Cover Reveal, Medallion of Murder a Nefertari Hughes Mystery #3

I'm sooooo excited to share this third installment of Terry's story with you guys! Medallion of Murder has been my favourite to write (and read) of all the books so far—at least until I wrote the fourth one (but that's another story). 

Anywho, the book comes out September 18th (so far away, I know) but in the meantime, enjoy the sassy cover and head over to Wattpad and enter the amazing contest that's just beginning!

I'll be sharing samples of the first two books, Asp of Ascension and its sequel Diadem of Death, leading up to the release of Medallion of Murder. *mwahahaha*

Psst, do you see the pattern in the titles? 

Focus! Ahem, back to the contest...All you have to do is leave a comment after any chapter and you'll be entered into a draw to WIN signed paperback copies of all three books! *gasp*

But that's not all folks, stay tuned because if you pre-order a copy of Medallion of Murder ... (squeals) well, I won't ruin the surprise, but I'll just say its another pretty sweet contest.

Right, so..

Step One, check out the awesome cover! *scroll down*

Step Two, go to Wattpad and leave a comment on Asp of Ascension here!

Step Three, add it on Goodreads here!

Step Four, share on social media for good karma!

Still struggling with nightmares from the past summer, Terry tries to bury her secret guilt and enjoy her family’s first Christmas in Devonshire. But when a murdered man is found with a postcard addressed to her, Terry fears the repercussions from that fateful night in Egypt are becoming a reality.

After she receives a coded message from Awad, Terry and her best friend Maude are thrown into the hunt for a lost medallion, an artifact that possesses a great power—and a gruesome destiny. As each clue leads to more disturbing truths (and bodies), Terry begins to suspect she’s the real target of the search. When Awad goes missing, she becomes certain the Illuminati are involved, and has no choice but to risk losing the thing she cherishes the most to get him back.

But Terry will soon discover the secrets of the tomb cannot be erased by distance or power, because the ghosts of her past are closing in quickly… and this time, they refuse to stay buried.

Congratulations! You made it to the end of this post. Please enjoy the book trailer for Diadem of Death to wet your appetite. Made by the multitalented, Tom Ryan. 

Top 6 Reasons Why Real Teens Could Never Solve A Mystery

No offense to the queen herself, Nancy Drew...

OR these guys...

Disclaimer: I'm basing this opinion from observing my own teens and their friends. Don't get me wrong, these are lovely thoughtful kids...most of the time. And I truly believe they will contribute to society...at some point.

BUT! As I write the fourth book in the Nefertari Hughes series, I realize a lot of the skills Terry has to use in order to put clues together and solve the mystery are totally lacking in most the kids I know.

So plant your tongue firmly in your cheek and enjoy the top 6 reasons why real teens could never solve a mystery.

1.  They'll never be able to break into a safe to read a crucial document because they can't even figure out a combination lock when they have the actual combination. Seriously, the first day of junior high is basically everyone trying to open their locker.

2. Taking pictures of the suspect doing something suspicious is impossible for today's teens because no one knows how to work the camera unless it's used to take a selfie.

3. They would never be able to impersonate someone on the phone in order to trick the suspect into confessing incriminating information because they don't have telephone skills such as dialing and knowing how to ask for someone.

4. They don't have the stamina for a foot race to catch the suspect because they're so used to being chauffeured to all their activities. Plus, someone always needs to stop into Starbucks.

5. Confronting the suspect is out of the question. That would mean talking with someone face to face and reading their body language which would require listening and paying attention.

6. Unless it's on Google maps, no one is going to be able to find the hidden treasure.

BONUS! If they find a clue written in cursive—nope, just forget it.

I hope you enjoyed this. Any other suggestions?

Review: A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

A Beautiful Poison

by Lydia Kang

Blurb:

Just beyond the Gilded Age, in the mist-covered streets of New York, the deadly Spanish influenza ripples through the city. But with so many victims in her close circle, young socialite Allene questions if the flu is really to blame. All appear to have been poisoned—and every death was accompanied by a mysterious note.

