Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

New trailer is up

Check it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOh99W3ygLQ

Center of Attention

I have four trailers left to be released…..

One will come this week, which are you interested in seeing

More on Lucas
More on Drew
The girls in COLLIDE
or something more generic?

Comment with your request!
A new trailer will be up tomorrow!

Ciao
Angela

Dirty Little Secrets – Teaser Tuesday

In this Teaser Tuesday excerpt from THE PROS AND CONS OF BREATHING, the first day of school has finally arrived–and the secrets begin to unfold. Ariel learns that Liam isn’t the guy she thought he was.

 

Zoey was sitting at a table when I walked into Study Hall. I slammed my books down grabbing her attention.

“Why didn’t you tell me Liam went to our school?” I asked.

She shrugged, “I didn’t think it mattered.”

My jaw dropped, “we hug out for like a month, and you couldn’t mention it?” I said, stammering to speak. “Did you know he played football for Clearwater? Owen pretty much hates him!”

I started pacing, pulling at the root of my hair.

“Listen, Ariel,” she said. I stopped and turned toward her. “I didn’t realize I had to give you a family tree every time I introduced you to someone.”

Liam walked in. I groaned, irritation twisting in me. I stood at the table. He came over and sat across from Zoey, with a cocky grin. Ugh! I was so annoyed. I pivoted away, wishing I had long hair to toss over my shoulder—but it was gone now. I sat beside Devin, continuing to pull at my scalp.

A few tables over, Zoey pinned a few poofy strands back, and adjusted the crystal choker around her neck. It seemed everyone around me was keeping secrets. I was beginning to wonder if anyone told the truth anymore.

 Devin smiled wide, her pearl white teeth shining through the plush pink lip gloss.

“I have the 411 on the new guy,” she said.

I wrinkled my brows, tearing my eyes away from him.

“Lay it on me.”

She hunched forward, causing her dark hair to fall over her tiny, round shoulders.

“He’s an only child, he loves the color blue, he dated some girl two years ago, but they are so over, and apparently, he was expelled from Clearwater,” she said, taking a deep breath.

“Expelled?” the words fell out of my lips, my mind racing. I wondered if it had to do with football and that scholarship to camp he lost.

 “Ouch, new boy is totally macking on you!” she squealed.

My eyes followed hers to where he was sitting. Liam’s book was wide open, and he was looking right at me—those metallic eyes burning my skin. My face felt hot.

“Word on the street—and when I say street, I mean Miss Gordon’s filling cabinet—is that his mom died two years ago,” she said, whispering.

“How?” I asked.

“Cancer,” she said. “I guess she was sick for a while, and he took care of her. Isn’t that sweet?”

I bit down on my lip, and tried to comprehend that kind of pain—the kind that wallowed inside for months, just anticipating the death of someone you love. I couldn’t fathom waiting for my dad to die—taking care of him all those months.

There was so much I didn’t know about Liam and his life. Was he in pain? Did he ever get over it—and if he didn’t, would I? Suddenly his Jekyll and Hyde behavior between me and the world seemed to make sense. It was a defense mechanism, like my drug usage.

“Girlfriend?” I asked.

“No,” she said, flatly.

“Gay?” I asked.

“Definitely not gay,” she said. “Apparently, he’s waiting for something.”

I shook my head, what?

“You learned all this from his file?”

She rolled her eyes laughing, “of course not, silly. I made a call to a friend at Clearwater.”

“You have friends there?” I asked.

 “You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

Thoughts. comments, suggestions?

Ciao
Angela

2nd Collide Trailer is up!

Check it out at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOvmserm3fk

Let me know what you think!!

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk and crashed into Maggie Armstrong. One year later, both teenagers have become outsiders in their small community. Pigeon-holed as “criminal” and “freak,” Caleb and Maggie end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other.

Changing between Maggie and Caleb’s point of views, Leaving Paradise was a slow read. In fact, a book that length usually took me less than a day to pound through. Instead, I shuffled through it for a week or so, bored and not pulled in. I did like Caleb’s point of view though. I enjoyed Ms. Reynolds, and how she forces Caleb and Maggie to face their demons.

Simone does an amazing job creating sympathy for both Caleb and Maggie. I never really saw him as a bad guy. I wanted him to have peace, and still hope he finds it.

Despite not being too crazy about this book, I will read the sequel. The way it ended wasn’t how I wanted it to, but I guess that’s the point, right? To make me come back for more? I’d recommend this one for you to read and make your mind about.

What did you think?

Ciao
Angela Francis

Next Book review….Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

Teaser Tuesday

Here is a teaser from THE PROS AND CONS OF BREATHING. In this excerpt, Ariel goes back to school hoping everyone will forget  about her past with drugs, and rehab. But not everyone is willing to look past it.

