Radiant Book Blitz {Excerpt and Giveaway}

I'm thrilled to have the Radiant Book Blitz stopping by today! I just adore author Christina Daley and I really enjoyed this book...

Radiant

by Christina Daley

2/13/13

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

add on Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

Mary is part Vietnamese. Carter is a complete jerk. Normally, they don't talk much.

But when Mary's in an accident on the way to school one morning, Carter nearly dies saving her life. The doctors say his chances of living are slim, and Mary's feeling the full weight of survivor's guilt.

However, Carter's back at school in a matter of days, as if nothing had happened. Although, he is a little "glitchy," and he's developed a sudden and intense interest in Mary. She thinks he's suffering from major brain trauma from the accident. Or that he's been possessed.

As it so happens, Carter really is possessed. And the thing controlling him is having the time of its life learning to be human.

Featuring a diverse cast of characters, RADIANT is a funny "paranormal-lite" story about being human, being in love, and being healed.

Excerpt 1 from Radiant

A voice called to her. It seemed close, and it was getting louder as the pain got sharper. "Hey? Hey! Are you all right?" it asked.

Mary blinked several times before she could finally see again. She was in the middle of the street. The cars had stopped and people on the sidewalk were staring.

"Are you all right?" the voice asked again. It was coming from a man wearing some type of uniform.

"What…?" Mary tried to say more, but her voice suddenly stopped working.

"Careful," he said as he helped her up. "Looks like you can move all right. Here, let's get you out of the street."

He helped her over to the sidewalk. "Stay here. Someone's calling the paramedics." And then he was gone.

Mary sat there, still in a daze. She started noticing familiar stuff all over the ground—an open book bag, books, folders, unused tampons, a shoe, and an apple with one bite mark. Her eyes followed the trail of debris to a brilliant red sports car, half of which was smashed in by a city bus.

What had happened? Mary studied the whole scene, trying to puzzle together the pieces. Then it dawned on her. The car had hit her. Not intentionally. She had run in front of the bus without knowing it. It was about to hit her, but the car had gotten in the way first. It had saved her life.

Mary thought about looking in the car. Then her feet sorta moved without her meaning them to, and she made her way to the passenger door. She recognized the person inside. Carter. She knew his last name, but she couldn't think of what it was. He was slumped over the seat with blood oozing all over his face. His eyes were shut.

Mary knocked on the window. The tears in her hand stung.

No response.

She beat the window with her fist.

Still nothing.

Mary stared. She couldn't believe it. On any other day, she wouldn't exchange two words with this guy. Just yesterday, he nearly mowed down an elderly couple while driving out of the school lot. Mary had secretly wished he'd be taught a lesson. But she didn't mean this.

She tried the door handle, but it was still locked. Suddenly, Carter's eyes flickered opened. He looked straight at her.

Mary gasped and pressed her face against the window.

Carter's eyes closed.

She stared at him, waiting for him to open them again. Waiting for any sign of life. But he was still like he was before.

Hands suddenly took hold of Mary, pulling her away from the car. Her feet moved on their own again. Someone was yelling "Miss" a lot. Parts of her brain found other noises too, like sirens, voices, beeping, and other things. The hands directed her to sit on something hard and cold.

"Miss? Can you hear me? Can you tell me your name?"

Mary didn't answer. She still hadn't found her voice, and her mind was fuzzy, too.

"Is that her bag there? Does she have a driver's license?"

A different person spoke. "No license, but I found a student ID. Her name's Mary Phan. She's seventeen and a junior here at Lewis Prep."

Mary heard a third voice. "I just talked with some of the kids on the sidewalk. One of them said her mom's a nurse at the memorial hospital."

"Find out how to contact the mom. Anyone see what happened?"

"Cops are questioning witnesses right now. Looks like she ran in front of the bus. It would've nailed her if that sportster hadn't gotten in the way."

"Anything on the bus or the driver of the car?"

"Everyone on the bus looks fine. The car belongs to a kid named Carter Maxwell. Also a junior." A sigh. "I wouldn't hold my breath. He looks really bad in there."

Mary tuned out everything else. All sights. All sounds. The only thing she could see in her mind was Carter staring at her.

