Monday, July 14, 2014

Innocents- Dusty #1 by Mary Elizabeth

 MARY ELIZABETH


 Writing stories about the skeletons hanging in your closets



Author Bio


Mary Elizabeth is an up and coming author who finds words in chaos, writing stories about the skeletons hanging in your closets. Known as The Realist, she is one half of The Elizabeths—a duo brave enough to never hide the truth. Her anticipated co-written debut novel, Innocents (Dusty #1), will be released July 14, 2014. Inspired by the broken lyrics of a single song and the idea that monsters have softer sides, “Dusty” was originally posted for free and had been read over a million and a half times. Working day and night, she hopes that the published edition will be just as loved. 

Mary was born and raised in Southern California. She is a wife, mother of four beautiful children, and dog tamer to one enthusiastic Pit Bull and a prissy Chihuahua. She’s a hairstylist by day but contemporary fiction, new adult author by night. Mary can often be found finger twirling her hair and chewing on a stick of licorice while writing and rewriting a sentence over and over until it’s perfect. She discovered her talent for tale-telling accidentally, but literature is in her chokehold. And she’s not letting go until every story is told. 

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”—Jeremiah 17:9


Links


Novels
Innocents (Dusty #1)



The girl with an innocent heart knows all about bad choices, but has yet to make them for herself. Searching for freedom, she finds it in the delinquent down the hall. 

The troublemaker with summer-sky blue eyes knows he should stay away but can’t resist the blissful wonder who makes his house a home.

She’s a hopeless romantic. He’s just hopeless.

She’s his reason, but he might not catch her when she falls.

She loves him. He loves her crazy.

This is what happens when a love made of secrets is kept with rules instead of promises.

Available 7/14/14


Low
Branded: A Bad Boys Anthology


B.L. Wilde, Jeanne McDonald, Jo Matthews, Mary Elizabeth, and Sarah Elizabeth give us five good reasons why good girls love bad boys. The men of Branded are sexy, adventurous, and troubled deep into their souls. There may be no redeeming them, but at the risk of losing everything, these good girls must decide if loving their bad boy is indeed worth the cost.

Available 8/23/2014


 
Delinquents (Dusty #2)
Available 10/23/2014


Closer
Available 2015



Excerpts

An excerpt from Innocents (Dusty #1)

Thomas leans down and kisses the side of my throat, running his hand up the back of my white dress. He tugs the hair at the nape of my neck. “What did you do while I was gone?” he asks, his voice calm as tension rolls through him.
I laugh sorrowfully in his arms. “You mean, who was I with when you took off for over a month?”
Thomas groans in my ear, pulling my hair a little harder. He tightens his fingers into a fist and presses his nose to my jaw. “I swear to God.” He breathes. “I’ll kill him.”
I grip onto his arm and dig my nails into his skin. The bricks stacked higher every night he was gone, and like that, I crumble.
“No one,” I say, moving my hand underneath his chin. Forcing him to look at me, I hold Thomas by his face.
This isn’t the boy I grew up loving; this is a man who brings me along for his ride.
“Because I love you.” I refuse to allow fear into my voice. “Because I love you, nobody else will ever touch me. Even though you are constantly touched.”
He closes his eyes, shaking his head with a small smirk. We’re still pressed near. I can feel his words on my skin. “I haven’t been with anyone.”
My heart cracks, and I hate him for this.
His eyes open, and I miss blue.
Thomas’ grip on my hair loosens, but he gathers me completely to his chest. I’m held until everything I’ve heard and felt, wondered and worried, decided and became in his absence, dissipates. He holds me until there is nothing between us but my dress and his shirt.
Love is fucked-up, but love is all there is.
Thomas flattens his right hand against the small of my back, pressing and keeping me close. He drags his nose slowly up the side of mine and kisses my top lip.
“Come with me,” he whispers.
I breathe in his words, and when I exhale my reply, it’s easy.
“Okay,” I say.
And it doesn’t feel a thing like falling.


An excerpt from Low

There’s a choice to make.
I can shelter my mother and little sister for another month, or I can fill the refrigerator with food. White skinned in a mostly black neighborhood, bordered by LA’s dirtiest gang bangers and junkies, living homeless on the streets of Inglewood isn’t an option for my girls; they’re narrowly sheltered from drive-bys and police beatings in the piece of shit house we rent as it is.
With a half-gallon of milk, some frozen burritos, and a pack of Ramen noodles, Mom and Ginny won’t starve in the week until the food stamp card rebalances. Turning over every dime I’ve made, mowing lawns and trimming hedges in the last month, to the impatient landlord is a simple decision.
But I’m hungry, and I don’t want an icy bean and cheese burrito.
“Take the hood off.”
The bell above the swing door jingles as I pass under. Dimly lit by the dusty florescent lights above, the air is thick with the scent of lavender incense and stale tobacco. An older man with dark brown skin and dark black hair eyes me suspiciously under bushy eyebrows from behind the counter.
I do as he requests and push back my hood, exposing my entire face and a head of sweat-sticky blond hair.
“Sorry,” I mumble, keeping my head down to avoid eye contact.
The bottom of my worn tennis shoes stick to the tacky linoleum floor. A fly buzzes past my sunburned ear, sending chills down my right arm. I swat at the hovering insect as a bead of warm sweat dips down the back of my overheated neck.
“What are you looking for?” the store clerk asks in a thick Mexican accent. A TV on his side of the counter blares some sports game; he turns it down.
“Nothing, man,” I say as I walk down a food aisle.
“We close in two minutes. Hurry up and get what you need.” The volume goes back up.
Bullshit, I think to myself. It’s summertime, not much past eight o’clock in South Central. This joint will be open all night to serve the whores and hustlers who occupy every corner down Manchester.
Even crooks get thirsty.


