What is New Adult – Here is a great example

I posted this on The Peasant Revolt last week, but really love this post, so I thought I would repost it here one my own site to share with you lovely people. 

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In my continuing exploration of What is New Adult?, I thought I’d bring to your attention a novel I read recently that I feel is quintessential New Adult; In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow

I received book #1 & book #2 of the In Too Deep Series in exchange for an honest review for On Solid Ground (Book #2), released this week.

Because I hate reading anything out of sequence, I had to read book #1, first. I am so happy I did.

I loved this book, but this isn’t a review or an endorsement. This post is an illustration.  If you are confused about what is New Adult, read In Too Deep. This book is New Adult to perfection.

Let’s go back to our definitions from a few months ago in What is New Adult?:

Characters experiencing; college, living away from home for the first time, a first serious relationship. Lot’s of first. 

In Too Deep explorers the relationship between Gracie and Noah. Gracie is a sophomore in college and Noah is her first serious boyfriend and her first intense relationship.  With Noah, Gracie experiences a lot of firsts. Unfortunately, most of those firsts, she ends up regretting.

Characters in the 19 – 25 age range who are trying their best to figure out life for themselves. 

Gracie’s is 20 years old when the novel begins and her first real relationship takes a dark and disturbing turn out of the blue and Gracie scrambles to figure out how to navigate the new dynamic in her relationship while continuing to profess to her friends, family and herself, that everything is still the same.

Characters who stumble through their early twenties trying to find their way in an adult word, but they don’t have the responsibilities that adults do. 

Gracie certainly stumbles through this novel. She spends so much time doubting and loosing her true self while trying to hold on to a man who isn’t what he claims to be.  She hopes he will return to the person she though he was if only she could love him enough. When we are young, we tend to let things play out for themselves because we feel like we have all the time in the world to figure it out.

Character’s lives are filled with internal, as well as external, conflict. The stakes are high, but happily ever after is not goal.  It is all about the main character growing and realizing that no matter what, life does go on.

Gracie’s internal search for self worth and peace pulls at your heart. Her external search for love and happiness gives you hope and makes you root for her every step of the way even when at times you are frustrated by her actions.

The stake hover around the life and death variety, along with abuse, self esteem and self preservation at the heart of things.  We don’t want Gracie to fall in love and live happily every after. We don’t need the fairy tale ending, we just want Gracie to be stronger, happier, and healthier then she was at the beginning of the novel.  Because the stakes are so high, we are happy with where she ends up as long as she has moved forward.

That is New Adult in a nutshell. 

What book exemplifies the New Adult category for you? 

Check out my review of On Solid Ground (In Too Deep #2) by Michelle Kemper Brownlow.

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Meant for Me by Faith Sullivan – Release Day!

Title: Meant for Me
Author: Faith Sullivan
Expected release date: December 10, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Ebook available at: Kindle | Nook | Smashwords  


Book Description:

Eric thought he had forever…before.

Divided between reliving the past and embracing his new life with Ivy, Eric fears that love will once again be ripped from his grasp. Having faith in the future is hard. So many things can go wrong.

Ivy is convinced that what they have is meant to be…but no one can escape the wheel of fate.

Her love for Eric and the life they’re creating make every sacrifice seem worthwhile. Until she’s forced to reveal the truth surrounding her delicate condition. Even if it shatters his hope.

Can they hold onto their newfound happiness or are events already in motion to keep them apart?


Excerpt:

My boyfriend is so freakin’ hot.

I press my nose against the glass, peering out as he stops to take a break from cutting the grass around the garden center. It’s sweltering outside and he’s worked up quite a sweat pushing the lawn mower up and down the property. As a result of his labor, his white t-shirt is clinging to his chest in all the right places. I sigh happily, taking him in.

He has no clue that I’m watching as he picks up a water bottle and pours it over his head, forming a trail that trickles down the length of his body. I clutch the windowsill as I feel that all too familiar twinge between my legs. Being pregnant, my hormones are on fire and it doesn’t take much to get me going. So it’s no wonder a moan escapes my lips when he doesn’t stop there. Instead, he casually begins to strip in front of me.

My cheeks burn as he lifts his arms over his head, removing his shirt, elongating every inch of his defined abs. My eyes follow his v-shaped pelvic muscle as it dips suggestively below his belt buckle. My breathing becomes heavy as he stretches, causing his jeans to ride even lower on his hips. My pulse skyrockets as he proceeds to wring the water out of his shirt, flexing his glistening biceps against the rays of the setting sun.

