PREORDERS AVAILABLE FOR ERIN CROCKER’S “FORBIDDEN”

For more info and teasers, follow Erin on social media!

https://www.facebook.com/authorerincrocker/

https://twitter.com/authorerink

https://www.instagram.com/authorerincrocker/?hl=en

Preorder link: https://amzn.to/2rs3Sy7

Does evil lurk in Devil’s Creek, or are residents of Paradise Grove manifesting a darkness far more sinister?

Genre: horror, lgbt+, allegory b (a story that uses a metaphor to present a moral whether it be political or just about society)

Preorder an ebook on December 10th, or purchase a paperback on January 8th.

About Erin: Erin was born in Kansas City, Missouri and later moved to the small town of El Dorado Springs (That's El Do-RAY-Do), Missouri where she spent most of her life. In 2007 she moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia and graduated from Germanna Community College with honors. If that wasn't enough... she decided to enroll in courses at Mary Washington University and earned a Bachelor's in English, Linguistics, and Communications in 2015.

Writing: From there, she published her first novel Synchronicity and only lost a small portion of hair from stress. In 2017, she published the sequel, Menoetius, and in 2018 she became fed up with a teeny-tiny copyright incident and collaborated with other authors from the writing community to compile a multi-genre anthology entitled Cocky-Tales. She is currently working on Forbidden to be published this winter.

Erin's writing has placed in a variety of competitions including second place in the Sudden Denouement Divergent Literature Competition and the CN International Flash Fiction Competition, and most recently, her piece "The Final Battle" placed first in her heat in round one of the 2018 NYC Midnight Short Story Competition.

In 2017, Erin was invited to sit on not only the Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer's panel at the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival, she also sat on the YA panel. In February 2018, she joined the judging panel for the CN International Pens of Roses Flash Fiction Competition and in March, joined another author panel in Richmond, Virginia.

Erin works as an editor at FunDead Publications and offers free-lance editing on the side.

Film/TV: Think you've seen Erin on TV? You betcha! Erin got her start as a contestant on Netflix's hot new baking show, "NailedIt!". Following that experience, she can be found on a variety of Investigate Discovery shows including "Unmasked" and "Dead of Night". Erin's also worked on a couple of independent films due out next year.

When She Walked Away: As a survivor of domestic violence, Erin strives to give back to the community that offered her the support and encouragement to not only leave her situation but to find her voice. This is what led to the founding of When She Walked Away. A small, but steadily growing community that places direct emphasis on providing encouragement, information, and support to women and children who have experienced or are experiencing domestic violence.

Book Recommendation for December 2018

My last official book recommendation of 2018 is The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff. This novel is a truly lovely piece of literary fiction. It’s a magical realist, historical, contemporary ghost story, and it’s amazing. Groff’s writing style is one that, whenever I read it, pushes me to be a better writer. If you’re a lover of literary fiction or magical realist fiction, you HAVE to read this book. Have to. 

I picked up this book because Groff was my first creative writing professor when I was at the University of Louisville. She was such a positive, encouraging, challenging force in my life, and I bought the book out of a sense of loyalty to her. And man, am I glad I did. I started reading and could barely put it down. I go back to it often, even though it’s been years, for inspiration. I highly recommend this novel.

“NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER — the debut novel by the acclaimed author of Fates and Furies.

"The day I returned to Templeton steeped in disgrace, the fifty-foot corpse of a monster surfaced in Lake Glimmerglass."

So begins The Monsters of Templeton, a novel spanning two centuries: part contemporary story of a girl's search for her father; part historical novel; and part ghost story. In the wake of a disastrous love affair with her older, married archaeology professor at Stanford, brilliant Wilhelmina Cooper arrives back at the doorstep of her hippie mother-turned-born-again-Christian's house in Templeton, NY, a storybook town her ancestors founded that sits on the shores of Lake Glimmerglass. Upon her arrival, a prehistoric monster surfaces in the lake bringing a feeding frenzy to the quiet town, and Willie learns she has a mystery father, one her mother kept secret Willie's entire life.

The beautiful, broody Willie is told that the key to her biological father's identity lies somewhere in her family's history, so she buries herself in the research of her twisted family tree and finds more than she bargained for as a chorus of voices from the town's past—some sinister, all fascinating—rise up around her to tell their side of the story. In the end, dark secrets come to light, past and present day are blurred, and old mysteries are finally put to rest.

The Monsters of Templeton is a fresh, virtuoso performance that has placed Lauren Groff among the best writers of today.”

-Barnes and Noble

Book Recommendation for November 2018

For November, I recommend The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. It’s a fantasy novel, a beautiful fairy tale, about (you guessed it) the last unicorn. (Or is it?) I borrowed this book from friend and fellow author Michelle Wilson (it’s her fave) and I am kicking myself for waiting over 30 years to read it! If you love beautiful prose, magic, and unicorns, you’ll want to read this book. 