By second period blazers were off and ties were loosened. I tossed mine in my bag and released a couple of buttons on the top of my blouse so I was more comfortable. I couldn’t handle listening to everyone gossip about me, so I asked for a hall pass and wandered aimlessly around to a bathroom—but not any bathroom—the one on the third floor way away from the first floor History Wing so it would take forever to get back.

I went into the bathroom. Nikki and Bridget were standing in front of the mirror.

“Wow, look who had the guts to come back,” Nikki said.

“Rehab wasn’t fun enough for you?” Bridget added.

I placed my hands on my hips.

“That was eight months ago, are you really that stuck on the past?” I said.

“No, just your self-destruction,” Nikki said. “Oh, by the way, do you know where we could score some candy cane?”

Bridget snickered, “yeah, I heard you’re still part of the champagne club.”

The laughed, sounding like a group of hens. I should have been nice, walked away, like the shrinks told me to do, but they didn’t know my school. If you didn’t stand your ground they’d devour you.

I swallowed hard, and regained the strength and attitude I needed to do this.

“You know, Bridget, you should pay less attention to me, and more to your boyfriend—who, if I heard correctly is cheating on you with Melody Taylor.”

 Bridget’s jaw dropped.

“Psycho druggie,” Nikki muttered.

I left Bridget stunned. Maybe her boyfriend was cheating on her, maybe he wasn’t, either way, they didn’t have any right to harass me. I glanced behind me as I walked out of the bathroom. As I turned back around, I slammed right into something hard. I stumbled backwards.

His hand latched onto mine, pulling me up into him—our bodies right against each other—so close not even a pea could fit in.

 “We have to stop meeting like this,” Liam said.

My heart started racing. I tried to keep my breathing under control but all I seemed to focus on was his hand clasped around my arm, and his other hand sitting on my waist, it felt heavy – like a weight.

His chest was barely inches away from mine but he didn’t look nervous, like I’m sure I did, instead, he looked, what….amused? I swallowed and tried to open my mouth, praying that whatever came out didn’t make me sound like a complete idiot.

“I’m really not this clumsy.”

I swallowed again, trying to lube my throat so it didn’t sound so scratchy. He smirked.

 “If you say so,” he said, his voice deep and alluring.

His metallic eyes seemed to melt as he gazed into mine. He released my arm and took a step back to put more space between us. He raised his left eyebrow and cocked a smooth smile that made my stomach tighten. As a reflex I went to stuff my hands into my pockets only to remind myself that this stupid skirt didn’t have any.

The moment of attraction passed, at least, I hoped it did. Then I remembered how he acted toward my brother. Did he know we were related when we first met? I mentioned Owen on several occasions. How could he keep that from me?

   “You knew Owen was my brother the whole time, didn’t you?” I asked

 He laughed in a low voice and shook his head gently.

“Maybe,” he said.

I crossed my arms, “Why didn’t you say something?”

 “If you knew who I was, you would have stayed away, right?”

I furrowed my brows, “maybe.”

“There’s my point.”

I crossed my arms, “that makes no sense!”

“Let’s say, just for shits and giggles, that I liked having you around. Then you learn that your brother has it out for me, and you stay away.”

“So what?” I asked. “Then I stay away, how does that affect you?”

He smiled, his lips inching up his cheeks into a wide smile. Was he….was Liam blushing?

“Well, then I wouldn’t get the chance to…”

“Excuse me,” assistant principal Williams said, coughing to grab our attention. “You two need to go back to class. This isn’t social hour.”

I groaned, and glared at Liam before I took a step backwards and trotted down the stairs. 

I kept it short today. Any thoughts, comments, suggestions…

Ciao
Angela

 

Song for Ariel…

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Sorry guys, it’s been so crazy. Between wedding plans, writing, promoting the trailer, edits, and sending out queries, somehow this has gotten lost in the shuffle! 

I’ve officially completed THE PROS AND CONS OF BREATHING. I really wouldn’t have finished without the help of my amazing critique partner, Dawn. It’s funny how things happen. For so long, COLLIDE was my baby. I swore that would be the book that made me a published author, but after Dawn ripped it apart (love you for it!) and explained she had the same issue with a book of hers, I mentioned Pros and Cons. I started writing it when my dad was sick, night after night I couldn’t sleep because of it.  At first, it was a million different stories, same base—a girls father dies and nothing is ever the same—but nothing stuck. Ideas came and went, putting me in a rut, until my father passed away in October 09, and everything became clear, the pain was evident, and I knew exactly what would happen to Ariel.

At first, I wondered if the story was worth anything at all. To me it was ramblings of my feelings, my pain—it was a hidden outlet to talk about how I felt about death. About life. How confusing it is. I guess that’s why I couldn’t finish it till my dad passed away. The words came, the story grew, taking on a life of it’s own. But, I couldn’t finish it. I had no clue how. Still unsure if it was worth anything at all, I mentioned the concept to Dawn—warning her that I wasn’t sure how good it was, and it could very well suck, but it meant a lot.

