Book Review-Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden

This will be on offer for the giveaway when it happens.

Title: Annie on my Mind

 Author: Nancy Garden

Series:   N/A

Published:  February 2007 by Square Fish (my edition), first published July 1 1982 by Farrar Straus Giroux

Length: 263 pages

Source: Caroline

Other info: It has been banned in some schools. Nancy has also written Good Moon Rising, Endgame  and some other things.

Summary : From the moment Liza Winthrop meets Annie Kenyon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she knows there is something special between them. But Liza never knew falling in love could be so wonderful... or so confusing.

Review: Liza meets Annie. They fall in love. They get outed, as do a couple of teachers at Annie’s school. things happen.

The issue I have with simple romance and LGBT books is that sometimes, nothing happens that an outside party, one who doesn’t know these people very well, would care about. I mean, yes, I know you’re going through a period of discovery or you’re finding the love of your life, but why should I care? This was what I got for the first part  of Annie on my Mind.It picks up about halfway through.

Annie on my Mind is set in the 80s, and reading it in 2012 makes me realise and appreciate how much attitudes have changed. Well, there’s still some people who don’t understand the whole be nice to everyone  regardless of who they love, but  still. Compared to the 80s, where pretty much everyone, when they learn about Liza and Annie and the two teachers, you see how far we’ve come.

From the start, Liza’s opening letter, you can tell that something big has happened between Annie and Liza and so you get more into it emotionally and you want their relationship to go well but due to the opening you know something’s going to happen and....  *this is where I break down to incoherent fangirl emotion babbling thing*

*comes back* can we just talk about the adorableness of Annie and Liza? From the mock swrodfighting at the museum to the accidental getting of almost identical rings, the early days have an excellent friendship and romance building.

Liza and Annie are both exploring feelings for eachother and the world. This book captures really well the emotions that come with questioning -wondering what you’re feeling for this person, what they feel about you, the slight sacredness- feelings for everyone- it’s something that everyone can relate to.

The secondary characters could have been developed a bit more. Sally and Poindexter especially.

The writing was simple but conveyed emotion really well. It’s quite open ended-ending a year after the main events. Anything could happen.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a short sweet story about first love and attitudes at the time.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Rainbow Reads-Introduction and some terms you need to know

Welcome to Rainbow Reads, a month of discussions, reviews, interviews and giveaways regarding LGBTQIA representation in teen literature.

Over the past few weeks, I've been begging you to take part in the discussion. Some of you did, for which I am ever grateful for, providing interesting responses to the questions. There'll be posts with your answers and my own responses. Some of our featured authors have things to say on the topics, so follow throughout to see what they say. In addition to this, there'll also be reviews and giveaways  , spanning many genres, so hopefully you'll find something you like. b

I had the idea for this sometime in March, because it had been a long time since there'd been one (Caroline, Portrait of Woman, did one in February 2012). So I thought August would be a good time around exams  and other commitments, so I set it for then (well, now). And then America gets a Pride Month so you get a whole load of American authors doing stuff, and then Jo Stapely's running LGBTQ Month during July, so I suppose you guys may be a little fed up with LGBT YA.

But here. I hope this is a different approach, one with a set of really awesome participants  who have provided diverse opinions and and some giveaways of great books, and  that you  will enjoy and find it as intriguing as I do.

To start us off,  I'm going to provide a set of definitions to that  may be useful for posts for later on, and is just generally information that will probably be useful in life.

Sex is the way that someone is defined by biology: chromosomes, hormones and anatomy.

Intersex describes someone whose sex is ambiguous chromosomically, hormonally and anatomically.

Gender is a social construct that labels people as and applies roles to men, women or other. People are almost always assigned genders at birth based on their sex.

Gender expression is the way that someone presents their gender identity. This can be via clothes, speaking patterns, behavior and other things.

Gender identity is the way that someone identifies as male, female, neither, both or other.

Transgender/trans* is an umbrella term  for people whose gender identity is not the same as the sex that they were assigned at birth.

Cisgender is a term for people whos gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth.

Trans and cis are terms that are only used  in discussions where trans topics are the focus. Otherwise, there is no need to differentiate.

Gender binary is the system that says that gender is male or female, with no variation.