Desperate for answers and dreading her own engagement to a wealthy gentleman, Allene returns to her passion for scientific discovery and recruits her long-lost friends, Jasper and Birdie, for help. The investigation brings her closer to Jasper, an apprentice medical examiner at Bellevue Hospital who still holds her heart, and offers the delicate Birdie a last-ditch chance to find a safe haven before her fragile health fails.

As more of their friends and family die, alliances shift, lives become entangled, and the three begin to suspect everyone—even each other. As they race to find the culprit, Allene, Birdie, and Jasper must once again trust each other, before one of them becomes the next victim


My review! 5 Stars

With pre-prohibition New York as a backdrop, this murder mystery is layered with luscious settings and unsavoury characters who are perfectly flawed and despairingly human in their sense of want and rationalisation.

Between history and chemistry lessons, Kang effortlessly weaves a story of betrayal and guilt through the varied points of view of the three main characters. Part Sherlock, part Agatha Christie, and part tragic romance, A Beautiful Poison hits all the right notes, leaving the reader satisfied, but with a melancholy weight that accompanies the sorrowful calamity at the end.

From the crystal chandeliers of Upper Manhattan to the crowded and pungent tenements in Brooklyn, Ms. Kang's mystery feeds off the desperation of its characters, pulling the reader in further until you have no choice but to gasp at the final reveal.

An excellent read for those who enjoy a richly imagined world with textured writing and characters who slip under your skin like a tiny splinter—whether you like it or not.

Cover and Trailer Reveal for DIADEM OF DEATH

On April 25th DIADEM OF DEATH, the second installment of the Nefertari Hughes Mystery series, will be released into the wild! The wonderfully talented Emma Dolan who designed ASP OF ASCENSION, once again exceeded my expectations for the cover.

Psst...at the end of this post is the spectacular book trailer made by the multitalented and all around cool guy, Tom Ryan.

What would you do for immortality?

Terry Hughes is looking forward to spending the summer with her boyfriend Zach before he goes to college in the fall, but when her archaeologist father announces he’s working on a project that will take him back to Egypt, all hopes of a romantic vacation are buried.

With her friend Maude’s company for consolation, Terry accompanies her father as they join his colleagues in Alexandria, where she’s reunited with her first crush, Awad — all grown up and an expert in translating hieroglyphics. He confides that the team is in a race to find Cleopatra’s lost tomb before a secret band of rebels steals Egypt’s last pharaoh and her diadem, a golden crown believed to possess powers of immortality.

But sabotage puts everyone on high alert, and Terry isn’t sure who to trust. As the line between ally and enemy begins to blur, Terry has to keep her wits about her and figure out who wants the diadem badly enough to kill — because one wrong step could mean the difference between discovering a tomb or being buried in one.

Available to pre-order from Chapters/Indigo.

Check out the Pinterest Board for more inspiration!

And now enjoy the official book trailer!

Asp of Ascension Giveaway!

DIADEM OF DEATH will be launching itself at the world in a little over a month (July 19th, peeps!) and to celebrate I'm having a blog tour for ASP OF ASCENSION in case you haven't read it yet and want to be prepared for the awesome sequel.

Read to the bottom for your chance to win an autographed copy of ASP OF ASCENSION (gasp) and a $20 Amazon gift card (perfect for buying the sequel, my dear).

Here are a few reviews my mom has approved.

"Perfect for fans of Nancy Drew, The Mummy and Egyptian mythology. I can’t wait to read the next Nefertari Hughes Mystery!" Book Briefs

"Asp of Ascension was nicely paced without any slow moments and the plot was peeled back layer by layer with a few good twists until the explosive finale!" The Recipe Fairy


"I thoroughly enjoyed this first in what I hope will be a long-running series." Buried Under Books


"I must say that ASP of Ascension is a book all in it's own category and I loved it!" Dowie's Place




ASP of Ascension
by B.R. Myers
Genre: YA
Release Date: July 21st 2015
Fierce Ink Books

Summary from Goodreads:

Nefertari “Terry” Hughes has three rules for surviving high school:
#1 Don’t attract attention.
#2 Don’t get involved.
#3 Don’t make trouble.

A year after the accident that left her crippled and took her mother’s life, sixteen-year-old Terry just wants to keep her head down and survive her new high school. When she catches the eye of cute basketball star Zach — who happens to be the boyfriend of mean girl Allison — all hopes of flying under the radar are gone. 

