Famous People Who Needed a Secret Keeper

Who's up for a week of famous people, secrets, and free stuff for you? I am! that's why to celebrate the release of the second book in the Secret Keeper Series, In The Dying Light I've put together the Famous People Who Needed a Secret Keeper blog tour. Yep, it's a mouthful, but it is also going to be lots of fun as we jump to different blogs every day with chances to win both The Secret Keeper(book 1) and In The Dying Light(book 2) through an easy-peasy rafflecopter giveaway.

Even before the blog tour starts on Sunday, you can start by enter here to win and then at each stop discover which famous person could've used a secret keeper to erase their mistakes. Here's the list of fabulous blogs that will be featured including the giveaway for both books of The Secret Keeper series. Good luck and have fun.

 MouseyBooks https://www.facebook.com/mouseybooks/

Cassie Sheils https://www.facebook.com/Cassie-M-Shiels-692384544165255/timeline

Melanie Mason http://www.melaniemasonauthor.blogspot.com/

GenuineJen http://www.genuinejenn.com/

Frances Hoelsema https://franceshoelsema.wordpress.com/

Brooke Williams http://www.authorbrookewilliams.com/

Jennifer Kibble https://jenniferkibble.com/

Annie Douglass Lima  http://anniedouglasslima.blogspot.com/

 Just discovering the Secret Keeper series? Scroll down and read blurbs and excepts below or reviews and purchase here: Get to Angela's books here

The Blurb for Secret Keeper(book 1)

When Seventeen year old Winter Merrill made a bargain with the mysterious Secret Keeper, she knew there were rules.  The most important one, the next time you have a secret, you will not be able to tell it….even if you try. What she didn’t know is that her next secret if not told, would destroy her life and the life of Liam, the only boy she ever loved. Can Winter find a way out of the dark bargain that binds her tongue or will her deal with the Secret Keeper bring devastating consequences unimaginable even to her?

 

 

Winter Merrill knew it would be difficult when she took on an ancient curse to save her family, but couldn’t have imagined the isolated existence she would inherit. When her long-time boyfriend’s demanding college schedule competes with her needs, Winter is left completely alone to fight the dark secrets she bares. At her breaking point, a stranger enters Winter’s life, one who understands how she feels and more importantly knows how to eliminate the curse. Will his friendship be a new beginning for Winter or will it prove to be her demise?

Still not sure. Here's an excerpt from The Secret Keeper written in Winter's perspective:

Over and over in my head I repeated, “She can make my secret go

away.” I’m not sure if I was trying to convince myself, or trying to keep

myself from going nuts, but the phrase calmed me as I drove.

I found Lejo Street and began the steep climb to the top. The houses

in this neighborhood were small. Most were weathered if not

completely forgotten. Pines grew too close together. Piles of rusted tools

and long-forgotten bathroom fixtures littered the landscape, hidden

only by overgrown grasses and neglected Quakies. No wonder everyone

thought it was creepy.

My heart rate quickened with the ascent, and my palms left sticky

sweat on my steering wheel. I wiped them on my jeans only to have the

moisture build up again immediately. Soon there was nothing but dense

forest; a blur of green, broken only by the ashen skies above. The rain

came down in unyielding sheets and I turned up the windshield wipers.

Back and forth they went like a giant metronome, keeping in step with

my nervous heartbeat.

I strained to see out the windows until there was nothing

in front me but a large rusted metal gate and a cracked wood sign, painted

long ago, that declared, “No trespassing.” Beyond the gate, through the

trees and the rain, I saw the pale blue house that the girl in the park had described.

One more time I said out loud, “She can make my secret disappear.”

I’d almost convinced myself now. I had to be convinced, what with the

dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere and the stormy weather.

Everything screamed “Don’t go in!” but I was driven to try something,

anything, not to lose my best friend and boyfriend.

I climbed from the car and ran until I reached the porch, slipping and

having to catch myself as I tried to take the stairs too fast. Light spilled

out through a crack in the curtains, letting me know someone was there.

