Press Release: Author Jake Biondi Reveals Book Cover For Third Installment Of Popular 'BOYSTOWN' Series

For Immediate Release

Jake Biondi reveals book cover for third installment of popular ‘BOYSTOWN’ series

‘BOYSTOWN Season Three’ will be available May 1

‘BOYSTOWN’ series author Jake Biondi has revealed the book cover and release date for the highly-anticipated third book of his ‘BOYSTOWN’ series. ‘BOYSTOWN Season Three’ will be released on May 1, 2015. 

“The wait is almost over,” Biondi told fans of his ‘BOYSTOWN’ book series. “Due to the success of the first two books in the series, fans from all over the country have been emailing me to know when the third book would be released. They want to know what’s coming next for their favorite characters and couples. Well, their wait is finally over.”

Biondi added, “’BOYSTOWN’ fans are the best. I am so humbled by and grateful for my readers and their positive response to the books. I regularly receive notes from fans who are connecting with the characters and want to know what the future holds for them.”

Biondi promises that readers won’t be disappointed. “’Season Three’ picks up with the aftermath of the New Year’s Eve explosion. While I won’t reveal who lives and who dies, I will say this: lives will be forever changed.” Biondi also previews that ‘BOYSTOWN Season Three’ continues the storylines from the first two books while introducing new ones -- and some hot new characters, too!

As in his second book, Biondi pays tribute to and features some of his favorite performers in ‘BOYSTOWN Season Three.’ The “Whiskey & Cherries” trio, singer Amy Armstrong, and pop sensation Steve Grand are all featured in the third ‘BOYSTOWN’ book. “Meredith, Danielle, and I are thrilled to again be written into the ‘BOYSTOWN’ series. As an avid fan of our musical trio Whiskey & Cherries, Jake Biondi has included us as the musical entertainment for the fundraiser at the end of the book. As in book two, it’s always exciting to read about yourself interacting with the primary characters and being a part of the never-ending twists and turns in the brilliant plot line,” said Brian Felder of W&C. Amy Armstrong added, “I’m so excited that I got to be a part of this outstanding series.”

The ‘BOYSTOWN’ series has a fascinating history. It began as an online story released in installments, each ending with a cliffhanger that left readers wondering what would happen to their favorite characters. Enthusiastic ‘BOYSTOWN’ fans from all over the world petitioned Biondi to release the installments more quickly; they simply couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. Overwhelmed by and grateful for the fans’ responses to the series, Biondi began to write more quickly.

In 2013, Biondi published the first ten ‘episodes’ in book form as ‘BOYSTOWN Season One.’ The sequel, ‘BOYSTOWN Season Two,’ was released in July of 2014. Ending in a spectacular cliffhanger, ‘Season Two’ left the lives of several main characters in peril. Readers were left wondering who would survive and what would happen next. Now, ‘BOYSTOWN Season Three’ answers readers’ questions and, of course, provides even more twists and turns for the fans.

Early reviews of ‘BOYSTOWN Season Three’ are very positive. Journalist and ‘BOYSTOWN’ fan Dustin Shrader, who previewed the book, said, “Iconic writer Jake Biondi has done it again. ‘BOYSTOWN Season Three’ is an emotional roller coaster with page after page of twisting thrills and crafty curveballs coming along at such speed that readers are left breathless. They will not want to get off this ride.” Editor and ‘BOYSTOWN’ fan Lisa Tepper said, “This story is amazing; it's filled with excitement, drama, romance...you name it, it has it.”

Biondi sponsored a nationwide search for models whose images would be used in promotions for the ‘BOYSTOWN’ series. These handsome men have come to be known by fans and readers as the ‘BOYSTOWN Boys.’ BOYSTOWN’S Director of Art, Design & Advertising Michael Vargas designed the fantastic book cover for ‘BOYSTOWN Season Three.’ The cover features several of these famous ‘BOYSTOWN Boys.’

Like the first two books, ‘BOYSTOWN Season Three’ will be available at bookstores across the country as well at online at amazon.com, bn.com, and itunes. The series is available in paperback and all e-book formats. Readers may also order autographed paperback copies of the books directly from Biondi’s website: www.JakeBiondi.com

In anticipation of the third book’s release, Biondi is offering readers the chance to download the first BOYSTOWN book for only 99¢ using promo code RR89P at smashwords.com until May 1.

