Lea Nolan

Cover Reveal: Marianne Harden's MALICIOUS MISCHIEF & #Giveaway!

It is with great please that I help my good friend, Marianne Harden reveal the cover of her brand spanking new mystery, MALICIOUS MISCHIEF from Entangled Publishing. We've got a great excerpt and an awesome giveaway so you'll want to scroll down to the bottom.

Ready? Here we go...

Career chameleon, Rylie Keyes, must keep her current job. If not, the tax assessor will evict her ailing grandfather and auction off their ancestral home. When a senior she shuttles for a Bellevue, Washington retirement home winds up dead in her minibus, sticky with a half-eaten s'more, head clad in a cellophane bag, and a pocketed complaint letter accusing her of driving by Braille, her goal to keep her job hits a road bump.
The deceased was thought to be a penniless Nazi concentration camp survivor with a silly grudge against Rylie. However, the victim has enemies who will stop at nothing to keep their part in the murder a secret. Forced to dust off the PI training she's kept hidden from her ex-detective grandfather, Rylie must align with a circus-bike-wheeling Samoan to solve the murder, all while juggling the attentions of two very hot police officers.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE

~When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty~

Am I a flake? Sort of. But I’m trying to change. My grandfather has property tax issues, and what troubles Granddad, troubles me. Good thing I’ve held down a steady job for months. A major big deal. Not the getting a job part—I’ve had lots—but the held down aspect. Somehow, I always end up unemployed, but not today.

Today, I am Rylie Tabitha Keyes, chauffeur to the seniors at Fountain of Youth Retirement Home (FoY.)

It was dawn Sunday as I eased my employer’s van from one freeway onto another. After that, I concentrated on the wet asphalt up ahead. I didn’t want to think about my job history or our financial woes. Instead I focused on the summery sunrise over the Cascade Mountains due east. I stared at it a moment, charmed by its contrast to the more typical Bellevue, Washington gloom brooding overhead.

I should’ve been asleep, but I needed to toss trash from a fundraiser rolling around in the back of the van. Leland Rosenberg, my boss at Fountain of Youth Retirement Home, had asked me to dump the bags at his second business, Rosenberg Laboratory, as FoY’s Dumpsters were full from a recent bathroom remodel. His mood had been edgy, kind of insistent I dispose of them last night. I confess, before I could carry out this task, a minor traffic accident and an all-important overnight obligation had waylaid me. I didn’t bother to sigh over how blunders always seemed to pepper my work performance. Some things were fated to be. After all, I slogged at my job for money not joy. It isn't that I don't like working at FoY, it just isn’t my dream gig. You see, I yearned to be a private detective, a Veronica Mars 2.0. Problem is, my grandfather is against the idea. Dead set against it.

So with the stench from the trash bags mounting, I steered FoY’s van onto the off-ramp and headed toward Rosenberg Laboratory just off the freeway exit. My mind was filled with thoughts of a steamy shower, maybe a few hours of shut-eye before punching the clock at nine. I stared forward, squinted. And iced over. Up ahead. Wrong-way traveling. A panel truck advanced, peeling rubber.

Faster.

Closer.

Zeroed in to hit me.

I whipped the van off the road, the red, white, and blue panel truck whizzing past. I slammed on the brakes, fighting to control the wheel. I wrestled with it, panicked, my mind flashing on one fortunate thing: no seniors were in the van.

Tons of hazards burst before my eyes. I struggled to absorb them. A mangled guardrail zigzagged up ahead; its many gaps from other out-of-control vehicles big as life. Worse was the wall of giant Douglas-firs growing beyond, lower trunks scarred, limbs low and swaying.

I was going to careen through the railing.

I was going to hit the trees.

I was going to die.

Marianne Harden loves a good laugh. So much so, she cannot stop humor from spilling into her books. Over the years she has backpacked through the wilds of Australia, explored the exotics of Asia, soaked up the sun in the Caribbean, and delighted in the historic riches of Europe. Her goals in life are simple: do more good than harm and someday master the do-not-mess-with-me look. She divides her time between Switzerland and Washington State where she lives with her husband and two children.