I squirm against the window, forcing my knees together. My movement catches his attention and he glances up, meeting my gaze. A sexy grin slowly spreads across his face when he realizes the effect he’s having on me. My mouth is open. I’m literally panting for him. He shakes his head and chuckles softly. My heart clenches at how adorable he looks.

He’s not the kind of guy who flaunts his body, but for me it seems like he enjoys being on display. He runs his hands through his damp hair, tousling it before grabbing another bottle of water. He winks at me, tilting back his head and taking a long swig. He closes his eyes, his lips wrapped around the bottle, teasing me. He smiles when he’s done, beckoning me with his finger.

I don’t hesitate for a moment. I gladly leave the confines of his air-conditioned office and rush outside. He’s waiting, his eyes smoldering. He stands with his hands on his hips, watching as I approach. It’s unseasonably mild for October, and I step out of my clogs as I draw nearer to him. His gaze never leaves my face. It only intensifies, causing me to blush even more.

I get close enough to feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek, but I don’t speak. Instead, I run my hands across the wide breadth of his shoulders and down his heaving chest. My touch must be driving him wild because I can feel his heart thudding beneath my fingertips. His skin is so smooth and firm. He’s a man’s man who’d never dream of waxing his upper body, and a trail of soft, fine hair guides me to his belly button and beyond.

“How can I expect to get anything done around here with you touching me like that?” Eric asks, his voice all husky as I find the zipper of his jeans.

“Well, you shouldn’t be tempting me by getting naked in front of the window,” I whisper seductively as he grabs my wrist, preventing me from lowering his zipper and undressing him any further.

With my free hand, I start to remove my dress when he growls, “I don’t want anyone seeing what’s mine.” He scans the horizon for any approaching vehicles, but there are none to be found. “No one’s ever going to hear what you sound like when you come. Only me.”

 
Books in this series:
(linked to Goodreads)
 

About the Author:
 
Faith Sullivan is an author of New Adult contemporary romances including the HEARTBEAT trilogy, the TAKE ME NOW series and the 9/11 novel, UNEXPECTED.


Where to find Faith Sullivan:

 

Tweet these pics (and tag @_FaithSullivan_) to gain extra entries!

Cheersfest 2013 – Arlee Bird

Cheerfest Button 2013

“Ladies and gentlemen, the 2013 recipient of CheersFest is none other than Arlee “Lee” Bird.” Hosted again by Mark KoopmansMorgan ShamyDavid Powers KingStephen Tremp and The Ninja Captain himself.

I virtually meet Lee during the first bloghop I ever participated in, 2012 A-Z Challenge, I did my first guest post on his blog and he is one of the first to leave a comment on most of my blog post.    I jump at the chance to celebrate Arlee.

Why did Lee come up with the A-Z Challenge?

Lee has an unusual fear of the alphabet, it started in childhood and he doesn’t like to talk about it, but he has been in intense aversion therapy ever since. The A-Z challenge is part of his therapy.

If someone dreams about being a juggler, what does it mean?

It’s means someone like to have all his balls in the air at the same time. That doesn’t sound right.

Is a post by Mr. Bird worth two in the bush?

More in my opinion, a bush, two stones and bushel of leaves.

Who could play Lee in a documentary? (Living or dead.)

Brian Dennehy could totally play Mr. Bird.

“From A to Z, I am Arlee Bird, but you can call me Lee.”

In +/- 100 words, (excluding the title) write flash fiction using all these prompts:
·         Bird
·         Juggler
·         Challenge
·         Brown Jacket
·         Tossing

Tossing, like this,” Lee said and demonstrated to his pet. He had a challenge ahead of him, but he told everyone he was a juggler, and a bird juggler at that.
Arlee knew he couldn’t juggle birds, but if he could train them to fly in a circular pattern while he pretended to juggle, his plan would work.
The day of the demonstrated, he tossed the birds up and they flew in a circle, over his head.
Then, they defecated on his brown jacket and flew away.  That was the day Lee realized, you couldn’t keep a bird from flying away. 

For Bonus Points:
·         In +/- 40 words, can you come up with a caption for Lee’s Facebook picture?