For additional information or to schedule an interview with author Jake Biondi, please send an email to BoystownTheSeries@yahoo.com.

Review:

Okay, so let me start this review out by saying I have typed this review 11 times and deleted it 11 times because after reading this story I was amazed, shocked, stunned, and everything in between! I mean I was literally brain fu&^%$! I mean, I have never read a story like this one. 

BOYSTOWN is written in "episodes," each ending in a cliffhanger. As you go through the episodes things start to heat up and you're like, holy eff what the hell is going on? 

So we have Jesse and Cole who are in college and they are graduating and looking for jobs. They have both found their dream jobs in Chicago and are looking forward to graduating and starting their new lives.

Then you have the happy couple Joyelle and Derek. They are the perfect couple as Derek travels for work and Joyelle is an ER nurse and loves her job. They have been married for years and Joyelle is ready for more. She wants to make her family complete. But there is one thing about one of these individuals that will rock this relationship to the core. Will they survive this or will they walk away from each other?

Emmett and Keith are the perfect couple. They are so in love and do everything together. So much so that Keith is planning on doing something special for Emmett. But just as Keith thinks he is going to get his HEA, someone has decided that he will not get his HEA yet, and they plan on doing something very very naughty. Will Keith and Emmett survive this new (or old) threat to their relationship? Will someone try and hurt them? I will say this I LOVE Emmett and if something happens to him I will be flying to Chicago a lot sooner.... hint hint Jake!

Max and Logan have been together for a long time and everything seems to be spiraling out of control. One of them has a drinking problem and the other is left trying to help him when he does not want help. So what do you do when the person you love does not want you anymore? Do you move on quietly or do you fight like hell for the person you love to keep them even though you know they don't want you?

See what I mean? So much going on with these characters and then we add to the mix some other characters like Jacqueline who is one of the character's mother who finds herself in a relationship with someone younger and when her son finds out who it is, all hell is going to break lose because that guy has a HUGE secret and when it comes out, I don't think anyone will be left standing.

Then we have Ben who is connected to two of the characters and is falling in love with one of them but when the secrets and lies come to the forefront, all hell is going to break lose. Whoop whoop! What drama we get from my man Ben. He is a chocolate God, sex on wheels but I would not want to be him when shit happens.......

Then we have Nick, Todd, and Justin who are related to some of the characters by blood and by relationships and boy oh boy when the drama unfolds and shit hits the fan and the police are called who will be left standing and who will be dead??

Oh and that police officer is actually detective Michael Martinez and boy does he have a story to tell. Lord, makes me need some ice cold water something fierce because I was feeling very feverish reading about Michael. lordy....... lordy..... lordy.... CALIENTE! 

So Boystown is a real place in Chicago and after reading this book, I told my husband I need to go there and visit because I have this image in my head that Jake put in it and I just have to go there and visit and get my book signed by Jake. I am so fan girling it is not funny. I mean I want to be in his brain so bad because that ending was like WTF? Really Jake? No you did not! Man oh man why is one of my favorite characters there? 

This is a MUST READ male/male and male/female book but most of all I felt like I was there right in front of the characters living their lives with them, going through all their ups and downs and all their pain and grief they had. Jake you are BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review:

Holy Boystown has done it again!

I am not sure where the hell my review went but here we go again.

Boystown season two picks up right where season one left off and holy mother lover it starts off with a bang. There is so much going on between the characters and there is an introduction of new characters and some are good and some are bad.

What would this story be like without the relationship drama and man oh man what a bomb shell happens when a couple ends up together that no one expects and they get married. Then another couple ends up together and engaged and there is so much drama going on around them that they will have an uphill battle to stay together. Then another couple are in hiding because they want to be together but they can't.

As if things are not popping off we have a character who is set on getting the person of his dreams. Jake has set up such a remarkable story that once you start reading you can't put it down. You need it no matter what because you need to know what is going to happen next! 

I need season three right now!