In this novel, our protagonist is a unicorn who believes she is the last. She leaves her enchanted wood in search of her kin and meets other species and creatures along the way. Dragons are my favorite magical creatures, but unicorns are a close second, so reading this lovely novel (which redefined what a unicorn was for me) scratched an itch I didn’t know I had.

““The Last Unicorn is the best book I have ever read. You need to read it. If you’ve already read it, you need to read it again.”—Patrick Rothfuss, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Name of the Wind

Experience the magic of Peter S. Beagle’s classic tale about a lone unicorn’s search for her kind—hailed by The Atlantic as “one of the best fantasy novels ever.”

The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. So she ventured out from the safety of the enchanted forest on a quest for others of her kind. Joined along the way by the bumbling magician Schmendrick and the indomitable Molly Grue, the unicorn learns all about the joys and sorrows of life and love before meeting her destiny in the castle of a despondent monarch—and confronting the creature that would drive her kind to extinction...”

-Barnes and Noble

Book Recommendation for October 2018

October is Banned Books Week (my most favorite day of the year), so I decided to share one of my favorite banned books! There are SO many banned books (if you ever look for lists, you’ll be shocked at the various books that have been banned), but one of my very favorites is The Giver by Lois Lowry.

A YA book that challenges you to look at your society, the things you take for granted as normal, and really LOOK at them. To analyze them. To question things based on your own moral integrity. It’s a book that will break your heart and give you so much joy at the same time. A classic and multiple award winner, The Givery by Lois Lowry is a book I recommend often, because I feel like everyone—and I mean that literally, EVERYONE—should read at least once.

It’s the first in a series of four (which I only found out about a couple of years ago), and when my life slows down a little, I plan to read all four straight through!

“A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

The Giver, the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Lois Lowry has written three companion novels to The Giver, including Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.”

-Barnes and Noble

Book Recommendation for September 2018

So, I haven’t kept up with my blog like I wanted. I kind of stopped using it when I started my new job in August (teaching high school English!), but I wanted to play catch up today and get them all listed.

I actually posted two books for September on my Instagram account (@lindseysfrantz), then realized the first book I posted was one I’d already recommended! So, there are two for September, but only one counts.

September’s recommendation is Frank Herbert’s DUNE. A sci-fi cult class, Dune is a book that, if you’re a fan of science fiction, you really NEED to read. Herbert creates multiple worlds and cultures, and within them are complex and fascinating characters. I haven’t actually read this book in a few years, and I fell in love with the original 1980s movie first, but I still remember cracking it open for the first time and immediately getting sucked in. This book also has a whole series of books that follows it, but I haven’t had the chance to read those yet.

So, sci fi fans! Go! Read! Enjoy!

“Frank Herbert’s epic masterpiece—a triumph of the imagination and the bestselling science fiction novel of all time.

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family—and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.”

-Barnes and Noble

Book Recommendation for August 2018

August’s recommendation is The 100 by Kass Morgan. I started this series (this is 1 of 4) because I enjoyed the show so much! And man, it has not disappointed! I’m almost finished with book 3, and can’t wait to dig into number 4. The book switched between four points of view (POV), but I never felt lost or rushed. Rather, it was interesting to be able to be so many places and in so many minds so frequently. If you like the show, know that the books are VERY different, but are a lot of fun to read. 

Alternating POVs can be really fun or really, really bad. In the case of this series, it's really, REALLY fun. The chapters flip back and forth between Clarke, Bellamy, Glass, and Wells. It's so interesting to see varied male and female perspectives, as well as the same events from different angles. 

As for the books vs the show--the show is extremely different than the books. Wells, in the show, dies in the first season and never has a very large part. Three of four books in and he's still a main character! Glass doesn't even exist in the world of the TV show. And yet, I love them both. These books are such a fun take on SciFi YA that I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys either genre.

"No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents -- considered expendable by society -- are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves -- but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope."

source: Barnes and Noble's website

(A VERY Late) Book Recommendation for July 2018

Talk about behind. My book recommendation for July is Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville. I haven’t completely finished it yet, but it’s so good so far! Fascinating premise—a religious cult preparing for the end of the world and two teens brought to together by it—and surprising use of language!

A good book, in my opinion, can usually be snuffed out within the first few pages, or at least the first chapter. This book had me hooked after the first page! The protagonist's voice was captivating and unique. And while I still haven't completely finished the book (I blame my toddlers and the unexpected, joyful surprise of getting a new job), I can say with 100% certainty that it's a good one from start to finish.

