Happy Book Birthday to THIEF OF LIES by Brenda Drake!!

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Today I have the honor of celebrating Brenda Drake's new novel, THIEF OF LIES! I don't know about you, but I've been dying to get my hands on this one and I'm so happy it's out in the world now so I can! And you can too!

Don't know about THIEF OF LIES or Brenda Drake you say? Well, sit back and keep reading because this party's just starting!!

ABOUT THIEF OF LIES (LIBRARY JUMPERS #1):


Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather-clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum suddenly disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels—magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books—rescue them from a demonic hound.

Jumping into some of the world’s most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds. Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard, and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik’s world and her own, before both are destroyed.


TOUCHING FATE: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt from THIEF OF LIES:

We stepped into the Children’s Library and stopped in the center of the room. A massive light fixture designed to resemble the solar system dominated the ceiling. The hushed rumble of two male voices came from one of the reading nooks. I crossed the room, paused at the built-in aquarium, and inspected the fish. Afton halted beside me. 

“This is great,” I whispered, not wanting to disturb whoever was in there with us. “Fish and books. What’s not to love?” Spotting a sign referencing classic books, I searched the shelves for my all-time favorite novel.

The male voices stopped and there was movement on the other side of the bookcase. I paused to listen, and when the voices started up again, I continued my hunt.

Warmth rushed over me when I found The Secret Garden. With its aged green cover, it was the same edition I remembered reading as a young girl. The illustrations inside were beautiful, and I just had to show them to Afton. Coming around the corner of the case, a little too fast for being in a library, I bumped into a guy dressed in leather biker gear. My book and notebook fell and slapped against the floor.

“Oh, I’m so sorry—” I lost all train of thought at the sight of him. He was gorgeous with tousled brown hair and dark eyes. Tall. He flashed me a crooked smile, a hint of dimples forming in his cheeks, before bending over and picking up my forgotten book.

He held the book out to me. “Mistress Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?” He’d quoted a verse from The Secret Garden with a sexy accent that tickled my ears.

I stood there like an idiot, my heart pounding hard against my chest, unable to think of a response. The fact that he had read the book and could recite a line from it stunned me. And impressed me.

Say something. Anything.

“Good read there,” he said when it was obvious I wasn’t going to speak. He winked and nodded to a guy behind him before ambling off. When he reached the end of the row, he paused and glanced back at me, flashing me another killer smile, and then he disappeared around the bookcase.

Tingles rose in my stomach. He looked back at me. The guy following his Royal Hotness gave me a final appraisal before departing. His stringy blond hair hung over his large forehead. It looked like he hadn’t washed it in weeks, and there was probably an acne breeding ground under it. He grinned, and I broke eye contact with him, making for the nearest window.

Oh God, you’re so lame, Gia. You could have finished the quote or anything less tragic than not speaking at all. The response I would have said played in my head. With silver bells, and cockleshells, and marigolds all in a row. Why? Why hadn’t I said that?

ABOUT BRENDA DRAKE:

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up are of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling.

So it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her family, she haunts libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or reads someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).


Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram

Sounds awesome, right? So are you excited about THIEF OF LIES? Are you going to grab a copy or did you pre-order? Let me know in the comments and stop by Twitter and tell Brenda Happy Book Birthday!!

Oh! And don't forget about the giveaway!!

GIVEAWAY a Rafflecopter giveaway

Allow Me To Tell You A Little About Myself: Pitch Wars Mentee Bio/Pimp My Bio

Hello my lovely followers! Brenda Drake has done it again, which means the Wonder Woman of contests is hosting Pitch Wars once again! So this gif goes out to her and all of the amazing Mentors who'll be going through the slush very soon!

If you'd like to check out what Pitch Wars is all about, click Brenda's name above. Also, check out her site, she has an amazing book called Library Jumpers coming out soon!

Now to this post. The wonderful Dannie Morin, one of Pitch Wars' fabulous mentors, has put together a mentee blog hop for us to pimp ourselves out a little bit. So, keep reading if you'd like to learn a little bit more about me. And if you're a mentor, why you WANT to pick me!

1. I worked on my high school newspaper and won the Journalism award my sophomore year. In fact, I was the first sophomore to win the award we dubbed the Senior Trophy. (Yeah, it wasn't the best name. But that's always who won it.) I'd found my love for telling stories long before this, 2 years old in fact, but this has always been something I'm very proud about. That and having my first article on the front page . Back then, it was like I was REALLY published!