Around The ARC Tours Presents The Fixer (The Fixer #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Synopsis:

This thriller YA is Scandal meets Veronica Mars.

Sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick has spent her entire life on her grandfather's ranch. But when her estranged sister Ivy uproots her to D.C., Tess is thrown into a world that revolves around politics and power. She also starts at Hardwicke Academy, the D.C. school for the children of the rich and powerful, where she unwittingly becomes a fixer for the high school set, fixing teens’ problems the way her sister fixes their parents’ problems.

And when a conspiracy surfaces that involves the family member of one of Tess's classmates, love triangles and unbelievable family secrets come to light and life gets even more interesting—and complicated—for Tess.

Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and Heist Society, readers will be clamoring for this compelling teen drama with a political twist. 

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22929578-the-fixer

Review:

Okay how to write this review without giving away to much ........

Love scandals, love cover-ups, love power people who get away with things because they have someone or someones to cover up the crime and make it go away then is the book for you!

Tess has an older sister Ivy whose job is The Fixer. She makes all the political no-no's go away. Tess is sent to live with her sister and enrolls in The Elite Academy and starts to become a fixer for her high school classmates. Then Tess and Ivy both have a fix that is connected and they soon find themselves needing each others help.

I have to say that Jennifer has done an excellent job of putting together a story of suspense and cover-ups that I could not put the book down. This is 2015 must read!

Author Bio:

Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has been, in turn, a competitive cheerleader, a volleyball player, a dancer, a debutante, a primate cognition researcher, a teen model, a comic book geek, and a lemur aficionado. She's been writing for as long as she can remember, finished her first full book (which she now refers to as a "practice book" and which none of you will ever see) when she was still in high school, and then wrote Golden the summer after her freshman year in college, when she was nineteen.

Jen graduated high school in 2002, and from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought) in May of 2006. She was awarded a Fulbright to do post-graduate work at Cambridge, and then returned to the states, where she is hard at work on her PhD.

ABOUT THE BOOKS

What order should I read your books in?

Right now, there are about a dozen books either out or forthcoming in a variety of different series. It doesn't matter what order you read the series in, but within each series, it's better to read the first book first.

RAISED BY WOLVES then TRIAL BY FIRE then TAKEN BY STORM

EVERY OTHER DAY (standalone)

NOBODY (standalone)

THE SQUAD: PERFECT COVER then THE SQUAD: KILLER SPIRIT

TATTOO then FATE

GOLDEN then PLATINUM

THE NATURALS then KILLER INSTINCT

Is Raised by Wolves going to be a series? 

Raised By Wolves is a trilogy. The first book is Raised By Wolves, the second is Trial By Fire, and the third is Taken By Storm. I might return to the world of the books someday for a new book, but for now, the trilogy stands complete with three books.

SPOILER ALERT! If you've already read Taken By Storm and want to know why I consider it an end-point, at least to this sequence, here are some blog entries you can read that answer that question:http://jenniferlynnbarnes.tumblr.com/post/30138773540/i-wish-there-was-going-to-be-a-4th-raised-by-wolves

http://jenniferlynnbarnes.tumblr.com/post/23871987934/faq-will-there-be-a-book-four

Is there a sequel to Every Other Day? 

I wrote Every Other Day as a standalone. I had so much fun with the characters and the world, and I intentionally left them in a place where they are leaving adolescence and standing on the verge of an exciting adult world - not because I was planning on writing about their adventures post-high school, but because I am a firm believer that the things that come after high school are amazing and awesome and exciting in so many ways. Kali's future is full of possibilities - and for now, it's up to you to imagine them.

Is there going to be another book in the Golden/Platinum series? 

When I wrote Platinum, it seemed likely that there would be a book three (one that really delved into the Dylan/Lissy and Lilah/Cade romances more strongly), but then my publisher decided it would be better for me to go in a different direction. As a result, we never ended up doing a third book and there are no plans for one in the future, but if you find me at a conference or signing, I can tell you some spoilers about what I had planned for the characters, back in the day.

Is there going to be another book in the Tattoo/Fate series? 

I actually wrote TATTOO as a standalone and never meant for there to be a sequel at all, but then, in revision, I ended up tweaking the end of the book to add in a bigger twist, and that twist gave us the plot for FATE. I very consciously wrote FATE to be the end of Bailey's storyline, so I don't anticipate there ever being a book three.