She is thrust even further in the spotlight when Fraser, the editor of the school newspaper, learns Mr. Hughes is the renowned archaeologist overseeing the new Egyptian display at the museum, which is rumoured to include Cleopatra’s sarcophagus. Fraser’s research leads to the fifty-year-old mystery of a girl who vanished while on a school trip to the museum along with an artifact that may be Cleopatra’s asp.

When Mr. Hughes falls into a coma and his co-worker claims it’s the curse of Cleopatra, the stakes become too high for Terry to ignore. Terry must work with Fraser and her new candy loving friend Maude to find out what happened fifty years ago in hopes of saving her father before time runs out.

Tweet: Win a copy of ASP OF ASCENSION by @br_myers + $20 Amazon gift card! http://ctt.ec/O9W86+


Five Things You Should Know About Terry Hughes...

Author Links:

   

Now enter the contest, dude!

Five Unnerving Facts You (Probably) Didn't Know About Edgar Allan Poe

October is the perfect month to celebrate all things macabre and mysterious. As a teenager I still remember watching Vincent Price in Pit and the Pendulum, the last scene in the dungeon stayed with me for weeks—I still get shivers when I think of it.

In celebration of the man who penned that ghoulish tale, I offer five creepy facts you (probably) didn't know about Edgar Allan Poe.


1. The gruesome true story behind “The Masque of Red Death.”

Poe married his cousin Virginia and it was her unfortunate illnesses and subsequent death from tuberculosis that inspired many of his stories. According to historians, one particular evening Virginia was singing for the family, when her lungs hemorrhaged and she began bleeding from the mouth. Soon after, refusing to accept the gravity of her diagnosis, Poe wrote the tale of the spoiled Prince Prospero, locked in his castle, desperately fighting to keep the ghostly visitor of plague and grievance from entering.

goodreads.com

2. He Created a New Genre 


Detective fiction like Penny Dreadfuls along with gothic tales of horror and macabre science fiction owe their popularity to Poe. If your stomach and nerve are up for it, look into two of his lesser known tales, The Facts of M. Valdemar’s Case, and Hop-Frog. Both provide confirmation that he refined his lust for gore.


3. What Mustache? 


It’s hard to picture him cleanly shaven, but that’s how he appeared up until the last four years of his life. In the much gloomier and final years, he grew that brooding facial hair he's so well known for. 

pinterest.com

4. A Mysterious Death


The details of his death have been greatly confused and contested over the years. There are many theories including rabies, diabetes, epilepsy, carbon monoxide poisoning, alcoholism, and cooping.

In 1849 Poe left New York for a visit to Richmond. Instead, Poe turned up in front of a Baltimore bar deliriously raving and wearing clothes that didn’t fit. He was rushed to the hospital, but he died a few days later, never able to provide any clues as to what happened to him.

The most probable explanation is that Poe was a victim of cooping; an ignoble 19th century political custom. Gangs would round up weak men and keep them against their will in a hidden location called a “coop” right before a major election. On election day – and coincidently there was an election in Baltimore on the day Poe was found – the gangs would then drug or beat the hostages before taking them around to vote at multiple polling places.

Poe exhibited symptoms that would be consistent with a victim of cooping, and the loose, mismatched clothes could be attributed to the gangs’ practice of making their hostages change outfits in order to cast multiple votes in disguise. But with no real evidence, the theory is pure speculation, and the cause Poe’s death remains a mystery.


5. His Final Story Was Left Unfinished

After his mysterious death, a partial manuscript was discovered. The story concerned a writer who took lodging in an isolated seaside post in hope of finishing a book. Written in the form of a diary, the man begins to question his emotional health and physical wellbeing. “There is no telling what may happen to a man all alone as I am.” Even though the structure is solid, the man begins to obsess that the light house will collapse on him.

Joyce Carol Oates wrote her own version with an ending and published it in McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories under the title, “The Fabled Light-house at Vina del Mar.”

Congratulations! You made it to the end of this post. As a gift, here's a little sample of the 1961 horror classic, Pit and the Pendulum, starring Vincent Price.

What are some of your favourite Poe stories?

