Whether you’re already familiar with author Erica Cameron, or you just met her here, you’re going to be seeing her name a lot in the coming years. One of those spaces is gonna be on this Entangled Teen series, kicking off on February 7, 2017, with Island of Exiles and this gorgeous cover! Here’s some info on the book:
In Khya’s world, every breath is a battle.
On the isolated desert island of Shiara, dying young is inevitable. The clan comes before self, and protecting her home means Khya is a warrior above all else.
But when following the clan and obeying their leaders could cost her brother his life, Khya’s home becomes a deadly trap. The only person who can help is Tessen, her lifelong rival and the boy who challenges her at every turn. The council she hoped to join has betrayed her, and their secrets, hundreds of years deep, reach around a world she’s never seen.
To save her brother’s life and her island home, her only choice is to trust Tessen, turn against her clan, and go on the run—a betrayal and a death sentence.
And here’s the cover, with some words from the author!
I started writing Island of Exiles several years ago, but the book you’ll get to read in February barely resembles what I started with. Part of that is because I sold the story to Kate Brauning at Entangled on proposal – nine chapters, an outline, a synopsis, and concepts for the rest of the series. Writing the full first draft after Kate’s input gave me the chance to add what I’ve learned from years of immersing myself in the writing community and from the many discussions of diversity I’ve been privileged to see, hear, and take part in.
The society Khya lives in is arid, a desert far more like Arizona and Nevada than the Sahara. The people who live there are varying shades of brown, from the beige of the sand to a far deeper black. They’re also a people who accept bisexuality as the natural state of being, and they don’t blink at all at nudity, polyamory, asexuality, or gender. There are three sexes and no gender roles.
Khya, my bisexual narrator, sees all of this as normal and natural. It’s the way her world has always worked, so why shouldn’t it be natural? This is one of the beautiful things about science-fiction and fantasy, getting to idealize some aspects of society even while using others to highlight issues. It’s important for people to see, and it’s what I tried to do with The Ryogan Chronicles.
***
After a lifelong obsession with books, Erica Cameron spent her college years getting credit for reading and learning how to make stories of her own. Erica graduated with a double major in psychology and creative writing from Florida State University and began pursuing a career as an author.
Erica is many things but most notably the following: writer, reader, editor, asexual, dance fan, choreographer, singer, lover of musical theater, movie obsessed, sucker for romance, Florida resident, and quasi-recluse. She loves the beach but hates the heat, has equal passion for the art of Salvador Dali and Venetian Carnival masks, has a penchant for unique jewelry and sun/moon décor pieces, and a desire to travel the entire world on a cruise ship. Or a private yacht. You know, whatever works.
Her debut novel, Sing Sweet Nightingale, released March 2014 and it was the first volume of The Dream War Saga. In May 2015, Erica and her co-author Lani Woodland launched the Laguna Tides series with Taken by Chance. Riptide’s new YA imprint Triton Books will release both books in the Assassins series, Discord and Nemesis, in 2016. The Ryogan Chronicles, a fantasy trilogy set to launch through Entangled Teen, will launch in 2017 with Island of Exiles.
Buy links:
- Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Island-Exiles-Erica-Cameron/dp/1633755924/
- B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/island-of-exiles-erica-cameron/1123683529
- iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/island-of-exiles/id1121159544
- Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/island-of-exiles-2
- Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Exiles-Erica-Cameron-ebook/dp/B01GNYVPH8/
- Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Island-Exiles-Erica-Cameron-ebook/dp/B01GNYVPH8/
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29560003-island-of-exiles
Author Social Media Links:
- Author Website: http://www.byericacameron.com/
- Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byericacameron
- Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/byericacameron
- Author Tumblr: http://byericacameron.tumblr.com/
- Author Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/byericacameron/
- Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6539315.Erica_Cameron
- Author Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/114012798161309469612
- Author YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZrPtwJ9LGOWgrK1B6ZBVGQ/feed
- Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byericacameron/
Cover Reveal (+Excerpt): Perfect Ten by L. Philips !