Is there a third Squad book? When does it come out? 

There are only two SQUAD books and I do not anticipate writing more books in that series any time soon, as much as I loved writing them (and I truly did). However, if you enjoyed The Squad, you will probably enjoy my new project, THE NATURALS, which is about an FBI think tank that uses teenagers to profile and catch serial killers.

You can read more about THE NATURALS and how it’s similar to and different from THE SQUAD here.

Have you ever thought about turning your books into TV shows or movies? 

I'd love to see my books on the big screen, but since I don't make movies myself, that would require someone who DOES to be interested in making it happen. In fact, it would require LOTS of someones! At different points in time, there has been Hollywood interest in almost all of my series, but it takes a lot of people saying "yes" to actually get a book to the big screen.

Who's your favorite character in your books? 

It really depends on what book I'm writing when you ask. Of all my main characters, Toby (from The Squad) and Bryn (from Raised By Wolves) are probably the most fun to write, because they're so much more likely to take names and kick butt than I am. Among the supporting cast in all of my books, I really like writing the characters that get a lot of one-liners (like Devon, Noah, and Delia), and the ones with whom my main character has the most emotionally intense moments (like Callum and Ali from Raised By Wolves). And, of course, I enjoy writing the boys...

ABOUT WRITING 

How do you have time to write AND go to school? 

This is probably the question I get asked most frequently, and sometimes, it is a challenge, but what it boils down to for me is that if you love something enough - and I love both writing and science a lot - you find time for it wherever you can. Many of my books have been written by finding an hour or two in the evening when I can write, even if it means sleeping an hour or two less. I write on the weekends or at night or when I have downtime from school. Most of the time, crunch time for my writing life and crunch time for my academic life don't occur simultaneously, and when they do... well, I usually survive.

How old were you when you wrote your first book? 

I've been writing for as long as I can remember, so I'd probably guesstimate that I wrote my first "book" when I was five or six. If you're talking novels, I started writing my first serious novel when I was sixteen, but didn't actually finish a novel until my senior year of high school. The first novel I completely finished became what I now refer to as a "practice book," and I wrote several more practice books before I wrote Golden, the summer I was nineteen.

How long does it take you to write a book? 

That depends on how busy my life is and whether or not I get to write every day. I wrote the first draft of Golden in about three weeks. Raised By Wolves took closer to a couple of months. It takes me about the same amount of time to revise a book, and I usually end up revising at least three or four times before the book is ready to hit the shelves. From the day I started writing Golden until its release took about three years.

Where do you get your ideas? 

In the shower. Seriously, though, when I'm trying to come up with ideas for books, I start with either a fantastical concept (like a supernatural power) or an aspect of my experience as a teenager (like dealing with cliques or being a cheerleader), and then, from there, I match everyday concepts and fantastical ones, until I find two that fit together. With Golden, I started off knowing that Lissy could see auras, and then it seemed natural to have her dealing with the social hierarchy at school.

Do you do research for your books? 

I'm a big fan of researching by DOING. For example, when I wrote Raised By Wolves, I didn't actually sit down and look up information about wolf pack structure or behavior... but I did spend YEARS doing research in the field of animal cognition and behavior. I spent a good chunk of my undergraduate and graduate careers studying monkeys in the wild. Like wolves, they're pack animals, with a distinct hierarchy within each group, and I had the unusual experience of being one of only a few humans on an island filled with a thousand free-ranging monkeys. So a lot of Bryn's experiences and a lot of the subtle aspects of my werewolves' behavior came from things I picked up first-hand.

Where do you get your characters names? 

I collect names - from people I meet, from the paper, from TV, movies, books... I'm always on the lookout for good character names and actually keep a running list of all the possibilities. Then, when I need to name a character, I refer to the list, and if none of those names are quite right, I'll take the closest ones and plug them into www.nymbler.com to see what suggestions pop up.

Are you ever going to write books for adults? 