Genderqueer is a term used by those who reject the gender binary. They may be agender (without a gender), bigender (of two genders),  or otherwise non-binary.

Cross dressing is wearing clothes typically associated with those of another gender.
Drag is presenting gender for performance. Very associated with cross dressing.

Passing is being able to be percieved by others as someone wants to be percieved.

Sexual orientation, if you're going  to be picky  about the word, is only to describe the gender of someone that someone feels sexual attraction for, but is pretty much always used to describe emotional and romantic orientation too.
Romantic orientation is used to describe the gender of someone that someone feels romantic attraction for. Often lines up with sexual attraction, but not always.  Asexuals often differentiate romantic and sexual orientations.

Homosexual, gay and lesbian describes someone who is only attracted to someone of the same gender. Lesbian applies to women.

Heterosexual or straight describes someone who is only attracted to someone of another gender.

Asexual describes someone who is not sexually attracted to any gender.

Bisexual describes someone who is sexually attracted to two (or more) genders. 

Pansexual describes someone who is sexually attracted to all genders.

Queer is a massive umbrella term for all people who are part of a sexual or gender minority. (mostly) Historical slur, has been mainly reclaimed.

Heterosexism and cisgenderism are the assumptions that everyone is heterosexual/cisgender (they aren't) and that people who are these are superior to those who aren't (they aren't).
Homophobia, transphobia and biphobia, going by the word, are irrational fears of LGBT people (OED says phobia = an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something). Generally used to mean all discrimination, violence, prejudice and negativity towards LGBT people. Applies on multiple levels and to various severities. 

Sex ≠ gender identity  ≠ gender expression  ≠ sexual orientation

I do not claim to be all-knowing around these topics. These are defintions that I have learnt over the past few years, and these are how I understand them. If I have gotten anything wrong,  I'm very welcome to corrections.  I have only included the most common terms that will be relavent to this event, but there are plenty of sites that you can use for further research. I hope these have been helpful.

Book Review-Control by Kim Curran

Title: Control

Author:Kim Curran

Series: Shift #2

Published:6 August 2013 by Strange Chemistry

Length: 352 pages

Warnings: fade to black sex scene, violence

Source: netgalley

Other info: I quite liked Shift. There will be a sequel to Control, the last in the series.

Summary : Scott Tyler is not like other teenagers. With a single thought he can alter reality around him. And he can stop anyone else from doing the same.
That's why he's so important to ARES, the secret government agency that regulates other kids like him: Shifters.They've sent him on a mission. To track down the enigmatic Frank Anderson. An ex-Shifter who runs a project for unusual kids - as if the ability to change your every decision wasn't unusual enough. But Anderson and the kids have a dark secret. One that Scott is determined to discover.
As his obsession with discovering the truth takes him further away from anyone he cares about, his grip on reality starts to weaken. Scott realises if he can't control his choices, they'll control him.

Review: After the events of Shift, ARES has to run around cleaning up the remnants of Project Ganymede. Scott and Aubrey are going round, when they witness a shift that changes things in a large large way. This leads to an investigation into Frankie Anderson and the project involving the children. In the meantime, Scott discovers there’s more to shifting abilities.

I was generally looking forwards to reading this one. It starts off slowly, being mainly setup, with events getting set up. Benjo’s back! He provides important information for the rest of the investigation. It’s instantly put on a larger scale, with global politics playing a part.

It picks up majorly a little way in, where you start getting everything going really well. The action doesn't stop after a certain point, and it's hard to put down.

Scott and Aubrey’s relationship is very real-it isn’t all perfect, which I liked. The characters themselves also get development-Scott especially. He's flawed, doesn't always do the right thing even with the use of shifting, but he learns things.

I like the fact that in among all the action and investigation, there's also a bit about Scott's family, his parents' fighting, and how it affects him and sister Katie.

With shifting, anything can happen. Many things do happen. Plot twists are very good indeed.

The ending. Woah. Big big thing. Can’t wait for the next one-it promises to be even more epic than these two.

Overall: Strength 4 tea to another great book in this series. Looking forwards to the next one.

