Inked
Terra Sempre Saga, Book 2
by: Chris Ledbetter
Terra Sempre Saga, Book 2
by: Chris Ledbetter
Crystal: Today I am excited to host Chris Ledbetter. Welcome Chris! I'm happy to have you here today. Would you
share a little bit about yourself with us today?
Chris: I am the
author of DRAWN and the sequel, INKED. It’s a
contemporary young adult story set in Wilmington, North Carolina. But where it
goes from there will keep you on the edge of your seat. My first love is
mythology and fantasy, so even in my contemporary stories, there will always be
a fantastical twist or thread. I’m always game to turn the ordinary on its ear.
I grew up
in Durham, North Carolina, where I lived until 10th grade. I then moved to
Charlottesville, Virginia for 11th and 12th. I love Charlottesville. It’s so
lush and beautiful; a quaint, picturesque little hamlet of a place set against
the rolling foothills. But, Durham will always have my heart and soul,
especially my old neighborhood. All that is to say, I never forget where I’ve
come from.
Crystal: Do you
have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?
Chris: My favorite
scene is when Cameron’s mom shows him how to kick butt with a sword.
Crystal: Where did
you come up with the idea for your current release?
Chris: Drawn and
Inked both came to me as I wondered what would happen if art came to life.
Crystal: What are
you currently working on?
Chris: I am
currently revising and editing a work that is tentatively named The Sky Throne.
It is pitched as X-Men meets Greek mythology. It will be published in 2017
through Month9Books.
Crystal: Do you
have any special routine that you follow when you are writing?
Chris: I used to
follow a routine when I actually had more free time. Now I just sit down and
write whenever time allows.
Crystal: Did you
have to do a lot of research for this book or any other? If so do you have a
fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?
Chris: I did a ton
of research! I researched art terms and techniques, gaming terms, tendencies,
and strategies, and most of all Italy, Italian and Latin language, and Leonardo
da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Crystal: Who are
some of your favorite authors that you like to read?
Chris: Heather
Petty, Tracy Clark, Kim Harnes, Martina Boone, Laini Taylor, Suzanne Collins, JK Rowling, James
Dashner, Kristin Cashore, Jennifer Donnelley.
Crystal: Is there
any genre you haven't written that you would like to try?
Chris: Hmmm, maybe
the adult espionage/thriller genre.
Blurb:
You're Not Truly Alive Until You Know What You Would Die For...
Farrah’s father ships her off to private boarding school in Virginia.
Driven by unbearable aches of absence and longing, Cameron and Farrah are lured back inside the cursed sketchbook and the perilous Terra Sempre that siphoned
their souls and almost cost them their lives.
Undeterred by a gathering storm of threats and complications, Cameron and Farrah find unlikely allies in both realms, but what Cameron discovers in Terra
Sempre might make him want to stay there forever.
Genre: YA contemporary/ fantasy romance
Evernight Teen Publishing / 65k
Release Date: July 1, 2016
Teaser:
“You actually running?” Farrah asks, biting into an orange. Juice runs down the
side of her mouth. If there weren’t so many people out here, I’d help her out
with that. She catches me looking and licks her lips.
“I have something for you later,” I whisper.
She mouths back, “I bet you do.” A wicked grin creases her cheeks.
“Back to your question … before you distracted me. No, I hadn’t planned on
running. I was just helping Jamison out. You?”
“Show me what you’re made of. Let’s go.”
“Oh, you’re challenging me?”
She props her hands on her hips and arches her perfect brows. “Scared?”
“Oh, girl, you are on.” I grab her hand and drag her playfully over to where
J’s classmates are handing out tags. I pick up two. She pins mine on the back
of my shirt. The sensation of her fingers working against my upper back sends
shivers down my spine. The good kind.
Then she strips out of her hoodie to reveal a navy blue racer-back tank top.
She pats her torso to indicate where she’d rather have the tag placed. I gaze
into her eyes before sinking past her chest to her taut stomach. I pull the
stretchy fabric away from her skin so I don’t poke her with the pins. My
fingers graze her fluttering stomach and her breath catches. She bites her lip
and closes her eyes, turns her head and smiles. Like she can hide it. When I’m
done, I give her a slight tickle.