I lifted my hand to knock on the old splintered door and froze. I didn’t

know the secret keeper’s name. How would I address her? Before I could

decide what to do, the old scratched up door handle turned and the door

opened a crack. My mouth fell open. The eyes that peered through the

opening were surprisingly young.

My throat felt tight as I swallowed and it sounded loud to me. I

could turn and run. Everything in my gut told me to go, but I stood like

a marble statue frozen by my anguish.

“Who are you looking for?” she asked.

Her melodic voice made me think of dozens of wind chimes all

tinkling at once. Still, I felt uneasy.

I made myself spit out the words. “The Secret Keeper.”

An excruciatingly long minute passed and I thought she might tell

me that I had the wrong house or that I should get off her property.

Finally, in a voice no louder than a whisper she said, “Come in. I’m The

Secret Keeper.”

Thanks for stopping by and may you never need a Secret Keeper!

Here it comes

I wanted to take a minute and thank the many authors and bloggers who have helped get the word out about book 2 in the Secret Keeper series, In The Dying Light. In the intensely competitive publishing market, no one can do it alone and I am grateful for all the support. The "book" community really is one of the best communities in the world.


What I'm really saying is ........

Now, I'm excited to announce as the final event associated with the In The Dying Light launch there will be a blog tour May 1st to May 6th. Every day there will a different post on Famous people who could've used a secret keeper. Also, I 'm hosting a giveaway to win BOTH The Secret Keeper(book 1) and In The Dying Light, (book 2) so watch for that. Until then, thanks all and may you never need a Secret Keeper!

Looking for a weekend read. Check out my work here:)

Angela's Books On Amazon

Thanks for stopping by-

I’m excited to be a guest on Ms. Lima's blog today. I just finished reading The Gladiator and the Guard and loved it! To celebrate the release of book 2 in the secret keeper series (IN THE DYING LIGHT) we are going to have some fun!. In fact, at every stop in the blog tour, you'll have a chance to enter to win my first two books and we'll be talking about different people in history that really could have used a secret keeper. Who comes to your mind first? Don’t tell me yet. First I’m going to give you the skinny on Secret Keepers. 

 Book two of the Secret Keeper series, In The Dying Light recently released letting fans of the series slip deeper into Winter and Liam’s world now that their lives are forever changed by Winter’s deal with her Secret Keeper.

So what is a Secret Keeper? The Short answer, a mystic creature that has the ability to take on your secret, erasing it and the associated consequences.

Sounds pretty sweet, right? After all, everyone makes mistakes, everyone wishes they could erase the things that make them feel shameful—but there’s a catch. When you give away your secret to said enchantress, you agree to certain conditions, the most important, the next time you have a secret you will not be able to tell it—even if you want to. In The Secret Keeper (book 1 of the series) Winter thought she was done having secrets and made the deal with her beautiful, but insidious Secret Keeper. Little did she know that she would be the only one to witness the murder of her parents and because the murdering called out to her as she fled, “if you tell anyone, I’ll kill you”. Despite needing to tell her second secret, Winter’s tongue was bound by the curse leaving everyone she loved in imminent danger.  Yeah, holy something profane that I would never say…. and this is where the story really picks up steam.

Learn more or purchase the series here: 

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble 

Ibooks 

Also, if you want to take your chances, I’m holding a giveaway for a digital copy of the first two books in the Secret Keeper series. All you have to do is click on this link and enter to win by telling me someone in history that you think really could’ve used a secret keeper or you can choose a different easy-peasy ways to enter, like follow me on twitter or like my Facebook page. Enter giveaway for two books

Now that you know a Secret Keeper is, we are going to talk about who could’ve really used one!

