Review/Giveaway: Broken Flight by Elle J Rossi

Title: Broken Flight
Series: Angels of Punishment
Author: Elle J Rossi
Published: February 2013 Black Poppy Books
Format: ebook provided for review
Tour: Yes, Dark World Book Tours.

Anna James never planned on dying at age nineteen or ending up somewhere other than heaven. Five years later, her heart is still on Earth with her soulmate Grey, while the rest of her struggles to survive in Beyond. Not quite heaven and a lot like hell, Beyond is a proving ground where only the strongest souls are allowed to move on. With no way out, Anna keeps her head down and plays by the rules... Until she learns Grey is about to die.

Grey Wilson would give anything to go back and stop the accident that ripped Anna from his arms. But when Anna appears on Earth again, he quickly realizes things can never be as they were. Death and Beyond have changed her; brought out the dark side and dimmed her inner light. Before they can even revel in this semblance of a miracle, Grey and Anna find themselves in the middle of an angelic civil war where sabotage and danger lurk around every corner.

Anna's dark side is exactly what Azrael - the leader of the Angels of Punishment - craves. When Azrael lays out his demands, Anna will have to make the biggest decision of her life.

Broken Flight is the story of Anna and Grey. Anna died five years ago and she's been in Beyond ever since, which is sort of like a level of Heaven.  But it's more like Hell for Anna.  She wasn't reunited with any friends or family when she died; but rather, she gets to be a courier for Azrael.  Azrael happens to be this angel with blood red wings,  and he is pretty badass. She also gets to spend time watching over Grey, back on Earth.  At least until the day that he nearly kills himself.


Grey is an adrenalin junkie, putting himself in constant danger, because when he does, he sees Anna.  But on this day, he's actually going to die.  So Anna steps in and saves him.  Now she's got to be punished.  This is where you get to meet the AOP - Angels Of Punishment.

See, Anna and Grey were pretty good characters.  They rode in the middle of the road for me. I didn't like them nor hate them.  When they are reunited, I felt it was a little too quick of an acceptance on Grey's part.  I mean, Anna's been dead for five years - and now she's in your arms.  I expect a crazy reaction to that.  I also just don't really feel the soul-mate type of love between them.  They just didn't strike me as one of those couples who I just was going to love because they were so helplessly in love.  My heart didn't really bleed for them.

But the Angels of Punishment, ohhhh, there was a group.  Lead by Azrael, then you have Zeke, Sarafina, Mickale, and a couple others. They were exciting and dark.  They captivated me.  They weren't your typical angels where you could just picture them getting good Samaritan awards or saving kittens from trees.  Nope, they were a bit different.  Thigh high boots, clanging armor, flying steeds, naked rippling muscles... these angels commanded attention - and that's before you get to their egos and mysteriousness.  They were large and full of personality.  Yep, I definitely liked the angels.

As for the rest of the story, it was pretty good overall.  I'm not usually a big fan of angels / fallen angel stories, so admittedly they are often a very hard sell for me.  This story wasn't a bad story, it just didn't grab me as much as I had hoped.  Elle Rossi is a terrific writer though, and that is clearly evident in this story.  I like the concept, because who doesn't love soul mates and true love?  I love that Anna was punished oh-so-badly for breaking the rules.  And I really adored the AOP,  because everything wasn't about being good, rainbows, and roses.  That part I really liked.  I think if you enjoy angel novels, you will really dig this one.  It's different enough to catch your attention, and filled with enough action and mystery to keep you reading.

Elle J Rossi

Elle J Rossi grew up in rural Indiana surrounded by great people, a huge family and more animals than she could count. But the sites and sounds of the world beckoned, so she left her small town to escape into a creative world full of music. As a full time singer she was able to lose herself in a thousand different songs in a hundred different places. After meeting the love of her life and settling down, she yearned to find a new and fulfilling creative outlet. Overly fond of the happily ever after, she wondered what it would be like to have her own characters lead her down dark and twisted paths. The very first word on the very first page sealed her fate. She’d found a new love. She’d found her escape. Now along with weaving haunting tales about the journey to love, she’s creating cover art for authors around the world and loving every second of it. For fun, she cranks country music to take her back to her roots, and sings karaoke anytime she gets a chance. Her husband, two children, and a cat that rules the roost keep her company along the way and guarantee she doesn’t get lost in the enchanted forest. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Website – Blog – Twitter – Facebook

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Review/Giveaway: Broken Flight by Elle J Rossi

Title: Broken Flight
Series: Angels of Punishment
Author: Elle J Rossi
Published: February 2013 Black Poppy Books
Format: ebook provided for review
Tour: Yes, Dark World Book Tours.