2. I love chocolate! Milk chocolate is my favorite, but I'll give any chocolate a chance. I'm not going to kid you, I'm fluffy. But I haven't always been fluffy. When I was younger I had trouble eating much of anything. I have stomach issues and this isn't a sob story post, so moving on. Point is, when we found something I could/would eat, it was almost always around. Milk chocolate decided it wanted to be my friend way back when, and I'm happy to say, we're still friends today.

Oh! And I'm not stingy. I'll always share even when I only have enough chocolate for one.

3. I'm not afraid of hard work or criticism. I actually welcome it! Sure, I may cry. BUT I'm not going to freak out on you or someone for saying they have a problem or found one with my MS. And the crying's like five minutes and only the hubby sees/hears it. Then I'm back to normal and pumped to fix the issue! And don't worry about me barking at you, I'll never do that. If I don't agree with someone's opinion, I find discussing it like adults is always the best way to go.

4. CROSSING BRIELLE! Okay, I'm pimping my MS a little here. Well, I'm pimping my MC's, doppelgangers Cross and Brielle. I like to write girls who have their own voices. Even if they look exactly the same and even share the same name, they WON'T be the same. Sure, they may pick up some of the other's ways, but you'll never mistake one for the other. I find writing strong, nerdy, quirky, bad-assed girls fun! Part of the reason why I wrote Crossing Brielle was because of a teen friend who's quirky in her own adorably, amazing way. The more I took this world I came up with after talking with her, I couldn't help but capture the magic that I see when Nina Dobrev plays Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce on the Vampire Diaries. Keeping Cross and Brielle their own people was tough, but in the end, totally worth it and super fun!

5. I can memorize things super fast! Not Sheldon Cooper fast, but fast. In 8th grade I memorized all 50 states and their capitals in 1st period for the test I had coming up in 2nd period. Just allow me to zone out and come up with a pattern/rhythm and I'll have whatever I need in my memory in no time! But after I don't need it anymore, just like Kelly Bundy, all the needless information comes flooding back in its place!

6. I love the 80's! Nothing against the 90's or any other decade. All I'm going to say is the 80's gave us one of my favorite bands. This gif will say it all!

7. I was robbed at gunpoint when I was 21. Any time I'm writing a scene that requires me to describe the feeling of adrenalin, I remember how it felt with that gun in my face. I never thought something like that could help me, but I've drawn on that experience and it's helped me plot out a scene in my current wip that I don't think I could've done without that time in my life.

8. Do you like to laugh? Well, I'm goofy and love to laugh! Laughter is honestly gotten me through some tough times and if I can help someone by being goofy, then I will! So come on, let's be goofballs together!

9. Cute puppies and kitties brighten my day! I love animals and can't figure out why anyone would ever want to hurt them or anybody really. Just looking at their sweet little faces makes me smile. So here's a cute puppy and I hope it makes you smile too!

10. Reading! I love reading. Be it Contemporty, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Romance, YA, MG, Adult, and NA. I LOVE TO READ! I have shelves full of books and I'm always certain I need more! Lucky for me, my hubby's an avid reader too and agrees that we can never have too man books! Some of my favorites are The Fault in Our Stars, The Vampire Diaries (L.J. Smith ones,) The Time Traveler's Wife, The Notebook, Gone With the Wind, The Mortal Instruments, and Harry Potter. Just naming a few because we could be here all day.

11. Do you like kissing scenes or almost kissing scene? Well I do too! While the plot of my MS might not be a total make-out/romance, I do enjoy a good romantic subplot! And that almost kiss, *sighs*, that's truly my favorite thing to write and even read. It makes the full on first kiss so much better when it's done right too!

12. My favorite TV shows/Movies to name a few are Once Upon A Time, The Vampire Diaries, Reign, Beauty and the Beast, Gone With the Wind, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Jason Stathem movies (it counts!) Harry Potter, Perks of Being a Wallflower, and the Avengers! And I'm only naming a few because if I love a movie/show, I'll watch it over and over.

13. I love games! Be it playing board/card games or PS3 games with my hubby, I love gaming! And I take it seriously too. I hate to lose and I warn anybody who plays against/with me about it in the very beginning. Final Fantasy XIII is my favorite PS3 game, but I love others too. The antagonist in XIII-2 has a special place in my heart for some very specific reasons.

Also, bad-ass fight scenes! Just slipping this in here. I love to read them, write them, and watch them! Sword meeting sword, flesh meeting flesh, when done right, it's the best!!

And that my lovely followers, fellow wishful mentees, and any ninja mentors, is a little about me! Hit me in the comments if you want to know more or even tell me a little about yourself. And as alway, I'm on twitter too if you'd like to chat there!

Until next time, happy reading and writing everyone!