Excerpt: Children of the Earth by Anna Schumacher

I'm so excited to have author Anna Schumacher visiting the blog today to share an awesome excerpt from her newest novel, Children of the Earth, along with a fantastic book trailer! Read on for all the goodies and more info on the book/series!

Children of the Earth (End Times #2)

Author: Anna Schumacher

Genre: YA Fantasy/Apocalyptic

Release Date: June 2, 2015

Publisher: Razorbill

Description:

Seven signs warned them. Now it’s time for Carbon County to fight back.

In End Times, Daphne lost herself in love with Owen, only to discover the dark secret that puts Carbon County at ground zero for the end of days...

All thirteen of the Children of Earth have arrived and taken root in town. Together at last, they can perform the series of rituals necessary to awaken their father, a wrathful entity known as the God of the Earth.

Daphne protects their identities from Pastor Ted and the God-fearing locals out of love and allegiance to Owen. But when people start disappearing from town and Daphne begins receiving visions from God, her allegiance—and even her love—is brought into question in this astonishing companion novel to End Times. 

Check out the book trailer:

 

Daphne slipped past the padlocked gate and onto the dark trail leading to the abandoned motocross track. Even when she wasn’t sneaking out to meet Owen, their clandestine relationship made her jumpy and anxious, always looking over her shoulder and trying to wipe the traces of their secret from her face. If she could have resisted him, she would have. But their bond was too strong, too powerful, to ignore.

The dark drew itself around her, only the pale comma of a moon punctuating the sky, and she heard gravel crunch again, closer than before. But she wouldn’t turn and look, wouldn’t let her paranoia get the better of her.

Stones skittered across the path behind her, and the wind panted in her wake. Although it was too dark for shadows, she thought she saw something flicker across her vision. Her stomach clenched as she felt the sudden presence of a stranger behind her, his skin emanating a dank rot.

She whirled around, but it was too late. Yellowed nails dug into her shoulders, the force knocking her to the ground. She got in one good scream before his hand clapped over her mouth, filling her lungs with the sickening scent of decay. Adrenaline flew through her veins as she kicked the air, praying for her steel-enforced boots to connect.

The stranger covered her body with his, stilling her legs and pinning her to the ground. Greasy strings of hair fell onto her cheeks, and he laughed a grating chainsaw laugh, reaching into the folds of an oily trench coat to reveal a blade that turned the weak beam of moonlight to ice. The world pulsed, and terror screamed through her, her vision condensing into a single point of light. Her eyes rolled back in her head as power gathered in her stomach, spreading from cell to cell until she was charged like a battery, electricity fighting its way through her skin and making her writhe and quake under his weight. She looked straight into his eyes—one gray, one brown—and saw, with horror, their true intent.

She’d had a knife to her throat and a grown man’s unwanted body on hers before. She knew what that man, her stepfather, Jim, had wanted: to force himself inside of her, debasing her body until it no longer felt like her own.

But this man didn’t want that. He didn’t care about her body. He wanted her life.

She jerked and seized beneath him, and the power rocketing inside of her forced her hands around his neck, choking off his windpipe with a python grip. For a moment, everything was black. Then she heard a voice in her head, and all she could see was fire. 

Don't forget to check out the first book:

Anna Schumacher received an MFA in fiction writing from The New School. Born and raised in the tiny town of Guilford, VT (no traffic lights, no post office, one store), she now lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and two cats. She is the author of End Times and its sequel, Children of the Earth.

Author Links:

Tumblr: schumacherya.tumblr.com
Twitter: @schumacherYA
Instagram: gnomedepot
Facebook: facebook.com/annaschumacherbooks

The Morganville Vampires Web Series!

For fans of YA paranormal fiction, especially those who love Rachel Caine's The Morganville Vampires series, I have some great news to share with you! The Morganville Vampires has just been turned into a web series and it launches TODAY! Read on for the official press release and info - then check out the trailer!!

Morganville: The Series Revitalizes Vampire Genre Just in Time for Halloween

Rachel Caine’s Snarky Vampires Perfect for Geek & Sundry’s October Line-up

Geek & Sundry: Rachel Caine is adapting her Morganville Vampires books – fifteen (15) total – for a hilarious fright fest of a web series. Each episode of the first season is expected to be 8-12 minutes long, bringing the entire season to about an hour and is freely adapted by Rachel from the first novel – Glass Houses. The first season will begin airing on Geek & Sundry October 27th with a prime schedule planned out… the hope is that the first season finale lands on Halloween day.

Thanks to a passionate fanbase who fully supported the Kickstarter project (and whose funds were then matched by Felicia Day’s Geek & Sundry), Morganville Vampires: Book Series became Morganville: The Series and utilized one of the fastest, most innovative platforms for upcoming shows. Through the expansive reach of Youtube, Rachel’s fans can enjoy the show without the long wait that comes through traditional television and also, reach a worldwide audience faster. All around it made the most sense for a book series of this size and caliber.

