As a young hunter seeks a trainer, The Chosen prepare for an unforgettable adventure.
With Nature and Phantasma back in order, Halli and Silvor have settled into their new life in Drumple. During a visit from Striker, Kaidyla and Lumina, a request from an old friend of Halli’s family sparks a new challenge when she asks Striker if he’ll train their young son, Dylan. Working with Dylan gives Striker a chance to be a mentor once again, as he had been in his past.
This brings The Chosen to an area of Phantasma Halli has never seen before. What new dangers might be lurking in the forest? Will Halli have a reason to use her powers?
But Halli and Silvor are facing a new journey of their own, one that will change their lives forever. What is in store for The Chosen’s future? Will this latest escapade prepare them for what is yet to come?

Coming soon to an eBook store near you

Andrea Buginsky is a freelance writer with a BA in Mass Communication-Journalism from the University of South Florida. She has always wanted to be a published writer, and decided to try to write children’s fantasy books. The Chosen is her first book, and was released on December 14, 2010, to her delight.

Andrea has written five more books since:

• My Open Heart, an autobiography of growing up with heart disease.
• Nature’s Unbalance: The Chosen, Book 2
• Striker’s Apprentice: The Chosen, Book 3 (coming soon)
• Destiny: New Avalon, book 1, a YA fantasy
• Fate: New Avalon, book 2, a YA fantasy

She is currently writing the fourth book in The Chosen series.
Andrea lives in Kansas with her family, which includes her two precious puppies.
You can visit Andrea on her website or Google+

It’s time to bring author Andrea Buginsky back to my blog as she launches the next installment of her Avalon Series, Fate: New Avalon, Book 2. But first Andrea discusses her thoughts on social media, and more specifically, my favorite, Pinterest! Then, read an excerpt from the book, watch the trailer, check out her tour dates. and much more below!

Pinterest

by Andrea Buginsky

Social media is a huge part of our lives. We’re all on at least one medium or another. Facebook, Twitter, G+…you name it, someone you know is probably even on it, as well as you yourself. I’ve used several social media sites over the years, concentrating specifically on Facebook and Twitter. But lately, I’ve been using Pinterest a lot. And I love it.

I’ve had a Pinterest account for several years now, and pinned websites, pictures, and other material to it occasionally, but not as much as I see others use it. Then, a few months ago, I got the new iPhone. When I was choosing my apps to load on it, I decided to add Pinterest. Now, I can’t get enough of it. I have so much fun sitting in front of the TV scrolling through the pins and selecting the ones I want to add to my boards. I enjoyed it so much when I started that I went back to my profile to clean up some boards, rearranging them, adding new ones, and deleting unnecessary ones. Now, I love my profile! It screams “ANDI!”

The best part about using Pinterest is the unlimited amount of boards and pins you can add. I can keep creating new boards as I find pins that don’t fit on my existing boards, and give my followers something new to see on my profile.

I also love the interaction. Although I don’t use the messenger feature much, I do love seeing who’s pinning which of my pins and following my boards. I love sending pins to my friends that I think they’ll love.  And I love receiving pins from my followers who know how much I’ll love them.

Pinterest is so much more than a social media outlet. It’s a playground. I love coming to the playground!

Follow me on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/andreabuginsky/

Fate: New Avalon, book 2

by Andrea Buginsky

Available September 30, 2014

Elena Baxter’s second year at New Avalon may be more challenging than her first. The demons she was warned about show up, a visitor who greatly affects her arrives, and her best friend, Izzy, has to deal with her painful past. Can Elena survive everything that’s coming at her at once? Or will the future Lady of the Lake take on more than she can possibly handle?

Excerpt from Fate:   

