standard ishue–Katie

Who says love doesn’t come around again?

Seven stories of single parents finding love for the second time, now available for Pre-Order on Amazon!

amzn.to/1SgfU7i

Here’s a preview:

The Ticket to her Heart by D. G. Driver

Dalton Jones is a traffic cop who feels guilty about giving a speeding ticket to a beautiful single mom. With his teenage daughter’s help, he finds a way to meet the woman again, and they fall for each other. Only, he’s neglected to tell her who he really is.

The Perfect Beginning by Nancy Pennick

Tracy DeMarco hasn’t been on a date with a man in five years. She has a child to raise and a job she likes. Her daughter says she needs to get a life. Tracy thought hers was fine until a vampire shows up on her doorstep one Halloween night.

A Love for Michelle by Tara Fox Hall

Left by her boyfriend on the same night she lost her job, Michelle isn’t looking for love when she runs into Max and his two children while sledding. In a few short months, the new couple is inseparable. Then Michelle realizes she’s pregnant with her ex’s child. Will Max love her enough to accept a baby that isn’t his.

The Price of Silence by Katie Stephens

Even though Maggie and Rob are divorced, neither can deny the love they still have for each other. As they wonder why their marriage failed, Maggie’s artistic agent is determined to have her. Grant befriends her children in a bid to make her his wife, but will Rob stand aside and allow another man to take his children … and his soulmate?

Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now by Caroline Andrus

Celebrity photographer Rebecca thought her life was perfect, until she walked in on her husband and the nanny—in bed. A drunk phone call later, she’s managed to snag the most sought after male nanny in Los Angeles. Months later, at her best friends urging, she dives back into the dating pool, but will she end up with Mr. Right Now, or will she realize Mr. Right is already at home with her kids?

For the Love of a Horse by Daisy White

Single mum Ali has done everything she can to forget the past, but when a new love is threatened by a freak horse riding accident, she is forced to face her memories. Can she find the courage to take her second chance for love?

Unexpected Match Maker by J. T. Adeline

Peyton Geoffrey never thought she needed another dad, until her mom’s past boyfriend, Tate Langston, entered her life. Will Peyton be able to get this surly man to understand how important he is to others, and get him and her mom together again?

Envy can either drive us to be better or sink into self-pity and resentment. It can make us miserable and petty, or be the driving force behind positive change. From cavemen to immortals and ghosts to valedictorians, the characters of our stories know what it’s like to want and not to have. How far will each one go to posses what they covet?

The Seven Deadly Sins Anthology explores yet another deadly sin. Sixteen authors. Sixteen stories. One theme: Envy.

As promised, on the final day of my Envy Release Week posts, I’m going to offer randomly selected blog readers a prize or two.

For your cooperation, obviously!!

All you have to do is “Follow” me on this blog (if you haven’t already) and comment in the box below:

In 25 words or less, tell me which of the Seven Deadly Sins we should explore for Volume 4, and why you chose that particular one. So you don’t have to look them up, the final four are: Greed, Lust, Gluttony and Anger.

Don’t forget to put some sort of contact info there–either your email or facebook address. Prizes will include an eBook copy from one of the first three volumes of the series or a $10 Amazon gift certificate! I’ll leave this contest open for a week: winners will be chosen randomly and announced here on April 15!!

This post offers a peek into the works and lives of the last four authors from the Seven Deadly Sins series, Volume 3. As an added bonus, I’ll even provide the bio of our Layout Editor, Dino Laserbeam!

Make sure you come back tomorrow. Some readers will be offered a prize!

(If anyone would like to post a review of this anthology, please contact me in the comment section below!!)

The Selkie by Shannon Leigh Rivera

Don’t go to land and don’t trust the humans—this is the most important selkie rule. Only Niamh, driven away by her cruel mother, doesn’t see why she shouldn’t trust them. Curious and full of desire, she is lured into the human world and swept up in her youthful passions. Will she prove her people wrong or will she learn the hard way that envy leads a fool to ruin?

**Shannon Leigh Rivera, wife, mother, author. Shannon is a full-time author, full-time homeschool teacher, and part-time writing coach for middle and high school students in East Tennessee. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Southern New Hampshire University with a BA in Creative Writing and English with a concentration in Fiction Writing. Shannon’s style is eclectic, which matches her educational and life experiences including her time spent in the U.S. Navy. Besides writing and teaching, Shannon also enjoys being outdoors and traveling. Her current projects include “Of Rebels and Ruin,” A Shadow and Mist Novel—Book One, due out early 2017 on Amazon. She runs her own short-story blog featuring fantasy fiction stories and writing tips.