This whole thing is so freaking cute I am not even gonna talk about it because I can’t do it a fraction of the justice the cover/blurb/excerpt can, so without further ado, here’s a little more info on gay YA Perfect Ten by L. Philips, coming June 6, 2017!
Who is Sam Raines’s Perfect Ten?
It’s been two years since Sam broke up with the only other eligible gay guy in his high school, so to say he’s been going through a romantic drought is the understatement of the decade. But when Meg, his ex-Catholic-turned-Wiccan best friend, suggests performing a love spell, Sam is just desperate enough to try. He crafts a list of ten traits he wants in a boyfriend and burns it in a cemetery at midnight on Friday the 13th.
Enter three seemingly perfect guys, all in pursuit of Sam. There’s Gus, the suave French exchange student; Jamie, the sweet and shy artist; and Travis, the guitar-playing tattooed enigma. Even Sam’s ex-boyfriend Landon might want another chance.
But does a Perfect Ten even exist? Find out in this delectable coming-of-age romcom with just a touch of magic.
And now…the afreakingdorable cover!
But wait, there’s more! Excerpt FTW!
“Come on, Sam,” Meg prods. “What’s so bad about Michael?”
“You mean besides the smoking and the horrible cliché of losing your virginity in a hotel?”
“I’ve already owned up to the cliché, Samson . . .”
“You just caught him texting another girl a few weeks ago.”
She pouts prettily. “He explained that. It was nothing.”
“And the time before?” She opens her mouth to protest, but I go on before she can. “I’m just saying, why would you want to with him?”
She unlinks her arm from mine and gives me a shove that has a little more force than I expect. “I don’t know. Why did you want to with Landon?”
At the mention of my ex-boyfriend–slash–other best friend, I feel myself tense. “I was in love with Landon.”
“And I love Michael.”
“But Landon and I were different.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and kicks hard at an innocent pebble in her path. “Oh yes, and you and Landon were the exception to every rule. Michael and I couldn’t possibly be that perfect. No one can live up to the Sam and Landon standard of epic and tragic romance.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. And we weren’t that tragic.”
“Darling, you two were practically Brontë characters. You broke his heart and now here you are, two years later, and you haven’t even had a crush on someone since, have you, Sam?” I don’t answer, and there’s a tense pause between us before she adds, “Exactly two years, actually.”
“You know, I could have gone through the whole day without thinking of it, but thanks for that reminder,” I say acidly.
“I’m sorry,” she says, and I know she means it. “He brought it up to me at lunch. He’s the one who remembered. Not me.”
I don’t know how any of us could have forgotten it, least of all me. October tenth, two years ago, I ended my relationship with Landon. He didn’t speak to me for almost six months. Meg didn’t speak to me for three days, the longest we’d gone without talking since I accidentally decapitated one of her Barbies when we were seven. Hell, I wouldn’t have spoken to myself if I could have gotten away with it. I absolutely loathed Samson Raines for a long time afterward. But now Landon is my friend again. We worked everything out. He and I are fine. All three of us are fine.
Fine, fine, fine.
“I wish he didn’t remember,” I say, and Meg shifts our arms so she can squeeze my hand. I sigh. “Bygones. Anyway, we were talking about you and Michael, and not my love life, which is totally unfair to bring up by the way, because I don’t exactly have any options, do I?”
“There’s always Archie,” she says, smirking. Archie Meyers is the only other gay boy besides Landon and me at Athens High, but he’s not even a blip on my radar. It’s not that I’m shallow, but there is absolutely nothing attractive about Archie. Between the buck teeth, the acne, and the IQ that must top out in the double digits, I would have to be drunk out of my mind to even consider it. Even then it would be a stretch.
But then her smirk droops thoughtfully. “No. Wait. I heard the other day that Archie’s dating some guy he met at a Dungeons and Dragons meeting over the summer . . .”
I turn my head slowly to Meg. “Seriously? Even Archie Meyers has a boyfriend?”
Meg makes a clicking sound with her tongue. “There’s a whole big world of boys out there, Sam. Someone perfect for everyone, I think, even the D and D playing sort with buck teeth.”
“Then I’m sure there’s someone out there for you who isn’t a total douche like Michael.”