Anna James never planned on dying at age nineteen or ending up somewhere other than heaven. Five years later, her heart is still on Earth with her soulmate Grey, while the rest of her struggles to survive in Beyond. Not quite heaven and a lot like hell, Beyond is a proving ground where only the strongest souls are allowed to move on. With no way out, Anna keeps her head down and plays by the rules... Until she learns Grey is about to die.

Grey Wilson would give anything to go back and stop the accident that ripped Anna from his arms. But when Anna appears on Earth again, he quickly realizes things can never be as they were. Death and Beyond have changed her; brought out the dark side and dimmed her inner light. Before they can even revel in this semblance of a miracle, Grey and Anna find themselves in the middle of an angelic civil war where sabotage and danger lurk around every corner.

Anna's dark side is exactly what Azrael - the leader of the Angels of Punishment - craves. When Azrael lays out his demands, Anna will have to make the biggest decision of her life.

Broken Flight is the story of Anna and Grey. Anna died five years ago and she's been in Beyond ever since, which is sort of like a level of Heaven.  But it's more like Hell for Anna.  She wasn't reunited with any friends or family when she died; but rather, she gets to be a courier for Azrael.  Azrael happens to be this angel with blood red wings,  and he is pretty badass. She also gets to spend time watching over Grey, back on Earth.  At least until the day that he nearly kills himself.

Review & Giveaway: Mystery Falls by Marilyn Phillips

Title: Mystery Falls
Series: Yes
Author: Marilyn Phillips
Tour: Yes, Supagurl Tours
Published: July 3rd 2012 by Marilyn Phillips, via Smashwords
Format: Ebook provided for review

Secrets. Lies. Deception. For the past six years, Samantha Hunt has lived with the belief that the untimely death of her parents was the result of an unfortunate accident—that by the cruel hand of fate, she had been left an orphan. But it was a lie, a terrible lie told to her by those who wanted to keep her in the dark. And the truth... when revealed, will change her life and haunt her forever.

Suddenly plagued by a series of events which find her in danger and in need of a savior, Samantha is repeatedly rescued by the mysterious and elusive Shadow—a stranger who seems to know more about her past and the tragedy which befell her family, than she does. Drawn to him despite the antagonism she feels whenever in his presence, Samantha soon discovers that Shadow is not what he appears to be. Determined to learn his true identity and why he has come to Mystery Falls, the small town in which she has spent all of her seventeen years, Samantha not only uncovers the secrets he refuses to share, but also the truth about her own past. A truth which forces her to acknowledge that things are not always as they seem, and sometimes, not even those close to you can be trusted.

Resolved to seeking justice for the unwarranted death of her parents, Samantha embarks on a journey which brings her perilously close to her own demise. Can Shadow use his angel powers to save her yet again, or this time, will he be too late.

My friend, Naomi, at Nomi’s Paranormal Palace has great taste in books. So when I saw she had read this book and had a terrific review, it cinched my choice to sign up for the book tour when it came around with Supagurl Tours I was definitely on board. I am really very happy that I did! Angel books are usually a little harder for me to get into, even though I usually love them when I do. This book turned out to be a terrific story and it grabbed me right from the beginning.

While walking in the woods one day, seventeen year old Sam comes upon two creatures – a bear and a man. Strangely the bear scared her more than the man; even after he recites everything he knows about her and says he has been studying her. Um, hello?!?! Studying?!?!? Repeat, hello?!?! And she’s attracted – not concerned. Then the mystery guy shows up for the first day of school and pretends he doesn’t know her when she confronts him to thank him for saving her from the bear. Yet, she is still attracted.

