Super thrilled to have two of the many fantastic authors from Evernight Teen with us today !!!
Sasha Hibbs and S.D. Wasley
have volunteered a blurb & excerpt from their stories in the Summer Crush Anthology
* * * * *
Sutton Summer by Sasha Hibbs
After
losing her mom to a lengthy battle with breast cancer, seventeen-year-old
McKenzie Westfall finds herself carted off to Sutton Lake every summer to stay
with her Aunt Jenny while her contractor father works out of state.
The
problem? The lake was willed to McKenzie’s aunt and her mother after her
grandfather passed away and everything about the lake reminds her of what
she doesn't have anymore: her mother, her own life and the geeky
kid, Dylan Blake, whose heart McKenzie broke last year.
Sutton
Summer puts
McKenzie on the journey of self-discovery where she must find forgiveness from
within before she can find love with a boy who’s not the geeky kid anymore.
Returning to the lake for a fourth season, McKenzie’s surprised to find a new
guy working the boat docks and rentals. He’s tall, tan and gorgeous. But
McKenzie’s in for the surprise of her life when she discovers the new guy is
none other than Dylan Blake all grown up. With the acne, braces, and
telescope-sized glasses gone, does the heart that used to beat for McKenzie
remain?
Full of
tenderness, heartache and a dawning realization that beauty goes beyond the
surface, Sutton Summer, packs an emotional punch where McKenzie and
Dylan will never be the same. As McKenzie still grieves the loss of her mother
and realizes love was in front of her the entire time, will the boy at the lake
find it in his heart to forgive her?
* * * *
Excerpt:
Wiping off the counter, McKenzie caught a glimpse of Abigail sashaying up
to Dylan’s counter. McKenzie looked away as Abigail was planting a kiss on him.
She could deal with it, but she wasn’t going out of her way to watch it any
more than necessary. A thought pricked her in the mind. Would’ve Abigail been
this interested in Dylan last year as what she seemed to be this summer? But
then that rational voice grabbed hold of McKenzie, the one she didn’t like to
hear. It told her that she was no different. She looked at Abigail and couldn’t
help but feel how shallow she was, but then again, McKenzie had been no better.
Funny how things could change so drastically in the course of one year, inside
and out.
“Hey, Kenz?” McKenzie’s head snapped up in Dylan’s direction. He hadn’t
called her by that nickname since last summer, pre-disaster.
“Yes?”
“Cover for me? Ten minutes?” Dylan asked, hopping over the counter in an
all too cool way landing perfectly on the other side.
As McKenzie watched Dylan swoop up a squealing red bikini clad Abigail,
she answered, “Yep.”
Dylan’s side of the office was vacant, all the boaters that were going to
rent already had for the day. But as she watched Dylan and Abigail run down to
the shore and jump into the lake, McKenzie’s line was stacking up.
Ten minutes her butt! While Dylan and Abigail were frolicking in the
lake, McKenzie spent the last forty five minutes serving Skittles, nachos, and
coke to a line of hungry kids. From across the counter she heard Dylan’s phone
ring.
Maybe it was her Aunt Jenny.
McKenzie ran through the door over to Dylan’s side. Snatching the phone
up, she recognized her Aunt Jenny’s number flash across.
“Hello,” McKenzie said. “Hello….”
Shoot! She’d just missed her. McKenzie slid the off button to get to the
home screen to call her back when she froze in place.
McKenzie stood there, paralyzed by the image on Dylan’s home screen
flashing up at her.
It couldn’t be….
After all her painful words, ones she’d regretted since they slipped off
her tongue, Dylan still kept the picture of her he took all those long months
ago.
Shaking herself out of her stupor, McKenzie quickly laid his phone down
and ran back to her side of the office.
Her mind was racing. What could that mean? Did Dylan still care for her?
In that way? Did he feel the way about McKenzie as he apparently felt about
Abigail? Why else would he have saved her picture? Was there hope?