Yep you guessed it. The very accomplished Arnold Schwarzenegger. To be honest, I love this guy and for a long time,  his solid marriage was the envy of many people including the A-listers. Unfortunately, somewhere along the road to marital success, Arnold strayed and ended up with child that looks so much like him, no one doubted that he was the father. The question is, was there somewhere along this road that Arnold could've used a secret keeper, kept his one mistake as just that and saved his marriage?  As secret keepers well know, we rarely make one mistake and learn from it. As for Mr. Schwarzenegger, we know gone on and loves his kids, still he get to be a candidate for one who really could've used a secret keeper.

Thank goodness mysterious secret keepers can only be found in the Secret Keeper series!

Now it’s your time, drop on over to my blog and enter to win. I’ll be posting your “people who could’ve used a secret keeper” on twitter all week so favorite the tweet if you see your guy or gal!

Below, I’ve attached lots of ways to connect and an excerpt for Book 2, In The Dying Light. Come and find me. I love my readers even more than I love chocolate!

A little about Angela

Angela Carling was raised in Palm Springs California, but lives Arizona with her husband, three kids and five felines.  After years of denial she finally admitted that she is a hopeless romantic which led her to write her first Young Adult book Unbreakable Love. Since then she’s published three more books, Shackled, Becoming Bryn and The Secret Keeper. Shackled won the silver IPGA award in 2012 and has been optioned as a screenplay. She always eats the frosting off her cake and leaves the rest, and can be caught singing in public bathrooms.  When she’s not writing YA novels, she’s mentoring teen writers, making pizza with her family or dreaming of taking a nap, not necessarily in that order. 

Links to connect with Angela

Website http://www.angelacarling.com/

Blog http://www.angelacarling.blogspot.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/angelacarling

Facebook https://twitter.com/angelacarling

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5331346.Angela_Carling

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePajamWriter/videos?view=0

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/angelacarling/

 A book excerpt from Winter’s perspective

Chapter 1

I knew he had a secret. After six months as a secret keeper, I could always tell. Usually their eyes gave them away. This time it was his body language: his shoulders slumped and his hands hung low, barely touching the sides of his pressed business suit. I wasn’t fooled by his expensive clothes. Rich people do stupid things, too, and this was going to bad one—one that would break hearts and destroy lives. It might be infidelity or a business deal gone wrong. Whatever it was, his confession was going to be painful to me.   He was the cocky type, bound to do something stupid again. He might even come back to me. I could entice him to make a final deal, and I would be free of the secret keeper curse. I pushed aside my own despicable thoughts.   He prodded along, inching ever closer to me. He knew I was his savior. I didn’t know who’d told him, but he was sure I could make his secret go away. I leapt up from the park bench and ran. My bare feet made almost no noise on the long sidewalk that pushed me deeper into the city.   “Wait!” he called, his footsteps pounding overly-loud like angry blood coursing through my veins. I ducked behind a one-story building and slid my body against the scratchy stucco wall. My shirt snagged and tore, leaving my tender skin vulnerable.   He kept in pursuit. “I have to tell you my secret,” he screamed into the long alley that bridged the distance between us. “You have to fix it!”   The word it reverberated off the walls like an odd, taunting echo. I turned, and the man behind me was inexplicably next to me. He grabbed me, pinning me to the wall with his whole body. He smelled of rot, stinky wet forest rot, of life breaking down and disappearing forever. I hated that smell. It was the scent of the secret keeper before me. Now, because I bore her curse, it would become my stench.   I thrashed against him, but he held me firm. Every muscle in my body tensed. I closed my eyes and braced myself.   “I killed my partner so I could have control of everything,” he confessed.   Words sank through my porous skin and into my defenseless soul. I arched my back in pain as I absorbed and erased his unthinkable crime. A scream tore through me and out into my dark apartment.