These types of instances defy logic, but you just know they are leading up to something good. So while you are inwardly throwing out a few “WTH”s, it all just feels right and you find yourself thinking the same as Sam. Yeah, he’s not someone to worry about, he’s definitely someone to fawn after. And his name is Shadow.

Shadow is arrogant and conceited and a whole laundry list of similar adjectives. And he’s hot. And he is so head over heels in love with Sam that everything else seems to be forgiven. Yep, I definitely found myself falling for Shadow, too! On top of that, the descriptions of him in his angel form are just beautiful and he is definitely a leading man not to be missed. His arrogant nature turns out to be quite endearing, and it was no time at all before I fell for his sly grin.

Sam is your average teenage girl. I mean, other than her parents both died in a car crash and she went to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin. Then her aunt up and left, leaving just Uncle Mike and cousin Claire with Sam. She’s a bit shy at times, but everything about Shadow rocks her world and has her head over feet. I like Sam. I like her easy and loving friendship with bff gal pal, Mia.

There are some things in this book that seem to happen a little easily and a bit conveniently. However, it all seems to work and it goes with the flow. There are a lot of toe curling kisses in these pages, that’s for sure. Another viable name for this book would be “Best Kiss Scenes with an Angel…Ever” or something like that. I mean seriously, that guy Shadow has the skills on lockdown! Any time he wants to come on over to my place, he can definitely lay some of those liplocking maneuvers on me!

The mystery in this book comes about in the form of why Shadow the angel is in the town of Mystery Falls in the first place. He is a bit stern with Sam about her private eye tactics, and she doesn’t listen to advice very well. All in all it adds up to a wonderful ride of a story, and I found myself not wanting to put the book down each time I picked it up.

Marilyn lives on the outskirts of Melbourne (Australia) with her wonderfully supportive husband and two beautiful children. When not writing, she likes spending time with her family, taking long walks in dark forests and reading (anything involving paranormal romance / urban fantasy). Her favorite authors include Becca Fitzpatrick, Stephenie Meyer,Claudia Gray and Amanda Hocking. Mystery Falls is her debut novel and the first in a series.

Links: 

Blog : http://marilynphillips.blogspot.com.au/

Goodreads Book Page : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15775335-mystery-falls

Goodreads Author page : http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6452620.Marilyn_Phillips

   

Giveaway is open internationally to people 18+.  Prize is one ebook.  Ends 12-25-12.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification or a new winner will be picked. 

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Review & Giveaway: Mystery Falls by Marilyn Phillips

Title: Mystery Falls
Series: Yes
Author: Marilyn Phillips
Tour: Yes, Supagurl Tours
Published: July 3rd 2012 by Marilyn Phillips, via Smashwords
Format: Ebook provided for review

Secrets. Lies. Deception. For the past six years, Samantha Hunt has lived with the belief that the untimely death of her parents was the result of an unfortunate accident—that by the cruel hand of fate, she had been left an orphan. But it was a lie, a terrible lie told to her by those who wanted to keep her in the dark. And the truth... when revealed, will change her life and haunt her forever.

Suddenly plagued by a series of events which find her in danger and in need of a savior, Samantha is repeatedly rescued by the mysterious and elusive Shadow—a stranger who seems to know more about her past and the tragedy which befell her family, than she does. Drawn to him despite the antagonism she feels whenever in his presence, Samantha soon discovers that Shadow is not what he appears to be. Determined to learn his true identity and why he has come to Mystery Falls, the small town in which she has spent all of her seventeen years, Samantha not only uncovers the secrets he refuses to share, but also the truth about her own past. A truth which forces her to acknowledge that things are not always as they seem, and sometimes, not even those close to you can be trusted.

Resolved to seeking justice for the unwarranted death of her parents, Samantha embarks on a journey which brings her perilously close to her own demise. Can Shadow use his angel powers to save her yet again, or this time, will he be too late.

My friend, Naomi, at Nomi’s Paranormal Palace has great taste in books. So when I saw she had read this book and had a terrific review, it cinched my choice to sign up for the book tour when it came around with Supagurl Tours I was definitely on board. I am really very happy that I did! Angel books are usually a little harder for me to get into, even though I usually love them when I do. This book turned out to be a terrific story and it grabbed me right from the beginning.