She wrinkles her nose at me. “Don’t be trying to distract me, mister Cameron. I
intend to beat you.”
“Everyone line up!” Jamison calls out on the megaphone.
We arrange ourselves in the middle of the pack. Farrah tips her chin up to me
while smoothing her red mane back. The starting gun fires, and the cluster of
runners takes off. The path winds among tall pines that stand against the sky
like sentinels. Through the first quarter of a mile, Farrah and I hang on to a
steady pace. My breathing is good. The second half mile, she increases her pace
a bit, but I’m right on her heels. During the second mile, though, she begins
to pull away. I rationalize this by convincing myself that I’m saving energy for
the kick at the end, except the pace I’m running now is pretty dang fast, even
for me. And she’s still five feet or so ahead. She has a mighty sweet running
stride. Her hamstrings are the sexiest things known to mankind.
With a mile or so left to go, she glances over her shoulder and kicks into the
next gear, crossing the bridge spanning the pond where ducks are fed by
passersby. At the half mile to go mark, I launch into as much kick as I have
left in the tank. But it’s not enough. My legs are heavy as logs. I simply
can’t pick them up and put them down fast enough.
She got me.
I cross the finish line and catch my breath while walking over to the snack
table. By the time I get there, Farrah’s waiting for me with an orange wedge in
her mouth turned outward. She crooks her finger to beckon me to her. Then she
points toward the orange. I can barely contain the giddy level of sensual
excitement that wells up. I dart furtive glances all around.
We’re surrounded by school mates, some I recognize, some she knows. A girl
catches my gaze and raises her eyebrows. Great. I fidget with the bottom of my
shirt, and then clear my throat.
Farrah tips her head to the side and bats her eyelashes. I turn quick peeks
over both shoulders, and then I dive in and suck on the orange that’s in her
mouth. She leans into me and moans a little. When I’m done, I must have the
biggest grin on my face.
“Get a room!” Jamison yells.
OMG! I can’t believe he put me on blast like that. Everyone within ten feet
turns toward us. Inside, I’m still grinning like I won a million dollars. On
the outside, not so much. I curl my toes up in my shoes and cover my head with
a towel to dry off.
Farrah whispers, “God, I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
I turn to her. “At least everyone here is an ally. Or at the least, a marketing
nerd.”
She laughs. “Or an art nerd.”
“Yeah, ‘cause there are no glasses-wearing, journalism editors here either.”
Her lips stifle a smile. “You watch your mouth, buddy.”
“You watch it for me.”
“Cheeky.” She nudges my hip and bites into another orange. “By the way, what
took you so long back there?”
“Shut up.”
“You actually running?” Farrah asks, biting into an orange. Juice runs down the
side of her mouth. If there weren’t so many people out here, I’d help her out
with that. She catches me looking and licks her lips.
“I have something for you later,” I whisper.
She mouths back, “I bet you do.” A wicked grin creases her cheeks.
“Back to your question … before you distracted me. No, I hadn’t planned on
running. I was just helping Jamison out. You?”
“Show me what you’re made of. Let’s go.”
“Oh, you’re challenging me?”
She props her hands on her hips and arches her perfect brows. “Scared?”
“Oh, girl, you are on.” I grab her hand and drag her playfully over to where
J’s classmates are handing out tags. I pick up two. She pins mine on the back
of my shirt. The sensation of her fingers working against my upper back sends
shivers down my spine. The good kind.
Then she strips out of her hoodie to reveal a navy blue racer-back tank top.
She pats her torso to indicate where she’d rather have the tag placed. I gaze
into her eyes before sinking past her chest to her taut stomach. I pull the
stretchy fabric away from her skin so I don’t poke her with the pins. My
fingers graze her fluttering stomach and her breath catches. She bites her lip
and closes her eyes, turns her head and smiles. Like she can hide it. When I’m
done, I give her a slight tickle.
She wrinkles her nose at me. “Don’t be trying to distract me, mister Cameron. I
intend to beat you.”
“Everyone line up!” Jamison calls out on the megaphone.
