"Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula" by Elise Stokes

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Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula

by Elise Stokes

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula is the first book in the Cassidy Jones Adventures series. It is currently available FREE from Amazon. It is also available from Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

Two more books in the series are also available: Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift, Book Two and Cassidy Jones and the Seventh Attendant, Book Three. The fourth book, Cassidy Jones and the Luminous, will be released in 2014.

Description

One Girl. One Accident. One Incredible Superhero.

Cassidy Jones is your typical fourteen-year-old - that is, until a seemingly harmless accident in the laboratory of a world-renowned geneticist turns her world upside down.

Discovering incredible strength, speed, and enhanced physical senses that defy logic, Cassidy embarks on an action-packed adventure that has her fighting for answers ... and for her very life.

Excerpt

I wrenched open the tailgate and dove out head-first. My hands made contact with the rocky dirt and I flipped up, landing squarely on my feet. Silver Tooth already had the gun on me.

My eyes zeroed in on a jagged-edged rock at my feet. In one fluid movement, I reached down, grabbed the rock, and hurled it toward the gun. My movements were so quick that Silver Tooth didn’t realize what had happened until the rock tore through the top of his hand, embedding in the thin flesh.

Letting out a piercing scream, Silver Tooth dropped the gun. Diving forward, I had it in mine before it hit the ground. When he looked up, he was looking down the barrel of his own weapon.

Though in pain, he kept his voice even, menacing. "Who sent you?"

I couldn’t very well answer in my young female voice, so I kept silent, clasping the gun that I had no idea how to shoot.

Peripherally, I saw one man’s hand move toward his holster. Before his hand moved a fraction of an inch more, I turned the gun on him. His hands flew up in the air in surrender. I moved the gun to the other man, who mimicked his friend, raising his hands in the air. Silver Tooth flinched. The gun moved back to him. Silver Tooth laughed low. Holding up his limp hand, he asked me, "Do you mind?" Taking my silence as consent, he savagely ripped the rock from his flesh.

Perspiration beaded on his forehead. "Why don’t you tell me what you want," he said steadily.

I kept quiet.

He lifted his chin toward Ben. “Do you want him?”

Still, I didn’t respond, at a loss of how to cross this bridge.

"The silent type, eh? How about I do the talking. You want what we all want: the assassin."

Who is the assassin?

His lips lifted, revealing the silver tooth. "No reason we can’t share, eh? Be partners. Together, we take these Kings out of the equation." Smiling, he waited.

After seconds of silence, his face contorted in frustration. "Do we have a deal or not? Talk!"

Well, I certainly couldn’t do that, and I wasn’t using the gun in my hands. Simultaneously, I tossed the gun behind me and kicked Silver Tooth square in the chest. I could hear the wind leave his body. He flew backwards and landed on his back, gasping.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins. The night sky brightened, revealing everything around me in a new light. I perceived every physical detail of my adversaries, breathing in the smell of their skin and hair, tasting their fear on my tongue. Time and space slowed. Everything slowed but me.

Book Trailer

Review

By Carla Aoyagi

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula is one of the most creative books that I have ever read- the depth of imagery that Elise Stokes words weave put her book on par with a graphic novel, the depth of feeling and expression and thought that is expressed is equal to some of the more classic novels.. all the while keeping it engaging for all levels- appropriate for ages of kids preteen to adult, with varying occupations and interests. (I'm a 27 year old mother of two little girls with a degree in engineering and a job in graphic design! and my cousins, boys and girls, ages 13-18 love it!)

Definitely a must read!

About the Author

Elise Stokes lives with her husband and four children. She was an elementary school teacher before becoming a full-time mom. With a daughter in middle school and two in high school, Elise's understanding of the challenges facing girls in that age range inspired her to create a series that will motivate girls to value individualism, courage, integrity, and intelligence. The stories in Cassidy Jones Adventures are fun and relatable, and a bit edgy without taking the reader uncomfortably out of bounds. Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula, Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift, and Cassidy Jones and the Seventh Attendant are the first three books in the series. Book Four, Cassidy Jones and the Luminous, will be released in 2014.

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"The Dark Pool" by J. E. Fishman

INTERVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

The Dark Pool

by J. E. Fishman

Joel Fishman joins me today to introduce his latest book, The Dark Pool. You can also read my 5-BD review and enter the giveaway to win one of two paperback copies of the book. Enjoy!

Description

This market's a KILLER.

Three men's lives on a knife's edge...

Shoog Clay: The nation's winningest inner-city high school football coach resists pressure to move up to the college level because his kids in the Bronx mean everything to him. But more powerful people won't take no for an answer.