***
L. Philips went to Ohio University for a degree in Music Education, decided that job was entirely too noisy, and became a librarian instead. When she’s not working, she enjoys belting show tunes when she thinks no one is listening and watching the same episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine over and over (or at least that’s what she tells her toddler son). She lives in Ohio.
***
Love this cover and excerpt as much as I do? You can add Perfect Ten on Goodreads now, and, even better, preorder it at B&N and Amazon!
Cover Reveal: The Melody of You and Me by Maria Hollis
Today on the site, please welcome Maria Hollis, to unveil the cover of her upcoming pansexual NA novella, The Melody of You and Me! The Melody of You and Me is Hollis’s first LGBT+ New Adult Novella, a love story about two girls, a bookstore, and how music connects people in different ways. Here’s the blurb:
M. Hollis could never decide what to do with her life. From the time she was a child, she has changed her ideas for a career hundreds of times. After writing in hidden notebooks during classes and daydreaming during every spare moment of her day, she decided to fully dedicate herself to her stories. When she isn’t scrolling around her social media accounts or reading lots of femslash fanfiction, you’ll find her crying about female characters and baking cookies.
Cover Reveal: The Powers of Callaire by Saruuh Kelsey!
Today on the site, please welcome Saruuh Kelsey, revealing the cover of her upcoming f/f romance (starring a homoromantic asexual character), The Powers of Callaire! Here’s the summary:
Yasmin’s girlfriend is dead, but she will stop at nothing to bring Fray back. Even if that means going to the Otherland and making a bargain with the Ruler of All Souls. If Yasmin finds Pluto’s lost power, they’ll return Fray’s soul to her body.
Yasmin’s search takes her, and two of her friends, from Bucharest to France to Wales, and exposes a horrifying secret with Venus, Yasmin’s mother, at the heart of it. With a murderous, fiery god and the incarnation of death in her way, Yasmin will have to compromise her morals and harness the Legendary power in her veins. If she fails, Fray’s soul will be lost forever.
Aaaaand here’s the beautiful cover!
The Powers of Callaire is available for pre-order here, and this week the first two books are free!
SARUUH KELSEY lives in Yorkshire, in a house halfway between the countryside and the city with an absurd amount of books and craft supplies. She’s the author of The Legend Mirror and Lux Guardians series. Find her online at saruuhkelsey.co.uk or follow her on twitter at @saruuhkelsey.
Cover Reveal: Keeping Her Secret by Sarah Nicolas
Happy cover reveal day to Sarah Nicolas! Today on the site, we’re revealing the cover for her upcoming f/f YA Romance, Keeping Her Secret, and sharing an excerpt from it, too! The book comes out from Entangled on August 22nd (just 19 days!) and judging by this blurb, you’re not gonna wanna miss it…
Two girls. One kiss.
The last person Riya Johnson expected to run into at her new summer camp is Courtney Chastain—her childhood best friend and the girl who broke her heart after a secret, mind-blowing, life-altering kiss. She definitely didn’t expect to be sharing a bunk bed with her for four long weeks.
Courtney has what every girl wants—she’s beautiful, rich, and the object of every boy’s desire at Camp Pine Ridge. Too bad none of them make her feel an iota of what Riya’s kiss did all those years ago. But Courtney needs to uphold appearances at all costs—even if it means instigating an all-out prank war with Riya as her main target.
Neither girl can stop thinking about the other…but that doesn’t mean they can give up past hurts and take a chance on a future together.
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains drinking, sexual situations, and a fairy-tale romance sure to make your heart melt.
And now, the adorable cover…
Want more? (Of course you do.) Check out this excerpt!
Courtney laughed. “You are so adorable sometimes.”
Riya swiveled her head again to find Courtney staring at her. Riya’s previous heartbeat-slowing efforts proved immediately futile. Her pulse thundered through her entire body.
Adorable. That was a good thing, right? It was like cute, but better. Or she could mean adorable like a six-year-old asking too many questions at Thanksgiving.
“What are you thinking?” Courtney’s eyes opened and closed ever so slowly, giving her a sexy, sultry expression. “I can see your brain turning behind those ochre eyes of yours.”