* * * *
About the
Author
By age 5,
Sasha Hibbs' favorite movie was Gone With the Wind. By age 12, she completed
her 7th grade book report on the sequel, Scarlett. By 18, she met and married
her very own Mr. Rhett Butler and as it turns out, she never had to worry about
going back to Tara to win the love of her life back. Fortunately, he stuck with
her.
With a love of all things paranormal, the ambiance of the South with its gigantic antebellum mansions and canopies of Spanish moss, and a love for her husband's rich storytelling of blacksmiths and the mythology surrounding their origins, it wasn't long until the world of her debut novel, Black Amaranth, was born.
When not working her day job as a nurse, you can find Sasha dreaming of her next beach trip, reading the latest YA novel, and drinking more white chocolate mocha than she should.
Sasha lives in mountainous West Virginia with her husband, Tim, and their two daughters. She is currently hard at work on her next novel.
With a love of all things paranormal, the ambiance of the South with its gigantic antebellum mansions and canopies of Spanish moss, and a love for her husband's rich storytelling of blacksmiths and the mythology surrounding their origins, it wasn't long until the world of her debut novel, Black Amaranth, was born.
When not working her day job as a nurse, you can find Sasha dreaming of her next beach trip, reading the latest YA novel, and drinking more white chocolate mocha than she should.
Sasha lives in mountainous West Virginia with her husband, Tim, and their two daughters. She is currently hard at work on her next novel.
Exquisite Torture by S.D. Wasley
16 year old Ryan can’t believe his bad luck. He’s
stuck at his Gran’s house in a tiny deadbeat town for the entire summer, while
his parents celebrate their anniversary in France. What’s worse, there’s no
internet and his phone won’t get a signal. And he’d thought torture was
illegal.
But things don’t seem quite as bad when he runs into
gorgeous, vintage-styled Connie with the fabulous 1950s Schwinn Cruiser
bicycle. The only thing Ryan doesn’t understand is why this girl
is so cagey about where she lives—and so reluctant to meet his Gran. Is
there something more to Connie than he first thought?
* * * *
Excerpt:
Gran
lived in a tiny backwater in a landlocked area: no beaches, no water sports,
and no bikinis. My parents put me on a bus the morning before they jetted off
to Paris. I had every piece of technology I owned in my bag. My tablet, my
laptop, my game station, my mp3 player, and my smartphone. I knew exactly how
boring this “vacation” was going to be, so I was prepared.
Gran
met me at the bus station, standing under the shelter looking tiny and a bit
frail. I didn’t remember her being so small. I towered over her when I stepped
out and gave her a hug.
“Oh,
Ryan,” she said, smiling up at me. “You’re all grown up!”
We
climbed into her ancient car. The passenger seat was damp and when I commented
on it she just laughed and said the window didn’t wind up properly anymore so
the rain came in on that side. It smelled kind of moldy too, so I tried to sit
on as small an area of the seat as possible for the ride to her house. Then I
got a butt cramp from leaning on one side.
On the way to Gran’s we passed the old
stone church my dad had mentioned. I was surprised to see a blond-haired girl
in the churchyard, examining a headstone. I thought everyone in this town was
old. She wore red short-shorts and a shirt knotted at the waist, and had
gorgeous long brown legs. When she turned to look at the car as we passed, I
saw she was really pretty, in an old fashioned kind of way, with soft curls of
hair around her face. Okay, that was
good news for me.
“Who was that, Gran?” I asked. “In the
churchyard?”
“I didn’t see anyone,” said Gran, trying
to avoid some sheep that had wandered onto the road.
“There was a girl about my age back there.
Blond. Red shorts.”
“I can’t think who that might have been. Sometimes
tourists pass through in the summer and stay a night or two in town.”
Just passing
through? Yep. Just my luck.
* * * *
About the author:
S.D. Wasley was born and raised in Perth, Western
Australia.
