been taking care of and protecting her younger brothers and sisters, the four of them, as far back as she could remember, but her pa was getting meaner and nastier with each passing year. Her brothers were getting angrier and more volatile, too. It was important to get them all out from under Pa's thumb before her brothers were ruined for life, sentenced to turn into men like their pa.
Hoping to find a man willing to wed her and take her brothers and sisters in, too, Mary had entered herself in the dessert auction at a picnic hosted by the church. The auction was one of many events at the picnic, but it was the only one in which Mary was interested. Only eligible men were allowed to bid, and she hoped to use the auction to find a husband. How old, ugly or poor – Mary didn't care as long as he didn't beat or terrorize them. That was her highest hope, to find a man who did not cause her to cower, who did not break her bones, who would not harm her brothers and sisters. She had poured all her hopes for escape into making this pie to help her find a husband. Harboring no illusions about love, Mary didn't even really care if the man was kind; she only needed him not to be too terrible.
As the diminutive deacon with thinning grey hair was about to begin the bidding, Mary glanced up. Fear grabbed hold of her heart and squeezed so tight she thought she might faint right there. Neither the sea of curious faces nor the beautiful blue Idaho sky drew her attention. Pa was coming, and he looked madder'n a hot, hungry bull. Mary couldn't move. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps as she tried to stay conscious. She was terrified of this man. They had been so certain Pa would stay passed out all day, that he wouldn't be able to discover their plan until it was too late. The kids had all dressed in their finest clothes and promised to be on their best behavior – no small feat for the boys – and now here came Pa, ruining their chance for escape.
The deacon had not seen Mr. Fitzgerald yet and was taking a big breath in preparation to start the bidding. His mouth was still open, sucking in air, when the bellow came from the back of the crowd, "That's my young'un and ain't nobody biddin' on her pie! I ain't raisin' no harlot to get paid for her favors!"

You can purchase Just Dessert at these and other fabulous online retailers.
Amazon               Barnes & Noble              Astraea Press

Saturday, September 21, 2013

This Week's New Releases: Uncharmed, Deadline, and Home Alone

Happy Saturday!!! We had a big week at Astraea Press. We hit over 2000 likes on our facebook page and gave away a $50 Amazon gift card! We also had great discussions on the facebook page on which movies shouldn't be remade and if you had to be stuck in a tv show for a month, which would you choose?

Most exciting of all was the three releases that came out this week! Two brand new ones and one that had previously only been sold through Amazon.com.

NEXT WEEK: We have FOUR releases!! It would be a good time to join the Astraea Press STREET TEAM to see the book covers and first chapters before anyone else :) OH, and you can win one of the free releases :) Not a bad deal. Join today :) https://www.facebook.com/groups/287644554704711/

Thrice Uncharmed by Cara Lee
 
$1.99  
Dystopian, Science Fiction, Adventure
 
Wynne Layuman doesn’t hate Hector Primuman IV, but she can’t bring herself to like him much, either, even if he does understand her when she recites the periodic table. Eventually, her mother uses the outdated Earth adage, “The third time’s the charm,” even though the third attempt to set Wynne up with Hector happened before they hit Dyad (age sixteen).

Hector Primuman IV, great-great grandson of the man who founded the original colony, has long known he’s odd. With the genegineering that advanced his mind at the expense of his body (genegineering specifically designed to enable him to keep the colony’s secrets hidden), the clos-est thing he has to a friend is the one girl who can (usually, sort of) keep up with him: Wynne Layuman. But Wynne’s highly competitive, leaving him aware that while she’s the closest thing he has to a friend, the feeling isn’t mutual. And she’s smart enough that she’ll eventually figure out what he can’t tell her, and he can’t be sure she won’t hate him for it.

Because there’s more behind the Arzon colony than genegineering and assigned Partnerings (as-signed if you don’t find your own before you hit Triad, that is). Hector’s grown up knowing the truth (and hating it); Wynne’s never suspected (but finds herself unsurprised when he starts help-ing her notice it). Between the lies he’s had to tell her—and the truths he’s tried to help her find—will Wynne and Hector get past the rivalry and secrets to develop something more, or will others’ meddling and the lies of their lives drive them apart?
 
BUY LINKS
 
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Farahs Deadline by Brenda Maxfield
$2.99
coming of age, contemporary
 
Sassy, strong-willed, and pregnant, Farah Menins plans to be married at sixteen after her dad dumps her in a “special home” to be rid of her. Trapped in a place full of rules, Farah refuses to admit defeat — not when marriage would give her an out.

Farah’s roommate Lizbet hides her own painful secrets, and together, they forge an unlikely friendship when Farah sneaks off to confront her baby’s father. A dead baby, a mystery brother, and a house fire threaten to derail Farah’s plans. The confusion is compounded when Lizbet’s brother shows interest in her. With time running out, will Farah be able to salvage any of her dream?
 
BUY LINKS
 
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Home Alone
 
$0.99
early reader, pre-teen, adventure
 
Eleven-year-old Winnie Frazier feels very grown-up and mature. When she con-vinces her mother she is old enough to babysit her younger brother, she thinks life can get no better. How-ever, when a hurricane- force storm moves in, Winnie is left in charge. She faces danger-ous winds, a power outage, and no phone service. What is that noise in the basement? And is that a man lurking in the yard? Can Winnie act like the grown-up she professes to be, or will she give in to her fears and crumble when her brother needs her the most?
 
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Saturday, September 14, 2013

New Releases: Forever Winter and Just Dessert

We have two really cool books for you this week. One is a historical Christian Romance, and one is a paranormal fantasy.