Website: shannonleighrivera.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shannon-Leigh-Rivera-1747459965486129

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The Angel by Yvette O’Kay

Envy is something undestroyable, an idea in the manifestation of a human form. Love isn’t something that comes easily or often. As it happens with so many others, the woman of Envy’s affections fell prey to betrayal and heartbreak. So the only question remaining is, what would you do if you were an almost all powerful being and someone took away the person you loved?

**Yvette O’Kay is a writing goddess who has been working on books since she was a little girl. She is from New York and this is her second publication in this anthology series. She is a full time student and author and often has troubles balancing the two, but in the end the satisfaction of finishing a story outweighs anything else for her.

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The Limits of [an] Olive [Branch] by Blake Parker

When Sebastian Evans—with his gorgeous grey eyes and exquisite cheekbones—asks Olive out for a date, she’s ecstatic. Finally things are going right for her! Well, until Olive hears the nasty rumour that’s flying around school. It’s 100% untrue and 100% percent about Olive. Suddenly, Olive finds herself all alone as the whole school turns on her. She’s not even sure if Sebastian believes the lies. Will she let herself to be overwrought with negative feelings or will she fight this battle one day at a time?

**Blake Parker is of the female gender, since the name itself doesn’t give that away. Physically, she resides in Canada. Otherwise, she lives in the contrivance of whatever place she’s yearning to visit. In day-to-day life, Blake loves paradoxes. For example, the paradox of supporting her obsession with scotch on a limited budget. Somewhere, in between the paradoxes and fantasies of living in far-away places, Blake finds the time to write. And to reel in the surprise and gratefulness of being a part of Seven Deadly Sins Anthology again. Look out for the first part of Olive’s story in the Sloth edition!

Twitter @iwrotethis_

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Guardians by K.T. Stephens

High school athlete Derek Ramsey is a born leader. Along with the other teens of his tribe, he attends two Seeker gatherings every year, solely to be granted a vision that will disclose his animal guardian. Unfortunately, it’s Derek’s tenth, and last, Seeker week. If the god Binder doesn’t grant him a guardian, he’ll be expelled from his clan. Worse, there’s no way Tara will accept his marriage proposal. As the Great Reveal grows closer, can Derek let go of his anger and frustration long enough to accept his fate?

**K.T. Stephens writes YA and children’s books and is especially enamored of the circus. Just mention acrobats and strongmen and she’ll jump headfirst into this world of magic, color and precision and take you with her. When she steps away from the big top, she works on her pet project—Seven Deadly Sins: A YA Anthology—and writes adult literature under the pseudonym Katie Stephens. Although her two grown children live on opposite sides of the USA, she lives squarely in the middle with her husband and two adorably obsessive felines.

Website: http://www.standardishue.com

Twitter: @standardishue

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatieStephensAuthor

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D.Laserbeam, our Layout Editor, has been an icon at Scribophile for many years, so it’s no wonder we jumped at the chance to have Dino do the e-book formatting for the SDS anthologies. Dino writes, edits (Laserbeam Edits), is the founder & editor-in-chief of freeze frame fiction, and oh, yeah–is an engineer in real life!

Halfway through our ‘Release Week,’ and I offer you a look at four more authors and their stories. Oh, did I mention they’re all part of our book, Seven Deadly Sins, A YA Anthology: Envy? This is the third volume in the series, all super stories, all highlighting a different theme.

(If anyone would like to post a review of this anthology, please contact me in the comment section below!!)

Only as Directed by John Rickett

Emily’s teeth look like bits of drywall, jammed into pink Play-doh. Nothing like Jesse’s bright, wide smile. And since Dad and Mom won’t pay for braces, when Em stumbles upon a Google ad for Dentate, promising fast-results at a fraction of the cost of braces and whitening treatments, she dumps her meager savings into what she hopes is miracle treatment.

**John Rickett dwells in the armpit of America, where he claws at the walls, escaping his suburban nightmare by performing woodworking ninjutsu and moonlighting as a word-sorcerer. He’s honored to once again appear in the Seven Deadly Sins Anthology, which featured his story “One More Level” in the Sloth edition. Recently, his post-apocalyptic fairytale retelling, Three Brittle Pigs was selected for The Molotov Cocktail’s 2015 prize-winners anthology.

Twitter @johnnyrickett

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What’s Yours is Mine by P.R. Blackburn

An anxious young man with a troubled past seizes the life he always wanted. As he prepares for an evening of dinner with the girl of his dreams, the opportunity to show her how perfect his life has become is all that matters anymore. But beneath the crushing pressure of perfection, can he continue to suppress the memories of a hellish childhood?

**P.R. Blackburn lives his life endlessly searching for that elusive creative spark that brings life to new worlds and new possibilities. When he isn’t translating sporadic brainwaves into something tangible, he spends his time freelancing or absorbing solar radiation in Sydney with his fiancée. Hailing from the UK, they are part way through a spontaneous journey across the globe, with no end currently in sight.

