Spirit of the Northwoods
by Auria Jourdain
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Young Adult
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BLURB:
Struggling to settle
into a new school, junior Shannon Colfax finds herself entangled in a feud with
popular football jock Brent Duray after he bullies her autistic twin brother,
Shane. After an unlikely savior comes to her rescue—Brent’s friend, Cody
Williams—the jock and his entourage devise an immediate retaliation plan: Duray
promises to leave Shane alone if Shannon and Cody survive the infamous Paulding
Light Challenge on Halloween night. Desperate for vindication, they take the
dare...but are the local legends truly paranormal, or are they dealing with
something more sinister?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
Two:
Shannon frowned as Cody ran his fingers through his hair
nervously. “What is it?”
With a dismissive wave, Cody hardened his gaze. “Nothing. I
thought I saw something. Gotta keep a sharp eye out in the woods this time of
year. Wolves and such...”
Shannon gasped, wringing her hands in worry. “Wolves?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. We might as well head back to
the truck since we lost the— wait a minute…what the hell is that?” Without
explanation, Cody sprinted off the road into the dark, dense forest.
“Cody! Don’t leave me here!” Shannon ran after him,
desperate to keep up. She finally traced his light to a large grove of hemlocks
where Cody stood immobile in shock.
“Stop...”
He held his hand up and glanced at the ground. All of a
sudden, fear gripped Shannon, and she began to scream. Shushing her, Cody
clapped his hand over her mouth, pulling her close. His heartbeat pulsed
against her lips. He’s just as scared as I am! With a grim nod, he finally
released her and knelt to the ground, taking stock of the devastating sight in
front of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
An avid reader
from an early age, Auria Jourdain has fond childhood memories of spending quiet
afternoons with a book in her hand. She loved the "happily ever
after" sweet teen romances, and when she came of age, she plunged into the
world of historical romance with fervor, transporting herself to a bygone time.
Her favorites were Regency, but as a girl brought up in a common home, she was
disheartened that most of the novels of this era focus on the nobility and
wealth. Auria set out to write her own romance, encompassing her passion for
French Revolutionary history and her innate sense of goodwill for the common
man. An idealist at heart, she writes heroes and heroines that struggle to find
acceptance in their world.
To go along
with this theme, two years ago, Auria wrote a Young Adult novel during
NaNoWriMo for her 17 year old autistic son who is struggling to make his own
way in the world. Looking to educate people about this mysterious disorder, she
wrote Spirit of the Northwoods for him and set it in their hometown in the
Upper Peninsula. Her release coincides with Autism Awareness month, April 2016,
and all proceeds for this novel will be donated to the Autism Society of
America. Auria hopes that someday we can break down the social barriers and
forgo stereotypical judgments that harm our world so that people like her son
can form positive relationships with others.
Auria lives in
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with her husband of twenty years, her four
children (ages eight to eighteen), and two golden retrievers. A rather new
transplant to the area, she loves the changing of the seasons, and she is
currently working on a contemporary romantic suspense trilogy set in her rough
and rugged homeland. Silence the Northwoods is set at a local ski resort in her
hometown of Ironwood, Michigan—the ski capital of the Midwest. Silence the Waters
takes place during the summer on the dangerous river ways that flow into Lake
Superior in the Keweenaw Peninsula; and Silence the Birchwoods is an autumn
tale set on Sugar Loaf Mountain, near Marquette, Michigan. All three involve
murder, mystery, and romance, of course.
Auria spends
her the long winters plotting and scheming her next book, and in the mild
summers, she and her husband devote every waking moment hiking and kayaking the
Northwoods. An amateur photographer, she lives fifteen miles from the shores of
Lake Superior, and her muse has been piqued by the awe-inspiring beauty that
surrounds her. Although she hasn’t officially acquired “Yooper” status yet, she
can’t envision living anywhere else.
Find me here!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Auria
Jourdain will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via
rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteWhich of your characters do you feel more connected to? why?
ReplyDeleteHi there, Mai! I love your questions, and I thank you for following me on my blog tour:D Let's see...no matter what book I write, I seem to get attached to my hero and heroine. Oftentimes, I become attached to my secondary characters as well, and they end up with a story of their own. In this book, I even connected with one of the protagonists, Brent Duray. People--especially kids--often lash out because of things happening in their lives, and every one of the characters in this book have something major going on behind the scenes that sort of drives their behavior. Shannon and Shane are dealing with moving to a new state and school; always the geek, Shannon's looking to start a new chapter in her life and try to break out of her shell. Because he's autistic, Shane always struggles. Change is very difficult for autistic people, and he hasn't adjusted very well to his mother's work schedule or his new school. Both Shannon and Shane have to deal with the fact that their father doesn't want much to do with them, either. Cody's father is the county sheriff (his mother died of breast cancer when he was 12), and he has to tread lightly around his friends that don't know exactly what to say to him because of these things. It's no surprise that he and Shannon mesh. Having gone through his own set of troubles, he understands their plight, and he's got a sense of justice running through him. It was only natural for him to come to their rescue. Brent, the jock that torments Shane (in the beginning, at least), also has a lot of stress. He's under a lot of pressure to be the best from his father, an influential lawyer and politician in town. He's actually insecure beneath it all, and he releases that stress the only way he knows how: by trying to make himself feel big by others feel small. Don't get me wrong: I'm not condoning bullying in any way, shape, or form; but I do believe that sometimes the people who try to drag us down have their own problems, and I've always tried to explain that to my son. It's hard to place yourself in the bully's shoes -- you immediately want to hate them. But, if you walk in their shoes--and vice versa--it's easier to empathize with them. My son's bully certainly had issues. He had a difficult time forgiving him, of course. As a parent, it hurt me to see my son ridiculed. But, I can also step back and forgive the other kid, especially knowing how difficult his life was. My son has a loving family that will always have his back--that kid has had to take life on all by himself. Hopefully this book conveys how important it is to treat everyone with kindness. Sometimes the people who need it most are crying out for help in ways that kids/teens can't understand. Awesome question, Mai!!
Delete~Auria~
Good morning everyone! Thanks so much to T's Stuff for hosting me today:D I'm excited to be here to talk about my new YA release, Spirit of the Northwoods. My usual genre is historical romance, but I wanted to write a novel for my 17 year old autistic son. This was my first attempt at Young Adult, and I loved every minute of it! Set in my hometown in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, it was a lot easier to write about things that I see on a daily basis or have experienced firsthand. This book has a little bit of everything: murder/mystery, teen issues like bullying, a sweet romance, and even some paranormal. I'd love to answer any questions you might have, so ask away! I'll be in and out all day:D
ReplyDelete~Auria~
Thanks for sharing the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Victoria:D Thanks for joining me again today :D
Delete~Auria~
Sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThanks Becky:) So glad you could stop by today;)
Delete~Auria~
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BOOK AND TOUR! THANKS FOR THE GIVEAWAY! SHELLEY S. calicolady60@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteHi Shelley! Thanks for joining me again today:D Good look in the giveaway!
Delete~Auria~
I enjoyed reading the excerpt. This book sounds like such an interesting and intriguing read. Looking forward to checking out this book.
ReplyDeleteHi Ally! Thanks so much! So glad you could join me again today;)
Delete~Auria~
Good Morning, have a terrific Friday and thank you for the chance to win this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, James! Thanks for stopping by! Good luck in the giveaway;)
Delete~Auria~
Sounds like a nice read
ReplyDeleteI have added this book to my TBR list and look forward to reading this book!
ReplyDelete