Jenna Samuels is about to turn fifteen. It's been almost a year since her stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust. Almost a year since he returned as her guardian angel, along with his "angel boss," Amber Velasco, the hot twenty-something former EMT. Almost a year since Casey and Amber used up their one-time-only angel power of flight to save Jenna from the evil Dr. Renfroe, swooping down to catch her as she tumbled off the balcony at the Houston Galleria. In short, a lot of A-word shenanigans and a mostly happy ending.
Except now Casey's begun to wonder why he's still hanging around—not that he minds protecting Jenna. She's a handful, but there's got to be a bigger picture, right? Something to distract him from his on again/off again, doomed relationship with cheerleader Lanie Phelps, who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead. After all, he can't use his angel wings anymore. Neither can Amber.
Enter Bo Shivers, Amber's "angel boss"—a mysterious A-word guy Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed. Whiskey-guzzling. Handsome in a grizzled way. Unpredictable. Okay, make that crazy. Bo lost his angel wings in an earthly flight a long, long, long time back—and he's been a thorn in Angel Management's side ever since. But Bo knows something is coming. Something big. Something that was worth forfeiting wings for Jenna... something that might just change everything for everyone.
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Ask Aria Morse anything, and she must answer with the truth. Yet she rarely understands the cryptic words she‘s compelled to utter. Blessed—or cursed—with the power of an Oracle who cannot decipher her own predictions, she does her best to avoid anyone and everyone.
But Aria can no longer hide when Jade, one of the few girls at school who ever showed her any kindness, disappears. Any time Aria overhears a question about Jade, she inadvertently reveals something new, a clue or hint as to why Jade vanished. But like stray pieces from different puzzles, her words never present a clear picture.
Then there’s Alex, damaged and dangerous, but the first person other than Jade to stand up for her. And Will, who offers a bond that seems impossible for a girl who’s always been alone. Both were involved with Jade. Aria may be the only one who can find out what happened, but the closer she gets to solving the crime, the more she becomes a target. Not everyone wants the truth to come out.
When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier—especially when Malcolm Astor, fellow artist and scion of one of the school’s original families, starts falling for her. Fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols warns her not to get involved with a “Wicky,” but things are finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy it.
But Liv’s bliss is cut short when she is viciously murdered. In death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that spans 150 years and many, many lives. Gabe, cursed with the ability to see their ghosts, turns out to be Liv’s only link to the world of the living.
Liv must rely on Gabe’s help to prove to Malcolm that she’s still present… lingering with the other spirits. Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham before more lives are lost.
Guest Post with Amy Talkington
When not writing books (or blog posts), I’m a screenwriter (and filmmaker). At this point, I’ve written more than fifteen scripts “for hire” and several others for myself (not to mention the many short films I’ve written and directed). And now I’ve written my first book, Liv, Forever. People have asked me why I decided to write a book and what the difference is between screenwriting and book writing so I thought I’d share some thoughts about that with you here.
I actually first imagined Liv, Forever as a screenplay. I wrote up a fifteen page treatment on the characters and story before I realized I needed to write it as a book. Why? I think the answers to that question will help illuminate some of the differences between writing books and movies.A) I really wanted to explore Liv’s voice.Screenwriting is incredibly prescriptive. You cannot go into someone’s head. You cannot even describe a room beyond the bare essentials. Looking at the story I’d crafted for Liv, I realized that I really wanted to go deeper. I wanted to explore the thoughts in Liv’s head. I wanted to know how she felt when she realized she was dead. I wanted to understand why she felt no capacity for love. I wanted to know how she saw the world. I knew I could get so much deeper into her thoughts and her unique perspective in a book.B) I wanted to create a layered ghost mythology and history for the school.I knew that I needed a detailed and twisty history and mythology for the school. This was something that I hadn’t cracked in the outline and I knew would be tough to crack in a screenplay without practically writing a book about it first. So, I decided I might as well just write that book!C.) I’d always wanted to write a book.Most screenwriters I know would like to write a book someday. At least just one. We are writers after all and we love books as well as movies. But there is another, more practical, reason (in two parts): books don’t get messed with and books get published. Working as a screenwriter for the studios (as I have for about ten years) can be very challenging because we’re constantly (and nearly always) rewritten. No matter who you are or how big your credits, your writing is rarely considered sacred (or even very important!).And not only are you rewritten, but your work is seldom produced. Of those fifteen scripts I mentioned that I’ve written, only three have been produced. Just imagine writing fifteen novels for publishing houses (doing all the multiple revisions) but having only three actually published. (Side note: I have several studio projects in “active development” and hope to see at least one made this year!)So you can imagine the appeal of having a book that will be published (just as I wrote it!). This is an uncommon experience for a screenwriter. And, I want to do it again, no doubt. But, at the same time, I’m also busy trying to turn Liv, Forever into a movie!If you want to know all the latest on Liv, Forever follow me on Twitter @amytalkington and Tumblr http://amytalkington.tumblr.com/
But Liv’s bliss is cut short when she is viciously murdered. In death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that spans 150 years and many, many lives. Gabe, cursed with the ability to see their ghosts, turns out to be Liv’s only link to the world of the living.