Top Five Things You Should Know About Nefertari Hughes

A young girl goes missing without a trace.

A lost queen's cherished treasure is stolen.

And a thousands years old curse comes to light.

...And in the middle of the mystery is sixteen-year-old Nefertari Hughes. But who is this sixteen year old with a penchant for finding trouble?

Asp of Ascension is now available for pre-order as paperback and ebook!

Special Collectors Edition Paperback from Fierce Ink Press

Amazon (Canada)

Amazon (US)

Chapters

Cover Reveal: Asp of Ascension

I'm thrilled to pull back the curtains and finally show off the cover for my YA mystery, Asp of Ascension. Available July 21, from Fierce Ink Press.

But first...a little bit about the story.

About Asp of Ascension

Nefertari “Terry” Hughes has three rules for surviving high school:

 

#1 Don’t attract attention.

 

#2 Don’t get involved.

 

#3 Don’t make trouble.

 

A year after the accident that left her disabled and took her mother’s life, sixteen-year-old Terry just wants to keep her head down and survive her new high school. When she catches the eye of cute basketball star Zach, all hopes of flying under the radar are gone.

 

She is thrust even further into the spotlight when Fraser, the editor of the school newspaper, learns her father Mr. Hughes is the renowned archaeologist overseeing the new Egyptian display at the museum, which is rumored to include Cleopatra’s sarcophagus. When Fraser stumbles upon the fifty-year-old mystery of a girl who vanished in the museum and Terry’s father falls into a mysterious coma, Terry’s caught up in a whirlwind of events that leads all the way back to ancient times.

 

Before long, the stakes become too high for Terry to ignore. Tossing aside her rules for survival, she teams up with Fraser and her candy-loving new friend Maude to solve the mystery and save her father — before she loses everything.

 

Okay, now you can take a peek. Scroll down for the awesome! 

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I'm over the moon thrilled with Emma Dolan's design. I love how it reminds me of the Lois Duncan thrillers I grew up reading.

 

Now available for pre-order Chapters and Amazon.

Check out the inspiration board on Pinterest.
Add it on Goodreads.

 

Today is also the launch of the Asp of Ascension T-shirt campaign. There are lots of options–men’s, women’s, tank tops, and youth sizes. Help spread the word, because the book can’t print until we meet our minimum!

 

 

 

 

 

Cover Reveal for the NIGHT SHIFT series

 

 

FINAL SALE, the last book in the NIGHT SHIFT series, will soon be published on Wattpad! In honour of this event, I gave the covers fresh new looks that hopefully reflect the elegant yet mysterious quality of Willard's department store.

And yes, that is the Manhattan skyline on the key in BLACK FRIDAY.

Look closely at the cover for FINAL SALE, you'll notice the number twelve on the pocket watch is replaced with a W...for Willard's, of course.



No one lasts for long on night shift and sixteen-year- old Daniel Gale is about to discover why. 



 As Daniel searches for clues to Mary's mysterious existence and a means for her escape, a confession from beyond the grave makes them question everything they thought was true.






Flung into a different reality and desperate for answers, Daniel must rely on the one person he trusts the least or risk never seeing Mary again.




What do you think? Did I get your attention? You can read the series here on Wattpad for FREE! 

 

 

 

 



Five YA Mysteries That Will Keep You Up All Night

The days are shorter, the nights are longer and all the bare branches look like witch's fingers scratching at your window. Yup...it's perfect weather for staying up late reading a thriller.

I dare you to read these picks...

#1. Made For You by Melissa Marr

melissamarr.com

Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital to discover an attempt has been made on her life. But who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why?

Before she can consider the question, she finds that she's awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people's deaths when they touch her.

While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva's power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive



#2. The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson


amazon.com

Fascinated by forensics, seventeen-year-old Cameryn Mahoney persuades her father, the county coroner in sleepy Silverton, CO, to take her on as his assistant. But she never expects her first case to involve the death of a friend! Rachel Geller, a beautiful young waitress, is found strangled in a field with a Christopher medal around her neck—clearly marking her as the fourth victim of a serial killer.

Cameryn is determined to help find Rachel’s killer, and attending the autopsy gives her the first clue. But as she follows her instincts and gets closer to the killer, Cameryn suddenly finds herself on the verge of becoming his fifth victim!