"The world will end on Thursday, July 27, 2000. At least, that’s what Reverend Beelson has told his congregation. That’s why Marina and Jed and their parents have joined the rest of the Reverend’s flock at a mountain retreat to await the end of the world. But this world has only just begun for Jed and Marina, two teenagers with more attitude than faith. Why should the world end now, when they’ve just fallen in love for the first time?"

source: Barnes and Noble's website

Book Recommendation for June 2018

June's book recommendation is Wit'ch Fire by James Clemens (also known as James Rollins). A dark fantasy novel, and the first of five in a series (titled The Banned and the Banished), this is a book that will stick with you.

I first read this book (and the following four) at least ten years ago, if not more like fifteen. It was during one of my "I need new books" phases, and I bought it on a whim. I'm so glad I did. I haven't re-read this series since my first read, but that's probably because so much of it has stuck with me. Images, scenes, lines, characters, feelings--over a decade later and I still remember so much. I also still recommend this book to friends pretty regularly.

The story follows Elena, a young year old girl who discovers she's a wit'ch (but not like the witches in the Harry Potter series), except in this case, being a wit'ch is cause for death. We follow Elena and many other dynamic, fun, terrifying, and beautiful characters as magic is reintroduced into the world!

"On a fateful night five centuries ago, three made a desperate last stand, sacrificing everything to preserve the only hope of goodness in the beautiful, doomed land of Alasea. Now, on the anniversary of that ominous night, a girl-child ripens into the heritage of lost power. But before she can even comprehend her terrible new gift, the Dark Lord dispatches his winged monsters to capture her and bring him the embryonic magic she embodies. Fleeing the minions of darkness, Elena is swept toward certain doom-and into the company of unexpected allies. Aided by a one-armed warrior and a strange seer, she forms a band of the hunted and the cursed, the outcasts and the outlaws, to battle the unstoppable forces of evil and rescue a once-glorious empire..."

Source: James Clemens's Website

Book Recommendation for May 2018

Halfway through May, and I’m just now posting my May book recommendation! Life’s been busy, people. So busy. But, here it is, GRACELING, by Kristin Cashore. It’s a lovely stand alone with other books set in the same world. If you enjoy people born with special abilities and given grace responsibility as well as lots of wonderful on-the-hunt tension, mixed with some romance, this is the YA book for you! 

I initially bought this book because I was looking for something new to read, and the cover was SO lovely, but I finished reading it because it was such a lovely book. There's a lot of YA fiction out there that follows a pretty specific formula, and while I tend to enjoy that formula (very much), it's always nice to be surprised, and this book was very surprising. Fresh, original, a little dark, and very satisfying, Graceling is a must read!

"Kristin Cashore’s best-selling, award-winning fantasy Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable yet strong Katsa, a smart, beautiful teenager who lives in a world where selected people are given a Grace, a special talent that can be anything from dancing to swimming. Katsa’s is killing. As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his thug. Along the way, Katsa must learn to decipher the true nature of her Grace . . . and how to put it to good use. A thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure (and steamy romance!) that will resonate deeply with adolescents trying to find their way in the world. 
  
Awards: Winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, winner of the SIBA Book Award/YA, Indies Choice Book Award Honor Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2008 Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, 2008 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Amazon.com’s Best Books of 2008, 2008 Booklist Editors’ Choice, Booklist’s 2008 Top Ten First Novels for Youth, 2009 Amelia Bloomer List, BCCB 2009 Blue Ribbon List
  
Don’t miss the sequel Fire, also a New York Times bestseller and ALA Best Book for Young Adults, winner of the 2010 Cybil for YA Fantasy/Sci Fi and the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award."

source: Barnes and Noble

Book Recommendation for April 2018

It’s a week late, but April’s book recommendation is Rhapsody: Child of Blood (and the following books) by Elizabeth Haydon! I chose an adult lit book this month, rather than YA. A more traditional fantasy novel, Rhapsody follows the titular character through hardships, strange relationships, and a journey through the center of the world. The original trilogy is comprised of Rhapsody: Child of Blood, Prophecy: Child of Earth, and Destiny: Child of the Sky, but there are other books (the most recent having come out in 2016) in this world. the Symphony of Ages series is complex and beautiful, and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an original fantasy (not quite high fantasy, but almost) story!

"Rhapsody, n, (1542) 1: a portion of an epic poem adapted for recitation 2 archaic: a miscellaneous collection 3 a (1): a highly emotional utterance (2): a highly emotional literary work (3): effusively rapturous or extravagant discourse b: Rapture, Ecstasy 4: a musical composition of irregular form having an improvisatory character.

Elizabeth Haydon is a major new force in fantasy. Equipped with a quick wit, Haydon has a sharp ear for dialogue, panache with characters, and that essential ability to transport her readers into her own fantastical world-a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody's aubade and smell the smoldering forges within the Cauldron.

Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world." 

source: Barnes and Noble