Thanks so much for entering! HAVE A WONDERFUL MEMORIAL DAY!

Secondly, it’s FRIDAY and I’m totally bored (LOL). So, I’m going to have a little giveaway. The prize? All 3 of my books (in ebook format/PDF) for The Fairy Godmother Files: Cinderella Complex, Staking Shadows, and My Dad’s a Paranormal Investigator: Seeking Shapeshifters plus 2 signed bookmarks and a  trading card.

All you have to do is leave a comment (make sure to include your email address so I can let you know if you’ve won). Simple as that. I’ll pick the winner at 5:00 pm EST today, May 25, 2012 (see you don’t even have a long wait). That’ll give you something to read over the weekend.

And if you do win and read the book feel free to leave a review on any of your favorite book sites (good or bad–smiles).

Soccer season is nearing its end. Only 3 more weeks. However, we have tournament the weekened of the 8,9, and 10th. It’ll be fun but massively tiring.

I’ve been turning in paperwork etc on The Winter People (yay). So excited for this book. It’ll be out some time in late 2013. In the next few months I’ll have more details to share on that.

On the writing front, I’ve been slacking a bit (I know, I know–hangs head). But, I am in the midst of planning bks 2-3 for TWP so I have a good reason. This does mean I’ll have to set My Dad’s a Paranormal Investigator 2 on the back burner for now. But I swear, I will finish it. I love the characters too much not to come back to it.

And all my shows are ending for the season WAHHHH!!! I already miss the Vampire Diaries (stares longingly at picture of Damon Salvatore). Ugh! And they cancelled The Secret Circle (WTH). I really liked that show…I swear, sometimes I hate starting new shows because it seems like every time I like one, they get rid of it (GRRR).

My summer shows will start soon though (True Blood/Destination Truth–woot-woot).

Well, just wanted to check in and let everyone know I’m alive and kicking. Oh and for those of you who are always bugging to know what I look like, I finally got my author pic ready (LOL). And here it is…

Hope you enjoy.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and commented. ((HUGS)) My crit group (YAFF) is made up of a bunch of fabulous ladies who I can’t say enough great things about and I’m so glad that I was able to honor them.

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community. 

Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked.

So many people take the time to make us feel special, don’t they? They comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.

Kindness ROCKS!

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I’m participating too!

I am randomly picking my critique group YA Fiction Fanatics (YAFF), who are absolutely FABULOUS. These ladies are not only supportive, but have helped to shape my writing and stories. I would not be 1/2 the writer I am without them. YAFF members, for my RAOK gift, I’m giving away a copy of Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler on your behalf to 1 lucky commenter.

I really appreciate my fellow YAFF members

• Jennifer Fischetto
• Joey Nichols
• Kelbian Noel
• Kit Forbes
• Min
• Penny Randall
• Rachel Marie Pratt
• Stephanie
• Traci Kenworth
• Vanessa Barger

 So if you have a minute stop by and tell them how awesome they are!

Do you know someone special that you’d like to randomly acknowledge? Don’t be shy–come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round.

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.

Have you ever participated in or been the recipient of a Random Act Of Kindness?  Let me know in the comments!

Contest winner to be announced on Friday May 18, 2012.

I’m seriously overjoyed and happy and FREAKING OUT! The only things I know right now are that the 1st book The Winter People is slated for late 2013 (likely Fall), the 2nd (untitled) will likely be spring 2014, and not sure about the 3rd one.

I’ll post more details as I get them. So happy to share this with my agents, my friends, and my FABULOUS crit group YA Fiction Fanatics, who without, this SO wouldn’t have been possible.

If you get the chance, drop by and check out the review!

I’m writing chapter 6 of MD2 (My Dad’s a Paranormal Investigator bk 2). Hoping to pick up the pace on this a bit so I can get it done before July/August. Maybe sooner if I can crack down. Hoping to juggle another book at the same time, but we’ll see how that works out.

Hope everyone has an awesome day! Happy May!

I know some of you might be like WTH, I thought you already had an agent? Well, to keep it short and sweet, we parted ways a couple of months ago. There was no dramatic break-up or anything we just had different visions for my stories/writing. I wanted to stay true to who I was as an author and decided it was time to move on.