Links: Amazon |Goodreads | Author website |

Giveaway-Dragon Boy and the Witches of Galza by A.A. Bukhatir

Hi guys, I'm sorry, this week's hiatus was really unexpected. My computer completely died and I had to have it wiped, so the post from Lou Morgan, who, over the course of two days, became my one ofhave you filled in the discussion form yet? Answers don't need to be long, you don't need to have read millions of LGBT YA books, but a few more opinions would be nice) Normal service should resume soon!

my favourites, got lost and I can't find the email either.  I do have lots of posts written, but they're all for Rainbow Reads, which starts in a week and a bit. (PS-


In apology, here's a giveaway!

DRAGON BOY AND THE WITCHES OF GALZA- A. A.Bukhatir’s Debut Novel Depicts A Fantasty World Where

Love And Courage Are The Key To Salvation

In a tiny village nestled between a haunted forest and a magic mountain, lives an old woodcutter named Aijou.  Shunned by the other villagers, he mourns the death of his cherished wife and spends his lonely days going about his work in nearly total isolation.  He never dreams that in a flash his life will change completely, and that his courage and strength will be profoundly tested in A.A. Bukhatir’s debut novel, DRAGON BOY AND THE WITCHES OF GALZA.

It all begins innocently enough when Aijou loses his way in the enchanted forest.  Desperately seeking the path back home, he suddenly encounters two tiny fairies engaged in battle with fire-breathing she-dragon.  Against all odds, the fairies prevail and with its last breath, the dying dragon assumes her human form.  She begs Aijou to adopt her baby boy.  Aijou agrees not knowing that the infant is actually a dragon.  From that moment on, Aijou’s life will never be the same.  Filled with determination, he tries to escape the haunted forest.

First he must be brave enough to jump through the portal that leads to Fairyland, so that he can find the Fairy Queen and ask for her help.  In return for her guidance, the Queen tells Aijou that he must promise to allow his new-found son to spend one month a year among the fairies.  It is her hope that when the boy turns fourteen – and can assume his dragon form – he will protect the fairies from the villianous dragons who want to destroy them.

The next part of his journey is even more difficult.  In order to leave the forest, Aijou must obtain permission from the evil Witches of Galza.  With two fairy guides, Aijou and the dragon baby set off to find the wicked sisters.  When Aijou finally meets them, the Witches offer him a terrible bargain and Aijou must decide whether he will accept.

DRAGON BOY AND THE WITCHES OF GALZA is the first book in a planned series that focuses on a boy, raised among humans, who has no idea that he is actually a dragon.  As the story unfolds, Dragon Boy must come to terms with his own identity and learn the truth about his heritage and where he comes from.  A.A. Bukhatir has created a special world filled with unforgettable characters, situations, and settings that will enthrall readers from the very first page.  DRAGON BOY AND THE WITCHES OF GALZA is destined to become a classic fantasy adventure series for people of all ages.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A.A. Bukhatir was born in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.  He studied music as a child, began to sing professionally at the age of twenty, and has since released eight albums.  In addition to his singing career, Bukhatir is a successful businessman who is currently the founder of a mobile game development company.  Heavily influenced by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, he began focusing his creative efforts on writing novels.  DRAGON BOY AND THE WITCHES OF GALZA is the first in a planned series.  Visit www.aabukhatir.com.

For more information or to buy Dragon Boy, here's some links.
Amazon- www.amazon.com/Dragon-Boy-The-Witches-Galza/dp/1469191792

Barnes and Noble-  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragon-boy-and-the-witches-of-galza-a-a-bukh
atir/1111477021

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15882867-dragon-boy-and-the-witches-of-galza

And to enter the giveaway, all you have to do is comment with your email, and your opinion: Fairies or dragons-which is better?

Giveaway is of either an ebook, in any major format, or a signed physical copy (US,UK and Canada only). Open till the end of Rainbow Reads, whenever that is.

Book Review-The School For Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Title:  The School for Good and Evil

 Author: Soman Chainani

Series:  School for Good and Evil #1

Published:  14 May 2013 by Harper Collins

Length: 448 pages

Source: netgalley

Other info: This will be a trilogy. Universal have bought film rights. I am looking forwards to this.

