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I recently finished reading the autobiography of one of my favorite poets, William Butler Yeats. An intriguing look into the mind of a man torn between his head and his heart, I couldn’t help from feeling a bit sorry for him. He constantly wanted to believe in the tender emotions of the heart, but also constantly questioned it with a cold rationality.
I was struck by a passage about a mountain near his home called Knocknarea (pronounced Nok-na-ray). I’ve climbed this mountain myself (my wife and I visited it on our honeymoon), and have felt its magical presence �� Queen Maeve is reputed to be buried atop an ancient cairn on its summit. Anyhow, one night Yeats sees a light in the distance climbing the mountain and times its ascent at five minutes �� knowing no human could scale the heights that quickly as it takes the better part of an hour to climb the mountain. This is in the 19thcentury, so what did he see? He runs after the light, trying to discover what it is, hoping in his heart that it has something to do with the fairies or the supernatural, yet deeply doubting it at the same time and figuring it must have some rational explanation.
He never finds out what it was, but the incident clearly sticks out in his mind ever afterward. What do you think it might have been? And how to you balance the beliefs of your heart with the rationality of your mind in everyday life? It’s no small question, that’s for sure.

COVER REVEAL FOR CATALYST With $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY!
��is proud to present the official cover reveal for��CATALYST by��Kristin Smith. �� This is the first book in��the thrilling new Deception Games series coming November 21, 2016!

Title: Catalyst (The Deception Game, Book One) Author: Kristin Smith Release Date: November 21, 2016 Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing Genre: YA near-future thriller
Book Synopsis:
Too pretty.
Too smart.
Too perfect.
In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose the characteristics of their children like ordering off a drive-thru menu, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As a normal girl surrounded by genetically modified teens, all of her imperfections are on display. But after the death of her father, everything she's ever known and loved changes in an instant.
With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.
In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.
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Enter to WIN a $25 AMAZON Gift Card!��



About the Author:

Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels with enough kissing to make her mother blush. She's a beach lover and a Just Dance guru who enjoys belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). As a self-professed chocoholic, Kristin is a firm believer that if a dessert doesn't have chocolate in it, then it's not considered a dessert. (Except for crème brûlée. She can always make an exception for crème brûlée.) Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to scarves, you can connect with her at the links below.

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It’s been a while since I posted and things have been a bit crazy lately to say the least, but I figured I’d get back into the groove with something genuinely worth blogging about. And today, I’m still geeking out about the newest standalone Star Wars film coming out this December. Rogue One!
Nuts as it sounds, I think I’m actually more excited about this next Star Wars film than the new trilogy they’ve started. I really love the new trailer and the actors in it, and even the way they use the alarm effect from the imperial star destroyers. I especially love that they’re making a genuine effort to fold this story into the larger original trilogy with tact and accuracy.
In addition, I really like that the film is intended to be a standalone. I’ve got nothing against sequels, but sometimes I think a film is done better if they try to actually make a plot that begins and ends all within the same movie. So this December, I know what motion picture I’ll be going to see, how about you?��

Hey, all. I've been hopping around a bit over these past few days, and today I'm over on the site, posting my newest article there. I wrote about another of my favorite topics, the sea and how it has transformed cultures in the supposedly "insular" isles. Anyhow, check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks!

Hey everybody, I'm hanging out at today, where she's been kind enough to have me over for a guest post. She writes her own novels in a similar historical era as my own. So if you're interested, head on over and check it out, thanks!

From her earliest days, Martha “Patsy�� Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France. And it is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that she learns of her father’s liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.Patsy too has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé, William Short, a staunch abolitionist intent on a career in Europe. Heartbroken at having to decide between being William’s wife or a devoted daughter, she returns to Virginia with her father and marries a man of his choosing, raising eleven children of her own.Yet as family secrets come to light during her father’s presidency, Patsy must again decide how much she will sacrifice to protect his reputation, in the process defining not just Jefferson’s political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.
Order here:

STEPHANIE DRAY��is an award-winning, bestselling and two-time RITA award nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her critically acclaimed series about Cleopatra’s daughter has been translated into more than six different languages and won the Golden Leaf. Her focus on Ptolemaic Egypt and Augustan Age Rome has given her a unique perspective on the consequences of Egypt’s ancient clash with Rome, both in terms of the still-extant tensions between East and West as well as the worldwide decline of female-oriented religion. She’s also fascinated by the founding of the American Republic and its roots in ancient Rome. It’s her mission to illuminate the stories of women in history and inspire the young women of today.



About Laura Kamoie:
Laura Kamoie��has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from The College of William and Mary, published two non-fiction books on early America, and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction as the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty books, Laura Kaye. Her debut historical novel, America's First Daughter, co-authored with StephanieDray, allowed her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters.

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Hey, everyone. I'm hanging out over at the blog today, where I've posted my latest article as part of their awesome group! It's my second post with the EHFA, and it deals with the history of women warriors. Rah!

Hope you enjoy it! Go check it out:)

Whew! I had a great time speaking for the second year in a row at the annual San Francisco Writer's Conference at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. It was especially fun for me because so many people remembered me from last year, and I got to chat with speakers that I used to listen to when I first visited the conference as an attendee years ago.

One of the highlights was when I got to talk about my upcoming book, and how Between Two Fires comes out with St. Martin's Press this August. I got an ovation from my audience of a few hundred, which doesn't happen every day, so that was pretty cool to say the least. It was fun not only to see the interest in my novel, but to see how it inspired other authors to keep pursuing their own writing dreams.

In the pics seen here, I'm the dude two people to the left of the podium. We got to kick off the conference with opening remarks to all attendees, which was pretty fun. I look forward to and hope to speak next year, when I can actually hold up my book in my hands.

Next Friday, I'll be speaking at the San Francisco Writer's Conference for the second year in a row! I'm pretty stoked to get to speak at the very same conference I first attended as a slightly wet-behind-the-ears writer several years ago.

The event will be held at the Mark Hopkin's hotel, and I'll get to address a few hundred budding authors all spending the weekend in San Francisco in order to learn more about their craft. It's also a fun place to connect with fellow book-lovers. Last year I remember telling them about the new book deal I had just signed and this year I get to tell them about my new novel coming out in August! How cool is that?

After speaking at my high school last month and prepping for my speech this month at the SFWC, I'm starting to get more and more comfortable talking to large groups about my work.

What are some great author talks you've attended in the past? What words of wisdom have other authors said that really stuck with you? ����

Hi, everyone!

I'm over at Misha Gericke's today where she's chatting about my book, Between Two Fires, which comes out August 23!

Check it out and let me know what you think, thanks!