Waiting on Wednesday: Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Fan Art
by Sarah Tregay
Publication Date: 2014
Published by Katherine Tegen Books










(from the author)

When the picture tells the story…

 

Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.

As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?

This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most

 The synopsis here differs from that on Sarah's website, but as soon as I found this on Goodreads, I just had to share it. I've been on the lookout for a new YA book by Sarah soon after finishing Love and Leftovers. Fan Art doesn't come out until some time in 2014 - but I'm sure it will definitely be worth the wait.

***UPDATE***
(June 27, 2013)

Sarah sent me the official blurb which I've shared updated above. Goodreads now shows the official blurb too. The cover art is not yet finalized.

THE SYMPTOMS OF MY INSANITY Fun Facts Book Trailer Tour!

The Symptoms of My Insanity
by Mindy Raf
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 18, 2013
384 pages

When you’re a hypochondriac, there are a million different things that could be wrong with you, but for Izzy, focusing on what could be wrong might be keeping her from dealing with what’s really wrong.

I almost raised my hand, but what would I say? “Mr. Bayer, may I please be excused? I’m not totally positive, but I think I might have cancer.” No way. Then everyone at school would know, and they would treat me differently, and I would be known as “Izzy, that poor girl who diagnosed herself with breast cancer during biology.”

But Izzy’s sense of humor can only get her so far when suddenly her best friend appears to have undergone a personality transplant, her mother’s health takes a turn for the worse, and her beautiful maybe-boyfriend is going all hot and cold. Izzy thinks she’s preparing for the worst-case scenario, but when the worst-case scenario actually hits, it’s a different story altogether—and there’s no tidy list of symptoms to help her through the insanity.

A few weeks ago I featured and reviewed Mindy Raf's The Symptoms of My Insanity. From my review:

Straight up - I loved this book. Mindy Raf has given us an extremely entertaining and enlightening story about how one girl deals with the pressures and anxiety of high-school, home life, and maybe a little hypochondria.

If you are interested, you can read my entire review HERE. Now I'm pleased to host Mindy for THE SYMPTOMS OF MY INSANITY Fun Facts Book Trailer Tour!

When asked what her goals were for the trailer, Mindy said:

My only two book trailer goals were:

• incorporate my idea for a supernatural book called ‘Uniwolf’
• have the entire book trailer video just be me dancing around my living room to Taylor Swift music and title it “Trailer Swift”

I’m glad we went with the former.

Now check out the trailer:

Find Mindy Online: Website * Twitter * Facebook

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Must Read Before YALLFest!!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists. I am too so that is why I am participating this week.

Top Ten Books I Must Read Before YALLFest

On May 17th, the Official Roster for YALLFest was announced. (Not sure what YALLFest is? find out here) And the list of authors is phenomenal. Check it out here. I went last year, had a blast, and I've already made plans to attend again this year. After the announcement, I immediately began scouring my bookshelves for books by attending authors that I want to read as soon as possible or at least before November.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Veronica is the keynote speaker. So yeah, this needs to happen.

Collateral by Ellen Hopkins
This is the only book by Hopkins that I haven't read yet. I bought it at last year's YALLFest. I love Ellen's books, can't get enough of them, and will read every single book she writes.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
This one was pushed aside because I thought I was reading too many series books and wasn't quite ready to start a new one.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Libba Bray is one of those authors who I feel is really important to YA literature and that I must read all of her books. So far Beauty Queens is the only book of hers that I've read

The Archived by Victoria Schwab
Victoria is a true talent who has a way with words.

Every Day by David Levithan
David Levithan is my all-time favorite male author. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I haven't read this one after I named it a must read for Summer 2012. Now it is a must (for me) read for Summer 2013.

Cupcake by Rachel Cohn
I've held out on reading this one because it is the final of series that I don't want to end. 

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Jenny and Siobhan won't be at YALLFest this year but it is on the list because I bought this book at last year's YALLFest and was so excited when I met Jenny Han and had her sign it. I waited to read it once I found out it was part of a series and the sequel is coming out soon, so it's time. It's too bad that they won't be at YALLFest this year because I'd love to meet Siobhan. Finally.