11.18 Lee Bird“See, I’m juggling so fast, it looks like the pins are standing still.”

Take your turn with the challenge and check out the other Arlee Cheerfest 2.0 posts.

Related post:  Cheers, Cavanaugh Blogfest

Pop Travel by Tara Tyler Blogtour – Research

Sydney is awesome – she graciously volunteered to host me for my extra long Pop Travel Blog Tour! Can’t believe it’s already into month six!! And congrats, Sydney, on winning the Nano challenge! Bravo!

Today, I’m going to talk about research. I love research! Of course, hands on research would be fantastic, especially for travel. But, the internet is a most useful tool.

Why research? Well, we want many people to read our books and it’s important that we have our facts straight or we won’t be credible authors. It’s also important to have plausibility in fiction, especially science fiction. Even though we make up stuff, it has to be believable to make it a good story, unless it’s fantasy. Fantasy is pretty much anything imaginable!

Here are some of the things I researched for Pop Travel…

Setting – the action takes place in several locations all over Georgia, starting in a small town, to downtown Atlanta, to a refurbished plantation. The plantations were a lot of fun to dig into – historic, majestic, mysterious! The characters also pop across the world to India and Australia. I had to research all these locations to make sure the readers felt like they were there and could picture the scenes, whether they had been there or not.

Sources – my research sources included many internet sites, and maps, like the Atlanta airport website, and my neighbor who happens to be from Mumbai, India.

Technology – I also had to research the science behind some of the futuristic gadgets I wanted my characters to have. Like pop travel teleportation itself. There’s a squeak of a chance it might work someday, versus the many studies that say it can’t, so possible is plausible. And the Quarknet may be close to reality to replace the internet as a faster and more efficient way to transmit data. There’s more, but I don’t want to bore you with the details!

Finally, one of the most fun items I researched was Geri’s clothes! She wears a killer purple gown to a party, then swaps it for a more comfortable outfit over in India. I did some more research for the next book for her go-to spywear with protective lining. Just so fun to imagine!

There are so many things that come up that require some digging. We have to put in the effort if we want our stories to be great. You all know what I mean!

Do you have any interesting research you’ve had to do? Or advice? I’d love to hear it!

And thanks again, Sydney, for giving me this opportunity to talk to your readers!

Now, here are some details for Pop Travel.

Cooper thought he could get through

life without having to pop…

Pop Travel by Tara Tyler

A tale of deception and teleportation.

When a distraught client enters J.L. Cooper’s small town detective agency, ranting about a pop travel teleportation cover up, Cooper takes the case. He blames the pop travel craze for his wife’s death and would love to expose a glitch in it.

But the glitch turns out to be disintegrating travelers. And now, his client is dead, his secretary is missing, and a hitman is stalking him. Plus there’s all the webcams watching his every move. Cooper must find a way to expose the deadly flaw, while using pop travel to escape the maniacs covering it up, not to mention save a couple of tag-alongs he’s not sure he can trust. No problem.

Available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Goodreads  <==>  Trailer  <==>  FB Author Page

After having a hand in everything from waitressing to teaching math to rocket engineering, Tara Tyler now writes and teaches in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. In addition to her novels, she has published short stories and poetry in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, and Humor. So many stories to tell!

What is your Dream Destination?

Blog-Hop

 

To celebrate the launch of Soul Cutter by Lexa Cain and The Ghosts of Aquinnah by Julie Flanders, they created this cool bloghop. 

If you’ve spent any time with me, my Facebook account, my Twitter account and especially my blog, you know I love to travel. This bloghop is right up my alley.  The hard part is picking just one. My Travel Bucket List is about 32 destinations deep and I have been blessed to have knock 15  places off the list.

Random Pick – #19 – Tibet

Five Reasons I want to travel to Tibet:

  1. It takes a lot of effort to visit Tibet; 16-24 hour plane rides, passport, visa, permit, guides, donkey drawn carts, etc.
  2. It’s hot and cold; the temperature in the summer ranges from freezing to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Mt. Everest Base Came, I could tell people I climb to Mt. Everest (the to is silent).
  4. Tibetan monastery – How amazing does this place look? There are 20+ of them in this region. 2398725416_a70cd1f810_z
  5. Tibetan people – I met a really cool couple from Tibet while I was in China and they wanted to take me back home with them. They actually travel to their village by donkey drawn carriage. No roads about 200 miles north of Lhasa. Sounds like an adventure.

What is your dream destination?