***************************************************************************

Christina Daley

Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Christina Daley made her first book with neighborhood friends when she was four years old. They "wrote" out some semblance of lettering with crayons, cut up a cardboard box for the cover, and bound it all together with clear adhesive tape. It was brilliant.
Quite a few years later, Christina is trying her hand at writing "real" books. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with a pet plant named Herb.

Win a paperback copy of Radiant + a bookmark

(US/CAN)

5 winners!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Radiant by Christina Daley

I'm so excited to be participating in the cover reveal 

for Christina Daley's new YA romance 

Radiant...

Radiant

Christina Daley

2/13/13

(Ages 13+) 

Mary is part Vietnamese. Carter is a complete jerk. Normally, they don't talk much.

But when Mary's in an accident on the way to school one morning, Carter nearly dies saving her life. The doctors say his chances of living are slim, and Mary's feeling the full weight of survivor's guilt.

However, Carter's back at school in a matter of days, as if nothing had happened. Although, he is a little "glitchy," and he's developed a sudden and intense interest in Mary. She thinks he's suffering from major brain trauma from the accident. Or that he's been possessed.

As it so happens, Carter really is possessed. And the thing controlling him is having the time of its life learning to be human.

Featuring a diverse cast of characters, RADIANT is a funny and heartfelt story about being human, being in love, and being healed.

ADD ON GOODREADS

Whaddya think of that cover?!

I love how sweet and simplistic it is!

Connect with Christina Daley

 Site / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Guest Post & Giveaway: Author Christina Daley

I am so thrilled to have the lovely Christina Daley back at Word Spelunking! Last March, Christina stopped by for an interview during March MG Madness and today she's here with a great guest post and a giveaway! Christina is the author of the Seranfyll Series...

Seranfyll

(Seranfyll #1)

Christina Daley

5/10/11

add on goodreads

(Ages 10+) For the first time in her life, Rain has a choice to make.The thirteen-year-old slave girl lives in the country of Yoan, where slaves aren't allowed proper names, let alone anything else. After being sold by a gambler and "bought" by a thief, she ends up purchased by an eccentric young nobleman named Lord Domrey Seranfyll...while he's drunk. He's so smashed that he actually buys nine other slaves with Rain and takes them to his massive manor in the countryside, which is rumored to be haunted. In fact, loads of rumors surround Lord Domrey. Like that his horse can fly. Or that he's a devil.But after getting even more intoxicated, Lord Domrey does something rather peculiar: He sets all ten slaves free that same day. And then he passes out. Many of the newly freed slaves leave, but Rain chooses to stay and look after the odd young lord. He freed them, so he can't be as bad as people say, right?But Rain's going to learn quickly that choices have consequences, and that being "free" means much more than what she thought before.Fans of Harry Potter and Howl's Moving Castle will enjoy this humorous and magical tale about choices, consequences, and what it really means to be free.

Purchase Seranfyll: Amazon 

Eligere

(Seranfyll #2)

Christina Daley

3/25/12

add on goodreads

(Ages 10+)

Rain. Is. Bored.

With Coal at university and Domrey away on a constant string of assignments from the Royal City, she and her sister Snow are stuck at Seranfyll Manor with their tutor Professor Digory, who has to be the dullest teacher on the face of the earth. She craves a break from the monotony or, even better, an adventure like the ones she only gets to read about in books.

A voyage to the jungles of Amyrania should do the trick. When Domrey agrees to do a favor for the king, Rain and the others get to set sail with him on what sounds like an exciting but relatively simple assignment. However, despite its tourist-friendly facade, Amyrania is called the "Untamed Isle" for good reason, and this adventure will prove to be more than any of them had bargained for.

Join Rain, Coal, Domrey, and a host of old and new friends (and enemies) in this exciting sequel to Seranfyll!

Purchase Eligere: Amazon 

by Christina Daley

Many thanks, Aeicha, for having me on your blog today!

The holidays are coming up pretty fast, so I thought I'd talk about something sorta related. I always go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I don't do much in the way of decorating and baking, but I do try to put some thought into gift giving.

I also tend to reflect on the year around this time--what I've done and what I'd like to do next year. But recently, I found myself thinking back a little further. A couple summers ago, I was in Los Angeles doing some volunteer work. One day, my team was in charge of the mobile food bank, which made three stops to give away food to people in need. And we didn't just give away canned stuff, but also fresh fruits and vegetables. Fresh pineapples were the hot items that day.

