Mundie Moms

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

An March Excerpt from The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan

On twitter today, Sarah posted a link to her March Cookie/excerpt from The Demon's Covenant. Here's a little sample -

He was devastatingly beautiful, Mae thought, and devastating was the word: She could see storms and cities burning in his eyes.

“I didn’t think I’d want to mark a human,” he said. “But I do.”

“Alan,” Mae whispered.

“Yes,” Nick whispered back. “And you.”

Mae went still, torn between the impulse that said the demon’s eye was on her, that she should run, and the impulse to move closer. Nick had never said anything to indicate she mattered to him before.

“Oh,” she said.

“And Jamie,” Nick continued.

“Oh,” she said, in a very different way. “Well. Thanks for my part in the compliment. Naturally I’d love to be watched and controlled, but I think I may be washing my hair that day.”

Nick grinned. “Yeah, all right.”

He looked more relaxed, Mae noticed. He was pleased about that book, she thought, pleased by the idea of the past and his father reading to him, his brother happy.

“I think we can get by without that,” she said. “Even if I, as the bombshell of the group, have to take one for the team and go seduce Gerald’s secrets out of him.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Nick told her. “I’m clearly the bombshell of the group.”

Mae laughed and held out her hand.

“What?” Nick demanded warily. “I’m not sure I’m ready for more hand holding.”
The entire excerpt is posted on Sarah's journal. You've got to read it. Trust me. Remember Sarah's own phrase, "When in doubt, kiss it out..."? Well, go on, click here.

Enjoy 10 sec. of Eclipse!



Leave us a comment and let us know what you think. Are you looking forward to seeing Eclipse? Do you like the teaser trailer Summit released?

Birthday Bash with Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

We have a wonderful treat from Kristin Tubb, who's next book, Selling Hope will be released this November. She has shared with us, and is allowing us to be the first to post an excerpt from Selling Hope!!

May 1, 1910: 17 Days til the End of the World.

News Headline: Earth Will Pass Through Comet’s 24-Million-Mile Long Tail on May 18


Cross-Eyed Jane poked her head into the tent. Her kinky yellow hair puffed in after her.

“We gots fifteen more minutes with the tarot cards before she and Nick go on.” Cross-Eyed Jane addressed me as “she,” even when she was talking directly to me. This, coupled with the fact that she was cross-eyed, often made it difficult to know who Jane was talking about. But I was the only other person in the tent, so I assumed her “she” was me. I smiled.

Jane smiled back, her wrinkled face carving into deep ruts, and gazed over my shoulder. I moved my head up and to the left to where I thought she was looking, but those crawly eyes of hers crept right past me. Erm… left past me.

***I’m tellin’ ya, the old gal was so cross-eyed, when she rolled her eyes, she hit her ears!***

Huck. There it was – the surest sign that I needed to leave this vaudeville circuit once and for all: those awful one-liners. I guess everyone has a little voice inside his or her head, pointing out all of the things that are funny and fantastical and odd. But my internal voice? Equipped with the kind of one-liner jokes that made vaudeville famous. Not exactly the conscience of your average thirteen-year-old.

I adjusted my robes, the ones I had “borrowed” from the costume trunk so I’d look more like a true medium. The robes were crafted of a thick red tapestry and weighed upwards of 20 pounds. It took half my strength just to keep them draped across my tiny frame. But the robes added an air of mystery to our booth, accented by the massive candles which threw skipping yellow light across the canvas walls, dripping colorful wax on the dusty ground beneath. Did I know how to put on a show! I should – I’d learned from the best.

Jane and I had set up shop – and by shop, I mean our little canvas booth - next to the other peddlers, just outside the vaudeville theatre in Des Moines, Iowa, our latest tour stop. There was a row of us who made a little extra green that way. The actors and stagehands peddled everything from sheet music to medicinal elixirs to stuff they’d purchased in the last town, plus 20%. The theatre-goers loved this makeshift storefront; for them it was part of the vaudeville experience. And too, Mr. Whitting and the other managers took a healthy cut of our profits, so they saw our little side businesses as just fine and dandy.

“Lead the first Coin in,” I whispered to Cross-Eyed Jane. She clicked her tongue at me; she hated it when I called them that. I began to hum, quietly at first, then letting it grow into a noisy, low moan. I told myself I was getting into character. Plus, the moaning sounded good to the Coins. That’s what I called our customers – the Coins.

Hummmmmmm. Farewell, Hope McDaniels. Greetings to Mademoiselle Ari, Gifted Child Medium and Foreseer of the Future.