All I can say is that Jennifer is FABULOUS and she loves my stories as much as I do. The good thing about going through this before is that I had a VERY good idea of what I wanted/needed this time around. So when I entered the query trenches, I made sure I kept those ideas in the back of my mind.

I remember the first email I received after Jennifer read my full. She told me how much she loved TLOM. She indicated she’d wanted to read through it again to take some notes.

Then came the next email that indicated she wanted to talk with me on the phone (holy wanted to faint at this point). Our call went great (well except for the part where I actually forgot one of my character’s names—LOL, luckily she was cool about that). Jennifer asked if I’d be willing to revise a couple things. I agreed. I did some brainstorming with my crit group on Friday night-Saturday then went to work. I finished the revision up rather quickly then on Weds I got another email indicating she liked the changes and she offered representation. At this point, I had to get with the rest of the agents who had fulls/partials. After some phone calls/emails/chats with agents, Jennifer felt like the best fit. Not only did she “get” my stories, but she knew the YA market.

SO VERY THRILLED to be working with Jenn!

And on a side note, I am blogging at Astraea Press today. If you stop by you’ll be able to see a pic of me dressed as Princess Leia (hehehe). GO STAR WARS!!!!

Taste Blurb:

 At Barinkoff Academy, there’s only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Watch the Book Trailer:

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Taste Excerpt

I mentally stomped on the intimidation their perfection brought into my mind and said, “Excuse me.”

The group froze, startled by my words. The girls had their brows raised and the boys stopped mid-speech, mouths agape. They stared at me with eyes the shade of onyx stones.

I smiled and gave them a little wave.

The boy a step ahead of the rest recovered first. His stunning features went from shocked surprise to intense interest. He reminded me of a hawk eyeing its prey. I gulped.

“A Day Student,” he said, his eyes insolent and excited.

Something about the way he said “Day Student” made my stomach flip. “Excuse me?”

They snickered. The boys looked at each other while the girls continued to stare, muffling their laughter by delicate hands. I seemed to be the butt of some joke. 

“You broke the rule.” The boy’s grin turned predatory.

The students formed a loose semi-circle in front of me. My gaze darted from face to face. Hunger filled their eyes. The image of lions about to chase down a gazelle came to mind. I mentally shook my head. I was in the mountains not the Serengeti for crying out loud.

I took a small step back and cleared my throat. “Can any of you give me a ride back to the dorms?”

The boy wagged his forefinger like a metronome. “Ah, that’s unfortunate for you.”

One of the girls pinched the bridge of her nose. “Eli, you can’t possibly—”

“It’s forbidden, Eli,” another boy interrupted, pronouncing the word “forbidden” like a curse.

The nervous murmur at the pit of my stomach grew louder. Six against one. Not good odds. Instinct told me to cut my losses and run. Bad enough I faced expulsion, now it seemed like weird, beautiful people who’d suddenly appeared on campus wanted to beat me up. No, scratch that. Judging from the way they studied me, beating me up wouldn’t satisfy them. Something more primal prowled behind their looks.

I definitely wasn’t going down without a fight. Years of self-defense and hand-to-hand combat classes had me prepared. While other children from rich and important families got bodyguards, I got defense training. But I think my father meant for my skills to go up against potential kidnappers, not against other students who may or may not be crazy. Oh God! Maybe I stepped into a parallel universe or something when I reentered Barinkoff.

“None of the students are supposed to be on campus,” I said. Then, realizing my mistake, I added, “Okay, I know I’m not supposed to be here either. If one of you gives me a ride back to the dorms, I won’t say anything about all this. Let’s pretend this never happened. I didn’t see you, you didn’t see me.”

“We’re not ordinary students,” Eli answered. “We’re the Night Students.”

He’d said “Night Students” like the words were capitalized. I didn’t know Barinkoff held classes at night. What was going on here?

Eli smiled with just one side of his mouth and said to the group, “She’s right, no one will have to know. We’re the only ones here. And it’s been so long, don’t you agree?”

The rest of them nodded reluctantly.