Just Dessert by Heather Gray
 
Dessert…the perfect remedy when nothing in life seems to be going right.

What do you do when you are the sole protector of four children, your brothers and sisters? When each day is haunted by disappointment, disillusionment and desperation? When you believe that everyone who ever loved you, including God, has abandoned you?

You bake a pie, of course.

What do you do when you find a woman whose heart is consumed by fear? Who does not know how to trust? Who scoffs at your faith and throws your kindness back in your face?

You eat a pie, of course.
 
BUY LINKS

 
 
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Forever Winter by
 
Irene Elizabeth found the man of her dreams and lived an idyllic
life, until she found herself locked in the grasp of an unending winter. Her
father, Lord Winthrop could never accept the fact that she chose the love a
common smith dwelling in a peasant cottage. With his dying breath, he returned
his daughter to the Winthrop manor—magically sealed in a snow globe.
 
BUY LINKS




Saturday, September 7, 2013

New Releases! 'Souls', 'Sparking', 'B.I.G.', "Laugh', 'Feudlings Sequel'

It's been a big week at AP! We had 4 books released and one that is now available in other stores besides Amazon :)

Someday You'll Laugh
Stunned when her boyfriend announces they should be free to see others when he leaves for college, Brenda pastes a smile on her face and walks away. Far away. Only to find herself irresistibly drawn into the arms of another guy.

Brenda’s previous boyfriend finds out, claims he made a huge mistake, and wants her back. She will receive a marriage proposal, but from which one?

Later, on her wedding day, Brenda awakens knowing something is wrong. Will she make it through the ceremony?
NOW ON BARNES AND NOBLE!!!
 
BUY LINKS
 
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Feudlings in Flames by Wendy Knight
Ari thought being in love with her prophesied nemesis sucked. But being responsible for her best friend's kidnapping? It sucks worse.

Ari and Shane thought they’d beaten Fate and ended the three-hundred year war plaguing their people. They thought love had won. But they were so, so wrong.

Instead of graduating high school like the normals, they’re in a battle to save Charity – Shane’s cousin, Ari's best friend, and the seer who might hold the key to ending the war for good. To do that, they’re forced to accept help from a boy they aren’t even sure they can trust. He’s powerful and knows spells even Ari’s never heard of, but he’s also secretive and has a past he’s determined to keep hidden . Add to that the fact that he has his sights set on Ari, and Shane would rather do without his help.

Ari has bigger problems than mysterious boys and their strange powers. The powerful Edren Family is hunting her brother, and she can't very well save him or Charity while they’re constantly being attacked by her own people. To stop the raids, she has to take the fight to them. But if she starts hunting the family that raised her, what kind of monster will she be?

Fate still waits for the death of one by the hand of the other.
 
BUY LINKS
 
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Big is Beautiful by Kelly Martin
The seven worst words ever spoken came out of Brittany Gregory's mom's mouth at breakfast, "I signed you up for math tutoring." Sure, she probably needs it (probably nothing, she'll fail without it), but the thought of having to stay in that school longer than she had to every day makes her sick. It's not the school's fault... just the few jerks inside.

Brittany's tutor is none other than Matt Taylor, senior quarterback-- all around hottie. At first, she's shy around him because, hello, Matt Taylor! But as he shows more and more unexpected kindness toward her, Brittany softens around him.

Unfortunately for Brittany, Matt's former girlfriend, the beautifully wicked Kendra Moses, has tormented Britt since eighth grade about her weight. In an unusual moment of brains, Kendra realizes Brittany's initials spell B.I.G.-- a hilarious (to the cheerleader) irony since Brittany isn't the smallest girl at school.

With the Red Ball (Valentine's Dance) approaching, Brittany has to decide if her growing feelings for Matt are real, or if he's secretly been playing a part in Kendra's game all along.
 
BUY LINKS
 
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Where All Souls Meet by S.E. Campbell
The gates of heaven remain closed due to the Blood Stone. It's Eden Schmidt's task to collect the five souls who can help open them again. She has three of the five souls already, and the end is so near she can taste it. Unfortunately, Satan can see how close she is too—and he's willing to do anything to stop her.
 
BUY LINKS
 
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Sparking a Change by Joselyn Vaughn
To earn a full-time position as a newspaper editor, Meg must capture the perfect photo of the Ducks Crossing Independence Day celebration for a prestigious photography contest. Her creativity flounders until she meets the local editor’s son, Hudson. With his escort, she’s charmed by the warmth of the community and beauty of the area. As fireworks light up the skies, will Meg ignite the spark of a new beginning?
 
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Sunday, September 1, 2013

New Releases this week: ALL PETALS FALL by Sydney Reece and BRUISES OF THE HEART by J.J. Nite



All Petals Fall by Sydney Reece
Eighteen-year-old Addy Stowe is falling in love with high school senior Cole Bennett.  Their connection goes beyond attraction or even first love euphoria.  She has found her soul
mate.

Addy would be happy about her relationship with Cole, if she knew that it was going to last…if death wasn’t coming to claim her in a few short weeks.  Addy must make a
decision, one with irreversible consequences.  Will she submit to fate, or risk everything to stay on Earth, including her soul?

BUY LINKS:
Astraea Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

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When Victoria’s long-time boyfriend breaks up with her she’s convinced that she will never be happy again. But after meeting the new student, Will Prescott, things start to look up. Victoria is happy again and even when a little voice tries to tell her that something isn’t quite right with her new relationship, she holds on even tighter. Before long even Victoria can’t deny that she needs to end her new relationship, but can she get out before something happens to change her forever? Or will she be lost?

BUY LINKS:
Amazon