Riya caught herself staring at Courtney’s lips. This time, she didn’t look away. “What do you mean by adorable?”
Courtney bit her lip as a smile slid across her face. If Riya didn’t know better, she’d think Courtney was teasing her. “Cute. Charming. Endearing.” Her left eyebrow shot up in a suggestive gesture. “Kissable.”
The word struck her like a flash of lightning. Riya’s entire cardiovascular system froze for a second, before jump-starting into double-time. “Courtney,” she warned. “Don’t do this.”
“What?” Courtney asked, her voice dripping with faux innocence. “This?” She reached a hand over and stroked a single finger from Riya’s knee, up to her hemline. A line of fire flared across its path.
“You are drunk,” Riya reminded her. She’s drunk; she doesn’t know what she’s doing, Riya reminded herself.
Courtney turned onto her side, tucking one arm under her head. “And I told you”—she raised her other arm and trailed two pink-polished fingernails up the length of Riya’s arm with the lightest touch—”alcohol makes me honest.”
The air Riya pulled into her lungs felt as thick as pancake syrup. Her hands fisted the material of her shorts as she resisted the urge to return Courtney’s caress. “You haven’t spoken to me in public except to mock me.”
“Talking to you frightens me,” Courtney said. “My brother was right about that at least.”
Her brother? How much did he know? Neck aching, Riya rolled over on her side to face Courtney. “What are you scared of?” Riya asked. “Why do I scare you?”
Courtney’s fingertips traced up from Riya’s shoulder, across the heartbeat pulsing in her throat, ghosting across her jawline before tickling her lips. Riya couldn’t have moved if she wanted to—and as long as Courtney touched her, she definitely didn’t want to.
Courtney whispered her answer. “That what I felt that day in the tree wasn’t a fluke.”
Riya wasn’t asthmatic, but she swore she was on the verge of an asthma attack. Or a heart attack. She’d daydreamed about this, imagined this scene in her head a hundred times, knowing it could never happen.
“That I’m not broken,” Courtney added, so quietly Riya could barely make the words out.
Confusion cleared her mind for a second. “How would talking to me prove you’re not broken?”
“I date a lot of guys.” Courtney pulled her hand back from Riya’s face but immediately grabbed Riya’s hand. “I kiss a lot of guys.”
Riya knew she should, but she didn’t pull her hand away. Courtney’s fingers felt so warm, impossibly soft. Courtney’s pale skin made her seem even darker, and the contrast made Courtney’s hand practically glow in the dim light. Riya made a vague sound of agreement. “So I’ve heard.”
Courtney closed her eyes, her mascara-coated lashes fanning out against her pale cheeks. She squeezed Riya’s hand, as if to say, Stay with me. I have a point. After a long, slow breath, Courtney said, “I feel nothing. None of the boys. No jitters, no sparks, no butterflies, none of the things you’re supposed to feel.” She opened her eyes. “None of the things I felt when…” Courtney trailed off, closing her eyes again.
Riya believed there were moments in every person’s life, turning points that permanently altered their path. If this was one of those moments, she needed to be absolutely sure. Riya could hardly dare to hope the rest of the sentence. But she needed to know. “None of the things you felt when I kissed you.”
Preorder Keeping her Secret here!
Sarah Nicolas is a recovering mechanical engineer, library event planner, and author. She lives in Orlando with a 60-lb mutt who thinks he’s a chihuahua. Sarah writes YA novels as Sarah Nicolas and romance under the name Aria Kane. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing volleyball or drinking wine. She is a contributor for Book Riot and at YAtopia.
Author Website: www.sarahnicolas.com
Author Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sarah_nicolas
Author Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorSarahNicolas
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8328543.Sarah_Nicolas
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/WF5-D
Cover Reveal + Excerpt: Do Gooder by J. Leigh Bailey
Today on LGBTQ Reads, please welcome J. Leigh Bailey to reveal the cover of her new m/m YA with Harmony Ink, Do-Gooder, out September 15! Here’s the blurb:
No good deed goes unpunished, and for seventeen-year-old Isaiah Martin, that’s certainly the case. The gun he was caught with wasn’t even his, for God’s sake. He only had it to keep a friend from doing something stupid. No one wants to hear it, though, and Isaiah is banished—or so it seems to him—to live with his missionary father in politically conflicted Cameroon, Africa.
