Uses For Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt (ARC)

Uses For Boys
Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Pub. Date: January 15, 2013

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.

***There are spoilers in this review, but as I would never recommend ANYONE reading this novel, it probably won't matter. Also, I'm a little mad right now, but I'm trying to draw back on the anger and inappropriate wordage and just be critical of substance.***

UPDATE: Dark Horse Indie and Timelines

Hey DreamCatchers!

So I know it's been kinda slow around here at the Crazy Dream Blog since Falling Away went live on Valentine's Day. For the past three weeks, I've been pounding away at the laptop trying to get a novel out of my head and onto paper (okay, onto a blindingly bright screen). I was trying to get my head back into my Immortal Archives series to get Catacombs going again, but I wasn't feeling all that motivated. Then my gal pal JA Redmerski and I were talking about how her publishing company wanted her to write a follow-up to her awesome new book The Edge of Never. We'd both gone from writing supernatural and fantasy books to writing romance, and hey, turned out we both loved it, and totally amazed at how easily they came to us. So I'm sitting there bitching about how I'm lacking the inspiration right now to make Catacombs as awesome as I want it to be, and she basically said, "Screw it. Write another romance. Realistic fiction is hot right now. I bet you could have something on the market by summer." I did my, "Oh, God no, not another book. I've already pushed Dust and Falling Away ahead of Catacombs and readers are starting to ask WTF? I can't push it back again."

 

So I go off to soak in the tub for a good long while, and by the time I come out, I have a realistic fiction novel flowing through my head that I'm so freakin' excited about that I just can't help myself. I buried myself behind the computer and had 5K (5,000 words) written before I crashed in bed. Thanks, Jessica (insert sarcasm). Actually, I probably should thank her 'cause this has gotten me out of that writing funk and the words are just flowing out of me. Now it's three weeks later and I already have 50K ready to go and I seriously believe I can have the first draft of Nearly Broken ready by April 1st (no joke here!). HA! I actually completed it on April 1st! Am I good or what?

 

So here's my new timeline: Nearly Broken will definitely be ready for a summer release. I'm keeping that time block so my critique writers have all the time they need to filet it if necessary (hopefully not) and get in lots of editing. I'm also planning to throw it on NetGalley for reviews and I want to make sure readers have plenty of time to get to it as well. So...summer release. I'll announce an actual date once I see what my critique buddies say. I believe it's my best romance to date, but I won't lie. Nearly Broken is for mature audiences only, as there are some pretty dark and disturbing situations that not everyone will feel comfortable reading. So take heed if you like your love stories to be nothing but sunshine and lollypops - this ain't that kind of love story.

 

Catacombs I'm still hoping to get out by late summer. I'm going to tackle it as soon as my draft of Nearly Broken is ready to share. I think I'll have my romance bone sated enough to finally get my focus going. And there will be some romance in Catacombs as Emily and Gaius are finally able to get to know each other, so YAY! It just bums me out that I've made these clean urban fantasy novels in respect to sex, so it won't be nearly as descriptive as my romance novels.

 

And finally Stardust. This is the follow-up to Dust, the first novel in the Of Dust and Darkness trilogy. I've been getting asked about this one the most. I still plan to release before the end of the year, but it'll most likely be a December release. With two books needing publishing first, it's on the back burner. But don't worry, that story's been marinating in my head, and when I sit down to really focus on it, it's gonna come out fast and easy. I do have a cover ready to go, but don't plan to do a reveal until later this year. So no, you're not going to find this on GoodReads yet either. The story could always change as I'm writing it, so I don't want to throw out a synopsis for it too early.

 

And lastly, if you've tried checking out what's going on over at Dark Horse Indie lately, you've probably noticed it's not there. That's a blog I share with fellow Indie writers JA Redmerski, Rebecca A Rogers and Constance Sharper. We sorta pulled the reins (yeah, pun intended) on that for now. We've all been extremely busy as of late and we don't see our schedules clearing up any time soon, so since no one can truly focus on that blog, it's currently off the web. So sorry guys. You can still check out their personal blogs using the buttons on the left side of my page.

 

Alright, I've spent enough time writing this post. Time to get back to writing my novel! Cheers!