While walking in the woods one day, seventeen year old Sam comes upon two creatures – a bear and a man. Strangely the bear scared her more than the man; even after he recites everything he knows about her and says he has been studying her. Um, hello?!?! Studying?!?!? Repeat, hello?!?! And she’s attracted – not concerned. Then the mystery guy shows up for the first day of school and pretends he doesn’t know her when she confronts him to thank him for saving her from the bear. Yet, she is still attracted.

These types of instances defy logic, but you just know they are leading up to something good. So while you are inwardly throwing out a few “WTH”s, it all just feels right and you find yourself thinking the same as Sam. Yeah, he’s not someone to worry about, he’s definitely someone to fawn after. And his name is Shadow.

Shadow is arrogant and conceited and a whole laundry list of similar adjectives. And he’s hot. And he is so head over heels in love with Sam that everything else seems to be forgiven. Yep, I definitely found myself falling for Shadow, too! On top of that, the descriptions of him in his angel form are just beautiful and he is definitely a leading man not to be missed. His arrogant nature turns out to be quite endearing, and it was no time at all before I fell for his sly grin.

Sam is your average teenage girl. I mean, other than her parents both died in a car crash and she went to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin. Then her aunt up and left, leaving just Uncle Mike and cousin Claire with Sam. She’s a bit shy at times, but everything about Shadow rocks her world and has her head over feet. I like Sam. I like her easy and loving friendship with bff gal pal, Mia.

There are some things in this book that seem to happen a little easily and a bit conveniently. However, it all seems to work and it goes with the flow. There are a lot of toe curling kisses in these pages, that’s for sure. Another viable name for this book would be “Best Kiss Scenes with an Angel…Ever” or something like that. I mean seriously, that guy Shadow has the skills on lockdown! Any time he wants to come on over to my place, he can definitely lay some of those liplocking maneuvers on me!

The mystery in this book comes about in the form of why Shadow the angel is in the town of Mystery Falls in the first place. He is a bit stern with Sam about her private eye tactics, and she doesn’t listen to advice very well. All in all it adds up to a wonderful ride of a story, and I found myself not wanting to put the book down each time I picked it up.

Marilyn lives on the outskirts of Melbourne (Australia) with her wonderfully supportive husband and two beautiful children. When not writing, she likes spending time with her family, taking long walks in dark forests and reading (anything involving paranormal romance / urban fantasy). Her favorite authors include Becca Fitzpatrick, Stephenie Meyer,Claudia Gray and Amanda Hocking. Mystery Falls is her debut novel and the first in a series.

Links: 

Blog : http://marilynphillips.blogspot.com.au/

Goodreads Book Page : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15775335-mystery-falls

Goodreads Author page : http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6452620.Marilyn_Phillips

   

Giveaway is open internationally to people 18+.  Prize is one ebook.  Ends 12-25-12.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification or a new winner will be picked. 

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Interview with SB Rodgers, Co-authors of Guardian, Bewitching Blog Tours

It’s been almost a year since Abby Shepard’s once-perfect life crumbled into little more than a nightmare. Dumped, bullied and abused, the seventeen-year-old has all but given up hope. Little does she know that her father died protecting a family secret; a secret that has the forces of good and evil battling to claim the power lurking just beneath her skin.

You can check out my review of Guardian HERE

Now I get to intro an interview that I really enjoyed doing!  I've never interviewed two authors at once, so this was really interesting and fun for me.  I hope you enjoy reading it, and I encourage you to go out and get the book - I loved it.  If you are into angels and demons, then you will love it too!

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INTERVIEW

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Hi Ladies!  Very nice to meet you, and thank you for taking the time to interview with me today.

First, let me introduce you.  You are Sara and Becky Rodgers, two people – not one!  Can you tell us a bit how you manage to write a book with two authors?  I can only imagine what kind of challenges that can present!

Actually, for us, working as a team is easier than going it alone. It's incredibly efficient to have someone there at all times to bouce ideas off of. It's even better still when that person is equally as invested in the project as you are. It's weird, but our strengths and weaknesses perfectly balance each other out, and as sisters we can get away with a level of honesty that other writing teams may not.

