Welcome to my stop on the Blurb Blitz Tour, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for Spirit of the Northwoods by Auria Jourdain. please leave a comment or question for Auria to let her know you stopped by. you may enter her tour wide giveaway, where one randomly chosen commenter will be awarded a $20 Amazon/BN GC, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. You may follow all of the stops of the tour here, the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning. Good Luck!
Spirit of the Northwoods
by Auria Jourdain
Publisher: Auria Jourdain Books
Release Date: April 29, 2016
Genre: Young Adult
Length: 199 Pages
Format: eBook
ASIN: B01DQC7308
Buy Link: Amazon
About the book:
Struggling to settle into a new school, junior Shannon Colfax finds herself entangled in a feud with popular football jock Brent Duray after he bullies her autistic twin brother, Shane. After an unlikely savior comes to her rescue—Brent’s friend, Cody Williams—the jock and his entourage devise an immediate retaliation plan: Duray promises to leave Shane alone if Shannon and Cody survive the infamous Paulding Light Challenge on Halloween night. Desperate for vindication, they take the dare...but are the local legends truly paranormal, or are they dealing with something more sinister?
Excerpt
Shannon frowned as Cody ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “What is it?”
With a dismissive wave, Cody hardened his gaze. “Nothing. I thought I saw something. Gotta keep a sharp eye out in the woods this time of year. Wolves and such...”
Shannon gasped, wringing her hands in worry. “Wolves?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. We might as well head back to the truck since we lost the— wait a minute…what the hell is that?” Without explanation, Cody sprinted off the road into the dark, dense forest.
“Cody! Don’t leave me here!” Shannon ran after him, desperate to keep up. She finally traced his light to a large grove of hemlocks where Cody stood immobile in shock.
“Stop...”
He held his hand up and glanced at the ground. All of a sudden, fear gripped Shannon, and she began to scream. Shushing her, Cody clapped his hand over her mouth, pulling her close. His heartbeat pulsed against her lips. He’s just as scared as I am! With a grim nod, he finally released her and knelt to the ground, taking stock of the devastating sight in front of them.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
An avid reader from an early age, Auria Jourdain has fond childhood memories of spending quiet afternoons with a book in her hand. She loved the "happily ever after" sweet teen romances, and when she came of age, she plunged into the world of historical romance with fervor, transporting herself to a bygone time. Her favorites were Regency, but as a girl brought up in a common home, she was disheartened that most of the novels of this era focus on the nobility and wealth. Auria set out to write her own romance, encompassing her passion for French Revolutionary history and her innate sense of goodwill for the common man. An idealist at heart, she writes heroes and heroines that struggle to find acceptance in their world.
To go along with this theme, two years ago, Auria wrote a Young Adult novel during NaNoWriMo for her 17 year old autistic son who is struggling to make his own way in the world. Looking to educate people about this mysterious disorder, she wrote Spirit of the Northwoods for him and set it in their hometown in the Upper Peninsula. Her release coincides with Autism Awareness month, April 2016, and all proceeds for this novel will be donated to the Autism Society of America. Auria hopes that someday we can break down the social barriers and forgo stereotypical judgments that harm our world so that people like her son can form positive relationships with others.
Auria lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with her husband of twenty years, her four children (ages eight to eighteen), and two golden retrievers. A rather new transplant to the area, she loves the changing of the seasons, and she is currently working on a contemporary romantic suspense trilogy set in her rough and rugged homeland. Silence the Northwoods is set at a local ski resort in her hometown of Ironwood, Michigan—the ski capital of the Midwest. Silence the Waters takes place during the summer on the dangerous river ways that flow into Lake Superior in the Keweenaw Peninsula; and Silence the Birchwoods is an autumn tale set on Sugar Loaf Mountain, near Marquette, Michigan. All three involve murder, mystery, and romance, of course.
Auria spends her the long winters plotting and scheming her next book, and in the mild summers, she and her husband devote every waking moment hiking and kayaking the Northwoods. An amateur photographer, she lives fifteen miles from the shores of Lake Superior, and her muse has been piqued by the awe-inspiring beauty that surrounds her. Although she hasn’t officially acquired “Yooper” status yet, she can’t envision living anywhere else.