Reviews for Innocents (Dusty #1)

Kellie- Eye Candy Bookstore- 5 stars
I loved it beyond measure. The kids are 12 and 14 when this story begins and 15 and 17 when it ends so it is by no means full of erotic sex and adult behaviors, but the relationships, the fighting inner demons, the finding their own independence, the coming into their own- knowing who they are and what they want....so real, so true to life, so scary to witness if you have teenagers (LOL!) but so very bad ass. One of the best books I have ever read.

Dusty and Bliss are two of the very best characters I have ever read in a book. Promises have been made to the authors that we would not spoil the book for you so you aren't getting much outta me, but you will not read this and not love it. If you do, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you. Lol! You will love Bekka too- that chick is batty but awesome and someone every girl wishes they had as a best friend. She's the banana Popsicle and smashed chocolate cake to Bliss and I just adored her. 

I cannot wait for part two, Dusty has some inner demons to battle, but I have high hopes for the ending, as it just HAS to play out like I want it to. ;) Highly recommend and five stars is not even enough to cover how much I adored this book. <3 kellie="" span="">


Jun 28, 14

5 of 5 stars
Read on June 28, 2014

This book is everything I imagined it would be, and more. A deep portrayal of those first real life experiences that all play a pivotal part and shape who we become. A tale of friendship, family, love, innocence, confusion, bad choices, heartache and everything else in-between.

Dusty Innocents is that step back in time, as we experience all those firsts all over again in the voice of a young girl and an adolescent boy, whom due to a three year age gap hide the escalating feelings they hold for one another. Hormonal, confused and scared, the effects of keeping a secret so tight lead to both characters taking different paths that ultimately still lead back to each other. A fork in the road, one that is selfless and forgiving, the other destructive and dangerous.

Bliss and Dusty are opposites, yet two sides of the same coin. Love is beautiful as much as it is painful and for these two kids, it is certainly never going to be easy.

A beautifully written and deeply compelling story that will have you turning the pages well into the night. A must read!!!

Jun 29, 14

5 of 5 stars
Read on June 29, 2014

My dear God! This book is just... It's just... Raw, and emotional... And soooooo intense. It's painfully sweet and rash and heartbreakingly beautiful... I loved this... I cannot wait for the next book...


Elizabeth Todd's review 
Dec 05, 13

5 of 5 stars
bookshelves: i-m-seeing-stars 

I can't even begin to explain what this story means to me. This story is my childhood, my teenage-hood, and my new found adulthood. I've never felt so strongly about a book before, ever. Innocents being published is going to be one of the best things that happens to me in my life, to love a story this much and to see the authors work so hard to make it a reality is truly something so inspiring that it'll bring you to tears. When I first read this fan fiction, it left me absolutely starry-eyed, I had never cried so hard in my life. Bliss is my inner goddess and I feel like I relate to her so well, and the imagery that the authors create for you will literally feel surreal and you'll find yourself experiencing so many ranges of emotions, you'll be experiencing love through a someone else's mind; It hits you so hard with waves of nostalgia, you'll feel like you'll explode. I have never been so passionate about virtually anything. Dusty was written for me, Dusty was written so everyone could read and understand how precious growing up is, Dusty was written so everyone would understand that Love can easily break you just as much as it can make you feel amazing. I will forever love Dusty, and all that's it about. Most beautiful writing I've ever experienced and my utmost respect to The Elizabeths.

Thank you so much.


Brittany Rochelle's review 
Jun 28, 14

5 of 5 stars
bookshelves: arcfavoriteshighly-recommended 
Read from June 27 to 28, 2014

WOW! WOW! WOW! My mind is blown. I have no words. The writing is beautiful. The story is heart-breaking and brilliant and real. ALL THE FEELS! I'm speechless and I have no clue how the crap I am going to write a full review of this for the blog tour. My heart fucking hurts. It has never hurt this much and I've read my fair share of emotional books.



Dear Mary, 

As you're writing this, you're two weeks away from the release date of your very first book. You—the girl who's always done everything a little backward and a little wrong. You—the one who has had the odds against you. You—an introvert with next to zero social skills. 

You. 

You're tired, anxious, overwhelmed, and scared, but you're also unbelievably proud of what you've managed to accomplish despite the difficulty. It's hard for you to believe you've contributed to the literary world, and the literary world seems to embrace you. 

You. 

This time last year, publishing was a goal, just not one within reach. But second chances happen, and when you got yours, you took it and ran. Your dream coming true, more brilliant than you ever imagined, is what pushes you to work through your anxiety and fear. Looking into the faces of your family members who have more belief in you than you have in yourself, allows you to feel safe despite how frightened you are. 

There are people all over the world who anxiously wait for what you have to offer, but they take the load off by promoting and encouraging and supporting you. Their help makes things a little less overwhelming. 

Your nails are bitten down. You're pulling your hair out at a too-steady pace. Your head is pounding. The kitchen is a mess, you haven't taken a shower today, and all you want to do is go to bed ... but your heart is threaded and weaved through Dusty. So even though your knees ache, your house is a mess, and you really need to wash your hair, you stay in front of your computer in order to make your heart beat strong. 

Successful or not, on July 14th, you will have done everything in your power to make your words, your characters, and your story known. You'll go to bed the night of July 14th and sleep well, accomplished. And then you'll wake up on July 15th and start the next book. 

That's your deal. 

Sincerely,

post signature

No comments:

Post a Comment