Paragon Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the PARAGON by Shauna Alderson Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

PARAGON

Author: Shauna Alderson

Release Date: June 16, 2020

Publisher: Zimbell House Publishing

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 398

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Description:

Now that high school is over, Randi just wants to live her quiet life in her little town, but it doesn’t feel right without her friends there. Ever the daredevils, they’ve gone to seek adventure in the capital city of Grandin, and Randi can’t help but feel left behind. Not to mention that she definitely can’t stop thinking about that kiss she and Eddy shared before he left.

When Randi discovers a mysterious mark on her skin that matches an illustration in A Handbook on Paragonhood, she’s thrown into a world of powerful gods and ancient magic that she thought only existed in the myths. She’ll have to step out of her comfort zone-and into the dangerous streets of Grandin-to find a way to protect herself and the people she loves.

Randi’s not the only one with a secret, and she finds herself questioning who she can trust. Randi will have to wrestle with what it means to be a Paragon and how far she’s willing to go to do what’s right.

With the fate of the world on the line, can she live up to being one of the chosen?

A rumble downstairs tells me my folks are pulling into the garage. I gently set Barnaby back on the pillow and pick up the lotion I bought earlier. In the bathroom across the hall, I strip off my dress, cringing at the sight of the spider bite, now haloed in red. It looks infected and feels hot when I touch it. What if the spider that bit me was venomous?

I peer closer, stretching the skin on my left ribs. The center’s a bit swollen, although it’s not white, which is a good sign. But there’s something strange about the red ring surrounding it. Wait ... no. Not a ring. The red is scratched into my skin in a bunch of tiny lines.

Not a spider bite.

I crane my neck even more, heart hammering as I count seven lines. Seven lines making seven sides.

“Heptagram-shaped ... approximately half the size of one’s pinky fingernail, red-brown in color, hot to the touch.”

My knees give and I barely catch myself on the counter. It can’t be. Those are myths. The marks aren’t real. But what if—

Stop. Calm down. Giselle and Howard both mentioned hunters—that’s why I’m jumping to conclusions. And I wouldn’t even be considering it if it weren’t for that book.

I hurry across the hall to my room. I pull a dozen or so hairstyling magazines off my bookshelf, revealing the worn, leather-bound book tucked behind them. A Handbook on Paragonhood. Eddy lent it to me because I’ve always loved the myths. But that’s all they are. No one takes the stories seriously except hunters.

Even so...

I hold the volume against the thundering in my chest. The front door creaks open. “We’re home, pumpkin!”

I poke my head into the hallway to make sure the coast is clear. If my folks catch me with this book, they'll make me get rid of it at once, and then I'll have to explain the book's disappearance to Eddy.

After I run back across the hall and lock the bathroom door, Mom calls from downstairs, “Are you coming down for dinner?”

“I will be soon!”

I leaf through the yellowed pages until the drawing of the mark catches my eye. It can’t be the same, right? I hold the leather spine of the book so the pages face the mirror and the image is flush with the spider bite.

A surge of panic shoots up my spine, along with the tingles of an imminent headache. The mark on my skin matches the drawing exactly.

Shauna Alderson is a Young Adult fantasy writer and author of PARAGON (Zimbell House, 2020). She began writing teen fantasy even before she was a teen. After she “grew up”, she completed creative writing courses (and a BA in Development Studies) at the University of Calgary. When not reading or writing, she can usually be found teaching ESL, composing on the piano, creating art, or volunteering abroad. She also enjoys dessert, Studio Ghibli films, and being the silliest person she knows. Connect with her on Twitter @AldersonShauna.

Photo by Laura Grace Photography

Website | Twitter | Instagram |  Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

(1) winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC - International.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/15/2020	Lone Tree Reads	Excerpt
6/16/2020	BookHounds ya	Interview
6/16/2020	JaimeRockstarBookTours	Instagram Stop
6/17/2020	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
6/18/2020	Rajiv's Reviews	Review
6/18/2020	Rajiv's Reviews	Instagram Stop
6/19/2020	Lifestyle Of Me	Review

Week Two:

6/22/2020	The Try Everything	Review
6/22/2020	jenifer_reads	Instagram Stop
6/23/2020	Two Chicks on Books	Interview
6/24/2020	Locks, Hooks and Books	Review
6/25/2020	cosmiclattesandbooks	Review
6/25/2020	cosmiclattesandbooks	Instagram Stop
6/26/2020	Book Bustle	Review
6/26/2020	Book Bustle	Instagram Stop