Oh, and by the way, I'm the author of the month over at Books Complete Me. They'll be spotlighting my novels every Sunday and each of my published novels are up for grabs internationally. Head over if you want a chance to win!

 

See all my books on GoodReads.

 

Cover Reveal: NEARLY BROKEN

Coming Late Spring / Early Summer 2013

 

 

We’d both gone missing at one point, but Claire had one thing I didn’t. Someone to notice. So why was I the one still here and she the one still gone?

Twenty year old Megan Smith has spent the past year working in a small town diner in the middle of nowhere. Life is quiet, simple, safe. Then comes the news that her look-a-like has gone missing.

Claire.

Still damaged both physically and mentally, Megan's not looking to be noticed. Wherever she goes from here, it's a road she needs to take alone. But when Nickolas Ellis takes the job as the new nightshift cook, it scares her how easily her defenses crumble down, down, down for him. But there are secrets she can't bear to share with just anyone, unspeakable acts that continue to haunt, and when the similarities of Claire’s abduction couples with the fear of an unwanted visitor in town, the urge to run before it all happens again intensifies, threatening the only happiness Megan's ever found.

New Adult Contemporary Romance / Realistic Fiction
Recommended for 17+ for disturbing situations, language and sexual content.

Happy Release Day: FALLING AWAY

Yep, today's the day! Valentine's Day!

And Falling Away is finally here!

"I remember," he said softly.

"I remember everything.

You. Me. Us."

Jenna’s first two years of community college are almost over and it’s time to decide where to finish her degree. Should she attend Yale to be with Robert, or off to Rutgers, where she really wants to go? As Sophie and Jhett’s engagement is announced, she begins to question if she'll live happily ever after too. Right on cue with her doubts, a familiar boy pops up in her dreams again. But Evan's entrance is as abrupt as his exit, and Jenna’s left worrying about his safety. Concern and curiosity get the best of her and checking up on him puts her within arm’s reach of a man who still adores her, and one unexpected act of indiscretion will turn her world upside down and inside out.

Paperbacks available on Amazon US, UK, DE, FR, IT, and ES, and my E-store.
eBooks available on Kindle US, UK, DE, FR, IT, ES, CA, BR, and JP, and Nook

Wanna see who I'd cast? Go to the Official Book Page!

A Bite's Tale: A Furry Fable Novella by Veronica Blade

A Bite's Tale: A Furry Fable
Veronica Blade
Pub.: January 7, 2012

A Cinderella who spends her nights as a wolf. A prince with a taste for blood.

Seventeen year old Cydney struggles against her werewolf nature, trying to keep everyone around her safe. No way will she risk exposing the beast at the prince’s ball, no matter how her two cousins try to persuade her. Even as she attempts to get on with her life, Cydney can’t forget the boy she loved three summers ago — or what she did to him after losing control.

Turned into a vampire to save his life, the prince refuses to live up to his royal duties. He just wants to find the girl he loved and lost...the werewolf girl who bit him. But his father, the king, commands him to attend a ball where he must choose a wife. Can he find his Cinderella before he's forced to marry another? He doesn’t even have her real name, much less a glass slipper.

Cydney spent every summer visiting a little island that was home to supernatural creatures who managed to live in harmony, ruled by a king. For three summers, she met a guy in the forest. Neither revealed their names, nor their true nature, so they went by the names Cinderella and Jack. As the summers passed by, their affection for another grew, and when they finally kissed, the wolf inside Cydney came out, biting poor Jack. She fled in panic, and when she managed to find the courage to return, he was gone, and her mother swept her off the island, never to return.

At least not until her mother died, and Cydney was sent to live with her aunt on the island again. Now somewhat of a recluse, she spends her time hiding from others, afraid she'll lose control and kill another person, so she locks herself away in the basement each night. But little does she know, Jack was saved by another supernatural creature that day, and continues to live within the castle as the prince, constantly thinking of the red-headed girl he loved. And when his father declares he must take a bride, Jack desperately seeks out his Cinderella. But how can he find what doesn't want to be found?

 

This was a darling supernatural novella, and I was kinda bummed it didn't go a little longer. I'm also kicking myself for putting it off so long, as its been on my kindle for a year now. If you're a fan of supernatural retellings, pick this up!

 

Copy provided by author for honest review.