Summary : : “The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.”
This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.
But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

Review: Every four years, two children are taken from the village of Gavaldon, to the School of Good and Evil. There, they learn things that enable them to become characters in fairy tales, whether they be princesses, witches, fairy godmothers or plants. Agatha is a strange child who is thought of as a witch, living alone at Graves Hill and having one friend, Sophie. Sophie is a girl with blond hair and  the confidence that she will be taken to be a princess. Sure enough, they both are taken, but Agatha ends up in the school for Good and Sophie in Evil. With their expectations reversed and both wanting out of their schools, they both learn things about their destinies, and themselves.

I love fairytales. The idea that all of the characters are real people who all trained at the same school is a very intriguing one, that I really liked.

From the start, Sophie was a bit annoying and Agatha was more my kind of girl. It was satisfying seeing Sophie get dropped at Evil, and seeing how she coped with it. She stayed annoying throughout. Agatha dealt with her fate a bit better. I liked Agatha’s bluntness, which made me laugh. Both girls develop massively throughout, realising different things about themselves and where they truly belong. Tedros, the prince, was really irritating. He didn’t really do much and he just got on my nerves. The supporting characters like Hester and Dot were well developed.

The world building is great. It’s a magical setting, with wolves and fairies, and a mysterious School Master and the Storian, a pen writing the fairy tales.  The story moves along well. The end is very climatic, with everything happening in a blur at once. The very end was a bit sudden.

I’m sure it’s because of the way that women are presented in fairy tales (because I’m seriously hoping they’re not reflective of Soman’s views), but it really irritated me that the girls at Good were constantly “I want this boy” and wishing for boys and having beauty rooms having beautification as a subject and such. It’s such a big thing in the book that I can’t ignore it and it’s aimed at middle-grade people who do not need to be shown even more these sexist extreme standards but this generally annoyed me.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a magical fairy tale.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website |  Book website

Blog Tour-Cruel Summer by James Dawson-Character Quiz #murderonthebeach

I'm back! Got lots of things read and written. Also lost  a book. Will elaborate more later.

Today, we have a bit of fun: as part of the blog tour for James Dawson's Cruel Summer, and the join celebrations of Cruel Summer and Kate Harrison's So

ul Storm, we have a "what character are you" quiz! #murderonthebeach

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Which Cruel Summer Character are you?

In the crisp aisle at the supermarket, which of the following would you pick?
a. Monster Munch
b. Walker’s Sensations
c. Ready Salted
d. You wouldn’t eat crisps because they’re junk
e. Something spicy

Which of the following is your favourite beach read?
a. A cult classic from Vonnegut.
b. If you’re honest, Heat Magazine.
c. The classics are classic for a reason: Wuthering Heights or something by Angela Carter.
d. In a world with DVDs why would you need books?
e. Fifty Shades of Grey

Which item couldn’t you live without?
a. Your camera for Instagram
b. Your phone for gossip
c. A good book
d. The gym
e. Your shoe collection

In a partner you primarily look for..?
a. A good laugh
b. Someone to fix
c. A soulmate
d. Someone unbelievably hot
e. You don’t need anyone else full-stop

Which of the following would be your ideal career?
a. Photographer or artist
b. Actor or singer
c. Writer or librarian
d. Footballer or coach
e. In an ideal world, you wouldn’t work at all!

Your ideal holiday would be…
a. Somewhere beautiful – Cambodia or New Zealand.
b. Somewhere fabulous – Paris or New York.
c. Somewhere quiet – A country break to Devon.
d. Somewhere fun – surfing off Mexico or mountain biking in Hawaii.
e. Somewhere flawless – A Caribbean beach.

What gets played the most on your iPod?
a. Frank Ocean
b. Rihanna
c. Mumford & Sons
d. David Guetta
e. 30 Seconds To Mars

Results:
Mostly As – You are Alisha Cole! Arty Alisha is studying to be a photographer. Like Alisha, you’re here for a good time but that’s not to say you’r

e shallow – there’s more to you than meets the eye. You like things to be unique and individual, just like you.

Mostly Bs – You are Ryan Hayward! Like Ryan, you like the finer things in life and there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re a fiercely loyal friend and can be brutally honest, but in a good way. You’re happiest when the spotlight’s on you.

Mostly Cs – You are Katie Grant! Anything for a quiet life, eh? Like Katie you hate conflict and tension and will always strive to avoid arguments. You’re a natural peacemaker and your friends look to you to for advice.