In Alchemy the next day, Elena could tell Izzy was still distracted. She never did that well mixing the potions, but she was getting better studying with Elena. Today, however, everything she mixed kept exploding. Elena knew she was still preoccupied with their conversation from the other night.   “Damn!” Izzy coughed as her third attempt to mix the potion exploded in her face.   Elena ran to her side. “Are you all right?”   “Yeah, I’m fine.”   The rest of the class rushed over to make sure everything was OK.   “You alright, Izzy?”   “Yeah, Mia. Just ticked. I can’t get this to work right! Lady Bittle, what am I doing wrong?”   Lady Bittle sifted through the ashes in Izzy’s cauldron. “I don’t think you used the right amount of herbs. Remember, you need to be very careful when tossing each one in. You don’t want to add too much or too little of any herb.”   “I know that! I’m a third-year. I’ve been mixing potions for over two years now. I know I’m not the best at it, but this is ridiculous!”   “Izzy, is everything OK? You know you’re powers are linked to your emotions, and you seem to be in overdrive right now. Perhaps you should stop for the day. I’ll still give you full credit for your attempts.”   Izzy looked like she was about to explode. But a scream from Elena broke her out of her anger.   “What’s wrong?”   “I don’t know…” Elena stood there, holding her head in her hands, nearly collapsing. “It hurts!”   “What hurts, Sweetie?” Mia tried to calm her down, but they were all freaking out over Elena’s outburst.   “My head! It feels like it’s going to explode.”   Lady Bittle rushed to her and took her by the elbow. “I’m going to take her to Isabel. The rest of you can use the remaining class time to work on your own potions, if you’d like. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”   “Wait! I want to go with her.”   “No, Izzy, that’s not a good idea. You’ll see her later, back in your room.”   She led Elena out of the classroom and down the hall to Isabel’s office.   Isabel was waiting for them. She sensed something was wrong, as she always did, and helped Lady Bittle carry Elena to the couch in her office. She gently caressed Elena’s head, her eyes closed, her lips moving.   Finally, Elena calmed down enough and took a deep breath. “What was that?”   “Tell me everything that happened.”   Elena told Isabel about Izzy’s trouble in class and her outburst. “I know she’s been upset lately, but I’ve never seen her like this. She just became infuriated, like she was about to explode!”   “And then you felt like your head was exploding?”   Elena looked at her, shocked. “Yeah, how did you know that?”   Isabel sighed. “Lady Bittle, I’ve got this now. Thank you for bringing her to me. Will you return to the classroom and let the other girls know Elena is just fine?”   Lady Bittle nodded, touching Elena gently on her shoulder. She left her in Isabel’s capable hands and returned to her class.   Isabel gently stroked Elena’s hair. “I think congratulations are in order.”  

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Print  

Tour Dates   September 30: Missuswolf’s Storyland   October 1: Bonnie Trachtenberg   October 2: Sheenah Freitas   October 3: Confessions of a Reader   October 4: Sheila Deeth   October 5: UnorthodoxBlog   October 6: Regan Black   October 7: Emerald Barnes’ Dreaming Awake Blog   October 8: Annamaria’s Writing Corner   October 9: Belinda Witzenhausen   October 9: Ignite Your Creativity   October 9: WriterzBlox   October 10: Martha Emms Cognitive Dreamer   October 11: Teen Books and Other Stuff   October 11: Brandi Breathes Books a Rafflecopter giveaway

Andrea Buginsky is a freelance writer with a BA in Mass Communication-Journalism from the University of South Florida. She has always wanted to be a published writer, and decided to try to write children’s fantasy books. The Chosen is her first book, and was released on December 14, 2010, to her delight.

Andrea has written four more books since:

* My Open Heart, an autobiography of growing up with heart disease.

* Nature’s Unbalance: The Chosen, Book 2

* Destiny: New Avalon, book 1, a YA fantasy

* Fate: New Avalon, book 2, a YA fantasy
She is currently editing the third book of The Chosen series, and writing the fourth. Andrea lives in Kansas with her family, which includes her two precious puppies.

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I’m welcoming Andrea Buginsky back to my blog today because the second book in the New Avalon series will be arriving soon! Here’s a look at the beautiful cover, designed by Natasha Brown. Stay tuned for more on the book from Andrea in the coming days!

Synopsis:

Elena Baxter’s second year at New Avalon may be more challenging than her first. The demons she was warned about show up, a visitor who greatly affects her arrives, and her best friend, Izzy, has to deal with her painful past. Can Elena survive everything that’s coming at her at once? Or will the future Lady of the Lake take on more than she can possibly handle?

Excerpt:

Elena ran through the dark woods, tree branches leaving deep, angry, red scratches on her arms, legs, and face. Her legs were heavy and her feet were cold and damp. The moist dirt of the forest floor began to seep through her shoes. She desperately wanted to look behind her to see if the dark figures were still there, but she dared not, afraid it would slow her down and they would catch up to her.

She kept running; she felt as though her lungs were about to explode and her heart would burst out of her chest at any moment. Cold sweat broke out all over her skin.

Just when she thought she couldn’t run anymore, she reached the edge of a cliff that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Peering through the heavy mist, she realized she had run to one of the far edges of Avalon, and knew the only thing below her was the icy cold ocean.

