Miyuki by Veronica Bane

In the town of Jericho, a group of misfit teenagers haunts the underbelly of their society. Armed with the ability to manipulate different parts of nature, these teenagers fight for their right to stay alive. In the months following an attack on their lives, danger still lurks around them. Those behind the original strike have risen from the ashes, and new powers are beginning to reveal themselves. With this mysterious threat imminent, Mara, Miyuki, and the rest of the Unusuals must stand together to fight. However, time is running out for the group, for someone—or something—is hunting them, and this time around, not all of them will survive.

Mara (Book 1 in the series) on Amazon (Miyuki is not yet on Amazon)

Miyuki on Goodreads

Excerpt
Nayara unfurled herself from the tree, cracking her long fingers and shaking the dust from her legs. She crawled down the branches, digging her long nails into the bark before swinging down. Her toes brushed against the dirt in silence, and she peered around the twilight.
As she moved, the moonlight illuminated her features: her face, half covered in black scales, was all bony angles and pursed lips. Her nose met in a point, and her wide eyes flashed when she turned. An elongated neck met sharp shoulder blades and more of the black scales, though her chest bore silver and blue scales as well. Long, dark hair tumbled over her back and down to her knees, and her skin below the scales was mottled and scarred.
A twig cracked, and Nayara wheeled around, narrowing her eyes. She padded along the forest, running her tongue along her pointed teeth, tasting the metallic in the air.
There, just beyond the trees, she saw her. A girl stood on the edge, her hand filled with flames, throwing a glow over the whole woods. The girl sighed, watching the fire twist and turn in her palm.
“Mara!”
Nayara turned toward the voice and watched as the boy crashed through the branches. Stupid, messy boy, Nayara thought. No grace. No power.
“Miles,” Mara replied, and the fire ceased.
He smiled, scratching the back of his head.
“I didn’t know where you went,” he said.
Nayara curved her hands into fists, scraping the edge of her palm with her nails. A growl welled up inside her, and she ducked behind the brush to watch them.
“Look,” Miles said, shifting on his feet. “I know you’re mad at me because I didn’t back you up. But, I’d be lying if I said that I don’t think that you want to go after your brother because you want to get revenge. But, revenge isn’t safe.”
Mara turned away from him, looking past the woods.
“It’s not up to you to determine what’s safe for me.”
“I know, but last time…I just don’t want anyone to get hurt. Especially you.”
Mara reached out and touched a leaf, tracing the lines with her finger.
“Look, Miles, I know what happened last time. You guys want to look for whoever is doing this, and I’ll do that. For now. I just know he’s out here, and he’s more dangerous than any of you know.”
Mara’s voice, low and clipped, shook a bit near the end. Nayara tossed her hair behind her shoulder and slunk closer, drinking in the girl.
When Miles didn’t reply, Mara sent a small spark that set the leaf alight. It crumpled into ash that rained down on the ground, and Mara turned away.
“Just drop it,” Mara said. “Let’s keep looking for those tracks, okay?”
They slipped away through the trees, their voices dampening to whispers. Nayara watched them go, the flame girl and the useless boy, and considered them.
A plan curled up inside her, and then she darted through the woods.

Author Veronica Bane grew up in San Diego, California and spent her days writing in local coffee shops and at the beach. Her writing was and has always been fed a healthy diet of chai tea lattes and film scores. She studied Creative Writing at Chapman University and now lives in Los Angeles.
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Wandering by Heather Sutherlin is OUT NOW!!

When you’ve travelled between worlds, there’s nowhere left to go but home.

Rory has never been so cold in her life. But the biting wind only reminds her of another pain that grows more intense with each passing day. Each night Jaron’s beautiful voice sings in her dreams, and each day her footsteps draw her closer to his side. Danger and intrigue at every turn, no distance is too far when you’re returning for true love.

Rin has spent the last five years searching for Rory across two worlds. Now a series of visions have him convinced he’s growing closer to finding her. But when Rory slips through another portal, taking his visions with her, he finds himself back at square one. To find her now he’ll need the help of an old friend and a little otherworldly magic.  This time he intends to bring The Wanderer home for good.

Wandering

Available on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes

June 25th, 2013

Links for purchase:

Amazon

Nook

iTunes

An Excerpt from Wandering:

    

Sometimes I think I've seen her face more times than my own.
Tonight she stands on top of a snow- covered mountain with the wind in her hair. Her eyes crinkle at the corners as she squints into the distance. She shifts her stance, leaning, her body reaching forward and I can almost feel the racing of her heart as the wind billows around her, lifting her cloak and whipping her hair into her eyes. It reminds her of something she once felt, something powerful. Blood pounds in my ears and for a moment we are connected, The Wanderer and I. Her pain, her longing, they choke me. She holds her breath as the wind grows stronger. It pushes against her so that her footing slips. I want to shout to her, warn her that she might fall, but I can almost hear her thoughts. She hopes it will carry her away. To bring her back.
The wind whips around her, swirling ice and snow at her feet and she begins to cry. Her tears freeze as they slide down her cheeks. She doesn’t cry from fear or pain. Not even the bitter, endless cold could cause her tears. No, she cries because it is only the wind.
***
I woke up, panting, covered in sweat. Turning over, I clenched my eyes shut in a desperate attempt to bring the images back into focus.
“It’s no use,” I groaned. I knew it wouldn't work. It never did. She was gone. That one little glimpse was all I would get –for now.
The visions began the very day we returned home from Rutahn, the world beyond the portal. I fell asleep on my aunt’s couch and probably hadn’t even started snoring when her face filled my mind. She was lying in the corner of a little hut, bundled in blankets and furs. I remember how she shivered, like she was trying to shake off her own skin. Her cheeks were flushed a bright red and she gasped for air, tossing in her makeshift little bed. An arm with skin the color of caramel reached toward her and wiped her face with a wet cloth. That’s when I realized she was sick. I woke up in a panic, my heart racing. I had fallen asleep afraid she might be dead and now instead of feeling relieved that she was alive, I was more afraid than ever. We still didn’t know where Rory was, but now I knew she was very sick. I worried incessantly about her after that. I dreamed of her nearly every night, gathering bits and pieces of information, clues as to where she might be. After that, the dreams gradually increased in frequency, and then grew more intense. Now, instead of just seeing Rory, I could feel a little of her thoughts, her emotions. Most of the time it was a relief. I saw her safe. I watched her grow strong again. I even saw her smile once or twice.
Then, there were nights like this one. Nights where I could sense her terror, her despair, the aching loneliness or desperate longing for those she had lost. I would lie there helpless, watching her cry deep, heart wrenching sobs and I would wake up with my pillow wet, my face covered in sympathetic tears. Those were the nights that weighed on me. Visions like this one often forced me out of bed and back into my research. It was impossible to sleep knowing she was out there somewhere in pain and longing to find a way home. That’s why I keep searching. For five endless years I’ve searched and I’ll keep searching until I find her and bring the Wanderer home.

Wandering is the sequel to Seen by Heather Sutherlin.

Owlet Release Day!!!

Today is the release day for Owlet by the gorgeous YA author Emma Michaels. YAY!!

Somewhere between falling and flying... there is a girl. Iris has a secret. She lost her memory eight years ago and never told a living soul. After an asthma attack one night she finds out that her dreams of a strange house on a snowy island may be a memory resurfacing but the more she learns about the past the more she realizes the life she has been living is a lie. As the façade her father has built starts to crumble around her she will have to decide which means more to her; the truth or her life.
Get your copy of Owlet now! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090MXTVG?tag=tributebooks-20
For more information, visit www.EmmaMichaels.com