You can learn more at Marianne's website on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

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YA Scavenger Hunt #YASH - Tons-o'-Prizes and Lots of YA Fun!

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This tri-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are TWO contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the RED TEAM--but there is also a blue team for a chance to win a whole different set of twenty-five signed books!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the red team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, APRIL 7^st at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Today, I am hosting Alyxandra Harvey on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!

Alyxandra Harvey is the author of The Drake Chronicles, Haunting Violet, and Stolen Away. She loves medieval dresses, used to be able to recite all of The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, and has been accused, more than once, of being born in the wrong century. She believes this to be mostly true except for the fact that she really likes running water, women’s rights, and ice cream. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and assorted dogs.

Find out more information by checking out her website or find more about The Drake Chronicles and her other books here!

Blood Prophecy: In the thrilling conclusion of the Drake Chronicles, love and loyalties will be tested …

Can Solange find her way back home again? And can she do it in time to save everyone she loves from a vampire civil war, hunter attacks, and each other? Because not everyone can survive the prophecy… maybe not even her.

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

Dear Lucy,

This just feels weird.

The art therapist my parents are making me visit once a week wants me to write a letter to my future self. Since I turned seventeen in November (there was a sad lack of cake but as we were all running for our lives at the time, I guess I can overlook it), this letter is for my twenty-seven year old self.

Dad says that around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, people go through something called the Saturn Return. It’s this astrological phenomenon where the planet Saturn is in some part of your chart, or house, or something. Basically it just means your life blows up in your face.

Gee, I wonder what that’s like.

And in real life, twenty-seven is around the time of high school reunions where you go back to your home town and see who has soccer-mom hair and who’s forgotten your name and you visit your locker and feel all nostalgic even though the door always stuck and it smelled like old socks no matter how much Nag Champa incense you stuffed in there.

I really hope you don’t have soccer-mom hair.

I wonder if you’re a vampire now, if you have a daughter, and if the Drakes are still all insane. I hope the factions in Violet Hill have called a real truce. And that Kieran has come back, and Hunter is scaring students at the Helios-Ra school with drills and tests.

I hope you’ve been to Paris or San Francisco or Prague. And I hope you and Solange have been on a road trip, and that you’ve taken classes at some university far from Violet Hill, just for a little awhile.

And I really hope Nicholas missed you and wrote you letters and was waiting for you at the bus station the night you came home because he couldn’t wait a single second more. I hope he kissed you until you both forgot it was raining, until you finally remembered what home feels like, until you promised each other you’d never forget again.

And one more thing.

It was worth it.

Whatever we went through at the Blood Moon camp and all the months leading up to it, whatever we’ve been through since then, I just want you to remember that.

It was worth it.

Love,

Lucy

The Drake Chronicles, Alyxandra Harvey

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Aleyxandra Harvey, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 9 (nine). Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the blue team and you'll have all the secret codes to enter for the grand prize!

BEFORE YOU GO

Enter to win one of two copies of CONJURE, book one in The Hoodoo Apprentice Series.

Be careful what you search for…

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry--hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.

But when a strange girl bent on revenge appears, demon dogs become a threat, and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before the last days of summer—and her friends—are lost forever.

I’ll give away:

· one (1) signed paperback copy to US/Canada addresses only, and

· one (1) digital copy, open to International addresses

Entering is easy, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below! Remember to leave a comment at the end of this post about your favorite spring flower.

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CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, the fabulous Renee Collins!

Tweet #YASH

Cover Reveal: A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES by Rachel Harris #ATOTC

I'm super, duper excited to help my friend, Rachel Harris reveal the cover of her upcoming release, A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES. This is the sequel to her debut, MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY which is a great, funny read.