With nowhere else to go, Elena turned to await the dark figures chasing her. She prepared to use her magic on them, even with the knowledge that the few spells she had learned so far would barely touch her oncoming attackers. She would defend herself – she would not let them see how terrified she was.

As she watched ahead of her, three dark figures appeared, and when they saw her, they came rushing at her. They reached out their hands, casting their own spells faster than she could react to them. As several fireballs headed toward her, Elena began to scream.

Releasing September 30

 
Andrea Buginsky is a freelance writer with a BA in Mass Communication-Journalism from the University of South Florida. She has always wanted to be a published writer, and decided to try to write children’s fantasy books a few years ago. The Chosen is her first book, and was released on December 14, 2010, to her delight.
Andrea has written three more books since:
* My Open Heart, an autobiography of growing up with heart disease.
* Nature’s Unbalance: The Chosen, Book 2
* Destiny: New Avalon, book 1, a YA fantasy
She is currently editing the third book of The Chosen series, and writing the fourth.
 
Andrea lives in Kansas with her family, which includes her two precious puppies.
You can visit Andrea on her website or Google+

I’m so happy to welcome my friend A.R. Silverberry to my blog today! He just released a new book called THE STREAM and it sounds like such an intriguing and enlightening read. I’ve asked him to share the inspiration behind his very imaginative tale…

The Miracle of Now by A.R. Silverberry

Many years ago, when I was in college, I took a class called Eastern Religions and Philosophy. I’ve forgotten most what was taught, except I remember being fascinated as we discussed Buddhism. The professor, a thirty-something, hippie type, said that when Buddhist practitioners meditated, they, “Just sat.” At the time, I really didn’t understand the significance of that. Were they waiting for something to happen? How did this lead to enlightenment? Years later, I got it. There are so many ways to dodge reality. There are the obvious ways, like drugs and alcohol. And there are the subtle ways, like thinking about something else while someone is talking.

The other day, my wife and I dined in our favorite restaurant. At one of the tables sat a family of four. The boy was glued to his iPad. Okay, I get that. All kids are glued to them nowadays. What was striking was the rest of the family. The sister, mom, and dad were focused on their phones. No one talked to each other, let alone acknowledged the presence of the rest of the family. Family day—that special time to share, exchange, bond, and give love—was absent in this family. They were as disconnected as an unplugged phone line.

When we over focus on the past or the future, we miss the miracle of what’s unfolding right before our eyes. The risk is that we go through our lives running from phantoms that don’t exist, or we chase dream after dream, feeling empty and unsatisfied when we arrive at our destination.

For the past twenty-five years, psychologists have turned to the practice of mindfulness, studying the benefits on health, stress reduction, creativity, pain management, better coping, memory, relationship satisfaction, attention, and concentration, to name a few.

But there may be a more compelling reason to practice awareness of what’s unfolding in the here and now. True happiness, happiness that can fill us with a lifetime of joys, is found in each moment of existence. Try this. The next time you’re feeling stressed, turn off your phone, turn off your radio, open your eyes to the wind, the sky, the trees, the air flowing into your lungs. Listen to the song of the birds, of children playing in a park. Open your heart to the miracle of each moment.

Here’s a challenge. But first, a little background. My novel, The Stream, was born during a conversation I was having about how to best cope with the curve balls, even the tragedies life throws at us. Drawing on my background as a psychologist, I suggested that embracing the here and now and developing a sense of gratitude were two powerful responses. The metaphor of a stream came into my mind. In a few hours, the character of Wend, a small boy, alone, defense, trying to understand the ways of the world, popped into my mind. I saw images of him confronting the trials we all face: love, loss, pain, losing your way. In a way, we are all that boy, orphans floating on the flux of life, trying to comprehend the enormity of existence.

Such a boy needed a world that encompassed the enormity of life. What follows is a description of his world. Though it didn’t make it into the novel, it could have. As I leave you, here’s the challenge. How would you cope in such a world? Who would you turn to? What would be important to you? What would you hang on to for a sense of stability and continuity? What would give your life meaning? Feel free to post your responses in the comments section.

If Wend had stopped to think about it, he would have realized that his family, searching for fruit, nuts, and roots, never ventured far from either shore, that travelers never sailed upstream to tell tales of what lay ahead. Except for tacking and voyages of a few miles, his family never ventured upstream either. When he’d asked his father why, he was told, “It’s a law.” Wend must have looked blank because his father told him to jump as high as he could. Wend jumped, and after his feet landed on the ground, his father said, “Now jump as high as the top of the mast.” Wend had laughed, but declared that no one could do that.

