TEASER TUESDAY: BROKEN but sassy

Emma's heart might be broken in the beginning, her soul may have been gouged by loss, but it didn't affect her whit or her sharp tongue when a snappy comeback is in order...

Unedited excerpt from BROKEN releasing in January from Strange Chemistry:

Catching sight of Bree, all in blues and pinks, I hustle to cross the street. Brakes squeal, and Josh Mason lays on the horn when his crappy Z-28 nearly sideswipes me. He shoves his head out the window and yells something less than nice about me being in my “proper spot on the curb.” Breaths are sucked in up and down the block, and all eyes turn toward me. With a half-smirk, I rail him with a comeback about his car and his orifices. Slinging insults is better than wasting my coffee on his windshield.

MANIC MONDAY

Holy crap! Our son's graduation, our anniversary, three grad parties, and our daughter's birthday all since the last week of May. *whew* I've never made that many trifles in my life O_O
In the midst of the life craziness, we finally settled on my net book for Strange Chemistry. I'm not at liberty to say what it is yet, but that picture up there does have some elements of the concept behind it...
I know, I know... Teaser.
Yes... Yes I am.

THE 7 TAG

Thanks to author Jenny Phillips, a Facebook friend, I've been tagged by the 7 tag, again. As  reminder, here's the rules:

Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript
Go to line 7
Post on your blog or Facebook page the next 7 lines, or sentences, as they are – no cheating
Tag 7 other authors to do the same

 And here's my bit, from my YA dytopian:

“Have to be,” I pant, wishing for water to slake the thirst burning my throat. “Lived a life on the run.”

Moonlight slides over his dark blond hair when he stands and scopes the empty business. Glass shards stand like crystal teeth in the open maw of the blown-out window. A heap of metal and wood squats beneath a sign in the back corner claiming Jukebox. Near the side wall runs a long wooden counter, lined in front by pitted brass barstools. Ironically, that side wall is pristine, lined with cut-crystal goblets and dusty alcohol bottles.

I leave Aaron at the window, watching the area for sings of our pursuers.

Y'all already know that I refuse to tag anyone, so scamper off and play, darlings!

TEASER TUESDAY: BROKEN, first sighting

 Who wants a never before seen sneak peek at my modern retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein? You?? Awesome! Then read on my lovelies, read on...

(unedited excerpt from BROKEN releasing January 8th, 2013)

 “Hellooo?” Bree’s face is suddenly inches from mine. Her ice blue eyeshadow glinting in the sunlight. “Earth to Emma.”

“Sorry,” I mutter, and sip my coffee, “Guess I was spacing out.”

“Guess? There’s no guess about it.”

“Okay, okay.” I drop to my knees, coffee cup raised, other hand wrapped around it like I’m praying. From this position, I’m suddenly aware how short her skirt is and what an awkward position I put myself in. “Forgive me, oh Bree, for I have sinned!”

“Ha!” she snorts, cheeks blushing scarlet when she hooks her hand in my elbow and hoists me to my feet. “Get up before the new guy sees you down there and gets the wrong impression.”

“New guy?” A shard of the reflection I’d seen earlier stabs in the dark behind my eyes.

“Yeah.” She wraps her hand in mine and drags me toward the wheelchair ramp leading to the side door. Once in the fractured shade of the maple tree, she points along the sidewalk, halfway down the gym complex. “Mr. You Don’t See Me with his hood up.” She leans around me, does a little wiggle meant to hike her skirt higher hands-free. “And I wanna see what he’s hiding under there.”

I follow where she’s pointing. Coming toward us walks the 3-D version of the reflection I’d seen. His entire look seems crafted to draw, and shun attention. His clothes are definitely designer, but with the hood up and shoulders hunched he appears to not want the attention the girls at Shelley High are going to give him. His head tips up just enough to catch a glint of his eyes. The world narrows, everything falls away, cleaved from existence the moment he meets my eyes.

Then his gaze falls. Life crashes back in with the force of a million vicious whispers.

Rumors whisk in front of him, brittle as fall leaves, darker than crows in a murder.

BLURBS FOR BROKEN

I have been blessed with treasured author friends reading and blurbing BROKEN for me. J.A. Souders, a fellow Oasis for ya blogger. Justina Ireland, fellow YALITCHAT member. And Elana Johnson, all-around fabulous author and activist in the writing community.

“Darkly romantic, Broken is an intense, beautiful, and intricate story of love that knows no bounds. Even death can’t stop it.”
– J.A. Souders, author of RENEGADE, Fall 2012 from Tor Teen

“Brilliantly dark, creepy and atmospheric, Broken is a love story that will hold you captivated until the stunning conclusion.”
– Justina Ireland, author of Vengeance Bound

“BROKEN contains all the mystery and romance I love in a YA novel. A delicious and haunting read.”
– Elana Johnson, author of Possession

Then, this morning, I woke up to a beauty of a blurb in my inbox from Trinity Faegen. TRINITY FAEGEN, y'all! You might know her The Mephisto Covenant series with Egmont... Gorgeous covers, gorgeous writing, too!

"Hauntingly beautiful, achingly romantic, and edge-of-your-seat scary, Broken will keep you up way past your bedtime. I loved this book!" 
~ Trinity Faegen, author of The Mephisto Covenant series

Aren't they beautiful? *wipes eyes* I want to print them out and snuggle them.