I guess that depends on whether or not I ever feel like an adult. I love teen television. I love teen books. I love teen movies. And, if I'm being perfectly honest, I still look really young and don't feel any older than I did five or six years ago. I write what I love, and I write about the things that I understand and the things that are important to me. If I ever get an idea for an adult story that really means something to me the way that all of my other books do, I'd write it, but I'm not making any guarantees that that will ever happen.

I want to be a writer. What advice can you give me? 

Three pieces of advice.

1. Read. Libraries are your friend. Read everything you can get your hands on, and if you love it, go back and read it again. And, although your parents will probably kill me for saying this, I also recommend partaking of other forms of fiction. Movies and television, while they won't make you a better writer per se, could teach you something about how to tell a good story.

2. Write. It seems simple, but I really cannot stress how important it is to actually sit down and write something every day. It doesn't have to be your masterpiece. It doesn't even have to be original fiction. Keep a journal. Write a scene that goes on the end of your favorite book or movie. Just write something every day.

3. Do stuff that's not reading or writing. Go out and live. Hang out with your friends. Get involved at your school. Don't be afraid to try new things. Most people write what they know, and if the only thing you know is reading and writing, you won't have very much to write about.

ABOUT PUBLISHING 

How did you get published? 

I wrote a book. Then I bought a wonderful resource, The Children's Writers and Illustrator's Marketplace, which lists the contact information for hundreds of children's publishers and literary agents. I also joined The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustratorsand joined a wonderful online writers community. After doing some research, I sent out a bunch of one page query letters, pitching the book I'd written to publishers. And then I wrote another book, and did the same. Wash, rinse, repeat. I started submitting my senior year of high school, and eventually landed a fabulous agent, who sold Golden a few days before my twenty-first birthday.

Do you get decide when a book comes out? 

No. That decision is completely up to my publisher!

Do you get to choose your covers? 

I'm usually able to give some input to my editor about what I'd like a given cover to look like. Sometimes I have a really image in my mind, and sometimes, I just have some much more general suggestions. Regardless, I'm lucky enough to have a cover designer who designs better covers than I ever could, and ultimately, the covers are her designs, not mine.

Do you get to decide whether or not a book has a sequel? 

Yes and no. I get to decide whether or not I want to write a sequel, but then my publisher has to decide whether or not they want topublish that sequel. If I want to write it, but there's no one to publish it and get it out to you guys, I move on to another project - even if I really, really love each of my current series.

MISCELLANEOUS 

I'm applying to college. How do I get into Yale? 

Honestly, getting in to college is always a bit of a crap shoot. The best advice I can give you is to know yourself well enough to know what you really love doing. Make sure your activities reflect what you're passionate about, and find a way to reflect that passion in your application. I also highly recommend writing an application essay that gives the admissions committee an idea of your personality, rather than telling them about something you've done. I wrote one of mine on singing in the car.

Do you see auras? 

No, but after writing from Lissy's perspective, I'm pretty good at deciding what color someone's aura would be in the Goldenverse.

Were you raised by wolves? 

No. My parents are fully human and altogether lovely. But for a while, I did grow up as the only girl around a LOT of boys, which is something that the narrator of Raised By Wolves and I have in common.

Are you a vampire/robot/superhuman/alien? 

I must give off some really weird vibes, because I get asked this all the time. But rest assured - I do solemnly swear that I am at least mostly human.

Is it true that your hair is evil? How much evil can you keep in your hair? 

This is just a vicious rumor, started by some of my fellow YA authors, who like to tell people that you can gauge how evil I am by how big my (curly, somewhat out of control) hair gets. In reality, while my hair is quite big, I am not evil at all. Promise.

If you could have any super power, what would it be? 

Transmogrification - the ability to change an object of one kind into an object of another. As in, you wave your hand over a piece of gum and turn it into, for example, a really cool purse or a box of chocolates or whatever else you want it to be. I am a firm believer that this is the most incredible super power known to man - especially if you assume that you can shapeshift by transmogrifying yourself.

What are your favorite television shows? 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Veronica Mars, Firefly, Everwood, Roswell, Grey's Anatomy, Bones, Party of Five, Bewitched, the X-Men cartoon (old school), Make It or Break It, and Life Unexpected.

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Velvet by Temple West

Synopsis:

First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.