I sat up, abruptly woken from my nightmare, gasping for air. My hand went to my face to find it sticky with sweat, and my heart raced as if I’d actually been attacked.   The dreams were getting worse. The longer I was a secret keeper, the more real they felt. Now I wasn’t just taking on secrets during the day, I was reliving them at night with unforgiving clarity. Is this what my secret keeper experienced? No wonder she hid herself in a forest so no one could find her. No wonder she was willing to let me suffer so she could be released.   I blinked my burning eyes and tried to focus. With fumbling fingers, I reached for my phone. It was a gift from my boyfriend Liam so that I’d never have to feel alone. Once I’d become a secret keeper, no one, not even my parents remembered me.   My heart rate was slowing down, but I still struggled to push the right buttons. I hit send, and my eyes darted to the clock. I’d been in such a fog, I hadn’t considered the time. It was 3:00 a.m. Liam would be sleeping, exhausted from his classes and work. I quickly mashed the glowing rectangle with the words End Call. The screen went blank, and then a picture of Liam and I standing in front of a sign that read Welcome to ASU filled the dark space.   I ran my hands down my face as if I could wipe away not just the bad dream but the last six months of my life. I let myself fall back on the bed. On my unclad arms I felt the dampness left by my sweat. I’d have to wash my sheets again tomorrow. I’d do it after I met Liam tomorrow night.

 Thanks for stopping by and may you never need a Secret Keeper!

The Gladiator and the Guard review and guest post

Hi all! Today I'm turning my blog over to a very talented author named Annie Douglass Lima but before I let her tell you about her latest release I get to tell you what I thought when I read The Gladiator and the Guard. My review: This is the second book in the series and I've now read and enjoyed both. If there was one thing I could praise most about this series is the genuinely unique way of tackling an important topic. In book 2, The Gladiator and the Guard, we get to follow Bensin and his sister who is no longer a slave and has been adopted by Bensin's new owner. However, on Bensin's way to his own freedom he ends up in an even worse situation(trying to avoid spoilers here). I loved how Ms. Lima not only addresses slavery but also our societal hunger for violence but without doing so in an overbearing way. Instead, she gives us a fast-moving story-line filled with food for thought. The ending of the book allows for the story to continue and lets you route for this uniquely created family a little longer. Can't wait to see how it all turns out in the next book.

I'm excited to announce that my young adult action and adventure novel, The Gladiator and the Guard, is now available for purchase! This is the second book in the Krillonian Chronicles, sequel to The Collar and the Cavvarach. 

First Things First: a Little Information about Book 1: 

Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire's most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie's escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time.  With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?

What is the Collar for, and What is a Cavvarach?

The story is set in a world very much like our own, with just a few major differences.  One is that slavery is legal there.  Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone.  Any slave attempting to escape faces the dilemma of how and where to illegally get their collar removed (a crime punishable by enslavement for the remover).  

Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil.  It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with "have a rack"), a weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge.  Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades.  You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.

Click here to order The Collar and the Cavvarach from Amazon 
for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through April 28th!

 

And now, The Gladiator and the Guard, with another awesome cover by the talented Jack Lin!

 

Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is just one victory away from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system and seize his freedom before that system crushes him?

Click here to order The Gladiator and the Guard in Kindle format from Amazon 
for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through April 28th!

Click here to order The Gladiator and the Guard from Smashwords (for Nook or in other digital formats) 
for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through April 28th!

Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published twelve books (two YA action and adventure novels, four fantasies, a puppet script, and five anthologies of her students’ poetry). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.

Connect with the Author Online:

Email: AnnieDouglassLima@gmail.com
Blog: http://anniedouglasslima.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnieDouglassLimaAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/princeofalasia
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGoodreads
Amazon Author Page: http://bit.ly/AnnieDouglassLimaOnAmazon
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AnnieDouglassLima
LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnLinkedIn
Google Plus: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGooglePlus

Now, enter to win an Amazon gift card or a free digital copy of The Collar and the Cavvarach!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Or find the giveaway at this link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ad2fd99a3/?

Discover a new paranormal series for Free!!

If you have ever wondered about The Secret Keeper series, well this is your week to read book one (The Secret Keeper) for FREE!