We arrange ourselves in the middle of the pack. Farrah tips her chin up to me
while smoothing her red mane back. The starting gun fires, and the cluster of
runners takes off. The path winds among tall pines that stand against the sky
like sentinels. Through the first quarter of a mile, Farrah and I hang on to a
steady pace. My breathing is good. The second half mile, she increases her pace
a bit, but I’m right on her heels. During the second mile, though, she begins
to pull away. I rationalize this by convincing myself that I’m saving energy for
the kick at the end, except the pace I’m running now is pretty dang fast, even
for me. And she’s still five feet or so ahead. She has a mighty sweet running
stride. Her hamstrings are the sexiest things known to mankind.
With a mile or so left to go, she glances over her shoulder and kicks into the
next gear, crossing the bridge spanning the pond where ducks are fed by
passersby. At the half mile to go mark, I launch into as much kick as I have
left in the tank. But it’s not enough. My legs are heavy as logs. I simply
can’t pick them up and put them down fast enough.
She got me.
I cross the finish line and catch my breath while walking over to the snack
table. By the time I get there, Farrah’s waiting for me with an orange wedge in
her mouth turned outward. She crooks her finger to beckon me to her. Then she
points toward the orange. I can barely contain the giddy level of sensual
excitement that wells up. I dart furtive glances all around.
We’re surrounded by school mates, some I recognize, some she knows. A girl
catches my gaze and raises her eyebrows. Great. I fidget with the bottom of my
shirt, and then clear my throat.
Farrah tips her head to the side and bats her eyelashes. I turn quick peeks
over both shoulders, and then I dive in and suck on the orange that’s in her
mouth. She leans into me and moans a little. When I’m done, I must have the
biggest grin on my face.
“Get a room!” Jamison yells.
OMG! I can’t believe he put me on blast like that. Everyone within ten feet
turns toward us. Inside, I’m still grinning like I won a million dollars. On
the outside, not so much. I curl my toes up in my shoes and cover my head with
a towel to dry off.
Farrah whispers, “God, I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
I turn to her. “At least everyone here is an ally. Or at the least, a marketing
nerd.”
She laughs. “Or an art nerd.”
“Yeah, ‘cause there are no glasses-wearing, journalism editors here either.”
Her lips stifle a smile. “You watch your mouth, buddy.”
“You watch it for me.”
“Cheeky.” She nudges my hip and bites into another orange. “By the way, what
took you so long back there?”
“Shut up.”
Praise for DRAWN:
"Ledbetter successfully makes his fantastic premise very believable... Farrah is a good foil for Cameron, and Ledbetter does a fine job developing their friendship and romantic connection... Because this is not a graphic novel, descriptions are important, and Ledbetter’s finely detailed descriptions serve as effective illustrations for Cameron’s journey.
Inventive, fast-paced fantasy with imaginative settings and engaging characters." ~ Kirkus Reviews
"From the start, I was intrigued with the rare sighting of a young adult male action hero... then, with a quick flip of the switch... Ledbetter takes an innovative turn, with the right amount of creative risk, to amp the story with action-driven, suspenseful, mysterious and romantic elements. The twist and turns, once started, didn't stop until the end. Lives must be saved. Time is running out. My last wish is that this fantasy adventure hasn't ended." ~Michelle Monkou, USATODAY HEA Blog
"Stunning! Each word was vividly woven together, creating a brilliant read... Art is a huge theme throughout, and the way the author clearly weaves fantasy and real-life scenarios is simply amazing. I couldn't stop reading this once I picked it up. Filled with tender moments, hard decisions Cameron has to make. Drawn was original every step of the way!" BTS Book Reviews
Author Bio:
sports marketing, and also coached football.
He's a proud member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and a strong supporter of the Need for Diverse Books. As a self-described, young reluctant reader, he writes young adult stories specifically to reach other reluctant readers.
He now lives in Wilmington, NC with his family, including three cats.
Social Media Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads Author Page | Goodreads Book Page | Pinterest
Giveaway:
Grand Prize: 1 Signed copy of both Drawn and Inked.
$50 Amazon GC
Second place Prize: ebook copy of Drawn and Inked
I am so excited to read this book. On the top of my TBR list. My sister is reading Drawn, and she promised it to me next. (jozywails@gmail.com)
ReplyDeleteAwesomeness! Can't wait to hear what you think. Thanks for stopping by.
Deletethanks so much for hosting today Crystal !!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting me and my release. :)
ReplyDelete