Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

On this list , compiled by the ALA, of the top 100 challenged books of the decades 1990-1999 and 2000-2009, I've read: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Adventure of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Blubber Crank The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time The Dead Zone The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things Fat Kid Rules the World The Giver Harry Potter (series) The Hunger Games (series) The Kite Runner The Lovely Bones Olive's Ocean Speak Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes That Was Then, This Is Now Thirteen Reasons Why Twilight (series) A Wrinkle In Time I would recommend any of them, but especially the titles I've linked. The thing with me and banned books is that I don't get it. The banning thing. Why would you ever feel the right to keep a book out of the hands of other readers? Why would you feel you have the authority to say what some can and cannot read? Do you have the right to voice your o...

  The Lost Knight by Candy Atkins How am I supposed to save the world when I'm not strong, not brave, not smart, and not particularly good at most things? I ran away from home the day after my thirteenth birthday when Auntie and her weird friend attacked me. Now I'm on the run with the Grim Reaper and a scary soldier. And I'm no longer on Earth. They were expecting me to be a Knight. The savior that's supposed to stop a war and prevent the invasion of Earth. But I'm not. They grabbed the wrong girl. I just don’t know how to tell them.     Praise for the Book: #2 on GoodReads Middle Grade Novels of 2016 5/5 Stars “Like Harry Potter meets The Labyrinth.” - Author Adan Ramie 5/5 Stars “Candy Atkins takes us on an epic adventure reminiscent of the novels of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.” –GoodReads/Amazon Reviewer 5/5 Stars “For all you Potterheads or Harry Potter geeks, how can you not fall in love with this story and appreciate the fact that it i...

  Perfectly You by Robin Daniels Ivy Nixon is the student body Vice President at Franklin High School. Each year, the school holds a date auction to raise funds for the senior class graduation party, and this year, Ivy’s in charge. Planning the event is a huge task and Ivy is determined to prove she can get the job done right. Unfortunately, she’s still one participant short and her deadline is looming. Andy Walker, her cute but socially reclusive art class table mate, is her last resort. He may not be popular, but he’s funny, talented, and full of surprises. With a makeover and some major social marketing, Ivy is sure he could fetch a decent price at the auction. Andy reluctantly agrees to help, but the more time Ivy spends with him, the more her feelings shift from professional to romantic in nature. To top it off, she’s done her marketing so well, that other girls are starting to notice Andy too. Come auction time, will Ivy be able to let him go to the highest bidder? O...

I'm excited to share the cover for the upcoming #YAcontemporary, This Life Isn't Mine by Dominique Laura. About the book: Most nights, when I close my eyes, my dreams are filled with memories from my past life, the one I lived before this. I remember who I was and the people in that life, and I don't want any part of this one. Everly Hope Davis isn't who I want to be, but she's who I am. In the beginning I fought against her and everything in her world, but it's impossible to hate something when you're living it every day, when the people involved make it a life worth living. I'm trying to make the best of it now, but deep down I know this life isn't mine. Preorder link:  (PREORDER FOR 99 CENTS!):  http://a.co/hObcR5P Cover designer:  Liv's Lovely Designs Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/dominiquelaurawrites Twitter:  @DomLauraWrites Instagram:  DominiqueLauraWrites Amazon Link:   https://www.amazon.com/au...

  The Ghost of You and Me by Kelly Oram How do you tell someone who hates you and blames you for the death of his best friend that you miss him? From the bestselling teen and young adult author of Cinder & Ella comes a new heart-wrenching romance sure to bring all the feels. The tragic death of Spencer Schott unravels the lives of the two people he loved most—his girlfriend, Bailey, and his best friend, Wes. Secrets and guilt from that fateful night keep both Bailey and Wes from overcoming Spencer’s loss and moving on with their lives. Now, nearly a year later, both Bailey and Wes are still so broken over what happened that Spencer can’t find peace in the afterlife. In order to put his soul to rest, he’s given one chance to come back and set things right...even if that means setting up his girlfriend with his best friend. With the emotional resonance of Jellicoe Road and the magical realism of The Lovely Bones, The Ghost of You and Me is a story about overcoming grief, ...

Are you ready for some freebies? Jen Finelli is the mastermind behind this collaborative giveaway. You can receive free chapters, a short story, a novella, and an awesome book by the awesome authors Jen, James Beamon, Ray Anyasi, and Crystal Collier. Oh and me. I’m talking scifi, historical fantasy, romance, super heroes and my very own super villains. Meet new authors, test drive their writing and be entertained all in one link! Click here to find out more: http://bit.ly/2hiU5V8 Be sure to tell your reading obsessed friends!  Happy reading. 

