Release of Rising Book 1: Resistance, by Laura Josephsen

I couldn't be MORE excited to announce the release of this book! 

Blurb:

All Alphonse wants is a quiet summer at home before his final months at university. What he gets is a half-dead stranger on his doorstep and the task of delivering a package to the leader of his home country. Not long after he boards a train toward the capital, he's attacked by knights, elite soldiers of the neighboring king.

Alphonse is temporarily rescued by Mairwyn, a mechanic with a haunted past and a deep hatred of knights. Together, they attempt to carry out Alphonse's urgent errand, only to learn that if they fail, countless people will die.

And even if they succeed, they may not be able to prevent the war that lurks on the horizon.

Now, I had the pleasure of reading this myself a few months back. First of all, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Laura's writing. She always yanks you right into the story and writes characters that refuse to leave you alone when you are trying to sleep at night. Her book, Resistance, does all of the above! 

It's such a unique blend of fantasy, sci-fi, and romance (my favorite!) with characters you either love at first (um, headstrong Mairwyn!) or grow to love (the endearing Alphonse.) The character development was rich and solid and completely intriguing - sometimes those tortured pasts were difficult to read - and the romance unfolded beautifully as Mairywyn and Alphonse discovered their love for each other while discovering themselves. I can't wait for the sequel! (Seriously, Laura, get on that! *twiddles thumbs* *waits* *WAITS*)

Author Bio:

Laura Josephsen lives with her family in Tennessee. She is a co-author of the Restorationseries and the author of Confessions from the Realm of the Underworld (Also Known as High School). She likes music, reading, socks, rainy days, chocolate, coffee, and sci-fi and fantasy tales.

Now, for the good stuff...


The links!

Rising Book 1: Resistance:

Kindle at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0079DJ3HC
Paperback at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rising-Book-1-Resistance/dp/1469904357/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329773440&sr=1-4
Nook at B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rising-book-1-laura-josephsen/1108828628?ean=2940013930056
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/132824
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13412367-resistance


Also, go check out her awesome blog at:  http://laurajosephsen.blogspot.com/

HAPPY READING!!

Inspiration and Talking Frogs...

KERMIT.

I. Love. This. Billboard.

I don't know why, really. Maybe it's because I grew up on Big Bird and Miss Piggy and Vampires that "count." Maybe it's because I like talking frogs. Whatever the reason, I saw this, and could not stop laughing.

But then, of course, like any good ad will do, it made me think...

People may not always understand your dreams. They may not agree with them or like them. They might sneer and snicker and smirk. They might stand back and ogle you like you've grown a third arm and suddenly started speaking parseltongue...

And that's okay. They're YOUR dreams, not theirs.

Like Mark Twain said, "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

I love things that inspire us to be better and challenge us to conquer the world, so after seeing this brilliant billboard, I decided to look into its sponsor: The Foundation for a Better Life.

Their values?

"The Foundation for a Better Life recognizes that everyone views the world through a unique lens and our objective is to provide a wide spectrum of values that are universal, encouraging and inspiring." 

"How wonderful!" says I, and then I started clicking around.

They've got more slogans like Kermit's, and loads of quotes (my favorite!...if you couldn't tell...), like this one:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

(I know, I know, another Mark Twain quote...)

You can find the website HERE.

Go have a look around, and be inspired to do something great!


What are your dreams?...And what are you doing to live them?


More eyewitness accounts...

***If you like YA Fantasy, check out my book, GAIA'S SECRET. The sequel is coming soon!