After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.

Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart? 

CAITLIN IS YOUR TYPICAL ORPHAN:

...pissed off and grieving. After her mother dies of bone cancer, she's uprooted to Stony Creek, a pitiful excuse for a town in the rural mountains of upstate New York. Stuck living on her aunt and uncle's struggling horse ranch, Caitlin vows to simply survive until she graduates high school. Then, it's on to New York and wrangling a scholarship at The Fashion Institute so she can become a designer and start her own line.

But shortly after arriving in Stony Creek, a freak storm sets her on a dangerous path: right in the middle of vampires, demons, and age-old secrets. The only person she can trust? Adrian, the vampire who rescued her. Problem is, he has to pretend to be her boyfriend in order to keep his status as her personal bodyguard under wraps. And in a small town, it's not long before some secrets get real big. 

BOOK SPECIFICATIONS:

WORDS

114,000

LANGUAGE

English

RELEASE DATE

May 12, 2015

PUBLISHER

Swoon Reads (Macmillan)

FORMAT

paperback, eBook

AWESOMENESS LEVEL

Super Awesome

GENRE

YA paranormal romance

UNOFFICIAL THEME SONG

"Alone" by Braverhalf

ISBN-10

1250057086

ISBN-13

978-125005708

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22561320-velvet?from_search=true

Review:

Holy Vampires and Demons!

I loved this book so much. I had so much fun reading it and when I came to the end I wanted to keep reading and wished I had book two to read because lordy lordy I need more of Caitlin and Adrian.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is "First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love."

Caitlin Holte has had a great life until her mother dies from cancer. When she is left parentless she is sent to live with her aunt and uncle who live in a small country on a ranch. Caitlin is horrified because she has never been on a ranch and she has never met her aunt or uncle. All she wants to do is graduate high school and go to college in New York for Designers.

As if her world is not turned upside down already she encounters a supernatural being who wants her. She is saved by her hot neighbor Adrian. She thanks him for saving her and that is when her world really turns upside down because Adrian tells her he needs to protect her and they need to come up with a plan for them to always be together. So Adrian tells her they will tell people they are dating. 

The only problem is is that Caitlin is falling in love with Adrian and Adrian tells Caitlin he can not date humans because he is a demon vampire and it is forbidden to be with humans. Plus he reveals to Caitlin that the person who wants her is his demon father. 

What will happen to Caitlin and Adrian? Will his father get what he wants...... or will Caitlin get what she wants Adrian.......

Author:

The debut author of the YA paranormal romance Velvet is as nerdy in real life as she is on the Twitter. Armed with a very shiny English degree, she spent four months in Oxford holed up at the Radcliffe Camera amongst the hush of ancient books and the rich musk of academia. Returning to Los Angeles, she acquired a concurrent degree in film, mostly as an excuse to write essays about The Princess Brideand Hook. She can sew (poorly), drive stick (please fasten your seatbelt), and mostly lift her feet off the ground while stuttering into first gear on a very small motorcycle. She currently lives in Seattle and is the proud mother to a one-year-old laptop and a vintage Remington typewriter.

Check out the footer to find her on Swoon Reads, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter. Or you can pre-order her book, if you're into pre-ordering AWESOME THINGS.

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

Synopsis:

*People would kill to be thin.*

Solu’s luxurious celebrity-filled “Cruise to Lose” is billed as “the biggest cruise since the Titanic,” and if the new diet sweetener works as promised—dropping five percent of a person’s body weight in just days—it really could be the answer to the world’s obesity problem. But Laurel is starting to regret accepting her friend Viv’s invitation. She’s already completely embarrassed herself in front of celebrity host, Tom Forelli (otherwise known as the hottest guy ever!) and she’s too seasick to even try the sweetener. And that’s before Viv and all the other passengers start acting really strange.

*But will they die for it, too?*

Tom Forelli knows that he should be grateful for this job and the opportunity to shed his childhood “Baby Tom-Tom” image. His publicists have even set up a ‘romance’ with a sexy reality star. But as things on the ship start to get a bit wild, he finds himself drawn to a different girl. And when his celebrity hosting gig turns into an expose on the shocking side effects of Solu, it’s Laurel that he’s determined to save.