Mostly Ds – You are Greg Cole! Like pro footballer Greg, you are ambitious, determined and driven. You know what you want and are prepared to work as hard as it takes to get there. You are a protective friend, always ready to defend those you care for.

Mostly Es – You are Roxanne Dent. Fun, feisty and flirtatious, Roxanne is the life and soul of the party. Like her, you are fiercely independent and love to travel. You can be direct, but everyone always knows where they stand with you.

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Apparently, I'm Katie! Not sure what to make of this, since I haven't read Cruel Summer yet. I'll let you know! What did you guys get?

The rest of this tour can be followed by going to all the stops as they come. You can find James at his website, twitter, and tumblr. You can find Cruel Summer on Amazon and Goodreads. You can follow the tour with the tag #murderonthebeach.

Final note- read Cruel Summer and find out Who Killed Janey Bradshaw.

Teaser: Reaper's Rhythm by Clare Davidson

Today, we have a short teaser from Clare Davidson's Reapers' Rhythm.

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Charley’s lying on the bed, her blond hair fanned out over the pillow. Her arms are spread wide, palms up. Crimson blood drips from deep slashes on her wrists. Her blue eyes are open, staring at the ceiling. But they don't see. They're dull, empty.

Dead.

The room spins. My stomach lurches and bile rises up my throat. I swallow and clap my hand to my mouth. Sagging against the doorframe, I can’t tear my gaze from the single lock of hair resting over Charley’s porcelain cheek. What should I do?

Charley would know what to do.

As I stumble down the stairs, my mind clicks into gear. A scream rips out of my throat, eclipsing the pounding music. My foot slips on the beige carpet, sending me tumbling down the remaining stairs. My shoulder and back slam against the wall. I scramble to my feet, screaming, sobbing, then stagger into the hallway, colliding into a young man with the darkest eyes I’ve ever seen.

My own force knocks me backwards. His strong grip clenches my arm, preventing me from falling. I try to scream again, but the sound is trapped within my constricting chest. My sister is dead. A stranger is in my house.

Title: Reaper's Rhythm

Author: Clare Davidson

Description:When everyone thinks your sister committed suicide, it’s hard to prove she was murdered.

Kim is unable to accept Charley’s sudden death. Crippled by an unnatural amnesia, her questions are met with wall after wall. As she doubts her sanity, she realises her investigation is putting those around her in danger.
The only person who seems to know anything is Matthew, an elusive stranger who would rather vanish than talk. Despite his friendly smile, Kim isn’t sure she can trust him. But if she wants to protect her family from further danger, Kim must work with Matthew to discover how Charley died – before it’s too late.

Author Bio:



Clare Davidson is an independent writer, based in Lancaster. Clare is a high school teacher, mother and character-driven fantasy writer. Clare was born in Northampton and lived in Malaysia for four and a half years as a child, before returning to the UK to settle in Leeds with her family. Whilst attending Lancaster University, Clare met her future husband and never left. They now share their lives with their young daughter, a cranky grey cat and an insane white kitten.

She published her first novel, Trinity in July 2012. Trinity is a young adult, fantasy novel, which currently has seventeen five star reviews on Amazon UK.

Her second novel, Reaper’s Rhythm, is due to be released on the 26^th July 2013. Also aimed at a young adult audience, Reaper’s Rhythm is an urban fantasy with a dash of mystery.

Ways to connect with Clare Davidson:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
New releases mailing list: http://eepurl.com/zpjGf

Purchase Links
America: Kindle |Paperback
UK:Kindle |Paperback
Waterstone's
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post- A Ghost by Any Other Name by Bryony Pearce

Hey guys! Today, we have Bryony Pearce ,author of The Weight of Souls, to talk about how she made her ghosts different.

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I have spoken elsewhere about how heavily influenced I am by Stephen King (also Macaffrey and Gemmell). King’s ghosts however, are generally evil (think the Overlook hotel), mine are not.

One of themes that runs through my work is ‘man as monster’. My last book, Angel’s Fury, opens with a Nazi murder and deals with the darkness inside the human spirit, the terrible things that man has done to man. In it we look askance at serial killers and Nazis, soldiers, terrorists and more.