Plus, as part of this giveaway, Rachel's giving away one print copy and one digital copy of A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES! How awesome is that? All you need to do is enter the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. Easy peasy.

So without further ado, let's see the fabulousness that is A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES....

Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

AMAZON | Barnes and Noble

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

Glaring sunlight permeates the thin veil of my eyelids. Even though it is noonday, the light is exceptionally bright, at least in comparison to the shelter of the tent. I shield my brow with a curved hand and force my protesting eyes open…then at the sight before me, promptly shut them again.

Sounds become crisper in the darkness. Rumbles, shrieks, wails, and hums. Unfamiliar chirps and impossible beeps. Piecing together my tattered, wilting courage, I take another peek and find nothing is as it should be.

Where my palazzo usually sits is an enormous structure with golden doors and red columns, a metallic roof, and a massive mounted dragon. A pair of terrifying, sculpted beasts guards the entrance. The ground is no longer one of cracked stone or even the damp earth of my garden, but assorted gray blocks etched with handprints, slipper prints, and a series of strange markings.

I stare at the mysterious shapes on the stone before me and gasp as they all at once become clear: Harry Potter, 7-9-07. Rupert Grint. Daniel Radcliffe. Emma Watson.

While a few of the letters are different than I am used to, it is as if my mind is faster than I, readily making sense of it all. Stooping to see the words closer, I place my hands in the indentations below the word Emma and marvel at the fit.

I twist my neck around, hands still pressed into the cool hollows, wanting to share the astonishing news with Reyna. But she and the tent are gone. In their place, an overwhelming crowd in varying degrees of scandalous dress swarms the square, each costume more shocking than the last.

Exposed ankles, exposed legs, exposed stomachs…

I avert my eyes heavenward, twin flames of heat burning up my throat and into my hairline. Clutching the note, I press my hands against my knees and prepare to stand. The rough texture beneath my palms causes me to freeze.

A horrible, unimaginable truth tries to be acknowledged, and I reluctantly run my hands along my thighs, hoping, praying my fingers will brush against the soft, cool silk of my surcoat. But when they follow the curve of my lap and meet in the middle, mortification demands a glance down.

Gentleman’s trousers!

As a teen, Rachel Harris threw raging parties that shook her parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels. As an adult, she reads and writes obsessively, rehashes said embarrassing fodder, and dreams up characters who become her own grown up version of imaginary friends.

When she's not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find her homeschooling her two beautiful princesses, hanging out with her amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate. A Tale of Two Centuries is her second novel.

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Cover Reveal - Jennifer Armentrout's WAIT FOR YOU

I'm thrilled to help my friend, Jennifer Armentrout reveal the cover for her awesome new release WAIT FOR YOU. She's written this under her pen name, J. Lynne but it's got all the hot, steamy, emotional thrills you expect from a Jennifer Armentrout book.

What do early readers have to say about WAIT FOR YOU?

“J. Lynn creates a wonderful cast of characters that will make you laugh, swoon, and cry. Cam stole my heart.” – Cora Carmack, NYTimes and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of LOSING IT

“For the love of all that is Cameron without a shirt on! Wait for You will have you laughing out loud, fanning yourself and anxiously waiting to know what will happen next.” – Molly McAdams, NYTimes and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of FROM ASHES and TAKING CHANCES

“I don't think I have ever read a NA Contemporary novel with as much depth as this one. It really moved me and by the end I was just speechless over how inspirational and uplifting it was as well as being sexy and cute and funny and emotional.” - K Books

“Wait For You is uniquely different from anything else J. Lynn's written but it might possibly be her best work yet.” – Jenuine Cupcakes

“For all of you in love with Aiden and Daemon, PREPARE YOURSELVES! Your heart will have to expand a little more for Cam.” Total Bookaholic

“For the love of all things CAM, this book deserves more than 5 stars.” – Mundie Moms

“I cannot even begin to explain how much I adored this perfectly crafted contemporary.” – Shortie Says

Excited? Ready to see the cover for WAIT FOR YOU?

Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.
Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.
Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for…

WAIT FOR YOU is available now!
Amazon | Barnes and Noble

J. Lynn, also known as Jennifer L. Armentrout, is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of the adult romance Gamble Brothers’ series, the young adult Lux Series and award winning Covenant Series. She pretty much writes everything—contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. All of her books have one thing in common no matter the name or genre: kissing… and stuff. When she’s not busy writing, which is never, she’s usually hanging out with dog Loki, watching reruns of The Walking Dead, or procrastinating on the Internet. You can find out more about Jennifer by visiting:

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Hoodoo Love Spells & a CONJURE #Giveaway in the Entangled In Love Blog Hop

I'm super duper excited to take part in the Entangled in Love Valentine’s Day blog hop! As you know, I love my publisher and fellow authors so it's a real honor to be included here.

Don’t forget to check out what the other authors participating in the hop are giving away!

Plus I'm giving away an e-copy of my YA book CONJURE, book one in The Hoodoo Apprentice Series at the bottom of this post. And since I'm on Authorgraph, I'd be delighted to send you a personal inscription.

But before we get to that, I thought I'd share a little Valentine-themed hoodoo love spell with you.

Be careful what you search for...

In CONJURE, Emma Guthrie learns Gullah hoodoo magic to combat The Creep, a wicked flesh-eating curse that threatens her brother’s life.

Hoodoo is an African-American folk magic prevalent in the southern United States. Hoodoo spells cover a variety of purposes including bringing money and success, warding off evil, breaking curses or casting a jinx, and even helping with a court case. But one of my favorite aspects of hoodoo are the love charms. If a spell is done right, you can find your special someone, make a man fall madly in love with you, or even cause someone to break up with your ex. CONJURE features one love spell in particular, the Follow Me Boy charm, and its effects are…magical.

Since this is the Entangled In Love blog hop, I thought I'd share the secrets of a couple authentic hoodoo love spells. So without further ado...

Hoodoo Love Spells, or How to Make a Man Fall Head Over Heals in Love

These spells come from one of my absolute favorite hoodoo reference books, Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by catherine yronwode.

A Love Mojo: Mix coriander seeds with love herbs like rose and tonka beans and carry them in a red flannel bag with the name of the person you wish to attract. Add the hair of your loves one to make the bag stronger.

Woman’s Charm to Attract the Love of a Man: To draw your lover to you, dress Adam and Eve roots with Adam and Eve oil, place them in a red flannel bag anointed with Attraction Oil or Come To Me Oil, and wear a little Adam and Eve Oil every day. If you know the name of the man you want, write his name in red ink on parchment, and add his birthday if possible. Anoint the paper with your urine and place the parchment in the bag along with the roots.

If you feel your relationship is waning, you might want to try A Honey Jar Spell to Renew Sweet Affection: Take a strand of your hair, a hair of your lover’s, and a matched pair of Balm of Gilead Buds, then wrap them piece of paper bearing your estranged lover’s name crossed by your name. Place the packet in a jar full of honey and seal it. Burn a pink candle on top of the jar every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to sweeten your lover back to you. Do not break any dripped wax off the jar, just let it build up and keep burning the candles until you see some change.

So give these a try and see what happens. Who knows, you might find yourself in love!

And now for my giveaway! I'm giving away a digital copy of CONJURE, book one in The Hoodoo Apprentice Series. The winner must specify either Kindle or Nook version. Contest is open to internatonal. Entering is easy peasy, just complete the Rafflecopter form below.

Good luck and Happy Valentines Day!

Before you go, if you haven't already, don’t forget to check out what the other authors participating in the hop are giving away!

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Olde City New Blood PRN Mini-Con, Warm Florida Sun, and the Ocean!

Hi everyone! I'm headed to the Olde City New Blood Mini-Conference in St. Augustine, Florida on Friday and I can't wait. Not only do I get to hang out with awesome UF/PRN readers, bloggers and authors, but I get to escape the frigid cold for a few days and bask in the warm sun. That's what I call a win-win scenario.

