Prophecy of Arcadia Book Blitz & Giveaway

I recently reviewed a great indie YA title, Prophecy of Arcadia. If you didn't catch my review you can see it HERE

This title is currently on Amazon Kindle Promotion! Available for .99cents through July 9th! I highly recommend snagging a copy of your own. 
And don't forget to enter the Giveaway for a $20 Amazon GC, located in the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post!

Being a teenager is tough, especially when you have to pretend to be something you’re not, and you’re in love with someone you shouldn’t. 115 years ago, a small planet called Arcadia was invaded by a vicious alien race and nearly destroyed. Cut off from their resources, the Arcadians turned to Earth for help. A group of Arcadian explorers discovered a Prophecy that claimed their salvation lay in the hands of two children from Earth. To ensure their safety, the Arcadian Council sent their most gifted youngsters to Earth to act as protectors. Samantha is one of them.

To succeed in her mission she must learn to control her Arcadian powers and keep her true identity from her best friend, and the girl she swore to protect, Alexia. But Samantha will soon realize that nothing is as it seems. Someone is trying to prevent the Prophecy from taking place and the prophecy boy hasn't been found yet. There is also a new drug circulating at school that is turning students into freakishly strong menaces.

To make matters worse, distractions keep getting in her way. Such as her love/hate relationship with her “cousin” Matthew. Or her confused feelings toward popular and mysterious Julian. She wants nothing more than to be free to live her life. But the survival of Arcadia depends on her and her friends. Free will is not an option.

*Note from the author: Due to strong language and mature content this book is recommend to readers 17+. This is a Sci-Fi/Paranormal Romance novel.*

Excerpt from The Prophecy of Arcadia 

Initial weirdness aside, the ride to the camp was pleasant enough. And despite the fact that Julian was a freaking legacy at his school, I discovered that he was charming without an ounce of snobbery. He told me stories about LJM Prep that had me laughing out loud, and also made me realize that private schools weren’t so different from public schools after all. Yeah, the majority of the student body was beyond wealthy, and they would never have to do a car wash to collect money for a field trip, but the drama was still the same. We also talked about Ethan and his accident, and I could see that Julian truly cared about him. 

“So, Alexia, I feel like we have a special bond now, being partners in crime and all,” he suddenly said. He didn’t look at me, but I saw the corner of his mouth twitch. 

“Is that so?” I squinted my eyes. 

“Yep. So let’s play a game.” 

“What kind of game?” I narrowed my eyes at him. 

“I’ll tell you something that I’ve never told anyone before, and you’ll do same.” 

I laughed at that. Right. Like I was going to tell him my deepest secrets. 

“Don’t laugh. I’m serious,” he continued. 

“Okay, buddy. You go first then,” I was pretty sure he was going to come up with an unbelievable story and swear it was the truth, Sean style. 

“No, no, ladies first,” he replied. 

I was going to open my mouth to protest, but he turned to look at me, his clear blue eyes more intense than usual. I found myself agreeing to it. 

“Fine. A secret that nobody knows, hmmm, let me think,” I said jokingly, but then found myself actually contemplating telling Julian something that was true and meaningful. It was like I felt compelled to be honest with him. I could tell him about Thomas, but then again, Sam and Mia knew about it. I also didn’t want him mentioning it to Ethan. Guys gossiped, too. Finally, I confessed something that I hadn’t allowed myself to dwell too much on until that moment. 

“Sometimes, I feel like I don’t belong to my family.” 

Julian frowned. “How come?” 

I looked out at the window, trying to organize my thoughts. I wanted to explain it in a way that wouldn’t make me sound like an attention seeker. “I don’t know, it’s just a feeling I get sometimes, like I’m a stray they took in, or an alien.” 

At my last comment, Julian started to laugh. “An alien? What made you use that word to describe yourself?” 

I smiled wryly at him. “Have you seen the size of my eyes? They’re abnormally large. According to Steven Spielberg, I must be an alien.” 

Julian shook his head. “You have beautiful eyes, Alexia. Nothing extra-terrestrial about them.” 

I blushed at his comment. 

“I would have said you look more like an anime character come to life.” Julian continued after a brief moment. 

“An anime character? Oh that’s great! I look like a cartoon,” I said, exasperated. 

“Yeah, an anime character, all cute with big eyes, that adorable button nose, and curly hair. You’re like, the real live version of Candy Candy.” Julian said trying to suppress a smile. 

“Who the hell is Candy Candy? That sounds like a stripper’s name.” 

Julian chuckled before he continued. “Google it, you’ll see I’m right.” 

I did just that. I didn’t know how Julian had turned my serious confession into an Alexia mock fest. Maybe he hadn’t meant for me to reveal something so depressing and was trying to keep the mood of the trip light. I found the information fast enough and couldn’t help but to gawk at him. 

“Julian, Candy Candy is an anime series from the seventies. How in the world do you even know about it?” 

“My mother collects anything related to it, not only anime but the mangas too. Candy Candy was my first crush.”

About the Author, M.H. Soars

M. H. Soars is what we like to call a United Nations child. She was born in the United States but grew up in several different countries which gave her a broader perspective of life. She has always been passionate about books and stories and at a certain point had a comic book series going.

