Monday 17 September 2012

Book Promotion - Guardian of Atlantis

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Raven Weir has a somewhat normal life until she receives a mysterious necklace…a necklace others are willing to kill her to get because it contains the key codes to Atlantis. Now she finds she’s the only one standing between Atlantis and those who want to use the power hidden there to take over the world.
And Zeus is at the head of that line.
On top of worrying about social acceptance at school, Raven has to get control of her growing powers before she harms someone. And it doesn’t help that the alpha Hellhound at school is attracted to her while members of his pack are trying to kill her. And then there’s the whole biological parent issue. Finding out you’re adopted is huge, but discovering you’re actually the daughter of Medusa and Poseidon will definitely cause problems.

Author bio
Annie Rachel Cole was born in Temple, Texas, and grew up in the small town of Buckholts. Annie graduated from University of Houston—Clear Lake and has worked for the past several years as both a high school English teacher and a junior high Language Arts teacher. She currently teaches Communication Applications to 8th graders. She enjoys reading, fishing, and playing Texas Hold’em poker. Annie lives in New Braunfels with her husband, son, and two cats who think the world revolves around them.

Links

Excerpt

I remember asking my mom why we had to move again. But she never gave me a reason.
“This is the last time we’ll move,” was all she told me as she wrapped the dishes and put them into a cardboard box.
That was five years, four houses, two apartments and six schools ago. But hey, who’s counting?
     --Raven Weir’s journal


Raven chewed on her bottom lip. She hated the first day of school, even more so when it fell in the middle of the school year like so many of her past first days had. But today was worse. Today was her sixteenth birthday. In all the books and movies, sixteenth birthdays were magical. Girls discovered they were princesses of lost countries, or fairies with wings, or they had powers that no one else did. They didn’t start new schools in the middle of the school year on their sixteenth birthdays.
“How about we go back home and I help you unpack?” Raven asked her mom. She tried the birthday strategy last night, but her mom shot that down really quick, telling her she’d already missed too many days because of the move.
“There’s not much to do. Besides, you might as well get this over with,” said Suzanne Weir. “Do you want me to go in with you?”
Raven shook her head. It looked like she wasn’t getting out of going to school today, but she didn’t need her mom walking her in like she was a little kid. She stared at the students walking toward the huge two story brick building and sighed.
“Are you okay?” asked her mom.
“Unicorns? For a mascot? Mom, are they serious?”
“And what’s wrong with unicorns? They’re cute.”
“That’s the problem. School mascots shouldn’t be cute. They need to be tough and mean looking. Really! Pinewood High, Home of the Fighting Unicorns. My new mascot is a unicorn? How pathetic is that!”
“Does it really matter that much, or are you just looking for something to stall the inevitable?” asked her mom. “What’s really wrong?”
“Are you sure I can’t stay home? Just for a couple more days. It is my birthday. My sixteenth birthday.” Raven crossed her fingers, hoping maybe the birthday strategy would work this time. “I just don’t think I should go to school today. My stomach feels funny,” she added.
“You’re just having first day jitters. Go have a great day. You’ll be fine. And Raven, happy birthday.”
“You’re no help,” mumbled Raven as she got out of the car and slammed the door shut. “Just what I wanted, to be stared at on my birthday.”
Suzanne waved, but Raven just stuck out her tongue, even though it was a childish thing to do, but she was playing the new kid on her birthday. So much for a date for the prom or anything else. At least she had a chance for a date at her other school, but here? Not likely. She was the new oddity, but more so because her dad taught here before he died. Raven adjusted her book bag and stepped into the flow of students heading toward the building.
At least she already had her schedule and didn’t have to sit in the office waiting for it. One embarrassment off the list of embarrassing first day stuff she’d have to endure. Raven glanced at three girls standing just outside the glass doors. They were laughing and hugging each other.
“Maybe…” but Raven shoved the thought to the back of her mind as quick as she could. No use wishing for such things even if it was her birthday. It wasn’t going to happen. She pulled the schedule out of her back pocket as she entered the building. Biology in Room 212 was the first class listed. Raven glanced at one of the doors on her right. Its number started with a one. “So I’ve just got to find the stairs,” she told herself. “Great, the new morning workout routine.”
“Hey, moron. Get out of the way.” A huge dark headed guy shoved Raven, almost knocking her to the ground.
The girls from outside followed behind the guy, still giggling and laughing, but now it was directed at her.
“Blue hair. So not in fashion and so against the rules,” said one girl.
“Yeah, and it looks stupid. Not your color at all,” said the tall blonde in the bunch. “Way too dark. What is it? Some kind of Goth look?”
Before Raven could say anything, the guy and girls disappeared in the crowd, leaving a trail of laughter behind them. “Great. Just great,” she mumbled.
“Is there a problem?”
Raven looked up in the direction of the voice. A tall woman in a dark pin-striped suit and black heels glared down at her. The sharp angles of the woman’s face were emphasized by the severe bun she had scrapped her chestnut hair into.
“Is there a problem?” The woman asked again, but it no longer sounded like a question. Even though her voice was still low and strong, there was a weird, powerful undercurrent that pushed and twisted, as it wrapped itself around Raven.
Raven blinked and shook her head. “No. No problem. Just looking for my classroom.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Here let me see that.” She snatched the class schedule out of Raven’s hand. The woman studied the paper for several seconds. “Raven Weir,” she said as she held the paper away from her with two fingers.