#3. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

amazon.com

Sixteen-year-old Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her unusual so-called gift. While her confusing feelings for her best friend are new, she has been able to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered—and the imprints that attach to their killers since she was a little girl.

Violet has never considered her ability useful, but now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.









#4. Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan
 

An oldie but a goodie. No body does suspense like Lois Duncan.

From the moment Rachel's family takes in her orphaned cousin Julia, strange things start to happen. Rachel grows suspicious but soon finds herself alienated from her own life.

Julia seems to have enchanted everyone to turn against her, leaving Rachel on her own to try and prove that Julia is a witch. One thing about Julia is certain-she is not who she says she is, and Rachel's family is in grave danger.



#5. Acceleration by Graham McNamee




chaptersindigo.ca

In the depths of the Toronto Transit Authority’s Lost and Found, 17-year-old Duncan finds a little leather book. It’s a diary filled with the dark and dirty secrets of a twisted mind, a serial killer stalking his prey in the subway. And Duncan can't stop himself from reading. 

What would you do with a book like that? How far would you go to catch a madman? 









Enjoy those sleepless nights! What are your favourite thrilling mysteries?

Book Deal!!!

Yup. It's true.

THE ASP is going to be a real book on a real bookshelf in a real bookstore.

Read the press release here!

Fierce Ink Press is dedicated to producing high quality books of fiction and short non-fiction pieces by Canadian authors who write for young adults. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to publish with them and I'm certain Terry's fate couldn't be in better hands.

Coming from Fierce Ink Press in June 2015...



Not the real cover, but fun to look at while we wait for next year!

Still recovering from the accident that killed her mother a year ago and left her with a disfigured leg, sixteen-year-old Terry Hughes limps through a new high school, wishing she was invisible. Recently relocated back to America with her archaeologist father, Terry wants nothing more than to leave the secrets of ancient Egypt buried and forgotten.

When the editor of the school newspaper, swoon-worthy Fraser Lucas, asks for an interview about her father's upcoming exhibit at the museum, Terry is skeptical. Why would a guy with so much swag be interested in a bunch of dusty artifacts? She rebuffs his questions, secretly suspicious her father's latest discovery is more than just another crumbling sarcophagus. Her paranoia increases when Fraser hands over a newspaper article from fifty years ago, detailing the unsolved case of a girl who visited the museum on a class trip and was never seen again.

After Terry's father succumbs to a mysterious illness, she delves back into the world of ancient Egyptology, curses and all. Terry will need Fraser's help to uncover the museum's macabre agenda, and hopefully her father's cure. But her detective work may prove lethal when she discovers the sarcophagus is not only the key to her fate, but to the missing girl’s as well.

THE ASP, a YA mystery with magical realism, is Veronica Mars meets Indiana Jones in the style of Stan Lee.

Add it on Goodreads here!

 

BONUS!!!

 

For character pictures, quotes, a playlist and various other inspirational bits, check out the Pinterest board for THE ASP here.

 

 

 

 

In Case You Were Wondering...

Thanks to everyone who commented on facebook, twitter, here, and of course on wattpad. I'm pleased to present the new face of NIGHT SHIFT. You can read it FREE here!

Thanks to Aleksandra Dali, a fantastically supportive reader on wattpad for designing this eye catching cover. Check out her stories here.

 

 

 

 

 

NIGHT SHIFT Cover Contest

Whoo-hoo!!!

NIGHT SHIFT will be a featured story on wattpad starting October 4! You can read it for FREE here. The bursting excitement has me all giddy and bubbly headed. Yes, I just made up the phrase 'bubbly headed.'

Here's my conundrum though, I have ten awesome cover designs by wattpad readers, but I'm not sure which one to use. And this is where YOU enter stage right and cast your vote, thereby using your power to help one cover rise above the rest—one cover will rule them all.

Let me know which one would make you stop, reach out and snatch it off the shelf—or in this case, click the mouse and start to read.

If you need some inspiration check out the book trailer below or the Pinterest Board.

Now scroll down to experience all the lovely. I'm amazed at all the different images for the same story.




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All right, now comes the big responsible part. Just leave your vote in the comment section. And thanks for playing.