Here's what I'll be doing and where you can find me:

Friday February 8^th

7 – 9 pm Author/Blogger Meet and Greet

10-11:30 pm Bad Movie Tweet-Up

Saturday February 9^th

9:15 – 10:15 am Author Readings – YA Theme with me, Tawdra Kandle, Jennifer L Armentrout, JA Sounders

2:15 – 3:15 pm New Blood – New authors discuss their journey to publication and introduce their stories with me, Amanda Carlson, Delilah S Dawson, Tawdra Kandle, Tes Hilaire, and Janet Breakfield

4:30 – 5:30 pm Poolside Meet and Greet with me, CA Kunz and JA Souders. I'll have some treats and some fun giveaways!

6 – 7 pm Growing Up with Monsters – YA books with adult appeal and authors who write specifically YA and specifically adult books with me, Lucienne Diver, Elle Jasper, Sarah M Ross, JA Souders

8:00 – 9:30 pm – Historical Ghost Tour

Sunday February 10^th

12 – 2 pm Charity Signing

3:30 – 4:30 pm The Sweet Stuff – The lovey dovey and the hot and heavy of paranormal romance with me, Pamela Palmer, Lexi George, KC Burn, Cynthia Eden and Elisabeth Naughton

4:45 – 5:45 Myth Busters – Industry discussion for aspiring authors – what to expect on the road to publication and dispelling some typical publishing myths with me, Elle Jasper, Dianna Love, Jenna Bennett, Lucienne Diver, and Janice Hardy

So if you're coming, please stop me and say hello. I'd love to meet you!

~Lea

An Epic Bookstravaganza GiveawayCelebration by @HonestlyYA!

Hi everyone!

I'm so excited to tell you all about a special contest running at one of my group blogs, Honestly YA. We're celebrating all the great things that happened to us during 2012 by giving away a TON of awesome stuff!

What stuff, you ask? Well, how about:

1. An ARC (advance copy) of Jennifer McGowan's MAID OF SECRETS, coming in May from Simon & Schuster.
2. DECKED WITH HOLLY, by Marni Bates, now available from Kensington Teen.
3. An e-book copy of CONJURE, by Lea Nolan, now available from Entangled Teen.
4. HAVEN, by Kristi Cook, now available from Simon Pulse.
5. THE GUARDIAN, by Carey Corp, along with the ETERNAL SPRING anthology.

Plus, a $50 grand prize gift certificate to Amazon!

By entering this giveaway, you agree to the terms and conditions set forth on Honestly YA's Contest Disclaimer page.

To enter, you can visit the full Honestly YA Epic Bookstravagana post here. Or you can fill out the handy-dandy Rafflecopter form below.

Good luck, everyone! I hope you win!!!

~Lea
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Midwinter's Eve Hop, Emo Music, and a CONJURE Giveaway!

Hi everyone! I'm super duper excited to take part in the Midwinter's Eve Hop hosted by I'm a Reader Not A Writer and Oasis for YA!

There are over 170 bloggers and authors taking part in this great event and each is giving away a fantastic prize so be sure to hop through and enter as many contests as you can.

I'm giving away an e-copy of my YA book CONJURE, book one in The Hoodoo Apprentice Series at the bottom of this post. And since I'm on Authorgraph, I'd be delighted to send you a personal inscription if you'd like.

But before we get to that, I thought I'd share a little inside info on how I created my heroine, Emma Guthrie. But first, here's a description of the book:

Be careful what you search for...

Emma's Emo Playlist

In CONJURE, Emma is a talented artist who is sensitive and shy and spends a lot of her time alone. She's the polar opposite of who I was as a teen. This could have posed a significant challenge for me, but I found a great trick that helped me get into her head and see the world from her point of view. What's my secret? Simple, I listened to her music.