“Why not?” his father asked.

“We come down first,” Wend replied.

“It’s a law,” said his father. “And it’s a law that we go that way.”

His father pointed downstream.

If Wend had thought of these things, he would have understood that everyone was tethered to the stream and could only go in one direction. People stopped from time to time, working at abandoned foundries to smelt metal for anchors, chains, and knives, cutting trees to build or repair boats, living in villages, taking over deserted houses like creatures that move into another animal’s shell. They never stayed long, always returning to their boats, always going with the current, always traveling downstream.

Here’s more about The Stream:

What if your world was six miles wide and endlessly long?

After a devastating storm kills his parents, five-year-old Wend awakens to the strange world of the Stream. He discovers he can only travel downstream, and dangers lurk at every turn: deadly rapids, ruthless pirates, a mysterious pavilion that lures him into intoxicating fantasies, and rumor of a giant waterfall at the edge of the world. Defenseless, alone, with only courage and his will to survive, Wend begins his quest to become a man. Will tragic loss trap him in a shadow world, or will he enter the Stream, with all its passion and peril?

Part coming-of-age tale, part adventure, part spiritual journey, The Stream is a fable about life, impermanence, and the gifts found in each moment.

Purchase The Stream:

EBook:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Softback:

Amazon

Follow A. R. Silverberry:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

About A. R. Silverberry:

A. R. Silverberry writes fiction for adults and children. His novel, WYNDANO’S CLOAK, won multiple awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Awards gold medal for Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction. Silverberry, the pen name for psychologist Peter Adler, continues to balance his clinical practice with writing. THE STREAM is his second novel.

I recently introduced a new book by my friend and colleague, YA author Andrea Buginsky. It’s called Destiny. I’m thrilled to have Andrea back to tell us what it was that inspired her to write the book. Welcome back, Andrea!

Thanks, Bonnie! The idea for Destiny came from my love of updates to the King Arthur story. I love the newer movies, such as First Night and Avalon High. But my favorite is Mists of Avalon. This is the only version I’ve seen that focuses primarily on the women of Avalon. I loved the story lines of these women. And so, I was inspired to create my own.

I decided I wanted to create my Avalon in the present time, not the past. So, I came up with a plan to do so, using a modern young girl who struggled to fit in to portray my story. Elena is very near and dear to my heart. She reminds me a lot of me… Writing her character gave me a lot of insight into myself. When she learned of her destiny in the story, I could almost feel exactly what she was feeling. It was very easy to write about her, and develop her character.

Of course, there were times when Elena took me by complete surprise and showed me parts of herself that I wasn’t aware of. But that’s my favorite part of writing: when the characters take over. I ended up totally reworking the plot of the story, and that gave me the ability to create something bigger than I imagined at first: a new series. And several additional characters to go along with the series. I loved getting to know these girls and am looking forward to learning even more about them in future books of the series.

Part of my inspiration for creating these additional characters is the friendship I got to develop between them. I love storylines with a group of friends who are inseparable. I’ve had wonderful friends in my life, some of which are still in my life, and I want to continue to portray that kind of bond in my books. Since I write for teenagers, I feel they too will understand the need for this connection. It’s something I hope each of them has in their own lives.

Destiny is very near and dear to my heart. The inspiration behind it comes from so many places, both inside me and in the wonderful creative world we live in. I truly hope my readers will embrace it as one of their favorites. I know it’s one of mine.

It sounds like a wonderful fantasy! Thanks so much for sharing it with us, Andrea! And readers, don’t forget to enter Andrea’s rafflecopter giveaway and check out the other stops on her blog tour, below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Andrea Buginsky is a freelance writer and author living in Overland Park. “The Chosen,” a middle-grade fantasy novelette, was her first book, and was followed by “My Open Heart,” an autobiography about growing up with heart disease. “Nature’s Unbalance” is the second story in THE CHOSEN series. Andrea is currently working on her new YA fantasy series, “New Avalon.” To learn more about Andrea, visit her on her website.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/Andrea.Buginsky.Author

Twitter: @andreabuginsky

Google+ https://plus.google.com/#117234398007434496419/posts

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/andipandi10/

TO GET YOUR COPY OF DESTINY, CLICK HERE