Find me here!
Good morning! Thanks so much to Queen of All She Reads for hosting me today :D Spirit of the Northwoods is near and dear to my heart...I wrote it for my 17 year old autistic son whose doppelganger, Shane Colfax, is one of the main characters. This book has a little of everything: murder/mystery, teen issues, urban legends, sweet romance, and even paranormal. Please feel free to ask me any questions or comment about your thoughts...I'd love to chat about it. And don't forget to sign up for my Rafflecopter for a chance at a $20.00 gift card. I'll pop in and out all day :D
ReplyDelete~Auria~
thank you for the giveaway :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa! Thanks so much for stopping by today:D Good luck in the giveaway!
Delete~Auria~
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteHow important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?
ReplyDeleteHi Mai:D Let's see...sometimes I get overly attached to a name, and I know it just has to go in a book. Shannon and Shane came to me pretty quickly for some reason...in my mind, my female lead just felt like a Shannon. Cody was tougher...I ended up looking at my daughter's high school year book for names that seemed popular. The secondary character--in this book, the protagonist, Brent Duray--I really just started writing, and his name popped into my head. For my secondary female, Shannon's best friend Christa, I actually had someone in mind for this role...my daughter's best friend (and really, a second daughter to me). At the time, she had red hair (dyed). And, I got to thinking that Shannon's friend needs red hair and a fiery temper to help put Brent in his place. When I was young, I babysat a little girl with fiery red hair, and so Christa it was:D Here's an interesting story about names and my most recent historical romance, Pure Temptation: my main character, Talon Barberry, a Romani man, was the secondary character from my first novel, Pure of Heart. I actually came up with his name from online gaming... my family and I play World of Warcraft, and there was a computer character with this name. When I began writing my first novel over ten years ago, I decided on that name for my Romani. Well, my husband liked it so much, we named our 8 year old son Talon, and now he thinks Pure Temptation is his book:D I don't have the heart to tell him yet that the other Talon was "born" first;) Great question, Mai! Thanks for joining me again today:D
Delete~Auria~
Very nice teaser. I'm going to enjoy reading this one!
ReplyDeleteHi Dixie!! Thanks so much for stopping by today:D Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it;D
Delete~Auria~
Awesome excerpt, I enjoyed reading it! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteHi Victoria! Thanks so much for stopping by again today! I'm glad you enjoyed this excerpt...it's one of my favorite scenes in the book.
Delete~Auria~
Hello and thanks again for the chance to win
ReplyDeleteHi there, James! So glad you could stop by again today:D Good luck in the giveaway;D
Delete~Auria~
Thanks so much for joining me today. Keep the questions coming...I'll stop by tomorrow morning.
ReplyDelete~Auria~
Sounds really good and scary just from that little bit :D
ReplyDeleteHi Chele:D I posted a comment here last night, but I don't know why it didn't take;) This scene is one of my favorites. If I were in their situation, I'd definitely be scared:D
Delete~Auria~
Keep up the great work and thanks for your inspirational stories.
ReplyDeleteThanks Robyn! I love answering these questions :) So glad you could stop by;)
Delete~Auria~
Thanks, Chele! This teaser is one of my favorite scenes...the whole plot of the book is built around their discovery in the woods--definitely freaky. I were a teen in the deep, dark forest on Halloween night and found something so horrific, I'd be scared out of my mind. The wolves and bears...well, that's just the Northwoods for you;)Thanks so much for stopping by tonight!!
ReplyDelete~Auria~
Congrats on the new book and good luck on the book tour!
ReplyDeleteHi Ally! Thanks so much:D Thanks for joining me!
Delete~Auria~
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BOOK AND TOUR! THANKS FOR THE GIVEAWAY! SHELLEY S. calicolady60@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, Shelley S.:D Thank you for joining me:D
Delete~Auria~
Looks like an interesting book ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Simon!! Glad you could stop by:D
Delete~Auria~