Yay – it’s Friday! Friday’s begin the weekend and weekends offer all sorts of READING time! So to help you make your reading decisions, I’d like to introduce you to Alexia Dumont from her newly released book Timeless by Crystal Collier. Alexia & her author Crystal are on tour promoting Timeless (Maiden of Time #3) and they have AWESOME giveaways going on, so be sure to spin the wheel at the bottom of this interview. Welcome to Strands of Thoughts, Alexia. Can you tell us a little about you, please? Hello. *waves uncomfortably* I am Alexia Dumont, only child of Baron Dumont and heir. While my father’s estate is impressive, it compares little to the heritage my mother left me: the power to manipulate or travel through time. I am the Maiden of Time. My mother before me, who left this world when I was born, was also the Maiden of Time. Maiden of Time? That sounds fun. So, do you just hop from decade to decade and enjoy the current fashions, or what? I left m...

Let’s have some fun! Help introduce me and my work to fellow readers and you might win one of two fun big mouth key chains. Bright and early each morning during the week of October 10 – 16, I’ll put a post on my Facebook page and Twitter that you can share. You’ll know which post because it will include the hashtag #BigMouth. Each time you share them, you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of two fun key chains. The winners will be chosen randomly (week of October 17 th ) from a pool of all the shares. Just to be crazy, I’m gonna make this open internationally, so share and share and don’t worry about who’s watching, because everybody can get in on this one. To qualify to win not only must you share my message on Facebook and/or Twitter, you must follow me on the social media outlet where you shared my message.  On Facebook and Twitter, enter "Kai Strand #BigMouth" in the search field and share and/or retweet each result! Thanks for your participation! ...

I'm SO excited to share the cover reveal for S.A. Larsen's upcoming middle grade book Motley Education . I read an early version of this book and you're gonna want to put this bad boy...er girl...on your reading list!  First let's hear about the book: Forget having a lively after school social life, Ebony Charmed is fighting to keep the entire Afterlife alive. Ebony’s less-than-average spirit tracking abilities are ruining more than sixth grade at Motley Junior High: School for the Psychically & Celestially gifted. Her parents argue so much her dad moved out. And, even though he’s scared of his own shadow and insists on bringing his slimy, legless lizard everywhere they go, Ebony wouldn’t survive without her best friend, Fleishman. When Ebony’s Deadly Creatures & Relics’ project goes missing, she learns her missing project is one of the keys to saving the spirit world. Now Ebony and Fleishman must battle beasts from Norse Mythology to retri...

TIMELESS (#3 Maiden of Time) by Crystal Collier #CoverReveal You know how it is to walk around with a secret? Well, yeah...I've been holding this info aside for -what seems like - FOREVER! But today I finally get to share it with you too. Crystal Collier is revealing the beautiful cover for the final book in her Maiden of Time series. It's as eye-catching as the first two covers and knowing what an awesome author Crystal is...well, I'm sure the book is just as spectacular. Giveaway below, free 1st chapter available...but first...drum roll... Book Title: TIMELESS (Maiden of Time #3) Author: Crystal Collier Genre: YA Paranormal Historical Release Date: November 1, 2016 TIME IS THE ENEMY In 1771, Alexia had everything: the man of her dreams, reconciliation with her father, even a child on the way. But she was never meant to stay. It broke her heart, but Alexia heeded destiny and traveled five hundred years back to stop the Soulle...

Yay – it’s Friday! Friday’s begin the weekend and weekends offer all sorts of READING time! So to help you make your reading decisions, I’d like to introduce you to Mercy from her newly released book Scavenger of Souls by Joshua David Bellin. She's brought a giveaway along with her, so be sure to read to the end. Welcome to Strands of Thoughts, Mercy. Can you tell us a little about you, please? You want to know about me? Really? Do I look like I have time for this? Okay, fine. My name’s Mercy, I’m eighteen years old, and I’ve been stuck all my life inside this piss-poor excuse for a base commanded by my grandfather. Occasionally I manage to sneak out to hunt for Skaldi and other objectionable life forms, starting with my whack-job of a father. But that’s a long story, and I’m really not in the mood right now, okay? Sure, Mercy. I understand. Let’s focus on the part you play in Scavenger of Souls . What conflict are you up against? Not that it’s any of your busi...

I'm excited to share Kimber Leigh Wheaton's Kindle Scout campaign. If you aren't familiar with Kindle Scout, it's an Amazon program that helps authors find an audience for their book before it's published. Kimber is an excellent author and it sounds like Bitter Envy is another winner. But don't take my word for it. Read the excerpt she's shared with us here, and then hop on over to her campaign on Amazon to read more and most importantly to nominate Bitter Envy for publication! Kimber explains it way better than I. Take it away, Kimber... Bitter Envy, a YA urban fantasy romance, is on Kindle Scout! Don't know what Kindle Scout is? It is, " reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books." Readers nominate their favorite books, and those books may receive a publishing contract through Amazon. If a book scores a contract, everyone who nominated it receives a free Kindle copy! I would be honored if you would ...