The Weight of Souls has at its core a murder mystery, another terrible action that man has done to man. The monsters in The Weight of Souls are not the ghosts; the ghosts are the victims of the monsters.

That does not stop me from making some of them as creepy as possible.

When I first conceived of writing a story about a girl who sees ghosts, I was concerned that it had ‘been done’. Who hasn’t heard “I see dead people.’?

So I had to think of ways to make my story new.
My first change was to make sure that Taylor did not simply see ghosts, she sees murder victims whose deaths have gone unpunished. If one of these ghosts touches her, Taylor is compelled to seek their justice.
Although I knew from that point that I would be writing a murder mystery, I did not want to make Taylor a Nancy Drew character, after all I thought, where is the realism in a teenaged girl solving crimes that the police cannot? And how would she punish the murderers? Make them do her maths homework …

So I gave the ghosts a power. If they are able to touch someone who has Taylor’s power (or curse), they confer upon their skin a black Mark. This Mark (which deserves the capitalisation) calls something named The Darkness to come and take the bearer away for justice.
Obviously Taylor’s job, if she is wearing a Mark, is to find the individual who truly deserves to be bearing it, and transfer it across. Then she can stand back while the Darkness takes them away.

Usually Taylor’s job is easy. The ghosts tell her who killed them. She simply has to locate the killer, touch them and walk away.
The meat of The Weight of Souls lies in the death of one of her schoolmates, a boy Taylor does not even like. Justin is murdered, but he died in such a way that he believes it was an accident. He does not know who his killer is. But his touch has transferred a Mark to Taylor. She has to find his killer before the Darkness comes for her.
There are rules too, to my ghosts and how they can interact with the human world, best explained by Taylor herself …
“I’m not sure how it works exactly. I know you can’t touch anything living, attached to a living thing, or that a living thing is touching directly. … You can sit on your seat, but you can’t touch mine while I’m sitting here. You can’t affect the living in any way. Mum thought it was something to do with resonances. I don’t know.”
“So I could pick up a knife, but not stab someone with it.”
“You don’t have any substance, Hargreaves. You can feel yourself touch things, even knock things over. But you can’t pick anything up; people would notice stuff floating around.”
He frowned. “Okay. You’re touching this bus. Shouldn’t I fall through the floor?”
“Everyone on the bus is wearing shoes, Hargreaves. No-one is touching the floor directly. You won’t fall through it.”

In fact Taylor uses these rules to escape the ghosts who haunt her.

A whoop whistled out of me and I hurled myself towards the road. As the bus passed, I reached for the pole, leaped and swung myself on board.
Immediately I turned. The dead girl was only two steps behind. Quickly I lifted my hand out of her reach, but kept contact with the metal pole. She grinned and reached out, already jumping towards me.
As her hand went straight through the metal her eyes widened. So, she was new enough not to have known about that. Or maybe she was just stupid.
She hit the floor with her chest, her feet dragged on the road and she scrabbled desperately, trying to get the rest of her body onto the bus.
I crouched just out of her reach and looked at her in silence.
“Please,” she begged. “I know you can help me.” She stretched out her hand, as though I’d take it.
I watched her without moving until she lost her grip.

I knew from the outset that I wanted to write a love story, that my human girl would fall in love with my ghostly boy. But I have also wanted for a long time to write about an incubus. With the Weight of Souls I was able to do both.
When Taylor and Justin fall in love and have their first kiss, Taylor is weakened and Justin is suddenly able to change the rules; he can touch things that Taylor is touching and his old girlfriend can see him. It becomes gradually clearer that through the intimacy of their kisses Justin is taking her life force.

Sadly this is not a recipe for a healthy relationship; the living and the dead are not mean for romance.
This is clearly a doomed love.
Or is it?

To find out more about Bryony and her writing, please visit her website www.bryonypearce.co.uk, follow her on Twitter @BryonyPearce or like her facebook page BryonyPearceAuthor.
The Weight of Souls can be foudn on Goodreads and on Amazon.

These ghosts sound cool, right? If you can't wait, or you need a little more convincing, you can read an extract of The Weight of Souls here. Thanks for the post, Bryony!

Finally, you NEED to go visit the rest of the sites on the tour! Big giveaway! More info at Bryony's website :)