Twitter: @PRBlackburn

Website: http://www.paulblackburn.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prblackburn1

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Valedictorian, Smaledictorian by M.J. Travis

Although Maria is valedictorian of her graduating class, when she is around pretty, popular Caitlin, she turns into a bumbling toddler. With only three weeks left until commencement, and still no ideas about what to write for her speech, Maria overhears a conversation that leaves her questioning everything she believed to be true about herself and her own insecurities.

**M.J. Travis is a native southern Californian who began writing five years ago when her second child was no longer in need of constant supervision. Her love of books began at an early age. She mostly writes short stories for YA and children, but has just started to leap into the workings of a novel. This is her second publication in the Seven Deadly Sins series.

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The Envelope by Luke Winters

Sebastian Shaw is at home minding his six-year-old son when the postman arrives with a plain white envelope. What is inside will change everything about Shaw’s life: who he is, what he does, and his entire place in the world. Shaw knows how powerful the contents are, but is he ready to open it?

**Luke Winters is from Norfolk in the east of England. He writes mostly for pleasure, since being medically discharged from the UK military after over twenty years as a medic. When he’s not writing, he spends his time running long distances—he’s already been beaten by Mo Farah twice in marathons (by some hours), and he has no realistic chance of beating Mo at any point in the near future (or ever). Luke also enjoys having long hair and a beard after so long not being allowed to grow either. Luke’s debut novel, ‘Man Down’ is scheduled for release in 2016.

Twitter: @lukewintersuk

Website: http://www.lukewinters.com

It’s day 3 of our “Release Week,” and I’m going to entice you to read Seven Deadly Sins, A YA Anthology: ENVY with information on four more authors and their stories! Buy it!! You won’t be sorry!

(If anyone would like to post a review of this anthology, please contact me in the comment section below!!)

Petrolhead by Teresa Bassett

Although Josh’s family is better off than Ricky’s, the two boys have always been the best of friends, linked by their joint passion for cars. Josh can talk to Ricky about anything. Except the things that really matter, like the way he feels about Louise. As resentments bubble beneath the surface, an unexpected windfall sets the three of them on a fateful course.

**Teresa Bassett is a writer from Cornwall’s clay country, UK. She has written stories and articles for numerous magazines and anthologies, including stories in all the volumes of Seven Deadly Sins. A graduate of the University of Bath, she has worked as a foreign tour guide, translator and teacher. Her favourite times are spent ‘up on the Downs,’ exploring Cornwall with husband Mark and rescued greyhound Jinty.

Blog: http://www.teresabassett.co.uk

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Between Stars by Embe Charpentier

As stars twinkle above, Stella shines below. Though she finds her envy of others’ lives corrupts her, the eventual insight into the depth and breadth of life’s boundless experience serves her well.

**Embe Charpentier is a teacher/ author who finds joy working with young writers. Her novel “Beloved Dead” was published by Kellan in November 2015. She overcame her lethargic tendencies to contribute to a prior Seven Deadly Sins anthology, “Sloth.” When she’s not envying best-selling authors, she relishes tea parties with tiny princesses and running around unsupervised.

Blog: http://www.embecharpentier.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embecharpentier

Twitter @embecharpentier

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Caveman Carnage by Guy Cheston

Gron accepts his simple life—hunt, eat, mate, sleep. Occasionally, bathe. His tribe acknowledges him as the alpha. He is content. That is, until he visits another tribe and discovers there are those who have more than he does. When the tribe asks for his help in fighting a one-eyed man, he agrees. But will his envy over their possessions lead him to make enemies of his new friends?

**Guy Cheston lives with his family in Virginia. A writer with a day job, he pursues the craft at night after his family has settled in. When he’s not reading or writing or playing with Star Wars toys with his son, he likes to jog.

Twitter: @guycheston

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I Wish by Joana Hill

Alice has always felt like she lived in the shadow of her older sister Mandy—she’s smart, beautiful, and easily gets things when Alice has to struggle.  But Mandy doesn’t feel the same way and wants to repair their relationship—with a magical genie, of all things. Suddenly, Alice is forced to confront her own feelings, and decide whether it’s worth it to hold on to them, or forgive and forget.

**Joana Hill grew up in central Maine, reading every book she could get her hands on.  She has a BFA in creative writing from the University of Maine at Farmington and when she’s not writing, she can probably be found playing Zelda or Pokemon.  Her flash fiction “Dragon Testing” has been published in the LGBT-centric magazine Vitality, and she hopes to publish her novels someday.