And to be released later this year:

 Infinityglass by Myra McEntire
 Myra McEntire is the author that I hoped beyond hope would be at YALLFest. I met her when her when she was on tour for her first book, Hourglass, during the Ash to Nash tour. She is so funny and charismatic and I've wanted to attend another of her readings ever since.

 Just One Year by Gayle Forman
 Just One Day knocked me out (as do all of Forman's books). I know that I will read this book the day it comes out (which isn't soon enough). 

I love that The Broke and the Bookish gave us a freebie week so I could share the books I want to read sooner rather than later. Of the books that I already have (in the picture over), which one do you think I should read first?

Blog Tour: True by Erin McCarthy - Guest Post

True

by Erin McCarthy
Publication date: May 7, 2013

Published by Penguin Group
Genre: New Adult

Synopsis:

When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

Erin McCarthy is a new-to-me author. True is the first book of her's that I'll have read. I love discovering a new-to-me author who has a vast collection of books already published. No waiting for the latest book. I've read several New Adult books and am such a fan. True is another one to fall in love with. 

Erin McCarthy, author of the New Adult novel True, talks about her writing rituals and fun facts that aren’t covered in her author bio.

Do you have any writing rituals?

I always listen to music when I write and I must have Diet Coke.  I usually write in my attic, which is my office, but I can write anywhere if it’s called for.  My only quirk probably is if I’m writing in public, I have to sit so the screen of my laptop is hidden from the other customers.  I turn it practically sideways on airplanes because I’ve caught the guy next to me reading my work as I wrote more than once and it annoys me.  It’s so out of context I can only imagine what they’re thinking.  Or maybe I’m just paranoid.

Any fun facts that readers wouldn’t know about you from reading your bio?

I rode a bike (as in bicycle) for the first time last summer and it was scarier to me than skydiving.  For real. It was downright traumatizing to try to balance myself.  Falling is easier.

I love to decorate my house and it was once described as yuppie goth.  Where Pottery Barn and creepy Victorian dolls collide.  One of my greatest juvenile pleasures is moving the scariest doll around the house on my friends and my kids so she’s just there all of a sudden, watching them.

Lying on the beach makes me happy, I’m taking college French classes, and I take bellydancing classes.  

Erin McCarthy is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 40 novels and novellas in the paranormal, contemporary romance, and young adult genres.  The author is a RITA award finalist and an American Library Association winner of the Reluctant Young Reader award. She lives with her family in Ohio.  

Visit Erin online:

 Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads  

Join the #TRUE conversation on Twitter with @authorerinn, @InterMixBooks, and @BerkleyRomance!

Thanks Erin for sharing!!

Review and Giveaway: Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible by Suzanne Kamata

 

Gadget Girl Blog Tour

Go HERE for a list of all stops

Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible
by Suzanne Kamata
Published by GemmaMedia
Publication Date: May 17, 2013
Pages: 256
Source: ARC provided for Xpresso Blog Tours
Purchase: Amazon







Aiko Cassidy is fourteen and lives with her sculptor mother in a small Midwestern town. For most of her young life Aiko, who has cerebral palsy, has been her mother's muse. But now, she no longer wants to pose for the sculptures that have made her mother famous and have put food on the table. Aiko works hard on her own dream of becoming a great manga artist with a secret identity.

When Aiko's mother invites her to Paris for a major exhibition of her work, Aiko at first resists. She'd much rather go to Japan, Manga Capital of the World, where she might be able to finally meet her father, the indigo farmer. When she gets to France, however, a hot waiter with a passion for manga and an interest in Aiko makes her wonder if being invisible is such a great thing after all. And a side trip to Lourdes, ridiculous as it seems to her, might just change her life.

Gadget Girl began as a novella published in Cicada. The story won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award in Fiction and was included in an anthology of the best stories published in Cicada over the past ten years. 