Characters have their own personality and as such, they have their own tastes in music, clothing, even food. Emma is no exception. She likes emo music, so much so that her brother Jack sometimes switches up his nickname for her -- Em -- to Emo. As you can guess, she hates that. A lot. But it doesn't change the fact that she loves bands like Brandtson, Surrounded, Benton Falls, Death Cab for Cutie, and Dashboard Confessional, among others.

I thought I'd share a few of her favorite tracks:

1. Coastal by Benton Falls - This song perfectly encapsulates how Emma feels about Cooper Beaumont during the school year when she's in Washington, DC and he's away at boarding school. So. Sad.

2. Ain't No Trip to Cleveland by Brandtson - This is exactly how Emma feels before she arrives on St. Helena Island for the summer and everything goes crazy. She's excited to spend time with Cooper and her brother and expects it to be perfect. Little does she know what she's about to encounter!

3. On Top of the World by Surrounded - Emma listens to this song after she's had an argument with her brother and the trio is en route to meet Miss Delia, the Gullah hoodoo root worker for the first time. Fuming, she pops in her ear buds and cranks up this tune.

I don't know about you, but all three of these songs helps set a mood and gives me insight into the type of person who listens to them. These and other so-called "emo" songs helped inspire my idea of who Emma is.

And now for the giveaway! I'm giving away a digital copy of CONJURE in either Kindle or Nook format. Entering is ridiculously easy and is open to International. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

And don't forget to check out the other authors along the hop and enter their contests! Good luck and happy holidays!!!

~Lea

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Entangled Under the Mistletoe Blog Hop!

I'm super duper excited to take part in the first Entangled Under the Mistletoe blog hop! As you know, I love my publisher and fellow authors so it's a real honor to be included here.

Don’t forget to check out what the other authors participating in the hop are giving away!

But before we get to that, I thought I'd share a little Christmas-themed hoodoo magic with you.

Be careful what you search for...

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry—hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday. But when a strange girl appears bent on revenge, demon dogs become a threat, and Jack turns into a walking skeleton, Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends—are lost forever.

In CONJURE, Emma Guthrie learns Gullah hoodoo magic to combat The Creep, a wicked flesh-eating curse that threatens her brother’s life.

Hoodoo is an African-American folk magic prevalent in the southern United States. Plants and roots are the most important elements in both hoodoo medicine, which is used to heal ailments, and in hoodoo spells cast for magical ends.

Since this is the Entangled Under the Mistletoe blog hop, I thought I'd share how our evergreen namesake plant is used in hoodoo magic. So without further ado...

Mistletoe's Uses in Hoodoo Magic

For starters, in Hoodoo, mistletoe is not just for kissing under. According to one of my favorite hoodoo reference books, Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by catherine Yronwode, Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that is poisonous if ingested but it has plenty of beneficial uses. For example:

When mistletoe is dressed with Hoyt's Cologne, it can be carried to ward off enemies.

If mistletoe is combined with rue, wahoo, and oak bark, the mixture can be burned to keep away evil.

Mistletoe can be added to mojo bags for love, especially when there's a need to ward against love jinxes.

Store owners can add mistletoe to devil's shoe string and cinnamon then bury the mixture at the door to their business to draw in good customers who want to spend money and keep away those who'll waste time or not pay their bills.

To make a True Love Powder, mistletoe can be blended with verbena and elecampane then pulverized.

Mistletoe and oak chips can be burned together to remove unsettled spirits or ghosts from a house or business.

Burning mistletoe, rue, verbena and benzoin over charcoal is said to take off jinxes affecting health.

So after you've gotten your kiss under the mistletoe, consider swiping that sprig to work a different kind of magic!

And now for my giveaway! I'm giving away an digital copy of CONJURE, book one in The Hoodoo Apprentice Series. Entering is easy peasy, just complete the Rafflecopter form below.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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Before you go, if you haven't already, don’t forget to check out what the other authors participating in the hop are giving away!

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