Antwon Meeps: One day Harriet Tubman High School's star running back is a shoe-in for a college scholarship. The next day he's accused of a rape he didn't commit, his life begins unraveling, and he doesn't know how to stop it.

The Mean: This incognito Greenwich hedge fund manager is so rich he keeps a giant sea creature as his pet. But a risky investment threatens to ruin him, and a stubborn high school football coach holds the key to his redemption.

Soon a tragic hanging in the school gymnasium will lay bare a secret force that none of these men understands. In a "dark pool" marketplace, insatiable Wall Street players have wagered everything on certain real-world outcomes. When fortunes hang in the balance, financiers cloaked in anonymity won't hesitate to pay off their claims with the blood of others.

Review

By Lynda Dickson

Antwon Meeps is an 18-year-old high school senior with his whole life ahead of him. He's on the winning High School football team, he has college to look forward to in a few months, and he has a promising football career. When Antwon is wrongly accused of rape, he's helped out of this sticky situation by a man to whom he now owes a favor. It could come at any time or any place, and it could be legal or illegal. Who is his mysterious savior and who will Antwon have to hurt to pay back his debt?

Enter the commodities trader who privately calls himself The Mean because he believes that "at some point the price of everything reverts to its average - its mean". What is The Mean's "dark pool" investment and how does it impact on Antwon Meeps and his coach Shoog Clay? Who's betting on whom and for what reason? And are they manipulating lives to get what they want?

All of these questions will be answered in this thrilling new book by J. E. Fishman. You won't be able to stop turning the pages in your search for the answers. Keep an eye out for the strange creature in the giant water tank. Perhaps a bit of symbolism about the dangers lurking in the "dark pool"?

Although I'm not interested in football or the money market, I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. So don't be put off by the subject matter. This book is full of twists and turns and will keep you guessing until the end. I look forward to reading more books by this talented author.

Interview with the Author

Hi Joel, thanks for joining me today to discuss your new book The Dark Pool.

Which writers have influenced you the most?

I feel that I’ve been more influenced by specific books than particular authors, at least with regard to my work writing stand-alone thrillers. There have been any number of occasions when I couldn’t put a book down and thought: I’d like to tell a story that powerful. Such books have included The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty, The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone, Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, Sophie’s Choice and The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron, any number of works by Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, The World According to Garp by John Irving, The Godfather by Mario Puzo – so many others. I’m working on a series of police procedurals now, and I’d say they’re most influenced by the work of Evan Hunter writing as Ed McBain and by Joseph Wambaugh.

What age group do you recommend your book for?

I would recommend this book to grown-ups.

What sparked the idea for this book?

Among all the outrage about the financial collapse, it struck me that there was this huge gap between people working in the financial world and the man on the street who is often inadvertently affected by the actions of traders, hedge fund managers, and the like. I was wondering how one might close that gap with storytelling when I came across dark pools, which are these kinds of secret trading platforms. When people’s actions are hidden from society, you no longer have the disinfectant of daylight, and it’s that much easier to lose your moral compass. That seemed like a pretty good environment for a financial thriller.

Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?

It comes whence it comes. In my first stand-alone thriller, Primacy, and in the new book, The Dark Pool, it began with the idea or premise. In my mystery, Cadaver Blues, it began with the character. In the next stand-alone thriller, it also begins with a character, in that case a real-life one, Typhoid Mary.

What was the hardest part to writing this book?

Beginning is always the hardest part. The abyss of the blank page.

How do you hope this book affects its readers?

Two ways. First, I want people to find turning the pages irresistible. Then I want them to become more thoughtful about the unintended consequences of all our actions.

How long did it take you to write this book?

About six months.

What is your writing routine?

I report to an office every day. I use an outline. But then I ignore the outline when a better idea hits me.

How did you get your book published?

I met my publisher at ThrillerFest, the International Thriller Writers conference in New York, and we hit it off.

What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?

Hold yourself to a high standard.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I read, of course. Play tennis. Travel. I love to go to restaurants, live theater, and movies with my wife and daughter.

What does your family think of your writing?

It’s too adult for my eleven-year-old daughter, so I won’t let her read it, but she loves the idea that I’m a writer. My wife is among my biggest fans and biggest critics, which is as it should be. My parents have always been unconditionally supportive.

Please tell us a bit about your childhood.

I grew up in an upper-middle-class family in a suburb of Long Island. Nothing spectacular ever happened to me, but I was touched by tragedy when my mother died. I was twelve years old at the time, and all these years later I’m still not sure I’ve ever fully understood the impact of that upon me.

Did you enjoy school?

I enjoyed learning and achieving some things. School in general was an uneven experience.

Did you like reading?