Even though web series are seen as non-traditional formats, the casting process and scouting for film locations remains normal. Auditions were held in Dallas, LA, Austin, New Orleans and some digital (to give fans of the books a chance at the spotlight too). Rachel wrote all the character monologues for the auditions. The entire show ended up being filmed on location in Dallas, Texas in four separate venues, including a coffee shop, a turn-of-last-century Victorian home, a hospital, and a university. Nearly every episode ends with Rachel’s infamous cliffhanger endings!

Switching from book to film writing was easier than Rachel expected. The very first thing she did, ended up setting the stage for the adaptation process and made it easier for her to focus on the story she wished to tell. Rachel says, “The first thing I tried to do, since I wrote the book in 2006, was to write down everything I remembered from it without re-reading it. That was fascinating, because what I wrote down was really the core story, and that turned out to be what needed to be told in the show. So while I did go back to the book, I did it for the purposes of review, not inspiration.”

Fans might be wondering how a 10-day- shoot in April 2014 could possibly yield a story they recognize, Rachel is confident the series delivers and explains, “For practical purposes, you can only have so many characters in a show with this running time, so some characters from the novel, while really interesting, ended up not being central to the plot (like Miranda). However, I did think it was important to introduce Myrnin, who is a fan favorite character, into the mix early, so he makes a short appearance this season.”

To find out more, check out these sites for the scoop on Rachel Caine, The Morganville Vampires Books and Morganville: The Series. 

http://www.morganvilletheseries.com/ 
https://www.youtube.com/user/geekandsundry 
http://www.morganvillevampire.com/ 
http://www.rachelcaine.com/

Watch the trailer below:

Morganville: The Series – The show stars fan favorites Robert Picardo as Oliver (Star Trek: Voyager) and Amber Benson (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) as Amelie, as well as Lindsay Seidel (Claire), Jordan Taylor Farris (Shane), Haileigh Todd (Eve), Ben Easter (Michael), Nikki Donley (Hannah), Afomia Hailemeskel (Monica), Jessi Mechler (Gina), Taylor Murphy (Jennifer), Gregory Connors (Brandon) and Chase Ryan Jeffery (Myrnin). It is directed by Blake Calhoun, known for his award-winning and groundbreaking digital series Pink and Continuum, the show was filmed on location in Texas on a Blackmagic camera.

Rachel Caine – is a fictional character herself … a pen name of writer Roxanne Conrad. Since 2003, Rachel has written in the adult Urban Fantasy genre (the Weather Warden, Outcast Season, Revivalist and Red Letter Days series) as well as in Young Adult fiction (the Morganville Vampires series and award-winning novel Prince of Shadows). She is the author of more than forty novels and many short stories, and is regularly featured in anthology collections, most recently the Charlaine Harris edited Dead But Not Forgotten.

Release Day Highlight: Petals on the Wind by V.C. Andrews

FICTION INTO FILM: Pick up Petals on the Wind May 20^th and watch the movie May 26^th!

WATCH: The movie trailer, and tune in to Lifetime on  Monday, May 26^th, 9:00 pm ET to watch the World Premier of Petals on the Wind!

ENTER TO WIN: Go to the Pocket Books Facebook page beginning May 20^th to enter the sweepstakes for a prize pack of Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the Wind, and the Flowers in the Attic DVD.  Visit right before tuning into Petals on the Wind late May for the sweepstakes giveaway (date to be announced)!

Petals on the Wind cast:

Heather Graham              as Corrine

Ellen Burstyn                    as Olivia

Dylan Bruce                       as Bart

Rose McIver                      as Young Cathy (played by Kiernan Shipka in Flowers in the Attic)

Wyatt Nash                        as Christopher (played by Mason Dye in Flowers in the Attic)

Petals on the Wind (Dollanganger #2)

Author: V.C. Andrews

Release Date: May 20, 2014 (Paperback Movie Tie-In)

Publisher: Pocket Star

Description:

For Carrie, Chris and Cathy the attic was a dark horror that would not leave their minds.
 

Of course mother had to pretend they didn't exist and grandmother was convinced they had the devil in them.
 

But that wasn't their fault. Was it?
 

Cathy knew what to do. She knew it was time to show her mother and grandmother that the pain and terror of the attic could not be forgotten...Show them. Show them -- once and for all. 

Watch the Trailer:

Book Blast + Giveaway: The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau

The new novel The Chalice, by Nancy Bilyeau, sends readers on a page-turning historical quest. Set in Henry VIII's England, the story is driven by plot twists, deceptions, spiritual searching and romantic tension. Readers fall in love with protagonist Joanna Stafford, a Catholic novice forced to leave her priory and find her answers. "She is strong and determined and very likable," says one blogger. "Exhilarating," says Good Housekeeping, and "The novel is riveting and provides fascinating insight into into the lives of displaced nuns and priests, with fully realized characters," says RT Book Reviews. Launching in paperback on March 18 and available in ebook too.