However, when he arrives, his father is so busy doing his good deeds that he sends Henry, the young, surprisingly hot do-gooder with a mysterious past, to pick up Isaiah and keep him out of trouble. Even while Isaiah is counting down the days until he can go home, he and Henry get caught in the political unrest of the region. Kidnapped by militant forces, the two have to work together to survive until they are rescued—unless they manage to find a way to save each other first.
Aaaaand here’s the cover!
Want more? Check out this excerpt!
I pried my eyes open, but I couldn’t make them focus. I caught a flash of red and a blurred form that must have been Henry. He knelt on the ground, using one arm pressed against the wall to hold him up. His hand slid and he slumped forward until he was on all fours, his body heaving.
Gagging, choking dry heaves. The kind that made it feel like your body tried to expel your intestines out your mouth. I could sympathize.
What was wrong?
“Hank?” My voice was wheezy, barely audible, but Henry heard. He whipped his head up. I still couldn’t focus—I think the jelly helmet covered my eyes again. One moment he hunched on the floor, the next he sat next to me, something red in his arms.
My backpack.
“What did you do?”
I was glad I couldn’t see better. The red blob that was my backpack was bad enough, but if I’d had to see the bag in detail, I’d have thrown up. Empty stomach or no.
I reached over and grabbed his hand. “Damn it, Hank. What did you do?”
He shrugged off my weak grip. “I did what I had to do.”
Ice water churned in my guts.
I closed my eyes and cried. Tears may not have poured from my eyes, but my soul registered the loss.
The stupid, self-sacrificing son of a bitch.
~*~*~
j. leigh bailey is an office drone by day and the author of Young Adult and New Adult LGBTQ Romance by night. She can usually be found with her nose in a book or pressed up against her computer monitor. A book-a-day reading habit sometimes gets in the way of… well, everything…but some habits aren’t worth breaking. She’s been reading romance novels since she was ten years old. The last twenty years or so have not changed her voracious appetite for stories of romance, relationships, and achieving that vitally important Happy Ever After. She’s a firm believer that everyone, no matter their gender, age, sexual orientation or paranormal affiliation deserves a happy ending. Find out more at www.jleighbailey.net or sign up for her (infrequent!) newsletter: http://bit.ly/2909wla.
Cover Reveal: Tales from Perach by Shira Glassman!
Excited to welcome Shira Glassman to the site today, to reveal the cover of her new collection of LGBTQ+ short fiction, set in her Mangoverse! If you’re reading this site, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with Shira, who’s a huge supporter of LGBTQIAP+ books (and f/f in particular), so, check out her brand new cover and please welcome her to share the info behind her new release!
Announcing a new collection of short LGBTQ+ fiction: Tales from Perach. These stories all stand alone but take place in and around the invented Florida-like tropical Jewish kingdom of my full-length Mangoverse novels. My world is a positive and affirming place for bi, trans, and gay/lesbian characters, where they can interact with fairies and dragons and royalty–or maybe just bumbling business contacts—just like cis/straight characters always have. Their lives aren’t always free of microaggressions, but when they’re there, they’re reduced to the minute status of a gnat that’s easily swatted away.
Here’s what you’ll get if you read:
“Your Name is Love”: An energetic royal guard takes her artist wife on a scavenger hunt around the city so she can stop having artist’s block about the lesbian graphic novel she’s supposed to make for the queen.
“No Whining”: A chef dithers over whether to switch wine sellers when hers is incompetent but the delivery girl is a trusted ally.
“Every Us” A prince with anxiety is comforted in the arms of his partner when he wakes up from a nightmare.
“Take Time to Stop and Eat the Roses”: A trans teenager and his girlfriend go on a midnight quest for flowers for her sister’s wedding.
“The Generous Princess” A royal family with two moms, two dads, and a dragon Zayde puts their own special twist on celebrating Purim.
