Book Spotlight + Giveaway: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

Welcome to today's book spotlight featuring The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard. I've got an awesome excerpt to share with you as well as a really well-written guest post by Howard.

Also, don't miss the giveaway below where you can enter to win a $25 giftcard to Amazon or Barnes & Noble!

About the book:

Title: The Forgotten Ones
Author: Laura Howard
Publisher: Self-published
Release date: May 15, 2013

Allison O'Malley just graduated from college. Her life's plan is to get a job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn't have room for friends or even Ethan, who clearly wants more.

When Allison's long-lost father shows up, he claims he can bring her mother back from the dark place her mind has sent her. He reveals legends of a race of people long forgotten, the Tuatha de Danaan, along with the truth about why he abandoned her mother.

Excerpt:

“What time are you getting off work?” he asked.

I turned and narrowed my eyes at him. “I close at six. Then I have to balance the register, so around six-thirty.”

Ethan looked down at his hands for a second, then glanced up at me through his thick lashes. “You want to get something to eat when you're done?” he asked.

I licked my lips, his dark brown eyes pulling me in. I tore my gaze away and tried to focus on the computer screen.

He didn't say anything for a few moments and I fidgeted, knowing he was watching me. When I turned toward him, his expression was so intense that my stomach somersaulted.

“Just one time,” he said quietly.

“What?” I asked, frowning in confusion.

“Say yes, just one time.” Ethan slowly moved behind the counter, his eyes never leaving mine.

“If you don't have a good time, fine. I've been trying to get you to say yes to me for years. Don't act like you don't know.”

I shook my head slightly as he approached, wanting him closer but afraid of what that would mean. He stopped, his brow creasing.

“I won't hurt you,” he whispered.

His expression was so earnest. My mind went blank for a moment.

“Ethan,” I began, my thoughts scrambled. “You know I'd like to...”

“So say yes.”

I looked up at the ceiling, all out of excuses. I was tired of always pushing him away.

I covered my face with my hands.

“All right,” I mumbled through my fingers.

“What was that?” I felt the warmth of Ethan's hands as he pulled my hands away from my face, grinning.

“I said alright,” I repeated, my insides fluttering.

He gathered my hands and pulled them close to his chest. His scent, so clean and fresh like sun-warmed denim, made my knees go weak.

With his head tilted back, he exclaimed in a mock reverent tone “Yes! Thank you!”

“Cut it out. Don't make me change my mind.” I laughed, pulling my hands away.

Guest post: Tension -- The Key to a Great Story

Anyone can put words together and tell a story. But a good story requires careful crafting and attention to many elements.

I believe the most important element of a story is tension. A sense of expectation that pulls us on to the next paragraph, page, and chapter. Each expectation that is piled on, the level of tension the reader experiences increases.

I’ve found that my favorite stories, the ones that keep me up until all hours, create such high levels of tension that I can actually feel my chest constricting with expectation.

A perfect example is Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. If you read the book, did you find yourself furiously turning the page to find out if Anastasia would actually go through with signing that contract? Did you wonder how bad it would turn out for her if she did?

One of my favorite series of all time is the Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare. She had several layers of tension that kept me plowing through the book. The most intense was the fate of my beloved Jace and Clary. Could they be together, or would their circumstances continue to make them deny themselves of love? Would Clary’s mother ever wake up? Would the world, not just the Shadowhunter world but the world of Mundanes as well, fall under Valentine’s twisted rule? These questions had my heart in my throat through all three books of the first trilogy.

The more questions that are raised and the looming threats to our protagonist’s lives keep our interests piqued, making it nearly impossible to put the bookmark in at the end of the chapter.

What are some of your favorite stories? While you were reading, did you feel the tension in your chest increase as you chugged along, hoping your characters would find their way to happily-ever-after?

About the author:

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Connect with Laura Howard: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway Deets:

• $25 giftcard to Amazon or Barnes & Noble
• Must be 13 years or older
• Open INTERNATIONALLY

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