Cross-Eyed Jane ducked out of the smallish tent, then back in again, goading a female Coin before her. Jane cupped her hand about the Coin’s elbow, trying to lead her to the table where I sat. The Coin yanked her arm from Jane’s grip and shot her a look of utter disgust, as if she might somehow contract Jane’s crazy eye “disease.” This particular Coin was so big, she almost knocked over three of my candles entering our booth.

***I’m not sayin’ the gal was overweight, but she was plump in places where most folks don’t have places!***

Jane jutted her chin at me. “That’s her,” she whispered to the Coin. “She’s young, doncha know, but her youth allows her channels to be fully open to the future.” Jane tried winking her spacey eye at me, but it appeared as if she were winking at the heavens instead. I cleared my throat to stifle a giggle. That “open channels” bit always got me.

I had to hand it to Jane. When she came up with this idea of a “child medium,” I was skeptical. Adults forking over a jitney to hear a thirteen-year-old talk about money and love and death? Most of the adults I knew didn’t even pause to hear me discuss the weather, much less pay an entire nickel to hear it. But Jane was right - the Coins loved me. I relaxed them, as though I was simply peeking ahead in a light-hearted parlor game of Ouija board, as though I couldn’t possibly be the bearer of bad news. And I must admit, I loved the power that came with telling adults what they should worry about.


*Kristin tweeted a picture of her ARCs for Selling Hope last week http://twitpic.com/16sqm9 We love the covers.

Kristen is also giving away some SIGNED goodies! We have signed Selling Hope book marks and 1 signed paper back of Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different (who's review you can see on our Children's Book Review Blog), which was released in paperback yesterday!! We'll also be giving away some signed post cards on Twitter through out the day today.

Be sure to follow us on the blog and leave us a comment with your email address to enter to win our blog giveaways, and follow us on Twitter to enter to win our Twitter giveaways. Our giveaways are open worldwide and will end on March 15th.

Waiting on Wednesday- Under My Skin by Judith Graves

hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine
We are really looking forward to Judith Grave's debut novel, Under My Skin, which will be released March 27th, by Leap Books. Under My Skin is the first in a three book series.

All her parents wanted was for Eryn to live a normal life...

Redgrave had its share of monsters before Eryn moved to town. Mauled pets, missing children.

The Delacroix family is taking the blame, but Eryn knows the truth. Something stalks the night. Wade, the police chief's son and Redgrave High's resident hottie, warns her the Delacroix are dangerous. But then so is Eryn - in fact, she's lethal.

But she can't help falling for one of the Delacroix boys, dark, brooding - human Alec. And then it all goes bad.

A normal life? Now that's the real fairytale.

Here's a sneak peek-
The Prequel....

Mom and I stood in the clearing, a fine mist of fog hovered a foot off the ground, snaking through the tall grasses. The damp ground smelled fresh and inviting. A gentle breeze brought the savoury scents of the forest to us. One scent stood out above the others. In synchronism we turned our heads. A deer pranced at the edge of the woods.

Shooting me a mischievous glance, Mom raised her arms, embracing the change. Her elegant form shimmered before me. Her hair whipped around in a wind of paranorm making. Energy crackled in the air. An instant later a sleek black wolf stood in my mother’s place.

You can enter to win an ARC of Under My Skin here-
Visit us on March 22, when Judith will stopping by for an author chat, as part of her Blog Tour.

Be sure to follow Judith here-http://www.judithgraves.com/ and here http://twitter.com/judithgraves

Cassandra Clare's Smart Chicks Tour Stops

We are so excited about the Smart Chicks tour this summer/fall. Here's the tour dates that Cassie sent out yesterday to her google group:

I'll be taking part in the Smart Chicks Kick It tour this fall, an
author-organized tour with a whole roster of great YA paranormal
authors. You can find the full list here:

http://melissa-writing.livejournal.com/397705.html

And these are my dates:

September 13th—Tour launches at Book People in Austin, Texas w Kelley
Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Rachel Caine , &
Cassandra Clare 7:00 pm BOOKPEOPLE BOOKSTORE

September 14th—B&N The Woodlands in Houston, TX w Kelley Armstrong,
Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, & Rachel
Vincent. 7:00 pm B&N, THE WOODLANDS 1201 Lake Woodlands Drive The
Woodlands, TX 77380

September 15th—Blue Willow in Houston, TX w Kelley Armstrong, Melissa
Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Cassandra Clare
7:00 pm Remote location details to come Off site event hosted by: BLUE
WILLOW

September 16th—Lemuria Jackson, MS w Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr,
Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, & Sarah Rees Brennan 6:00
pm LEMURIA BOOKS 202 Banner Hall 4465 I-55 North Jackson, MS 39206

Hope to see some of you there!

We look forward to seeing everyone who is able to attend the kick off of the tour!! You can find out more tour info by looking for the Smart Chicks Logo in our sidebar.

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