Best of all, recently released Book 2 (In The Dying Light) is .99 cents kindle, nook or Ibook. This means you can bing on two books for .99cents and get all caught up in Winter and Liam's life since Winter's life-changing encounter with her Secret Keeper. Since The Secret Keeper is still under AZ PUBLISHING, this may be the only time I ever get to offer it for free!! Here's your link to download The Secret Keeper for free and snag In The Dying Light for .99cents.

click here for Barnes and Noble

Click here for Amazon

Ibook users click here

Not familiar with this suspenseful paranormal series? Below you'll find the blurbs of the books and an except from the Secret Keeper. Meanwhile, I'm working hard on the next book in the series, a prequel called Belakane that tells the story of how the Secret Keeper curse came into existence. Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine. Until then, enjoy The Secret Keeper and thanks for stopping by.


Blurb for The Secret Keeper:

When Seventeen year old Winter Merrill made a bargain with the mysterious Secret Keeper, she knew there were rules.  The most important one, the next time you have a secret, you will not be able to tell it….even if you try. What she didn’t know is that her next secret if not told, would destroy her life and the life of Liam, the only boy she ever loved. Can Winter find a way out of the dark bargain that binds her tongue or will her deal with the Secret Keeper bring devastating consequences unimaginable even to her? 

Blurb for book 2, In The Dying Light:

Winter Merrill knew it would be difficult when she took on an ancient curse to save her family, but couldn’t have imagined the isolated existence she would inherit. When her long-time boyfriend’s demanding college schedule competes with her needs, Winter is left completely alone to fight the dark secrets she bares. At her breaking point, a stranger enters Winter’s life, one who understands how she feels and more importantly knows how to eliminate the curse. Will his friendship be a new beginning for Winter or will it prove to be her demise?

 

An excerpt from The Secret Keeper:

Over and over in my head I repeated, “She can make my secret go

away.” I’m not sure if I was trying to convince myself, or trying to keep

myself from going nuts, but the phrase calmed me as I drove.

I found Lejo Street and began the steep climb to the top. The houses

in this neighborhood were small. Most were weathered if not

completely forgotten. Pines grew too close together. Piles of rusted tools

and long-forgotten bathroom fixtures littered the landscape, hidden

only by overgrown grasses and neglected Quakies. No wonder everyone

thought it was creepy.

My heart rate quickened with the ascent, and my palms left sticky

sweat on my steering wheel. I wiped them on my jeans only to have the

moisture build up again immediately. Soon there was nothing but dense

forest; a blur of green, broken only by the ashen skies above. The rain

came down in unyielding sheets and I turned up the windshield wipers.

Back and forth they went like a giant metronome, keeping in step with

my nervous heartbeat.

I strained to see out the windows until there was nothing

in front me but a large rusted metal gate and a cracked wood sign, painted

long ago, that declared, “No trespassing.” Beyond the gate, through the

trees and the rain, I saw the pale blue house that the girl in the park had described.

One more time I said out loud, “She can make my secret disappear.”

I’d almost convinced myself now. I had to be convinced, what with the

dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere and the stormy weather.

Everything screamed “Don’t go in!” but I was driven to try something,

anything, not to lose my best friend and boyfriend.

I climbed from the car and ran until I reached the porch, slipping and

having to catch myself as I tried to take the stairs too fast. Light spilled

out through a crack in the curtains, letting me know someone was there.

I lifted my hand to knock on the old splintered door and froze. I didn’t

know the secret keeper’s name. How would I address her? Before I could

decide what to do, the old scratched up door handle turned and the door

opened a crack. My mouth fell open. The eyes that peered through the

opening were surprisingly young.

My throat felt tight as I swallowed and it sounded loud to me. I

could turn and run. Everything in my gut told me to go, but I stood like

a marble statue frozen by my anguish.

“Who are you looking for?” she asked.

Her melodic voice made me think of dozens of wind chimes all

tinkling at once. Still, I felt uneasy.

I made myself spit out the words. “The Secret Keeper.”

An excruciatingly long minute passed and I thought she might tell

me that I had the wrong house or that I should get off her property.

Finally, in a voice no louder than a whisper she said, “Come in. I’m The

Secret Keeper.”