Today, we’ve got a stop on the official blog tour for Sublime Karma by Peyton Garver — which includes your chance to win a copy of the book! So keep reading to learn more.
Seeing my book cover for the first time was a mixed bag for me. Actually, I was quite moved. I’m a teacher and a lot of what I’ve written about has been influenced by my experiences teaching.
When I finished my story, I saw artwork displayed in the hall by one of my students. It was a digital projection image she designed as a self-portrait. The projection was a design over her face. It’s quite difficult to describe in writing, so I included it next to my novel cover. I was drawn to it because it gave me the sense of my main character’s stature. I went so-far-as to get written permission from the minor student and her parent to use it for my cover.
But, my publishing company has their own procedures. I completed a three-page cover survey for my cover artist, Melody Ponds, who designed the cover for Sublime Karma. She sent me three designs from which to choose. Of the three there was no doubt which I would choose. I was in awe that the cover model on the cover I selected so clearly resembled my student and her demeanor in her artwork. I felt that Melody nailed the tone of my novel with the cover she designed.
When Brie’s stepfather moves the family for what he calls a new beginning, it’s not the new beginning the beautiful, yet guarded, senior would have hoped for. Brie is instantly targeted by jealous girls at her new school, and the only available seat on her bus is next to the school’s star wide receiver, Jake, who for some reason, finds her offensive. After a humiliating article and picture of Brie is posted in the online school journal, a demon she thought she’d overcome resurfaces, and her life unravels. A newly compassionate Jake has finally taken an interest in her, but can Brie learn to trust her heart, or will she miss out on the best thing that ever happened to her?
Jake has his own secrets and has built his own walls, but eventually his curiosity about the new girl gets the best of him. Unfortunately, now there is competition: the captain of her cross-country team. Jake’s romantic histories with the girl next door and the school’s queen bee, adds tension to a simmering tempest when all he wants is Brie. Is he strong enough to help the one he loves weave sense into her crumbling new reality while overcoming his own tainted past? This is an edgy YA with issues of bullying, self harm, and attempted suicide…with an HEA ending.
Available Now: Amazon | B&N | TBD | Goodreads
As a child, Peyton called places like Livorno, Italy; Orléans, France; and Augsburg, Germany home. She has since settled in Maryland, where she earned her degree in education at Towson State University, married her sweetheart of two years, and became an instant mother to three spirited young boys before adding another son to the brood. And, with their yellow lab George, it’s no stretch to say she’s outnumbered.
When not writing, Peyton is a full time teacher. Inspired by the individual spirits, heartaches, and triumphs of her students, Peyton has developed characters who resemble real world teens dealing with real issues: relationships, jealousy, bullying, and depression. Her newest novel, Sublime Karma, is a contemporary story filled with emotion, depth, wit, and suspense. Sublime Karma was published in the fall of 2016 by Soulmate Publishing.
When asked if she actually involves her students in her stories, Peyton answered that her stories are completely fictional, but then admitted to an activity in which she does involve them. “One quirky, fun thing I like to do with students who have read my book is develop a dream cast for my characters. That all started when a group of girls were arguing over which actor they thought best fit the character Four in Veronica Roth’s novel Divergent. They then turned their efforts to my manuscript. I’ve since added those dream casts to my website.”
When she’s not teaching or writing, Peyton enjoys traveling. The Caribbean Islands have become a favorite vacation getaway for Peyton and her husband. “Nothing is better than sitting on a beach, in front of the crystal clear sea, enveloped in the warmth of the tropical sun with a frosty piña colada and a good book that I just can’t put down.”
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1 winner will receive TWO signed & finished copies of SUBLIME KARMA, one for them to keep and one for the high school of the winner’s choice to be dedicated in their name; plus a $10 Amazon Gift Card. U.S. only.
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Week One:
- 10/9/2017- Bookish In Bed– Review
- 10/9/2017- Howling Libraries– Review
- 10/10/2017- BookHounds YA– Guest Post
- 10/10/2017- Blushing Bibliophile– Review
- 10/11/2017- YA/NA Book Divas– Review
- 10/11/2017- Bibliobakes– Review
- 10/12/2017- Seeing Double In Neverland– Interview
- 10/12/2017- The Phantom Paragrapher– Review
- 10/13/2017- Cindy’s Love of Books– Guest Post
- 10/13/2017- Caffeine and Composition– Review
Week Two:
- 10/16/2017- Don’t Judge, Read– Excerpt
- 10/16/2017- YA and Wine– Spotlight
- 10/17/2017- Portrait of a Book– Interview
- 10/17/2017- Reese’s Reviews– Review
- 10/18/2017- A Dream Within A Dream– Spotlight
- 10/18/2017- Why I Read– Review
- 10/19/2017- MrsLeif’s Two Fangs About It Book Reviews – Excerpt
- 10/19/2017- Novel Novice– Guest Post
- 10/20/2017- Books at Dawn– Excerpt
- 10/20/2017- Wonder Struck– Review
Novel Novice 
I love this giveaway. Making sure a school gets a copy is a wonderful thing to do :).
Thanks for hosting me with my novel, Sublime Karma! I’m glad to have shared my story about the cover and how it, like so much of my story, goes back to my students.
-Peyton