At the first stop, there were mostly women and children lined up waiting for us. We gave things out pretty evenly, but by the second stop, we were starting to run out of certain items. The last stop was by a Home Depot, where a bunch of men were hanging out waiting for work. We had run out of just about everything by then, and the very last thing we had was a small cardboard box with a few small potatoes at the bottom of it. No one wanted it and it was getting late, so we packed up and got ready to return to HQ.

Before we did, however, there was one last elderly man running up the sidewalk towards our truck. He asked in a broken mixture of Spanish and English if we had anything left. We told him about the box of potatoes and expected him to turn it down like the men did. But when one of my teammates showed him the box, the man began to cry. I don't think I had ever seen an elderly man cry until then, and it made an impression on me. He thanked us over and over again before hugging that box of unwanted potatoes like a moneybox and running back down the sidewalk.

Any time I come across potatoes now, I think of that man. And that makes me think about people around the world and in our own neighborhoods who don't know if they can eat tomorrow, let alone at Thanksgiving or Christmas. I realize times are tough for a lot of people now. Things are tight for me too, but I'm blessed with a fulltime job, and it's no stretch for me to grab a few extra cans of corn at the store to give to my local food bank, slip a couple bucks to a charity I trust that's feeding kids in a third world country, or do some volunteer work.

I'm all about sharing gifts. In my books, in fact, a bit of extravagant gift giving takes place. But it doesn’t hurt to go an extra mile for someone who just needs a break, especially during this season of generosity and compassion. I didn't think a box of potatoes had the power to change anyone's world until that summer day several years ago. But now I do. So, what are you going to do with me this year to help someone who can't return the favor?

Thanks again for having me here today, Aeicha! And good luck to everyone with the giveaway!

Connect with Christina: Blog / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Christina Daley made her first book with neighborhood friends when she was four years old. They "wrote" out some semblance of lettering with crayons, cut up a cardboard box for the cover, and bound it all together with clear adhesive tape. It was brilliant.
Quite a few years later, Christina is trying her hand at writing "real" books. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with a pet plant named Herb.

Win a paperback copy of both books in the Seranfyll Series!!

Christina has generously offered a paperback copy each of Seranfyll and Eligere for one lucky cupcake.

DETAILS

-US/CAN only

-There will be 1 winner who will win both books

-will run from 11/19 - 11/30

-Must be 13+ to enter, One main entry per person

-Winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-Word Spelunking is NOT responsible for lost, damaged or stolen prizes in the mail

Fill out Rafflecopter form to enter...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(M MG M) Interview and Giveaway- Christina Daley

I want to thank Christina Daley for being a part of the March MG Madness and for stopping by to answer a few of my questions. Christina is the author of the Seranfyll Series...

For the first time in her life, Rain has a choice to make.The thirteen-year-old slave girl lives in the country of Yoan, where slaves aren't allowed proper names, let alone anything else. After being sold by a gambler and bought by a thief, she's freed by an eccentric young noble, about whom many rumors abound. Some say his manor is haunted, his horse can fly, and that he's actually a devil.Now that she's free, Rain must decide what she will do with that new freedom. Her choices will lead her to new friends and many adventures, none of which she could have expected.

Rain. Is. Bored.With Coal at university and Domrey away on a constant string of assignments from the Royal City, she and her sister Snow are stuck at Seranfyll Manor with their tutor Professor Digory, who has to be the dullest teacher on the face of the earth. She craves a break from the monotony or, even better, an adventure like the ones she only gets to read about in books.A voyage to the jungles of Amyrania should do the trick. When Domrey agrees to do a favor for the king, Rain and the others get to set sail with him on what sounds like an exciting but relatively simple assignment. However, despite its tourist-friendly facade, Amyrania is called the "Untamed Isle" for good reason, and this adventure will prove to be more than any of them had bargained for.

 Q. What three words best describe your MG novel Seranfyll?

Freedom. Hope. Shoes.

Q. In one sentence, tell readers why they should read your book…c’mon, really sell it!
You haven't had a bad day until you've been sold by a gambler, bought by a thief, and freed by a drunk guy.