My Thoughts

Gadget Girl turned out to be completely different from what I expected. Going in I thought it was going to be about a girl who lives vicariously through the character she has created in her anonymously published manga, Gadget Girl. While this is a partly what happens, it is minor portion of Aiko's story. Aiko is an amazing artist in her own right, but she lives in the shadow of her sculptor mother serving as her inspiration for her art. On first reading, it's hard to see past how Aiko's mother exploits her cerebral palsy and makes her an unlikeable character. Who could do that to their own daughter?

Another layer to this story is Aiko's desire to meet her father. All that she knows is that he is an indigo farmer living in Japan. Anytime Aiko asks her mother about him, she gives vague responses or changes the subject. Why is her mother keeping him a secret? Why haven't they ever met? This too adds to my dislike of the mother. BUT when they get to Paris, this begins to change. And what I think is the major focus of this story reveals itself. Her mother begins to reveal bits about her past. Aiko learns that Paris is where her parents met when she always thought they met in Japan. Secrets and truths are exposed and the mother is no longer the villain that I thought she was. Aiko begins to step out of her comfort zone and live a little - be more than invisible. She doesn't feel so different in a culturally diverse city (much different from her Midwestern town). And the relationship begins to evolve between mother and daughter - Aiko becomes more that just her mother's muse. 

Gadget Girl was a delight to read.  It was funny and emotional. I would have liked to see some of the graphic art of Gadget Girl the comic. That would have been a nice addition to the story. I haven't read a mother-daughter story in a while and this one was great at showing just how complicated and dynamic those relationships can be. I would definitely recommend this book for mother/daughter book clubs.

For being on the blog tour, I have the privilege of hosting a giveaway for 5 paperback copies of Gadget Girl. These prizes are tour-wide and not specific to my blog. 

Contest is open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  This book tour is hosted by:

Nobody's Secret by Michaela MacColl - Book Trailer and Giveaway

  Nobody's Secret

by Michaela MacColl
Publication date: April 30, 2013

Published by: Chronicle Books
Ages 12 and up

Synopsis:

  

One day, fifteen-year-old Emily Dickinson meets a mysterious, handsome young man. Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to know who she or her family is. And even more surprisingly, he playfully refuses to divulge his name. Emily enjoys her secret flirtation with Mr. “Nobody” until he turns up dead in her family’s pond. She’s stricken with guilt. Only Emily can discover who this enigmatic stranger was before he’s condemned to be buried in an anonymous grave. Her investigation takes her deep into town secrets, blossoming romance, and deadly danger. Exquisitely written and meticulously researched, this novel celebrates Emily Dickinson’s intellect and spunk in a page-turner of a book that will excite fans of mystery, romance, and poetry alike.

About the author:

Michaela MacColl studied multi-disciplinary history at Vassar College and Yale University, which turns out to be the perfect degree for writing historical fiction. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and three extremely large cats in Connecticut.

The Giveaway

One copy of Nobody's Secret

(provided by publisher)

US and Canada addresses only

must be 18 and older to enter

Enter via Rafflecopter

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Winners: Spring BLog Carnival, Shucked, Come Back to Me and more

Giveaway Winners

Here are the winners of giveaways I've hosted recently:

Spring Blog Carnival - Karaoke Booth

Winner: Tiffany I. 

her favorite Karaoke Song: Total Eclipse of the Heart

She chose the music themed book: The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

e-book of Shucked by Megg Jensen and bookmarks 

Winner: McKayla H.

e-book of Come Back to Me by Coleen Patrick
Winner: Maria S.

Pretty Amy or Dear Cassie by Lisa Burstein (paperback or e-book)

Winner: Ashley D.

Ashley selected Pretty Amy

Flat-Out Love and Flat-Out Matt by Jessica Park Giveaway

Winner: Tabitha S.

All winners have been notified and prizes claimed.

Thank you to all who entered, started following my blog, and shared the contests via Twitter.

In the coming weeks, I'll have more giveaways, so please stop by to check those out. 

You may even see some as soon as tomorrow!

Review: The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

The Summer I Became a Nerd
by Leah Rae Miller
Published by Entangled Teen
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Pages: 326
Source: ARC provided by Publisher










(from Goodreads)
On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

My Thoughts

The Summer I Became a Nerd kept a smile on my face the entire time I read it. Maddie was a fun character to read and laugh with (and, at times, laugh at). The prologue gives a glimpse of an incident in Maddie’s middle-school past, just one moment because sometimes that is all that it takes, that changed the course of her high-school future.  