“What’s been so long?” I challenged. I fisted my hands, ready to put them up if any of them so much as twitched my way.

“Since the taste of real flesh passed through my lips,” Eli said. He came forward and took a whiff of me then laughed when I cringed.

“Flesh.” Yep, parallel universe.

“Yes,” he said. “And yours smells so fresh.”

Someone grabbed my shoulders from behind and yanked me back before I could wrap my mind around the meaning behind Eli’s words. In a blink, I found myself behind someone tall. Someone really tall. And quite broad. And very male.

I realized he wore the same clothes Eli and the other boys did. Not good. He was one of them. Although… I cocked my head, raking my gaze over him. He seemed born to wear the uniform, like he was the pattern everyone else was cut from. My eyes wandered to long, layered, blue-black hair tied at the nape by a silk ribbon. Even in dim light, his hair possessed a sheen akin to mercury.

I looked down. The boy’s long fingers were wrapped around my wrist like a cuff. His fevered touch felt hotter than human standards, hot enough to make me sweat like I was standing beside a radiator but not hot enough to burn.

“I must be mistaken, Eli,” the boy who held my arm said in a monotone. “Correct me. Did I hear you say you wanted to taste the flesh of this girl?”

A hush descended on us. It had the hairs at the back of my neck rising. How was it possible for the atmosphere to switch from threatening to dangerous? Unable to help myself, I peeked around the new guy’s bulk. Eli and his friends bowed. They all had their right hands on their chests.

“Demitri, I’m sure you misheard me,” Eli said.

So the guy standing between me and the person who said he’d wanted to taste me was named Demitri. I like the sound of his name. Demitri. So strong, yet rolls off the tongue. Definite yum factor.

“So, you imply I made a mistake?” Demitri demanded.

“No!” Eli lifted his gaze. “I did no such thing. I simply wanted to show the girl the consequences of breaking curfew.”

“Hey!” I yelled. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!”

Demitri ignored my protest and continued to address Eli. “So, you threatened to taste her flesh.” His fingers tightened their grip around my wrist. “In the interest of investigating this matter further, I invoke the Silence.”

All six students gasped, passing surprised glances at one another.

Before I could ask about what was going on, Demitri yanked me down the hall toward the library. But why there? Oh, maybe we were getting my things. No, wait, he couldn’t have known about that. Everything was too confusing now.

Eli and the others didn’t try to stop us when we passed them. Demitri’s cold command must have carried power. Handsome and powerful, never a bad combination on a guy.

We reached the heavy double doors in seconds. He jerked one open effortlessly. I’d needed all my strength just to squeeze through that same door earlier. To him, the thick wood might as well have been cardboard. I raised an eyebrow and mentally listed the benefits of going to gym class.

“Why are we here?” I asked after my curiosity overpowered my worry. I’d almost forgotten how frightened I’d been right before Demitri showed up. I wasn’t above accepting help from strangers. Especially from gorgeous dark-haired strangers with hot hands and wide shoulders.

Demitri kept going, tugging me along, snaking his way deeper into the library. I had to take two steps for every stride his legs made. I tried to stay directly behind him, praying we didn’t slam into anything.

He stopped suddenly and I collided with him. It felt like slamming into a wall.

“Hey,” I said, momentarily stunned. “A little warning would be nice!”

He faced me, and I gasped. His eyes resembled a starless night, deep and endless. Their intensity drilled through me without pity, seeming to expose all my secrets. I felt naked and flustered beneath his gaze.

“You could have died back there,” he warned.

A lump of panic rebuilt itself in my throat.

Author Bio:

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn’t going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master’s courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels.

Author Website: www.kateevangelista.com

Twitter: @KateEvangelista

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Evangelista/165693410143202

Find Taste on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13484226-taste

Crescent Moon Press page for Taste: http://crescentmoonpress.com/books/Taste.html

Thanks Kate for allowing me to be a part of your reveal!

So not only did my contacts (or at least some of them) get emails from me, but quite a few agents also got spam emails from said hacker. That ought to look real professional. I have changed my password to something way long and I likely won’t remember (LOL).

So my apologies to all of you ((HUGS))…Now, I’m off to use the FORCE on this jerk!!!