I have to say, I am so interested in the fact that you both wrote this book.  When the two of you write together, do you take turns writing or collaborate on the entire story? 

Our projects are all 100% collaborative, from drafting the story line right through to editing the final version. That said, each project has us working on different elements. We find that having two people writing the final versions of the chapters makes for a messy and uneven reading experience, as each writer has their own style. So with Guardian, Sara was the writer of the final chapters, but Becky wrote all of the rough drafts in detail beforehand.

  

And the reason we are here today is to celebrate the release of your book, Guardian.  Can you tell the readers a bit about this book?

Guardian is the first book in a trilogy of YA paranormal romances. It is at its core an angels vs. demons story, but we wanted to explore the shades of grey that lie between good and evil. It is a fast paced novel and our first book. We like to refer to it as our twisted little Cinderella story.

Now this book hosts a whole slew of angels and demons.  Some we’ve heard of some we haven’t.  How did you go about building this world for them to live in?

It sounds really weird, but it just kind of happened! Shortly after Abby showed up the flood gates burst open and this incredibly vivid and twisted world became available to us to do with as we pleased. It quickly filled with characters and back stories that slid into place perfectly to form the Guardian trilogy.

Something I found really terrific and fascinating, Satan is a woman.  How did that come to be?

Originally the big twist was going to be that Satan was a woman! But as the story unfolded it became clear that far more was going on, and heaven and hell had politics all their own. This created room for Lucifer and Satan's sexy love/hate relationship.

There are a lot of shades of grey in this book.  Namely in the form of Raph.  He is such a fascinating character, and I just loved him.  If your book was made into a movie, do you have anyone in mind to play him?

DARREN FREAKING CRISS!

We are Starkids through and through and just love this guy. When we saw A Very Potter Musical for the first time we were dumbstruck and we had this simultaneous moment that went kind of like..."Oh. Hi Raph! Funny meeting you here."

So ladies, I have to say it… like cliffhangers much?? J

This question's a cliffhanger! This interview is over!!! (Jokes! ;P)

Hahaha! We really tried not to leave the cliffhanger but as this story is threefold, it was the only way to end the first segment. All we can say is prepare for the very fast paced sequel, Thief!

Sara, Becky, can you give us any hints of what is to come for Abby, Gabe, and their story?

Nope!! Just strap yourself in and get ready for the roller coaster of their lives! :) ( If we say anything, it will give away something else. That's the one thing about this book--so many interconnected story lines!)

And do you have any other projects you are working on that we can expect in the coming year?

Tons! I think our last count was about fifteen different series. But this summer we hope to release the sequel to Guardian, Thief; Aurora, our YA sci-fi; Legacy, our YA, New Adult superhero story, and possibly a top-secret project involving zombies in Canada.

Your book, Guardian, is published digitally.  I’m assuming that means you approve of ereaders.  How do you feel about ereaders vs print books?

We love, LOVE Our iPad! But there is still nothing like cuddling up with a print book. I'd say we spend our money equally between the two.

And lastly, back to your book, if there is one thing a reader can take from reading this story, what would you want that to be?

Don't bully anyone EVER! It's not cool, it's not okay and eventually you will regret doing it!

Thank you, Sara and Becky, for taking the time with me today.  I look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

No thank you :) These questions were so much fun to answer!

Cheers!

S.B. Rodgers

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Amazon   Smashwords

S.B. Rodgers is a pen name that stands for Sara & Becky Rodgers. Becky argued extensively that in the name of humour, the letters should be listed alphabetically, but lost out to her arch nemesis common sense. Sara and Becky met at the young ages of twenty-two months and zero days, thrust into each other’s lives by fate and situations beyond either of their control. They are sisters, frenemies and most importantly co-authors. It’s theorised that they were identical twin in a past life…not really but it’d be pretty cool. Their parents taught them that a person’s imagination is a precious gift and stories should be cherished. As a team the siblings bring very different skills to the table, each one’s strength perfectly complimenting the others weakness. They try not to take themselves very seriously and strive to look for the humour in life. Their partnership is one of extreme love and respect for each other, both as family and literary artists. 