I’ve always been a big reader, fiction and nonfiction, and I always read eclectically. I rarely delved into a single writer and read everything he or she wrote. I had this sense there was just too much out there to end up in that kind of rut.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I could remember, but it took me half a lifetime to get around to it.

Did your childhood experiences influence your writing?

That seems like something for others to judge. Generally I would say it’s impossible not to be influenced by the totality of one’s experiences.

What was your favorite book growing up?

As a kid my favorite books by far were Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. I recall being on vacation when I finished the last book. I intentionally slowed down and set the book aside frequently because I didn’t want it to end.

Who were your favorite authors?

In high school I read a lot of science fiction – Ray Bradbury, Frank Herbert, Robert Heinlein, like that. In college I was swept away by Nineteenth Century stuff – Dickens, the Brontë sisters, Henry James and Herman Melville. Later I got into more contemporary American novelists.

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I’m early in my career, but so far the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Many people, I think, appreciate not only the page-turning plots, but also that my work includes bigger themes. Of course, I’d love to hear more from my readers. If you’re moved to comment on the work, it usually means that the work moved you in some way.

What can we look forward to from you in the future?

I’m working on a series of police procedurals set in New York right now, to be followed by a new book in the Phu Goldberg series, and then another stand-alone thriller.

Thank you so much for talking to me today. I think you'll be happy to hear I couldn't put your book down. I wish you every success with your writing.

About the Author

J. E. Fishman grew up on Long Island, N.Y., and received a bachelor's degree in English literature from Tufts University in Boston. A long-time resident of New York City and Westchester County, he now lives mostly in the Brandywine Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, America's mushroom farming capital and the backdrop to his novel Cadaver Blues (StoneGate Ink, Oct. 2012). Cadaver Blues is a wisecracking mystery that follows debt man Phuoc Goldberg as he becomes seduced by the beautiful niece of a man who has disappeared and whose house is slated for foreclosure. Before long, Phu isn't just looking for cash relief, but for cadavers.

J. E. Fishman is also the author of Primacy: A Thriller, which Kirkus Reviews called "more fun than a barrel of overgrown monkeys" and Publishers Weekly called "an appealing debut thriller." Fishman's most recent book, The Dark Pool (StoneGate Ink, Jan. 2013), is a financial thriller inspired by the corruption of Wall Street and its effect on the common man. In The Dark Pool, strange and tragic events begin occurring around high school football coach Shoog Clay and his star player, Antwon Meeps. Together they eventually discover a secret marketplace where investors bet on the coach's marketing prospects (his Q Score). Those who are bullish on Clay want him to succeed, no matter who gets hurt. Those who are bearish on him will stop at nothing to see him fail - even if it means killing him.

When he isn't writing fiction or blogging, Fishman - a former Doubleday editor, literary agent, and ghostwriter - works as an entrepreneur. He divides his time between Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and New York City.

Giveaway

Thanks to Joel's fantastic publicity team at Shelton Interactive, we have two paperback copies of The Dark Pool to give away. Please enter the giveaway below.

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"Silently Screaming" by D. L. Husted

NEW RELEASE
Silently Screaming

by D. L. Husted

Description

It's the spring semester of their senior year at Centerville High and a place away from their current situations are what Nikki and Caroline desperately want. Senior year was supposed to be filled with excitement and careless fun, instead Caroline is pregnant and Nikki's dealing with her mom's reckless drug habit plus the shady associates unfortunately attached. Throughout their lives, the two friends always stuck by one another, however the year continues to produce unforeseen problems, leaving each of them deciding what kind of paths lay ahead.

Book Trailer

Excerpt

“Well, what do you want me to do?” Nikki began getting a little nervous. This couldn’t be a good thing. The baby wasn’t supposed to come for a few more weeks. What if he wasn’t developed a hundred percent? 

What if he is…what’s the word…premature?

“I dropped my phone on the ground and it slid under the wall. I need you to find it and call my mom, FAST.”

Nikki bent down and looked beneath the door on the right. A shiny glittery case sparkled back at her and she grabbed the phone, then tried to open the door where Caroline was.

But it didn’t budge.

She tried the door again.

Nothing.

“Caroline!” Nikki’s chest rose up and down, and her hands felt weak.

Caroline still hadn’t responded.

Nikki knew it would be gross, however she didn’t care and knew that she had to. She leaned down and slid underneath the stall door touching as little of the ground as possible, and that’s when she saw Caroline.

Her hands were permanently pressed against the side walls and her eyes were focused on an invisible area in space. Nikki unlocked the door right away, providing more room for air to flow, trying to jar Caroline from her comatose state.

“Okay, don’t worry,” Nikki said. “I’m going to call your mom, and she’s going to take you straight to the hospital.”

She immediately scrolled through her contacts, finding the correct phone number. When she called Mrs. Roberts, all she got was a voicemail recording.