The beginning of her story is cracked me up as Maddie was waiting patiently to receive the final book of comic that she had faithfully followed for four-hundred issues.  The description of getting the final book to series, the anticipation, the need to be just right to prepare to read it is spot on, and the author portrays the reactions that many book lovers can relate to.

I liked that she story didn’t show her transformation from the nerdy girl to the popular crowd. She was already there, but we did get to see the ways that she actively worked to fit in with the in-crowd - listening to music that her friends like, going to places where the popular kids hang-out, and avoiding things and places that are geeky or nerdy and would destroy the facade that she has created. But, as fate would have it, she does have to step into one of those places when, her beloved comic is back-ordered, she must go to the local comic book store to pick up a copy. The lengths that she goes to so that she won’t be recognized are hilarious, and of course she doesn’t fool anyone, especially the cute boy behind the counter who also happens to go to her school.

The first interactions between Maddie and Logan are pure comedy and quick wit. Their friendship didn’t seem forced and the writing made it easy to believe the chemistry between to two of them. And to find out that the inner-geek in Maddie already had a little crush on Logan made it even more exciting. But what I loved the most about their interactions was that they were awkward and cute and a little unsure which felt completely genuine. Also, I loved when Maddie was comfortable enough around Logan to let herself be geeky and do the things that she wanted to do without fear of being made fun of.

When Maddie’s friends finally do learn about her nerdy (her word) hobbies, the reaction she gets isn’t what she expected at all and is taken by surprise. She realizes that she may have judged them just as much (or more) as she feared they judged her.

This book was such a joy to read and it taught me a thing or two. I now know what LARPing is. (Live Action Role Playing)  I knew that existed, but not exactly how it worked. I don’t think I will run out and try it any time soon, but again, now I know. The Summer I Became a Nerd will be a go-to book when I want some good laughs and need to put a smile on my face.

Fans of this book may also like Blaze by Laurie Boyle Crompton and Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin.

Disclaimer: I received this Advanced Readers Copy for review from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I did not receive any compensation for providing this review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Blitz: Shucked by Megg Jensen - Excerpt and Giveaway

 

 

 Shucked

by Megg Jensen
Publication date: April 14, 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary

 Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble  * i-Bookstore

 

Synopsis:

Suburgatory meets Indiana Jones...on a farm

Fifteen-year-old Tabitha has had the kind of life that would impress even the greatest adventurers. She's escaped a croc attack in the Amazon, walked the length of the Great Wall of China, and earned a black belt in taekwondo in Korea. She owes her worldly experience to her mother's career in archaeology, but when her mother takes on a dangerous new assignment, Tabitha is devastated to learn she can't tag along.

Instead, she's forced to live on a midwestern farm with her grandparents where she'll have to attend a full year of public school. It's Tabitha's greatest nightmare, because despite all her adventures, she has no practical experience with the one thing that frightens her the most - other teenagers.

Her math teacher is her mom's old high school boyfriend, she can't tell the friendly girls from the mean ones, and she develops a major crush on a boy she knows she can't trust. And just when she thinks she'll never get the hang of this normal teenager thing, an attack brings the danger of her previous life right up to her midwestern porch. Who could have ever guessed getting totally shucked would bring her face-to-face with her most exciting adventure yet?

Don't settle for just the synopsis. Read this teaser of an excerpt then 
enter for chance to win an e-book (Mobi or ePub format) and bookmarks. 

Open internationally.

 

  Shucked

 

And now I had to face math too? I prayed for a tornado or anything to whisk me away from this school. Instead, a boy stood in the doorway, blocking my entry to the classroom.

His back to me, all I could see was his stringy blond hair. I had the strangest urge to run my fingers through it - fingers covered with shampoo, that is. I shuddered at the grossness of it. What? Did he just get off the tractor before heading into school?

“Excuse me.” I nudged him with my knee as I ducked under the outstretched arm of the boy next to him. The other boy moved, maybe about a centimeter, as he turned his head to look down at me. Then I was struck.