Emmy Laybourne, author of the Monument 14 trilogy, takes readers on a dream vacation that goes first comically, then tragically, then horrifyingly, wrong. 

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18657784-sweet?from_search=true

Review:

Skinny is in and fat is out......

You find out from your friend their is a pill that can be a cure to obesity. All you have to do is go on a cruise and be a tester to see how much weight you lose. Your friend is excited and she wants you to come along and enjoy the cruise as well as the chance to lose the extra weight you have.

Only when you get on the cruise ship things don't go as planned. You realize the hottest guy who is the host is the man of your dreams. Then your best friend starts taking the medicine and starts acting weird. At first you think it is sea sickness just like you have but then you realize that it is more than that and need to find out what is happening to all the people who have taken this medicine.

Then you get a big surprise when the host comes to aide you. He has also realized that something is going on and it is not right and e is ready to expose what ever it is and who ever it is.

Will the passengers be saved in time.......

SHORT BIO:

Emmy Laybourne is a novelist, public speaker, screenwriter and former character actress.

Photo: Fernando Lopez

Emmy Laybourne is a novelist, screenwriter and former character actress. Emmy’s Monument 14 trilogy has earned critical praise ("Frighteningly real… riveting" - New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice) and has been nominated by readers to the YALSA Teens Top Ten in 2013 and and won the #5 spot in 2014. Emmy’s book SWEET is due out in June 2015. It tells the story of a luxury cruise to launch a new diet sweetener that goes comically, then tragically, then terrifyingly wrong.

Before her life as an author, Emmy performed original comedy on Comedy Central, MTV and VH1; and acted in the movies "Superstar," "The In-Laws" and "Nancy Drew," among others. Emmy lives outside New York City with her husband, two kids and a flock of 6 nifty chickens.

LONG BIO:

Well hello there! Thank you for settling in for the long version of my bio! We're going to have fun.

Mugging for the camera at age 10.

I was born in the ancient year of 1971. I grew up in Manhattan. I was a goofball. In this picture you can see me with my best friend Kerry. Still my BFF, BTW and my darling little brother, Sam. (More on him later.) My parents had just about the coolest jobs you could imagine. My Dad was a TV producer and my Mom was an executive at Nickelodeon. To tell you the truth, she sort of invented Nickelodeon. You can read about her here onWikipedia. And you can check out my some of my Dad's incredibly cool work over here.

I started writing at a very young age. The first short story I wrote was about a male alien named Grog. He was sending out a rescue plea because he'd just mated with his wife and she was about to kill him and eat him (praying mantis style).

Here I am the daisy chain in 1991.

I went to Vassar college (class of '93!) and majored in English with a focus in creative writing. After graduating, I got a job as a PA for Comedy Central. It was there that I met Randy Sklar, who would later turn me on to the incredible comedy scene on the lower east side.

In the meantime, while not at Comedy Central I was doing improv with a comedy troupe called Freestyle Repertory Theatre. We did school shows all around NY state. I learned a LOT about telling a good story at these shows. This was because if you didn't tell a good story, the kids would start throwing stuff at you.

I'm at the bottom, with my pals from Freestyle Repertory Theater.

Somewhere along the line, I partnered up with Julina Tatlock (my best friend Kerry's older sister) and we created a play together. At first it was going to be an improvised play, but we quickly realized someone needed to write it, so I did. It was called “The Miss Alphabet City Beauty Pageant and Spelling Bee." The New York Post said it, “restores faith in our country’s comedic future.” The Daily News called it, “hilariously clever.” You can imagine - we were PSYCHED!

My next play was a one women show called “Smorgas-Bourne.” In the show, the audience members were given a menu of sketches and they got to pick which ones they wanted to see. One night Lorne Michaels, yes, THE Lorne Michaels, came to see it and a few months later I was cast in a big, fat, leading role in the Paramount feature film, “Superstar,” opposite Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon. I cannot express in words how incredibly fun it was to film that movie! I can only express it in bad dance moves while wearing fake braces.

Incredibly fun!

One night Will Ferrel, Harland Williams and I sat in with Second City in Toronto for an improv set. Maybe one of the most fun nights of my life!