Liv must rely on Gabe’s help to prove to Malcolm that she’s still present… lingering with the other spirits. Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham before more lives are lost.
The truth will test you...
For fans of Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games: high fantasy and dystopia meet in this high-stakes tale of a civilization built on lies and the girl who single-handedly brings it down.
When Eva’s twin brother, Eamon, falls to his death just a few months before he is due to participate in The Testing, no one expects Eva to take his place. She’s a Maiden, slated for embroidery classes, curtseys, and soon a prestigious marriage befitting the daughter of an Aerie ruler. But Eva insists on honoring her brother by becoming a Testor. After all, she wouldn’t be the first Maiden to Test, just the first in 150 years.
Eva knows the Testing is no dance class. Gallant Testors train for their entire lives to search icy wastelands for Relics: artifacts of the corrupt civilization that existed before The Healing drowned the world. Out in the Boundary Lands, Eva must rely on every moment of the lightning-quick training she received from Lukas—her servant, a Boundary native, and her closest friend now that Eamon is gone.
But there are threats in The Testing beyond what Lukas could have prepared her for. And no one could have imagined the danger Eva unleashes when she discovers a Relic that shakes the Aerie to its core.
This is such a challenging question, because I have a precise image of Lukas’ rugged, handsome appearance -- with his dark eyes and hair--and it’s unique from anyone I’ve actually seen. It’s also difficult to cast Lukas in that he has such a specific background -- he’s from one of the indigenous Arctic cultures, Inuit most particularly -- and he has unusual physical strength -- he’s a phenomenal ice climber. That’s a tough order to fill! That said, if I was forced to choose, I think I’d probably cast Taylor Lautner. Although he doesn’t have the actual Arctic background (at least not that I know!), his appearance approximates it, and from the Twilight 
movies, I’d say he has fairly substantial physicality. And he could probably convey Lukas’ unique qualities of innate kindness, quiet conviction, and smoldering emotion.
This is W.A.R. begins with a victim who can no longer speak for herself, and whose murder blossoms into a call-to-arms. Enter four very different girls, four very different motives to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan, and only one rule to start: Destroy James Gregory and his family at any cost. Willa's initials spell the secret rallying cry that spurs the foursome to pool their considerable resources and deliver their particular brand of vigilante justice. Innocence is lost, battles are won—and the pursuit of the truth ultimately threatens to destroy them all.
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CHRONICLE: Before the Books of Eva tells the story of Madeline, the very first female to participate in the Testing for New North, after the Healing drowned the world...
A new breed of spy novel combines classic thrills (The Americans, John Le Carre, and Alan Furst), Bolshoi intrigue, and elements of the paranormal.Marina is born of privilege. Her mother, Sveta, is the Soviet Union's prima ballerina: an international star handpicked by the regime. But Sveta is afflicted with a mysterious second sight and becomes obsessed with exposing a horrific state secret. Then she disappears.
Fearing for their lives, Marina and her father defect to Brooklyn. Marina struggles to reestablish herself as a dancer at Juilliard. But her enigmatic partner, Sergei, makes concentration almost impossible, as does the fact that Marina shares her mother's “gift,” and has a vision of her father’s murder at the hands of the Russian crooks and con artists she thought they'd left behind.
Now Marina must navigate the web of intrigue surrounding her mother's disappearance, her ability, and exactly whom she can—and can't—trust.
I tried so hard to love this book. It is set in 1982 which is of course the year I was born. Which made me want to love it even more. But with almost no plot at all and a reading pace that is like molassas I just couldnt do it. After 100 pages of wanting to pass out every ten seconds I just had to put it down! So now I call to you my readers to see if this is something you would like to read instead! So I have a wonderful finished copy of this one up for grabs! 
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