Oh, Aphrodite, his eyes alone forced my stomach to plummet down to my toes. Gorgeous, dark brown Asian eyes. Who was this boy and what planet did he come from? He looked unlike every other midwestern homegrown pod person in this high school. My jaw dropped. My brain scrambled.

“Annyong hashimnikka.” I wanted to hit myself on the head with a blunt object. Stupid, stupid, stupid, speaking Korean instead of English.

“Huh?” he asked, a smile spread across his face. Dimples, there were dimples. “Did you just tell me good afternoon in Korean?”

I nodded.

“That’s cool.” He reached down and put his arm around my shoulder. “How’d you know I’m Korean?”

“I lived there for a year,” I stammered, struck by his eyes.

“My parents taught me a little here and there when I was growing up. Too bad there isn’t an opportunity for me to learn more with the Korean adoption groups in Chicago. There isn’t enough free time on the farm for that.”

My knees quivered as he led me over to an empty desk. What was wrong with me? Did my exile to cheerleading turn me into a weak-kneed teenage girl? I dropped my math book on the desk and gazed up at him.

“Long day?” he asked. “You look a little glassy eyed.”

Buddha give me strength. It was obvious. He knew.

“Leave her alone, Alex.” Becky elbowed her way between us. His arm slipped off my shoulders, leaving my skin hot and tingly. I wasn’t feeling well all of a sudden.

Maybe my vomiting fears were about to come true.

Alex turned around and skulked to the back row. He struck up a conversation with a geek next to him. A girl geek. Jealousy gnawed at my gut. I might need to kill Becky for sending him away.

“Sorry about Alex,” Becky said, rolling her eyes. “He’s such a player.”

“You think he’s a player?” I asked. “Really?”

“He’s dated almost every girl in school.” Becky drew quotes in the air when she said dated.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, eyeing him again. He leaned over closer to the geeky girl and twirled a bit of her hair around his index finger. She giggled. I reached to my belt for a sword before I realized I wasn’t in taekwondo and that I wasn’t allowed to hurt unarmed geeks.

“He’s a serial dater. He’s different. He’s hot. He knows it. Everyone has fallen for him at one time or another. Anyway, Alex is trouble. Stay away from him.”

 

 AUTHOR BIO

 

I've been a freelance parenting journalist since 2003 and began writing YA novels in 2009. I co-run DarkSide Publishing, am a member of SCBWI, and I blog about writing while juggling freelancing, volunteering, and family life. I live in the Chicago suburbs with my husband, two kids, and our miniature schnauzer, Ace.

 

 

 

 

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter 

 

 The Giveaway

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

  This book blitz hosted by:

Karaoke Booth: Spring Blog Carnival 2013

Welcome to the Spring Blog Carnival 

Karaoke Booth

I love books and music. I love books about bands, musicians, singers - and their muses. I love them so much I'm giving away books about bands!

THE PRIZE

your choice of one book about music, bands, musicians, singers - and their muses 

(up to $15.00 - must be available from B&N.com or The Book Depository) 

THE CHALLENGE

Tell me your favorite Karaoke Song. 

Don't sing karaoke? Tell me your favorite song to sing along to. 

THE RULES

Submit your entries via the form below. 

Entries submitted in the comments will not count.

Must be 18 or older to enter

Open to US addresses only

One entry per person 
Challenge ends 11:59 p.m. on 5/12/2013  

Winner will be selected using Random.org 

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

The Spring Blog Carnival is hosted by Lori from Pure Imagination, Candace from Candace’s Book Blog, and Angela from Reading Angel.

Come Back to Me by Coleen Patrick: Excerpt and Giveaway

Come Back to Me 

by Coleen Patrick
Publication date: March 4, 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary

 Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble 

Synopsis:

Whitney Denison can’t wait to start over.

She thought she had everything under control, that her future would always include her best friend Katie… Until everything changed.

Now her life in Bloom is one big morning after hangover, filled with regret, grief, and tiny pinpricks of reminders that she was once happy. A happy she ruined. A happy she can’t fix.