Sara is the younger of the two. She lives with one cat, five dolls and her potato head man collection in an orange room. Regrettably she is not Spiderman or Batman, but she is a card holding Pokémon master and that’s good enough for now. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She collects graphic novels and manga as well as all things written by the fantastic Neil Gaiman. When she is not reading or writing she is needle felting and posting her work on her popu-lish tumblr account: The Land of Fluff and Needles. 

Becky is the classic girly-girl. Her blond hair and pink nails served as the perfect camouflage during school years were teachers undoubtedly took her day dreaming for air-headedness. To the contrary, she spent that time drifting in and out of imaginary worlds filled with fantastical creatures and memorable characters. Today she divides her time between working with animals as a certified pet stylist and typing away at new manuscripts. Among other things she describes herself as a Gleek, sci-fi nerd, smustle expert extraordinaire and above all she just “wants to believe.” She lives with her two German Shepherds-Abby and Odin-and is driven by delusions of grandeur.

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Guardian - S.B. Rodgers, Review for Bewitching Blog Tours

Guardian

S.B. Rodgers

Format: ebook provided by Bewitching Blog Tours for review

It’s been almost a year since Abby Shepard’s once-perfect life crumbled into little more than a nightmare. Dumped, bullied and abused, the seventeen-year-old has all but given up hope. Little does she know that her father died protecting a family secret; a secret that has the forces of good and evil battling to claim the power lurking just beneath her skin.

Abby is a teen girl, not unlike Cinderella.  She lives with her stepmother and twin stepbrothers.  Her dad has died.  Her step family is horrible to her, and her brothers even extend their retched treatment to school where she is bullied on a daily basis.  And we’re not talking teasing and such, we are talking hardcore mean, down and dirty, make you feel worthless bullying.  In fact, that’s what sparks this whole story off.  The bullying has become so horrible that Abby is going to do something about it.  She is done dealing with everything that is awful in her life and she is going to just…give up.

Reading Abby’s story I really felt so badly for her, it was so emotional and raw.  I wished I could just reach through the pages and tell this poor girl that is does get better and life isn’t always as it is in high school.  That bullies are not as strong, cool, pretty, smart, popular and terrific as they want people to think they are.  I wanted to tell her that there is always hope and help, and if you give up you are making a permanent decision on a temporary situation. The authors (yes, plural!) did a wonderful job portraying Abby’s sadness and despair.  Her character leaped off the page and I could see her right in front of me.

But the universe has different plans for Abby, and she most certainly is not alone.  Sure, there are evil forces on Earth that are working against her on a daily basis, making sure that her bad days become worse days. But now the angels are going to get involved, and Gabe is coming to help her.  Sorry Raph! You might be a bully (and a demon), but now you are going to have to pick on someone your own size!

This story was really wonderful.  It had so many terrific elements, I’m not even sure where to start.  I’ve gone over Abby, so lets move on to Gabe, her guardian angel.  He’s going to enter high school and help her realize all is not lost, then its on to the next mission.  Right?  Right, cause its so cut and dry and all that easy.  Sure.  Yep.  Heheheh.  Oh Gabe, I love how much you are going to learn while on Earth.

The characters in this book were all fantastic.  Seriously.  Not just Abby and Gabe, but Raph (short for Raphael) and Satan and Lucifer and Mammon, Gabriel and Michael… Sara and Becky, the authors, did such a thorough job with these characters; I can’t wait for the second book to be released so I can get back in touch with them all. Oh, and here is something that I thought was utterly fantastic and perfect and awesome…. Satan is a woman!  Ta-da!!!!

There isn’t a whole lot more I can say about this book without giving some major spoilers.  There is a school dance that has some really fabulous scenes that I just adored.  I’ll never look at mirrors the same. And this is just a great story all around.  There is a lot of action, and a great arc and growth in all of the characters.  There are some funny moments and some touching moments, and of course some “oh no!!!!” moments that will have your eyes speeding through to find out what happens next.  I really think this book is going to be a hit, and I look forward to talking to all of you when you read it!

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