A selfie: Delta Burke and moi 

Me, my manager Maureen Taran and The Rock! (He was guest starring on DAG)

After shooting "Superstar" I moved to Los Angeles. I went on to have featured roles in the films “Nancy Drew,” “The In-Laws,” and “Lucky Numbers.” Then I booked a job on a great, but short-lived NBC sitcom called “DAG.” On that show, also terrifically fun, I got to work with David Allen Grier, Delta Burke, Paul F. Tompkins, Lea Moreno Young, Lauren Tom and the departed and dearly beloved Stephen Dunham, who we all miss quite a lot. 

Now, all through my life as an actor I was writing and performing my own comedy sketches as well as improvising. I loved writing sketches and when I lived in NYC I'd often write a sketch or a song in the morning and perform it that evening. Imagine the rush! That was in the glory days of the lower east side comedy scene, where we all gathered every Monday night to perform (and to hear Marc Maron rant and rave) at Luna Lounge. Somebody really should write a book about that incredible scene. Maybe me, someday. My favorite piece I wrote during that time was a song I sang with my brother, Sam, called: “We’re Related.” It's not on You Tube, but you can find it here.

As I said, all the time I was acting, I was also improvising and I've worked with some of the best: the Upright Citizens Brigade, Improv Olympic West, Chicago City Limits, Freestyle Repertory Theater and (my always favorites) the Heartless Floozies. In fact, my advice if you want to be an actor is to immediately get in a good improv class. Then, when you've got a few years under your belt on a Harold team, an agent will literally find you. (I forgot to mention, you probably need to move to NY, Chicago or LA for this plan to work...) Okay, on with my life!

My Harold group from IO West. I think we were called "Hardhat". Yes, that is Eric Stonestreet in the back!

After I got married and had kids, I decided I didn't want to act anymore. Friends, it was the auditioning. It was killing me. I just could not handle the auditioning. 

Here I am on graduation day with my mom and dad and daughter Ellie, age 3 years old. Also pictured, sort of, my son Rex, age -3 months.

So I decided to turn to the writer in me. I applied to the film school at UCLA and ended up getting an MFA in screenwriting in June of 2006. While at UCLA, I won the Eleanor Perry Award for Excellence in Screenwriting from Women in Film for my screenplay, “Tulum.” I feel like I have to mention this because I haven't won many things in my life. Well, I did win $500 on New Year's Eve in a casino in Marrakesh, but that's a different story. 

After I graduated from UCLA, I was just about to try to make my debut as a screenwriter, but my hubby got the chance to attend the Parsons School of Design. We moved to New York, and instead of trying to launch a screenwriting career, I took my good friend Susanna Einstein out to lunch. Susanna also happens to be an exceedingly excellent literary agent and I took the opportunity to pitch her 5 story ideas. One of them was about 14 kids who get trapped in a superstore while civilization collapses outside the gates. I called it: WE ARE VAL-U-MART. Susanna said, "I love the concept. I hate the title!" And that's how I started working on the novel that became MONUMENT 14.

In 2013, MONUMENT 14 was nominated for a YALSA Teen's Top Ten award and was a Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers. And SKY ON FIRE won the #5 spot in the YALSA Teen's Top Ten in 2014. (This is the third thing I've won, besides the UCLA prize and the $500 in a casino on New Year's Eve in Marakkesh.) 

In March of 2015, I brought my two careers together in a new project called Spine Out. Spine Out is a live, stage event where novelists read personal essays. Ah, it's so much fun! Our first show featured Leigh Bardugo, Matt de la Peña, David Levithan, RL Stine and myself and it was simply a terrific show!

Happy, happy novelists!

In June of 2015, my new novel SWEET will come out! I'm very excited about it. I'm not going to tell you about it here, because you can read about it on its very own page, but I will tell you that I've had a lifelong battle with sugar addiction - and SWEET is partially based on my own experience battling food cravings.

Friends, here we are at the end of my bio. Nowadays, I'm either writing a novel, adapting my work for the screen, speaking at schools and/or libraries, or just, you know, hanging out and taking goofy pictures. Thanks for reading the long version. I feel we've grown closer together, don't you?