The Chalice (Joanna Stafford #2)
Author: Nancy Bilyeau
Genre: Historical Mystery
Publication Date: March 18, 2014
Touchstone Publishing
Paperback; 496p
ISBN-10: 1476708665

READ AN EXCERPT.

Description:

Between the crown and the cross stands one woman...

IN 1538, ENGLAND is in the midst of bloody power struggles that threaten to tear the country apart. Aristocrat-turned-novice Joanna Stafford knows what lies inside the king’s torture rooms and risks imprisonment when she is caught up in an international plot targeting the king. As the power plays turn vicious, Joanna understands she may have to assume her role in a prophecy foretold by three different seers.

Joanna realizes the life of Henry VIII, as well as the future of Christendom, are in her hands—hands that must someday hold the chalice that lies at the center of these deadly prophecies...

Praise for The Chalice:

"A brilliant and gripping page-turner…A fascinating blend of politics, religion, mysticism and personal turmoil. Well-researched and filled with sumptuous detail, it follows Joanna’s early life from Bilyeau’s début novel, The Crown, but this book easily stands on its own. Bilyeau fills in the blanks from her earlier work while leaving the reader both wanting to read the first book and eagerly awaiting the next. This is a must-read for lovers of historical fiction." – Free Lance-Star

"English history buffs and mystery fans alike will revel in Nancy Bilyeau's richly detailed sequel to The Crown." – Parade

"The novel is riveting, and provides fascinating insight into the lives of displaced nuns and priests during the tumultuous Tudor period. Bilyeau creates fully realized characters, with complex actions and emotions, driving the machinations of these historic personages." – RT Book Reviews, (Top Pick)

"The human and political battles of Henry VIII's reformation are brought to exhilarating life in The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau." – Good Housekeeping UK, April 2014

"Bilyeau sends her plucky former novice back into the intrigue-laden court of Henry VIII." – Entertainment Weekly

"Bilyeau continues from her first novel the subtle, complex development of Joanna’s character and combines that with a fast-paced, unexpected plot to hold the reader’s interest on every page . . . history and supernatural mysticism combine in this compelling thriller." – Historical Novel Society

"Joanna Stafford is a young novice caught up in power struggles familiar to readers of Hilary Mantel and C.J. Sansom, but with elements of magic that echo the historical thrillers of Kate Mosse." – S.J. Parris, author of 'Heresy,' 'Prophecy' and 'Sacrilege'

"[A] layered book of historical suspense." – Kirkus Reviews

"The Chalice is an engrossing mix of the complicated politics of the Reformation with the magical elements of the Dominican order, and Joanna--fiery, passionate, determined to honor what she thinks God wants her to do--is a fascinating character. Fans of historical mysteries, Tudor politics and supernatural fiction will all be pleased by the broad scope, quick-moving plot and historical integrity of Bilyeau's second novel." – Shelf Awareness

Watch the Book Trailer:

Nancy Bilyeau has worked on the staffs of InStyle, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Ladies Home Journal. She is currently the executive editor of DuJour magazine. Her screenplays have placed in several prominent industry competitions. Two scripts reached the semi-finalist round of the Nicholl Fellowships of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Her screenplay "Zenobia" placed with the American Zoetrope competition, and "Loving Marys" reached the finalist stage of Scriptapalooza. A native of the Midwest, she earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. THE CROWN, her first novel, was published in 2012; the sequel, THE CHALICE, followed in 2013.

Some earlier milestones: In 1661, Nancy's ancestor, Pierre Billiou, emigrated from France to what was then New Amsterdam when he and his family sailed on the St. Jean de Baptiste to escape persecution for their Protestant beliefs. Pierre built the first stone house on Staten Island and is considered the borough's founder. His little white house is on the national register of historic homes and is still standing to this day.

Nancy lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

Author Links:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Goodreads

Sign up for Nancy Bilyeau's Newsletter.

Buy the Book:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
IndieBound
Simon & Schuster

Nancy Bilyeau Gives an Inside Peek Behind THE CHALICE:

Giveaway:

To enter to win one of 10 copies of The Chalice, please complete the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Giveaway is open to US residents only.

Giveaway will run from March 17-21. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter on March 22 and notifiied via email.
Winners have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast Schedule:

Monday, March 17 Bibliophilia, Please Book-alicious Mama HF Book Muse-News Flashlight Commentary Confessions of an Avid Reader So Many Books, So Little Time

Tuesday, March 18
A Book Geek
Kinx's Book Nook
Passages to the Past
Book Lovers Paradise
To Read or Not to Read
Oh, for the Hook of a Book
Historical Fiction Obsession

Wednesday, March 19
Closed the Cover
A Chick Who Reads
The True Book Addict
A Dream within a Dream

Thursday, March 20 CelticLady's Reviews Ageless Pages Reviews She is Too Fond of Books Peeking Between the Pages

Friday, March 21
A Bookish Affair
The Maiden's Court
Let Them Read Books
Historical Fiction Connection