Q. Now, using as many sentences as you’d like, could you tell us a bit more about Seranfyll?

Seranfyll is the story of Rain, a thirteen-year-old slave girl who lives in a country where slaves aren't allowed Proper Names. After being sold by a gambler, bought by a thief, and freed by a drunk, she now has to make a choice for herself for the very first time in her life: what to do with her new freedom. New friends and adventures are in store for her as she navigates this new life of choices, consequences, and what it really means to be free.

Q. What do you hope readers, especially young readers, will take away from Seranfyll?
I hope that they will have an entertaining and satisfying read. I hope that they enjoy the characters and the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I hope that in the end, they will have more awareness of the world around them, that they would know that slavery and human trafficking are modern problems, and that they would be inspired to do something--no matter how great or small--to help our brothers and sisters in bondage who may not know or remember what freedom looks like.

Q. Why Middle Grade Fiction…why did you choose to write MG fiction and what do you love best about reading and writing MG?

I read mostly middle grade and picture books in my limited free time. So, I suppose my brain is wired (or stunted) in the overarching "children's" category. I guess I also like how even though middle graders don't think they are children anymore, the world is still quite new and mysterious and full of opportunities, and they're willing to imagine and dream still. I admire that open-eyes approach no matter what age, but it just seems more prevalent in middle graders and younger.

Q. Why do you think MG appeals to such a wide audience, from very young readers to adults like you and me?

For the young readers, well, because that's for whom the book was written! A birthday cake seems tastier when its for you, doesn't it? For older readers, I think it may be because adult concerns and responsibilities have the potential to steal some of our joy. And so, at least for a few quiet moments, a good middle grade book can help us remember a little of that joy.

Q. What’s your current favorite MG book? Your favorite MG book of all time?

My current favorites are the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I read a lot of comic strips when I was a kid (some of my favorites were Garfield by Jim Davis and Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson). So, I like the cartoon style of Wimpy Kid. Plus, they're just darn funny.

My favorite middle grade book (which can also be considered a chapter book in our current market definitions) is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. C.S. Lewis is my favorite author, and this is my favorite book of his not just for the story, but also because of the non-ideal conditions under which he wrote it and all his books.

Q. If you could switch places with any MG character from any book, who would it be?

I think I would like to switch with anyone who plays Quidditch at Hogwarts. Just because I think that's such a great sport and I wish we had such things as flying brooms to play it. Although, I probably would like to be a beater, since I'm poor a catching things.

Q. Who’s your favorite MG villain…who do you just love to hate or hate to love?

I like to loath characters like Gwendolen in Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones. In real life or fiction, I care little for people who have massive egos and/or who take advantage of good people, no matter how talented they are.

Q. If you were to create/bake a Seranfyll cupcake, what flavor would it be, or what would it taste like, and what would you call your tasty masterpiece?

It would taste like apples (readers of the book will know why!). And I'd probably call it "Catching Rain" (readers will know this, too :]).

Thanks so much for hosting this great giveaway Aeicha!

I'd also like to take a moment to let readers know that my new book, Eligere, is the sequel to Seranfyll and is available on Smashwords and Amazon and will soon be available on BarnesandNoble.com, and other ebook retailers. Paperbacks will be available in April.

Check it out and happy reading

Be sure to stop by the March MG Madness home post and enter the big month long giveaway to win a box of MG books and swag! You can earn extra entries in the big giveaway by answering a question whose answer can be found in the interview above...go HERE to enter

Find the author: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Purchase: Amazon / Smashwords / B&N

Christina Daley made her first book with neighborhood friends when she was four years old. They "wrote" out some semblance of lettering with crayons, cut up a cardboard box for the cover, and bound it all together with clear adhesive tape. It was brilliant.

Quite a few years later, Christina is trying her hand at writing "real" books. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with a pet plant named Herb.

Win a signed copy of Seranfyll!

Christina Daley has generously offered one (1) signed paperback copy of her book to give away.

Giveaway will run from 3/28 - 4/2

There will be one winner

Open INT

Fill out the Rafflecopter form to enter

• Must be 13+ to enter
• One main entry per person
• Winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours
• I am NOT responsible for lost, stolen or damaged prizes in the mail