Bad Bloods Book Release!
Letter from the author: Publishing is quite the journey! As some of you know, Bad Bloods was my first published book—originally released when I was only 16 in 2007—but now that I’m older, I am beyond ecstatic that Bad Bloods is getting a second chance almost a decade later. Special thanks goes out to my publisher, Clean Teen Publishing, for believing in this story, and of course, an extra thanks goes out to all the book bloggers reading and reviewing it. You all are my stars.
Bad Bloods in 35 words or less: 17-year-old Serena is the only bad blood to escape execution. Now symbolized for an election, she must prove her people are human despite hindering abilities before everyone is killed and a city is destroyed.
November Rain, Part One, released TODAY
November Snow, Part Two, releases July 25, 2016
Series Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Serena isn’t human. She is a bad blood, and in the city of Vendona, bad bloods are executed. In the last moments before she faces imminent death, a prison guard aids her escape and sparks a revolt. Back on the streets determined to destroy her kind, Serena is spared by a fellow bad blood named Daniel. His past tragedies are as equally mysterious as her connection to them. Unbeknownst to the two, this connection is the key to winning an election for bad bloods’ rights to be seen as human again. But Serena is the only one who can secure Vendona’s vote.
When the two unite, their accidental relationship becomes the catalyst for a twelve-year war to continue. Exposing the twisted past of a corrupt city, Daniel, Serena, and every bad blood they know will come together to fight and win, but very few of them will survive to see the day. Bad blood or human, a city will burn, and all will be united by catastrophic secrets and irrevocable tragedy.
What are readers already saying?
“The best duology I’ve ever read! Action packed. Fast paced. Heartbreaking. The ending brought me to tears and made my heart melt.” - Crazy Beautiful Reads
“A fast paced fantasy, sci-fi story full of exciting characters with their own fascinating abilities and background stories. Didn’t disappoint one bit! For fans of Red Queen and Shatter Me: this one is definitely something you should check out!” - The Book Prints
“Fresh and alluring. November Rain is an amazing treat. I loved it and can’t wait to be an avid fan of the series. The series is definitely going to be worth drooling over.” - Read, Watch, and Think
“I recommend November Rain for EVERYONE but especially fans of dystopian and SCIFI. A great novel… It was full of strong characters each with their own background and an interesting world.” - The Book Forums
Excerpt:
“My dad was a cop. My mom hugged me a lot. I can’t really remember what she did, but I think she was a writer.”
She used to smell the same way my books did—the ones I remembered reading but not retaining the ability to read beyond a few words. I leaned forward to snatch the paper out of my back pocket. “She always told me stories, especially at night, and my favorite one was about the stars and the moon and how we were all born from them.” I unfolded the paper to stare at the clunky handwriting, knowing it was my father’s but wishing it was my mother’s elegant script. “That’s why they’re so beautiful to us, but that’s also why we should respect them.”
“What do you mean?” Finally, he said something.
I found him over the paper and folded it. “Well, for one, the darkness can shelter us, protect us in our sleep, but it can also let all the bad things hide.” A frown etched onto my face instead of the smile I wished to share. When I realized my failure, I searched the sky. A white light pushed against the back of the murky overcast, bright enough for me to predict. It’d be a full moon in a week. “The full moon can be romantic, light up paths for us, but it can also scare people into believing in monsters.” Bad bloods were the monsters now. “All of my mom’s stories proved that,” I said. “She used to tell me that a full moon is when mysterious things happen and wishes come true.” I stared at the little paper in my hands. “Do you think she tells my sister those stories?”
Daniel didn’t respond. He only listened. I had told him before I had a sister. He had probably assumed I lied, but I hadn’t. It was the truth, and it tumbled out like a story my mom created before bedtime. I tried to picture her telling stories to my sister, but nothing came. I only saw the little girl, with Mom’s hair and Dad’s eyes, standing in the road, saying my name.
“I’ve never met her,” I confessed, staring at the writing bleeding through the folded end. “I think her name is on this, but I can’t read.”
Daniel reached for it. “I can—”
“No.” I held the note against my chest. “I want to learn and read it on my own,” I explained, softer than my previous snap.
Daniel’s head tilted. “Robert never taught you.”
I wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement, but I responded anyway. “He can’t read.”
Daniel’s eyes swept over me. He took the time to rub his face before looking away.
“He can’t read,” I repeated, studying his reaction. “Right?”
Daniel’s hand lowered to his lap. “I can teach you,” he said, and when he faced me again, he was remarkably closer than I realized. His hand moved to rest on my knee. My heart stabilized. “What else do you want?”
It was a question I had never heard before, and the way Daniel stumbled over the sentence suggested he had never been able to say it before either. Bad bloods weren’t allowed to want anything. Not even life. So, when I was asked, my mind spiraled into obscurity, never actually solidifying an answer even though I searched for one.
“I’ve never been allowed to want anything,” I confessed.
“Me neither,” Daniel agreed, and for a brief second, I was oblivious to the fact that his lips were on mine.
November Rain, Part One, released TODAY
November Snow, Part Two, releases July 25, 2016