With a background in fashion design she always thought she was going to follow that path. But the characters in her head kept begging to be set free. So she decided to write their stories. A couple of years and a baby later, the first installment of her Arcadian Wars series is finally done.

M. H. Soars currently resides in New Mexico with her husband and baby daughter. She loves to read novels in the YA, PNR, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Chick Lit genres. When not devouring said novels, you may find her shopping online (she's an expert), blogging about fashion, or trying to teach her daughter to walk (even though she's too young for that).

If you would like to learn more about M. H. Soars and her projects you can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or check out her blog.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MHSOARS

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/mhsoars

Blog: www.flyingsaucers22.com

Twitter: @mhsoars

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ALA Annual Conference 2014

ALA is here! And I am so excited. I attended BEA last year, but this will be my first time at ALAAC. I wanted to attend both conferences, but now that I work for my library system, ALA seemed like the logical choice. I have also heard there are many differences between BEA and ALA. Even that ALA is a bit quieter, which is something I would like. The Book Expo was a bit overwhelming! [Amazing, but overwhelming] 

I may not be a member of the American Library Association [YET,] but luckily non-members are allowed to attend too! In an effort to not go broke, I have registered for the exhibit hall only. Not that I'm complaining!

There are many amazing authors that will be signing, including:

Lois Lowry(!!!,) Holly Black, Ally Condie, Marie Lu, Jay Asher, Lani Taylor and soooooo many more.

I have my eye on several mind blowing YA Fantasy ARCs:

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island’s whale men safe and prosperous at sea. But before she could learn how to control her power, her mother, the first Roe woman in centuries to turn her back on magic, stole Avery away from her grandmother. Avery must escape from her mother before her grandmother dies, taking with her the secrets of the Roes’ power.

When Avery awakens from a dream foretelling her own murder, she realizes time is running short—for her and for the people of her island, who, without the Roes, will lose their ships and the only life they know.

With the help of Tane, a tattooed harpoon boy from the Pacific Islands, Avery plots her escape from her mother and unravels the mysteries of her mother’s and grandmother’s pasts. Becoming a witch may prevent her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers it will also require a sacrifice she never expected—one she might not be able to make. 

Delancy Sullivan has always known there’s more to reality than what people see. Every time someone makes a choice, a new, parallel world branches off from the existing one. Eating breakfast or skipping it, turning left instead of right, sneaking out instead of staying in bed ~ all of these choices create an alternate universe in which an echo self takes the road not travelled and makes the opposite decision. As a Walker, someone who can navigate between these worlds, Del’s job is to keep all of the dimensions in harmony.

Normally, Del can hear the dissonant frequency that each world emits as clear as a bell. But when a training session in an off-key world goes horribly wrong, she is forbidden from Walking by the Council. But Del’s not big on following the rules and she secretly starts to investigate these other worlds. Something strange is connecting them and it’s not just her random encounters with echo versions of the guy she likes, Simon Lane.

But Del’s decisions have unimaginable consequences and, as she begins to fall for the Echo Simons in each world, she draws closer to a truth that the Council of Walkers is trying to hide ~ a secret that threatens the fate of the entire multiverse.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lived with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

When Lucy walks out of a frozen forest, wearing only a silk dress and sandals, she isn’t sure how she got there. But when she sees Colin, she knows for sure that she’s here for him.

Colin has never been captivated by a girl the way he is by Lucy. With each passing day their lives intertwine, and even as Lucy begins to remember more of her life—and her death—neither of them is willing to give up what they have, no matter how impossible it is. And when Colin finds a way to physically be with Lucy, taking himself to the brink of death where his reality and Lucy’s overlap, the joy of being together for those brief stolen moments drowns out everything in the outside world. But some lines weren’t meant to be crossed…

I have also been getting into YA contemporary lately and have decided to seek out these ARCs as well:

Rose is the wild girl nobody really knows. Chase is haunted by his past. Both are self-proclaimed "disappointments," attracted to each other enough to let down their defenses. When Rose's strict, adoptive parents forbid the relationship it only makes things more intense. But Chase can't hide from his own personal demons, and Rose has secrets of her own. After they're wrenched apart, a cryptic email arrives in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, beginning a desperate pursuit and a look back over their tumultuous romance. Will they find each other before the night is over, or will they be torn apart forever?

Laura is a typical fifteen-year-old growing up in the 1960's, navigating her way through classes, friendships, and even a new romance. But she's carrying around a secret: her mother is suffering from a mental illness.

No one in Laura's family will talk about her mother's past hospitalizations or increasingly erratic behavior, and Laura is confused and frightened. She finds some solace in art, but when her mother, also an artist, suffers a breakdown, Laura fears that she will follow in her mother's footsteps. Left without a refuge, can she find the courage to face what scares her most?

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most. 

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love. 

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

These aren't even the tip of the ARCberg! There is tons of middle grade titles to explore and some interesting looking adult fiction ones too. It is going to be a full couple of days. I'll be recapping each night of ALA and am of course planning a wrap-up giveaway as well, so stay tuned!