She told me to send the first chapter. From that one, it was better than COLLIDE, much better, at least that’s what she said. I hope its true! I’m sure she’d rip it apart if it was horrible because Dawn has nooo problem telling me like it is! Which I love. Lol. That’s why she’s the best!

Anyways, I finally ended it…mostly because I had to Dawn could finish reading it, lol, and to my surprise, it was awesome. Ariel’s journey is one of my favorites. I think she has a vulnerability to her, and a weakness. Also, there are points where you will love to hate her—at least, that what my cousin just shouted from the living room, lol. Jill is the first person besides Dawn to read it—and the agents that have it now. So nervous.

Stay tuned for my Teaser Tuesdays for excerpts from THE PROS AND CONS OF BREATHING.  You can visit my BOOKS page for a snap shot of the details.

Here is a quote from the book:

‎”Incident after incident happened, tragedies, circumstance, I never found a break. I just wished for once everything would settle and I would begin to live my life. But then it hit me, this was my life. And I had to deal with it, because no matter what happened next, the dust was far from settling.”

OH AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO DAWN, WHO WAS SIGNED THIS WEEK BY D4EO! Watch out world!!!

Ciao

Angela Francis

COLLIDE TRAILER ONE…

Here is the premiere for the long awaited trailer for COLLIDE a novel by Angela Francis, yet to be released.

After holding auditions, countless rehearsals, and hours of editing footage—StandAsOne Productions and Angela Francis bring you….COLLIDE.

Starring:
Savannah Fuss
Dustin Holton
Austin Hammesfahr
Christina Johnson
Jordan Weber

 Featuring:
Torrey Taylor
Candice Brown

 Narration by: Angela Francis

 Casted by: Angela Francis and Erica Johnson
Script by: Angela Francis
Directed/Produced by: Angela Francis
Director of Photography: MMJoe Sanchez with StandAsOne Productions
Production Assistant: Erica Johnson
Boomstick man: Joshua Parkhurst

 And now…..the first of six trailers for COLLIDE. Comments required.

Don’t forget to comment!

Ciao
Angela Francis

COLLIDE

The first of six COLLIDE trailers will be released tonight……………..(scroll down)

At 7pm EST. On here. Don’t miss it.

Ready to Surrender…

Teaser Tuesday!

In this excerpt from THE PROS AND CONS OF BREATHING, After a summer away from her friends, her life, and finally coming clean, Ariel decides to eat her frog and talk to Tucker–who’s been avoiding her since school start. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go as well as she hoped!

 Tucker ran his hands through his short, russet hair and bent over, placing his hands on his knees when they stopped. He glanced in my direction, then looked forward, and then did a double take back at me. He stood up straight, and a confused look came across his face—it was like he was looking at a ghost. I casually waved, just as the coach blew the whistle. They all huddled in, and as Tucker jogged over, he glanced over his shoulder, and shook his head.

“Hit the showers,” Coach Collins yelled pursing his lips together in frustration. “You guys stink.”

As the team passed me, they eyed me up and down, probably thinking foul thoughts of me. Tucker came near, his face was easier to read—he wasn’t pleased. Not that I was expecting anything at all from him.

“Hey,” I said, trying to smile.

 He looked around, and wrapped his fingers around the strap of his bag, exhaled, and looked back at me.

“You changed your hair,” he said.

I pulled a strand forward and examined it. I cut six inches off, so it fell right on top of my shoulders, and ran a darker color through it, so it was a deep chocolate shade, but it didn’t seem too different.

“Is it a bad change?” I asked.

He sighed again, and glanced around, it was a clear sign that he didn’t want to be here, talking with me.

“I don’t know, Ariel.”

“Listen,” I said, my fingers running over one another. “I know we haven’t talked in awhile, I just thought, I don’t know—maybe we could try being friends again.”

He glanced around, his eyes shifting back and forth.

“We tried that, and if I remember correctly being friends with you involved fighting over pills and bring you to the emergency room,” he said, his voice low, full of shame.

“I know, but I’m not the same girl anymore,” I said. “I’m clean, I promise.”

He sighed, and stepped toward me, his hand brushing against mine.

“I need to move on, Ariel,” he said. “And that means I can’t be your friend, not now.”

I grabbed my elbow, pulling my arm close. Was I that horrible that he couldn’t even look at me anymore, or was it Kim’s brainwashing. She never liked me. I didn’t miss Tucker as a boyfriend, and I didn’t want to be with him, but something inside of me ached to be the girl again—the only who had a known identity, before everything started to go downhill.

“I’m sorry, I really am, but I miss my best friend—that’s what we were, remember? Before love ruined everything.”

He shook his head, looking down, before meeting my gaze.

“Love didn’t ruin us, Ariel. You did.”

Thoughts, comments, concersn? All welcomed!!