So, she is counting down the days until she leaves home for Colson University, cramming her summer with busywork she didn’t finish her senior year, and taking on new hobbies that involve glue and glitter, and dodging anyone who reminds her of her old life.

When she runs into the stranger who drove her home on graduation night, after she’d passed out next to a ditch, she feels herself sinking again. The key to surviving the summer in Bloom is unraveling whatever good memories she can from that night.

But in searching for answers, she’ll have to ask for help and that means turning to Evan, the stranger, and Kyle, Katie’s ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, life flips again, and Whitney finds herself on not only the precipice of happy but love, too, causing her to question whether she can trust her feelings, or if she is falling into her old patterns of extremes.

As she uncovers the truth about her memories, Whitney sees that life isn’t all or nothing, and that happy isn’t something to wait for, that instead, happy might just be a choice.

Don't settle for just the synopsis. Read this teaser of an excerpt then 
enter for chance to win an e-book of your own. Open internationally.

 

Come Back to Me

(From Chapter 6)

55 days.

What if Colson isn’t the answer?

I ignored the thought and continued to face the liquor cabinet, the bottles shifting into pairs as my vision glazed over.

A tiny frisson of cold moved from my heel and up my spine to prickle at my scalp.  I pictured my newly short hair standing on end, like hundreds of tiny spikes framing a carrot-orange cartoon sun.

I froze, avoiding my reflection in the mirror-backed wall of the cabinet.  The tingling returned. Was someone behind me?

I dropped my head.  My heart pounded under my chin.  My bangs curtained my face, but I took in my shoes, the floor, the craft store bag, fur . . . wait, fur?

I turned around and sighed.  “Bug.”

She stared at me, still, as if she too saw a ghost.  Her fur stood up in tufts and shocks around her head, but that was just Bug.  Imperfect breed, imperfect hair.  Not that Bug knew that.  According to her, she was a purebred.  She didn’t seem to know that the pretty auburn and dark brown coat around her head faded to an almost dirty white on her back and legs, or that her slim build didn’t match her squashed up face, or that she had a funny name, or that she was the result of a full pedigree/mutt hook up.  She’d never believe any of it.

I shook my head, pushing my fingertips into my eyebrows.

“What are you doing, Bug?” My mom wasn’t home. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her without my mom.

Bug walked to the craft bag and sniffed.  She sat down in front of it.

“There’s nothing for you in there.”  I picked up the bag and headed for the stairs.  Bug’s tiny but imperious steps followed.

I turned around.  “Do you need to go outside?”

If a dog could roll her eyes, she would’ve.  I swore she looked insulted, as if she didn’t have a paper-lined crate in the laundry room.

“Are you hungry?”

Bug ignored me, pushing her nose into my bag.  She wouldn’t come to me for food anyway.  My mom’s culinary skills were what turned her from my shelter rescue into my mom’s sidekick.  Whatever.  Glitter was the only thing on my agenda right now.

The air conditioning turned on, and I jumped, catching my reflection in the mirror again. I frowned and moved to close the liquor cabinet doors.

A crazy but funny idea popped into my head—me covering all the bottles with glue and glitter.  I looked at Bug.  As if she could read my mind, she cocked her head.  “I’m just saying it would be hilarious to see their reaction.”

I imagined my dad pouring himself a drink out of a sparkly, fuchsia Jameson bottle—right into a matching bejeweled highball glass.  Except the enjoyment would only last for a split second, just like the first hit of alcohol.  Yes, I wanted that initial sense of relief, the momentary lapse in emptiness.

Until tomorrow, when I’d have to start all over again.

I swallowed.  Glitter.  I shifted all my focus to glitter.

 AUTHOR BIO

Coleen Patrick grew up in New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, Louisiana, and Indiana. Always being the new kid, she learned that books and friends are precious—and dessert. She never met a dessert she didn’t like (except for flan).

When she’s not writing, reading (or avoiding flan), she enjoys TV, arts and crafts, quoting movies, and trying to take cool photos.

She lives in Virginia with her husband and two kids.

 

 

 

Author Links:

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 The Giveaway

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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