Review

By janel

Silently Screaming is a great book with over 900 reads pre-publishing. While the author was writing the book, she posted parts on Wattpad to gain valuable feedback from a fan base that showed their support through voting. Once the book was completed, it was exclusively published on Amazon and is finally available for purchase! I follow her work regularly and REALLY enjoyed this one!!

Interview With the Author

Hi Dawn, thanks for joining me today to discuss your new book Silently Screaming.

Which writers have influenced you the most?

My answer is more general. Pretty much all books I read influence me in one way or another. And I love to read all genres, though my favorite is science fiction and fantasy.

What age group do you recommend your book for? 

I wrote it for the young adults, mainly teenage girls. However, I’ve discovered that no matter what age you are, if you like YA fiction, then this book is for you.

Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel? Definitely for me is the idea. Once I get a few ideas in my head that I can’t seem to get out, I start writing them down. Then those ideas began to intertwine themselves with one another. However for this book in particular, the idea came first, but the characters came immediately after; normally it takes a few days or weeks to generate different ideas for one of my books, but this one happened all at once. I had to write all the ideas and characters down instantly so that I could start building on top of them. 

What was the hardest part to write in this book?

When I was writing Silently Screaming, I wanted to touch on a lot of different issues in society including the adult world as well as the teen world. And even more so, I wanted it to be believable. The entire time I was writing, I already knew the ending, there was never a question about that. However, once I wrote it, I realized I hated the ending and completely rewrote the last couple of chapters. I felt that the ending needed to be more realistic and happier. This was the first book for me to write that had nothing to do with science fiction or fantasy, and I loved it.

How do you hope this book affects its readers?

I hope they enjoy the ride; it’s fiction and has deep meaning, but it’s also a lot of fun to read. When writing, I wanted to scream and shake the characters into doing what I wanted, however I couldn’t. I hope the reader is compelled with the same strong emotions as I had.

How long did it take you to write this book?

It took a few months to write and rewrite.

What is your writing routine?

I’m still learning my routine, because it changes with every book. Currently I wake up and go to sleep writing any chance I get. I just finished a post-apocalyptic novel that I’ve put away in my drawer while a few people read the first draft and let me know what they think. After that, I’ll fix scenes and add new ones, create more info around characters that need more background. Then I’ll have other people read the story and give me their opinion and start the process over.

How did you get your book published?

Currently I self-publish through KDP. I’ve never sought out traditional publishing, and who knows, maybe one day I will. However, right now I love the excitement in self-publishing and the control that I have over my stories.

What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?

It all starts with that first book, even though it may never touch the light of day. If you write, don’t give up, keep writing more books, short-stories, blogs, novels, everything helps you become a better writer. If you have tenacity, then it will happen.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I have two toddlers, so when I’m not writing, I’m playing with them or cleaning and cooking. They’re both busy jobs!

What does your family think of your writing?

I think they love it, at least that’s what they tell me! Kidding aside, I wouldn’t be writing if I didn’t have such a supportive husband. With any job, especially one that makes you feel so vulnerable, you need that strong encouraging person in your life. That’s him.

Did you enjoy school?

I loved school, however I wasn’t the biggest reader. Instead of reading, I went to movies. I was the teenager who read the cliff notes before tests. Imagine that! College and life changes you. Now, I love reading and I still love going to movies. Can’t get enough of either!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? In 2008, I began writing my first book, Nicova. It was a children’s fantasy book filled with mermaids and wizards. I never saw myself as a writer, and never thought that writing Nicova would lead to where it has now. Even though I took the book out of publishing, I still have it in my drawer reminding me of how this whole adventure began.

What can we look forward to from you in the future?

Most of my work will always be written with science fiction and fantasy twists. Silently Screaming wasn’t one of them. Readers have asked if I’ll be writing a sequel. I don’t think I will. I really feel like the characters ended where they needed to be. But who knows, I don’t know the future!

My newest book Safe (name changed from diVINE Order) is a post-apocalyptic novel and it will hopefully be coming out by summer time 2013.

Thanks so much for visiting today, Dawn. And thanks for offering your book free for a few days. I wish you all the best for the future.

About the Author

Dawn Husted started writing in the fall of 2008, though she didn't start publishing her work until 2011. Dawn graduated with a Bachelor degree from Texas A&M University and spent the next couple of years trying to figure out what she wanted to do.

In 2008, she dabbled with writing a book intended for her first child and published it three years later. Since then, she has published Worlds Apart, a short story prequel to the Sci-Fi Windor series, as well as the first two Windor books, Concealed Refuge and City H888. In November 2012, Dawn released Silently Screaming, a literary fictional work geared towards young adults.

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