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Purchase Link: http://tinyurl.com/lwtsvrw |
Every girl should know the rules...
Mandy Halsey is fresh out of college and determined to go from being a receptionist at the assembly line comic book house where she works to being a real-live penciler by the end of the year. That’s the plan, anyway.
But life isn’t cooperating. First, her job feels like a dead end. Second, her personal life isn’t exactly on fire, either, especially since her best friend seems to be moving in on every guy who catches Mandy’s eye. Is it just Mandy’s imagination or has Sheila totally changed since graduation, becoming someone who’s almost a stranger?
No way, because the BFFs grew up with The She Code. See, girls have rules with each other, so surely the friend Mandy grew up with wouldn’t ever break the Code—and break Mandy’s heart at the same time...
THE SHE CODE, a new adult/chick lit/geek lit hybrid, is all about the bright side of angst—because there definitely is one! Featuring sketches and comic panels by Billy Martinez of Neko Press Comics.
Yay! An Excerpt:
I found Marco sitting on the outside steps leading to the lobby. He hunched forward, his elbows on his thighs, a page of paper in one hand, an envelope in the other. Twilight wind ruffled his dark T-shirt and hair.
I couldn’t help smiling. “I’m back to haunt you.”
He grinned back at me and patted the step beside him. “My favorite neighbor.”
I didn’t mean to sit so close to him, but I sort of accidentally brushed against his arm. Imagine that. I liked how it wasn’t very hairy, could easily imagine how his muscles would bunch while he paddled on his surfboard through the water, droplets sparkling over his skin, salt mingling with sand and sweat.
“So I saw you at The Field the other day.”
He went back to leaning his elbows on his thighs, closing himself off. “You should’ve said hey to me.”
“I didn’t want to bother you.” I didn’t want you to think I was with my ex, or break in on you and your grandpa or... Who was that man, Marco?
For a second, I wasn’t sure he was going to elaborate, but then he said, “That was my real dad.”
Body language alert: His personal security reading had just shot up two notches to “Orange.”
“I see.” I was being so good, trying not to pry. There are certain things you just don’t ask: Marco, I saw how much you cared for the guy, so why do you seem so sad? Marco, does he have anything to do with your emotional deadlines or your inability to commit?
He stood—conversation over. “I wish you hadn’t seen me there.”
“I understand. Say no more.”
He lifted a hand, palm upward. “Listen, sis...”
“I’m not your sis.”
It was his turn to raise his eyebrows.
“That’s true,” he said. “Makes things kind of tough because I’m not really sure what you are, Mandy…”
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| Purchase Link: http://tinyurl.com/py3ckk7 |
Chris Marie Green is the author of the upcoming Ghost for Hire series (Feb. 2014, Only the Good Die Young), which features a fun-loving spirit from the 80s. She also wrote the urban fantasy Vampire Babylon series (including RAISING THE DARKNESS and IN BAD SPIRITS) and the New Adult/Chick Lit THE SHE CODE. Under her “Crystal Green” pen name, she writes romances, including the Rough & Tumble series, which will debut with the Berkley Intermix line in 2014.
Chris tries her best to avoid international incidents whenever she takes a break from her first love, writing, and cheats on it with her other true love—traveling!
Connect with Chris at the following sites:
Jillian: What’s your favorite cartoon character?
Chris: Thanks to my young nephew, I have become enamored of TEEN TITANS GO! on the Cartoon Network. My favorite is Robin because he is a hilarious Type-A weirdo and has a full-throttle determination to be the best superhero he can be. Also, he’s the only Teen Titan not to have superpowers, so he has to try extra hard. <G> He’s followed closely by sarcastic, kick-butt Raven.
Jillian: What sound or noise do you love?
Chris: I love the sound of a lawnmower! This is no doubt because I associate the noise with the freshness of spring, and the lovely scent of cut grass comes along with it. Things feel lazy and cool when I hear a lawnmower.
Jillian: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
Chris: Well, I have an ever-evolving favorite 10 ten, but the original STAR WARS movies are always at the top. And, yes, I am considering STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and RETURN OF THE JEDI to be one movie, LOL. Even if you locked me in a box and made me choose just one movie before you’d let me out, I wouldn’t be able to decide between STAR WARS and EMPIRE! (That’s because STAR WARS makes me so dang happy and EMPIRE plucks at my heartstrings. How can a girl choose?)
Jillian: Be honest, when reading 1st person...do you miss the hero’s POV?
Chris: When I pick up a first-person POV story, I’m so willing to be swallowed up exclusively by the heroine’s thoughts and emotions. I wrote THE SHE CODE in first-person, and it’s almost like sitting down with a good friend and hearing her tell an amusing story that (hopefully) makes you laugh while you feel all of her heartbreak firsthand. When I used first-person in my urban fantasy novelette for the KICKING IT anthology, I wanted to get the reader deep into the heroine’s head so we could really experience her confusion and isolation at waking up in a strange place and not knowing who the heck she is. So, in a word…no, I don’t always miss that hero’s POV. I know I can get a guy’s side in a different type of book.
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| Purchase Link: KICKING IT |
Jillian: What do you do to unwind and relax?
Chris: I am a TV freak. I love to collapse on my comfy couch and watch everything from THE WALKING DEAD to SONS OF ANARCHY to TOP CHEF. I also love to walk and hike, although I can’t say I’m always relaxing during those activities, LOL. I get some great story ideas and fill plot holes then, so I’m also working.
Jillian: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Chris: I think having a holiday meal with my Vampire Babylon heroine, Dawn Madison, would be the most interesting! Especially if she brought her monster hunting team with her. They’d have some great stories to tell (although we’d probably want to save the goriest ones until all the food has been served!). Also, Dawn and the team shut down all the vampire undergrounds a few years ago in London, and I love to reminisce with people who have traveled there, too. It’s a city that’s full of hauntings and I could chat for hours about it!
Chris has a question for commenters: Who is your favorite comic book hero or heroine? Why?
Giveaway prize: a signed copy of the first Vampire Babylon book, NIGHT RISING to a commenter chosen by randomizer. Remember to leave your email contact information with your comment if you wish to be entered in the raffle.
Giveaway prize: a signed copy of the first Vampire Babylon book, NIGHT RISING to a commenter chosen by randomizer. Remember to leave your email contact information with your comment if you wish to be entered in the raffle.
Connect with Chris at the following sites:
***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.