Since this collection features several of the characters from The Olive Conspiracy, it’s included in the back of the paperback edition (expected September 2016), and if you buy the eBook from the publisher (it’s up for preorder now, with a July 20, 2016 release), the Tales from Perach eBook is included for free. What will its cover look like? Check out this gorgeous image from Torquere’s cover goddess Kris!
The Tales from Perach eBook will also be available for sale from third-party retailers like Amazon and Smashwords.
The building on the cover is a medieval Portuguese synagogue that you can read more about here.
Infinite thanks to Dahlia for having me on the blog!
If you want to learn more about the author and her books, you can find her here:
http://shiraglassman.wordpress.com
Tweets by ShiraGlassman
http://shiraglassman.tumblr.com
http://www.facebook.com/ShiraGlassman
Cover Reveal: Order in the Court by Casey Lawrence!
Hello and welcome to the cover reveal of Order in the Court by Casey Lawrence, sequel to Out of Order! For reference, here’s the story behind the first book, which was a Bisexual Book Award finalist:
Corinna “Corey” Nguyen’s life seems perfectly average for a closeted bisexual whiz kid with her eyes on college and a budding romance with her friend Kate. Sixteen and navigating senior year with her tight-knit group of best friends through crushes, breakups, and pregnancy scares, Corey mistakenly believes that running for valedictorian and choosing the right college are the worst of her worries. That is, until prom night, when she’s left alone and in shock, hiding inside a diner restroom, the only witness to a multiple homicide.
With graduation looming, the pressure is on for Corey to identify the killer and ensure that the crime that has changed her life forever will not go unpunished.
And now, here’s what you can expect in Order in the Court:
After witnessing the murders of her three best friends and having their killer arrested, seventeen-year-old Corey Nguyen is having trouble adjusting to life after high school. As a freshman in college, all she wants is to put her dark past behind her, make some new friends, and keep her head down.
Her new world comes crashing down when the killer changes his plea to not guilty, claiming he was coerced into a confession. Corey must now testify in a murder trial, making the panic attacks and flashbacks to the night of the murders intensify. To top it all off, she’s pretty sure her mother is having an affair with the prosecuting attorney. To Corey’s dismay, the story clearly doesn’t end with the murder of her friends.
Finally…here’s the cover you’ve been waiting for!
You can preorder Order in the Court, which releases August 4, here!
Cover Reveal: Cinnamon and Cigarettes by Samantha Kate!
So excited to have our very first cover reveal on LGBTQ Reads! Cinnamon and Cigarettes is Samantha Kate’s first novel, and it releases June 1st from Torquere Press. Here’s the story:
Sara Clarke, recent college grad, is sweet, demure, and cautious in all things, but especially romance—until she meets Moira Estrada, a bold amateur pilot and patron at the library where Sara works. Their intimacy blooms rapidly as they share everything from a sudden medical emergency to Christmas with the Estrada family. With her dashing new girlfriend by her side, Sara learns to overcome some of her greatest fears, whether they be acknowledging her own bisexuality, flying across the sky in a Cessna, or falling in love for the first time.
But Sara’s fear of confrontation is harder to conquer. When asked about her relationship, she finds herself lying to her family, pretending to date a man so she can avoid conflict with her straight-laced and image-conscious parents. But her attempts to please everyone cannot last forever and could result in far worse than her parents’ disapproval: she might lose the respect of her new friends at the library, or become estranged from her sister—or, worst of all, Sara might lose the only person she’s ever truly loved.
Aaaand here’s the lovely cover!
Preorder it! Or just add it to your Goodreads TBR here.
Samantha Kate works as a paralibrarian (that’s library support staff) for her day job. In her free time, she tries to pursue more creative projects than is humanly possible. Her short story “Bottom of the River” was published in Torquere’s Twisted Fables anthology in February 2016. Cinnamon and Cigarettes is her first novel.
- Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/bysamanthakate
- Twitter: twitter.com/bysamanthakate
- Tumblr: bysamanthakate.tumblr.com
- WordPress: bysamanthakate.wordpress.com