Blog: http://www.wordsandteabottles.com

Facebook: htps://www.facebook.com/authorjoanahill

Twitter: @wordsteabottles

Release day for Seven Deadly Sins, A YA Anthology: Envy was April 1, 2016 (no fooling!). I’m going to feature four authors every day from this anthology: author bios, story blurbs, and links to contact them if you’d like. One thing I am sure of–you’re going to love their stories!!

(If anyone would like to post a review of this anthology, please contact me in the comment section below!!)

Amb-Rose by Tonia Markou

Rob Cooper is handsome, athletic and popular, but most importantly, unrivaled—until his new neighbor Ambrose arrives at school. Rob won’t stand around and let the new kid overthrow him, so he does everything he can to make Ambrose’s life miserable. When his scheming backfires and terrible rumors about Ambrose’s family spread around school, Rob learns the hard way that nobody’s perfect, especially not himself.

**Tonia Markou is a Greek-German writer and university lecturer. Being a mega film buff and fascinated by Hollywood, she decided to immigrate to the US at age 12. Her parents wouldn’t let her, so she stayed and received a B.A. in English/American studies instead. Her short story “Oh Barbara” was published in Flash. Currently, she’s studying Creative Writing at Lancaster University and is working on her first YA novel. She keeps participating in the Greencard lottery to this day.

Twitter: @toniapolis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tonia-Markou-833804343414349/

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Wind and Rain by Tamara Linden

Many a song has been written for me and that lying, murderous wretch who was once my kin. She wasn’t my sister, mind. Even Isobel wouldn’t stoop so low as that, or so I believed back when I counted my years of misery in decades rather than centuries. I comfort myself with the knowledge that she has surely been burning in hell for her sins nearly as long as I have been bound here by my own grief.

**Tamara Linden was born and raised in rural New Jersey (yes, it does exist) and now lives in Pennsylvania with a very opinionated black cat. Tamara’s storytelling career began at the age of three with “Squirm the Worm,” which was warmly received by an audience of assorted beetles. She went on to study music and eventually earn a degree in music composition. Now, as an exam prep tutor and budding college planning counselor, she has time to devote to her first love, writing. She is currently elbow-deep in revisions for her first novel manuscript.

Blog: tamaralinden.com

Twitter: @lindifleur

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German Cuisine by E.N. Loizis

Dysfunctional families come in many shapes and sizes. Siblings Alex and Fiona have learned to deal with their own by leaning on each other and eating copious amounts of home-made food. When Alex leaves to find happiness away from home, will Fiona be able to cope with being on her own?

**E.N. Loizis is a Greek writer, trapped inside the body of a technical translator who lives in Germany. She writes poems, flash fiction and short stories, while pretending to work on her first novel. Her stories have appeared in Maudlin House, freeze frame fiction, and Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things. “Summer Rains” was included in the Pride volume of Seven Deadly Sins. She enjoys breathing, eating, and sleeping.

Blog: enloizis.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enloizis/

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Mike by Marko Davidovic

Friendship can be a fickle thing at times. Going into high school, Sanjay is desperately attempting to find his identity as the only brown-skinned kid in a virtually all-white town. To him, one-time friend Mike represents everything he doesn’t want to be identified with in high school; he’s weird, obnoxious, and socially awkward. Mike, however, sees a good friend in him. This annoys Sanjay, but as he struggles to find his own place among his peers, he’s soon forced t evaluate who his real friends are.

**Marko Davidovic is a 21-year-old business student at Carleton University and aspiring author from Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada. This is his first publication, which he is very excited about. He hopes to be able to publish more work in the future, and through it talk about social problems that stand out to him. Currently on exchange in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Marko loves all things soccer, as well as experiencing the local art culture and night life. When he’s not doing any of these things, he enjoys making new friends!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marko.davidovic.330

Happy Release Day for Seven Deadly Sins (Volume 3) , now available on Amazon!!

Select YA authors from Scribophile (the writing group and online writing workshop) are featured in this volume, highlighting the theme ENVY. Over the course of what I call “Release Week,” I’m going to feature four stories a day from this publication.

Join me in a huge round of congratulations for these authors (Scribophile name in parenthesis)!!

Teresa Bassett (Sylvia Stone)

P.R. Blackburn (Paul Blackburn)

Embe Charpentier

Guy Cheston

Marko Davidovic

Joana Hill

Tamara Linden (Kassandra Flamouropoulos)

E.N. Loizis (Eliza Loizides)

Tonia Markou

Yvette O’Kay (Katie Moore)

Blake Parker

John Rickett

Shannon Leigh Rivera

K.T. Stephens (Katie Stephens)

M.J. Travis (shazam)

Luke Winters

(If anyone would like to post a review of this anthology, please contact me in the comment section below!!)