Book Blitz | Because You Exist by Tiffany Truitt

Because You Exist
Series: Light in the Darkness #1
By: Tiffany Truitt
Release Date: 11/11/14
Limitless Publishing

Summary from Goodreads:

Life is good for Logan Middleton. He’s quarterback of the Shepherd High football team, nephew of the town’s most successful lawyer, and boyfriend of Jenna Maples, a girl who has finally agreed to take their relationship to the next level. But nothing good lasts forever.
With only a few minutes of last period English left between him and a weekend alone with Jenna, 
Logan blacks out. When he awakens, he finds himself in a future where Shepherd High lies in 
ruins, nothing is what it seems, and everyone he loves is dead. Logan is a shifter. Chosen to travel through time, it’s up to him to figure out how to stop the terrible events that claimed his once perfect life.
Of course, all of this might be easier if he wasn’t paired with the one girl who’d rather see him dead than help him, Josephine. A girl he tormented during childhood. Strong-willed with biting wit, who lives in the shadows. Tough and dark, Jo is Shepherd High’s most notorious outcast and Logan’s opposite in every way. Together the two must overcome their many differences to figure out why they’ve been selected for such an overwhelming task, and who selected them in the first place.
Before it’s too late...

Buy Links

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Limitless Publishing

Excerpt

“How long did it take you to find me?” Carrie asked, pulling out one of her earplugs.

“What are you listening to?” I countered. I didn’t want to answer her question. I didn’t want

to explain how it took me four hours to find someone who knew anything about Scary Carrie

besides the fact that she loved hoodies and had zero friends. It involved one of those things

where you call a friend who knows a friend who knows a friend whose mom also works at the

public library. I used the JV football team as my slew of detectives. They were always eager to

please me.

Carrie laughed quietly to herself, no doubt fully aware of the fact that I was avoiding her

question. She turned her iPod so I could read the screen.

“Sia. Hmmm. Jenna likes her.”

“Wow,” she said shaking her head. “Why do you sound so surprised there, QB1? What were you

expecting to see?”

Um. I don’t know. Maybe some screamo, emo band singing songs about death or how the world

sucks, or maybe how conforming to nonconformity is rad. I mean if she was going to wear

the hoodie and play out the loner routine, she might as well really commit to the performance.

Soundtrack and all.

It was then I noticed how her hood was off her head. Her curly, red hair was pulled into a

ponytail that lay in front of her shoulder. Her face was flushed. She almost looked like breathing

wasn’t the most painful thing asked of her. She was almost...

Gross.

Don’t go there.

“Listen. Um. Can we talk?”

She laughed again. “Sort of late to ask me that, Mr. All-American. Since you know...we’re

already talking.”

“Right.”

Carrie didn’t wait for me to continue. Instead, she pushed her cart of books further down the

aisle and began to place the books on the self.

“So, I was thinking we could talk about...you know...that thing...that happened to us.”

“You want to talk about that thing that happened to us!” Carried exclaimed in a louder than

needed voice, waggling her eyebrows.

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. “Very funny,” I muttered.

“Oh, calm down, Die Hard. It’s not like any of your friends spend their Saturday afternoons at

the public library.”

“Loving the nicknames,” I replied dryly.

She didn’t respond.

“So. Um. How long have you been working here at the library?”

Why was I so nervous?

I had talked to like a million girls before. Granted, never about the end of the world though.

“Don’t,” she warned.

“Don’t what?”

“Play the I want to get to know you act.”

“I wasn’t—”

“You were.”

Count to ten.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Why does she have to be such a bit...

She lifted a book from the cart, but I grabbed it out of her hand. “Enough.”

About the Author

Tiffany Truitt received her MA in literature from Old Dominion University. Her debut Chosen

Ones, first in the Lost Souls trilogy, is a searing look at what it means to be other and how we

define humanity, as well as a celebration of the dangerously wonderful feeling of falling in love.

Author Links:

Website * Goodreads * Twitter * Facebook

GIVEAWAY

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YA Bound Book Tours

BookBlogWriMo | Our Ratings System

Welcome to Day 14 of BookBlogWriMo!

Today's topic is something that we, the bloggers at Crazy for YA, are very conflicted on. We would love to hear your opinions below in the comments, or shoot us an email!

Today's topic is....

Our Ratings System

Tessa

I have a love/hate relationship with rating systems. I personally do not like the label of giving a book a certain number of stars. I believe that books are too complicated to be rated on such a simple scale. So, if you have not noticed, I do not include star ratings in my reviews anymore. I think that the readers should be able to figure out how many stars the book would be for them based on the pros and cons that I describe in my reviews. I find it hard to fit a book in a rating scale because the scale can mean so many different things. Some things that tick me off about a book could make a book wonderful for someone else. For example, if I sense insta-love in a book, I immediately lower my expectations for the book. It is an instant turn off for a book for me. BUT, I know that other (crazy) people like insta-love, and it could be the factor that make the book worth five stars to them.

This video from Ariel Bisset basically explains my view on rating scales, and why I do not include them in my reviews.

BookBlogWriMo | Our Review Process

Welcome to Day 12 of BookBlogWriMo!

Today's post is the nitty-gritty part of blogging-- how to write reviews. Honestly, reviews are the meat and potatoes of book blogging. Memes, tags, and discussion posts are fun too, but reviews are really what our blogs are based on.

Today's topic is...

Our Review Writing Process

Max

First, if there's anything I especially want to say in my review, I write that down first so I don't forget. Then I work on a summary of the book, which is usually what takes me the longest. Lastly, I review the book, highlight what I thought of the writing, the characters, and the plot. If it's a book I really like, I try to explain why I loved it so much and why I think other people would enjoy it as well. Then I add pictures, read over it a few times and have someone else edit, then I post it!

Tessa
First, I read the book. (Shocking, I know) Sometimes I take notes while I read, but not frequently. Mostly, I rely off of my memory. Like Max, I start with the summary of the book. This is normally the hardest part for me, because I want to accurately describe the book, but in a unique way. Sometimes I like to add quotes from the book into my summary. Then, I ramble and rant. If you have read any of my reviews, then you know what I mean. I try to include both things that I liked about the book and things that I did not. The main things that I focus on are the characters and the plot. After I realize that I have been rambling for too long, I have someone (usually Max) edit the review. Then, I post it.

BookBlogWriMo | Advice for Newbie Bloggers

Welcome to Day 12 of BookBlogWriMo!

If you have been following our BookBlogWriMo posts, then you probably know how much we love blogging. We kind of just started one day, and took off on our own. Man, do I wish there was someone there to help us. Trust me, the best advice you can get about writing, reading, and blogging comes straight from the source--bloggers.

Today's topic is.....

Advice for Newbie Bloggers

Tessa

Just start. Blogging is one of the things that you have to do hands-on to learn. 

I hate to break it to you, but you will probably never make money blogging, so do not start just to get some cash.

Also, do not just blog for the free books and swag. Blog for the sake of blogging and because you love books and bookish people.

While knowing how to write is good, it is more important to know how to talk to people. Blogging is a community before it is a hobby.
Be original. I know this is hypocritical because it is used so much, but it is still important to know. Do not just do a post because everyone else is doing it. Write about the things that fascinate and inspire you. Eventually, (this will not happen overnight) the people of the Internet will realize how amazing you are and how passionate you are about your blog. Then, they will have no choice but to follow you.
Try your best on social media. It is crucial to be on social media, but you do not have to do everything. Pick a few sites that you like and update them frequently with good content.
Give back to the blogging community. It is common blogging courtesy to check out bloggers who comment/follow your blog. You do not have to follow them back, but let them know that you appreciate their attention.
Communicate with other bloggers. You can do this anyway you want! Email us, comment on our blogs, reach out to us on social media. ANYTHING! I speak for the whole blogging community when I say that we would love to talk to you. If you need help with a technical thing or are in a blogging slump, all you have to do is ask for help.
 If you are a new blogger and need more tips or just someone to listen to you rant, then just email me (you can find the email in the sidebar), talk to us on Facebook, or simply comment below.

Max

• Post often, and add variety to what you write about--who would want to read tons of posts in a row that seem exactly the same? 
• Don't stress yourself about little things. Realize that if you don't get as many comments as you wanted, life will go on, and that the world won't end if you don't get that one post up.
• I think Tessa covered this pretty nicely, but involve yourself with other bloggers. Comment, follow, and just become a part of the community whatever ways work for you.
• Don't be afraid to be yourself. Put a little bit of you in everything you do and write.

Release Day Party for Evolution by Kate Wrath

Evolution

By: +Kate Wrath
Series: E #2
Release Date: 11/12/14

Synopsis

Outpost Three is still standing… barely. But the deadliest threat it has ever faced is on its way-- a violent force that will annihilate every man, woman, and child.

With the Sentries under his control and Grey’s army defeated, Matt is more powerful than ever. Eden is little more than his prisoner, but that line is blurring as her affection for him grows. Now, as the Outpost faces total destruction, Matt must sacrifice the possibility of attaining Eden’s love in the vague hope that her past might hold the key to saving them all.

Eden’s journey will begin to unravel the mysteries of her previous life, reveal dangerous new questions, and change not only the future of Outpost Three, but shape the course of history.

This eagerly anticipated sequel to Kate Wrath’s E begins an epic quest into the dark, dystopian landscape of Eden’s world.

Evolution, the second book in the E series, is now available! Get  Evolution and E for only 99¢ each during release week, November 12th-19th, 2014.

Get both books in the E series, E and Evolution, for 99¢ each on Kindle for a limited time only: between November 12th- 19th, 2014.

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Connect with Kate:

Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Google+

Join Kate for the Evolution Release Day Facebook Party:

You're invited! Come hang out November 12th from 8-12 pm Eastern and celebrate the release of Evolution. Woohoo!

Make sure to use #E2Evolution to join the party on Twitter!

An excerpt from Evolution:

We run down the narrow alley and take the first turn, then another. We keep running, moving. I don't even notice my surroundings until, at last, we slow to a stop. The smell hits me first—the stench of piss, of something rotten, all condensed into a small space. Breathing hard, we stand in the street and look around us. We're in a main thoroughfare now, judging from the traffic, but it’s still narrow. I feel squashed, smothered. On all sides, a crowd throngs around us. Most of them are dressed in rags. Hollow faces huddle three or four bodies deep against both edges of the road, dirty, hopeless, and lost. Many of them are children.


I'm scanning their faces frantically before I even realize what I'm doing. "Oscar," I hear myself whisper. It hits me, and I break off before I can call out his name. Before I can start running again, sifting through the masses of them.


Apollon's hand clamps onto mine, but he says nothing. He and Jonas are focused on Jacob, who is shaking violently. Tears are pouring from widened eyes down his face. I want to help him, but all I can do is stand here trying not to break down, myself.

"We need to find somewhere to regroup," Jonas says quietly. "Get out of this mess."
I cast around for somewhere to go, but as far as I can see, it's piles upon piles. People, and people, and buildings looming over them. There's no breathing room. No space. I have to force my breath to steadiness. It's too much.
There is a commotion on the street ahead, maybe a block away. The ragged masses push away from the center, squashing and trampling each other in the process. We're caught in a wave of motion and carried backward, but still we try to look. Where the commotion started, there's a group of figures, similarly dressed in black with blue bandanas. They're moving down the street toward us.


The wave of people suddenly backlashes from the other direction, and we're pushed the opposite way from before. We manage to finally see why. On our opposite side, there's another group of people. These are dressed primarily in white. One of them, clearly a leader, wears a purple doo rag and carries what might be the biggest gun I've ever seen. He raises it toward us.

 Buy Link

Amazon