She has been composing literary works since before she
could write – at five years of age she announced her first poem in the kitchen,
improv-style. Today, she lives in a wine region with her two daughters,
surrounded by dogs, cats and chickens.
S.D. Wasley wrote The
Seventh, young adult paranormal novel released in January 2015, and the
sequel, The Rift, is due out later
this year. Exquisite Torture is her
first romance publication.
S.D Wasley has also granted us a small guest post :)
I had a blast writing this story! I’ve never written
pure romance before (well, not since high school), so it was a real
novelty—although I couldn’t help letting a slightly supernatural element or two
creep in.
The best bit about this was during my own revision
phase when I read it to my two daughters. My teenager hung on every word and
laughed at every joke, and even squealed when the truth was revealed. My 9 year
old made it to the first kiss, declared ‘ewwww’
and then left the room in horror! I guess I know who my target readership is.
S.D.
Wasley xx
* * * *
Summer
Crush
A
Multi-author YA anthology
Sasha
Hibbs *
S.D. Wasley * Melissa Frost
* Diana Stager *
Deanna Dee * Bridie Hall
Summer
Crush: A wonderfully romantic boxed set of Upper YA short stories by today's
hottest authors.
Summer is
the time for lazy days at the beach, sun-kissed hair, flip-flops, and sizzling
nights with a new crush. Those stolen glances and first kisses can
quickly spark a flame. However, the road to love isn’t always a smooth ride.
Every
Summer has a story, whether it’s a second chance on love, seeing a friend in a
different light, or taking a step in a new direction with someone
special. Love and long days create endless possibilities, but can a summer
crush really last?
About
the Stories:
Sutton
Summer by Sasha Hibbs After breaking
Dylan’s heart last year, McKenzie returns to Sutton Lake for another summer.
McKenzie realizes love was in front of her the entire time, but is it too late
for Dylan to forgive her?
Exquisite
Torture by S. D. Wasley Stuck at his
Gran’s house in a deadbeat town for the entire summer, things suddenly don’t
seem so bad when 16 year old Ryan meets gorgeous Connie. But why is she so
cagey about where she lives? Is there something more to Connie than he first
thought?
Forbidden by Melissa Frost
The new guy in town has a bad reputation and a bad boy demeanor to go with it.
Even so, Olivia can’t help feeling drawn to Gavin. Can she convince her mother
he’s not the delinquent everyone believes, or will his past tear them apart?
Borderline
Love by Deanna Dee Nearly drowning
wasn’t part of Dalya’s vacation plans. Neither was being rescued by a guy with
a perfect six pack and a haunted look in his eyes. Mason reminds Dalya too much
of her over- protective older brother, but when he offers to teach her to surf,
she can’t say no. Can Dalya get past her frustration with her brother to
realize how much Mason means to her?
An
Ocean of Their Own by Bridie Hall Lola spends her
days trawling the sand dunes in search of the perfect subject for her art. She
finds it in a solitary, beautiful girl. Sarah doesn’t just fill the pages in
her sketchbook, she enchants Lola’s heart too. But how can Lola tell her family
about Sarah?
About the Authors
Sasha Hibbs is a nurse living in mountainous West
Virginia with her husband, two daughters, and lives in her own imaginary world
where she’s plotting her next story.
Diana Stager is a teacher who writes in her spare
time and lives with her husband and kids in Ontario, Canada.
Deanna Dee is a full-time writer living in sunny
North Carolina, where she takes full advantage of the beach whenever she
can.
S.D. Wasley is an author, copywriter and
daydreamer living in Western Australia where she wrangles chickens, cats, dogs
and children on a daily basis.
Melissa
Frost is a young adult
author who lives near Pittsburgh PA with her husband, their son Marshall, and
their soon to be daughter Adalynn.
Bridie Hall is a translator and editor who spends
every free minute writing and reading.
Giveaway: $25 Evernight Teen Gift Card
Thanks for hosting us Krista! ~SD Wasley xx
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