NBTM Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: Friends to the End by C.L. Colyer

Welcome to my stop on the NBTM virtual book tour for Friends to the End by C.L. Colyer. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a guest post regarding happy childhood memories from the author. There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $15 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!

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Title: Friends to the End
Author: C.L. Colyer

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: September 27th 2021

Print Length: 192 pages
Genre: Middle Grade Supernatural Adventure

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Zach doesn’t believe in ghosts…but he should.

Twelve-year-old Zach is convinced he’ll never be happy without his best friend Jeremy by his side. But both of their lives changed with a bang five months ago, and as far as Zach’s concerned, it’s his fault Jeremy will never see his twelfth birthday.

When Zach moves with his family to a Chicago suburb, he quickly becomes friends with a group of thrill-seeking kids trying to find a disappearing haunted house. But Zach’s not worried. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, so he follows them into a wild, dangerous encounter that becomes a battle to decide what’s real and what’s not.

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EXCERPT:

We stopped a few yards from the cemetery, our mouths hanging open and our eyes wide.

“Please tell me you see that,” I whispered.

“If you mean the white lights floating above the ground,” Josh said, “we see it.”

“They’re orbs,” Morgan corrected, as if knowing the proper name for the glowing spheres made it okay to see them.

“Orbs?” Josh asked.

“Spirits of the dead,” I replied, remembering what Morgan had told me.

Dom scooted his bike closer. “Maybe we should ask them if they’ve seen the house.”

“Seriously?” Morgan asked.

“Yeah.”

Morgan shook her head, causing her ponytail to swing from side to side. “Oh, no! I learned my lesson the last time we were here. I’m not stepping one foot off the shoulder of the road.”

“Your right foot is in the grass,” Dom said, shining his flashlight on her sneaker.

Morgan scowled and repositioned herself to have both feet on concrete.

Three iridescent orbs floated over headstones. I thought about the movies that warned people to stay away from the light. Maybe they weren’t warning us about a bright beam of light, but instead small glowing balls. Maybe if one of them touched you, the spirit would take over your body. Maybe they were waiting for someone to be stupid enough to come closer. I suddenly wondered if I’d met anyone who’d been possessed by a spirit and immediately thought of Olivia and her strange habits.

Then I told myself I was being ridiculous.

Or was I? Think about it. How would anyone know if a ghost hitched a ride with the person in front of him or her?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

C.L. Colyer found her love for writing in first grade when her class was sent to the library and asked to find a book for their first book report. While she doesn’t still have this book report, she’s very proud to say she got an A on it. Her favorite thing about the book was that it had no words. That’s right, not one! That gave her the freedom to interpret the pictures in any way she wanted and write her own story.

This sparked her love for writing essays. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she sat down and penned her first novel. This story has a special place in her heart because it’s the story that helped her discover her passion for writing. She has since written several books, many of which may never see the light of day, but all of which helped her learn to combine her passion for writing with her fascination with all things mythical. You’ll find examples of this in her novels.

She lives in Illinois with her family.

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---GUEST POST:

- What is your happiest memory you have of being a child?

Oh wow, there are so many. Let me share of few of my favorites.

When I was a kid, my friends and I spent most of our time outside. We’d catch frogs. Yes, frogs! One of my friends, Steve, and I had a wading pool full of them at one point. We’d ride our bikes everywhere, setting out on grand adventures, exploring the neighborhood, visiting the corner store, and concurring the playground. There really is something to be said about childhood friends. They’re wonderful and unforgettable.

Another fond memory is of when I was eight or nine. My friends and I had attempted to build a clubhouse. We gathered all the spare wood and paneling our parents had lying around, grabbed hammers and nails, and tried to create four walls. It took us all day before we admitted defeat. (We didn’t know we needed to build a frame first.) But we had a lot of fun. I can still picture the crooked walls just before the whole thing collapsed. Don’t worry, no one was hurt!

Later, when I was probably around twelve, I had found a narrow creek tucked at the edge of our neighborhood. Few people knew about it, so it was the perfect place to hide away, and it was always peaceful. I used to love to go there. A low branch stuck out the side of one of the trees. It was perfect for sitting on. It was one of my favorite places to go when I wanted to be alone.

I can’t forget the roller skating parties I used to attend. The majority of my sixth and then seventh grade classes were there. We’d spend two glorious hours gliding around the rink, joking, laughing, eating junk food, and drinking soda.

Just as fun were the sleepovers with friends, which usually included way too much pizza, chips, and soda. We played games like Truth or Dare and Stiff as a Board. It always amazed me just how high we could lift each other with just a few fingers.

I’d like to thank All the Ups and Downs for having me here today. If you have a favorite childhood memory, I’d love to hear it.

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GIVEAWAY:

Cherie Colyer will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Good luck!

(All the Ups and Downs is not responsible for this giveaway, the entries, or the prize. Goddess Fish Promotions and the author assume all responsibility for this giveaway.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway