I’m happy to be able to share an excerpt from SUPERHERO HIGH, the first book in my young adult urban scifi series, Heroes & Zeros, about teenage superheroes. See below for an exclusive excerpt, and links where you can find the book. You can read it for free with Kindle Unlimited or buy the ebook for just $3.99.
Ren hands me the syllabus and we go through them together, with me highlighting some he should read and letting him choose some others. When I’m done, I hand the paper back to him and catch him staring at me, or more accurately, staring at my mouth.
Oh my God, is he . . .? No, he wouldn’t. My throat goes dry and I swallow hard. I should get up, but the thought of Ren’s lips pressed to mine keeps me from moving. My breathing escalates to the point that he must notice, and my hands curl and relax at my sides.
His gaze lifts to mine, and the vulnerability in his eyes steals my breath. I’ve never seen this side of him. Not really. He’s been unsure, or nervous, but not this. Ren searches my face for something, and I’m pretty sure all he’s going to see is pure fear. Because if I kiss this boy, nothing between us will be the same.
My tongue darts out and moistens my lips before I can acknowledge that probably wasn’t the best idea. His pupils dilate before his eyelids drift closed. He leans closer, tilting his head.
Holy crap, this is happening, and I’m not doing anything to stop it. Which means I must want this. My breath catches as my eyes close, and I wait for the soft brush of his lips. The mattress dips next to me, and the heat from his body’s proximity radiates to my arm and chest.
His warm breath, minty and clean, dances close to my lips. I part mine slightly as he gets closer, waiting, wondering for a brief second if he’s about to tell me this is all a big joke or make fun of me. The scent of sandalwood and soap fills my senses, and rough whiskers rasp against my chin. I take in a sharp breath and . . .
“Ren, I need—oh, oh, I’m so sorry. Mom said you were studying, and . . .”
Ren pulls back from me so fast, he creates a breeze that ruffles my hair. When I open my eyes, he’s standing beside the bed, his hand on top of his head. “Hey, M, what’s up?”
Mattea’s eyes dart between us. She’s clearly agitated about something, whether from what she walked in on or something else isn’t apparent. “It’s Ian. He’s missing.”
Okay, something else. Good.
“What do you mean he’s missing?” Ren asks.
“I mean he was supposed to meet me an hour ago, but he never showed. No text, no call, nothing. That’s never happened. I called his mom and she hasn’t heard from him, either. She says he’s not at home and his phone’s offline.”
Ren glances at me, then back to his sister. “I’m sure it’s nothing, Mattea. His battery’s probably dead.”
“He’s never disappeared like this without calling. Something’s wrong. I know it.”
“Okay, I get it. What do you want me to do?”
I stand and grab my bag off the floor. “I should go.”
“Wait . . .” Ren’s lips part, as if he’s going to say something more, but he doesn’t.
“I’ll see you on Thursday.” Before I can say or do something stupid, I rush from the room. “Bye, Mrs. Gonzalez,” I call as I fly out the front door, not waiting for her response.
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About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited! Title: SUPERHERO HIGH Author: T.H. Hernandez Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing Release Date: 2018 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary/Science Fiction Romance Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Synopsis Sixteen-year-old Annarenee Stevens is the sole member of her family without a super power. The only time she feels powerful is in the pool. With her sights set on swimming for U.C. Berkeley, she’s ready to win it all at the State championship and secure her future.
When the government unexpectedly ends the secret Genetically Enhanced Asset (GEA) program, Annarenee is uprooted from Dayton, the only home she’s ever known, and relocated to San Diego with all of the other GEA families. Queen of her public school, Annarenee is just another zero at Superhero High, a school without any sports teams.
With the end of the program, her hero older brother now needs a college education, too, meaning the only way Annarenee is getting into Berkeley is on a scholarship. Her dream is slipping through her fingers, no matter how tightly she clings to it. To make matters worse, super hot superhero, Ren Gonzalez, is paying too much attention to her. The kind of attention that has Ren’s ex-girlfriend intent on making Annarenee’s life even more miserable.
But when heroes begin disappearing, zeros and heroes will be forced to team up in order to solve the mystery. If they don’t kill each other first.
Check out the latest teaser from SUPERHERO HIGH, a young adult science fiction romance, releasing later this year. You can stay up with all the latest news, including when it’s available for pre-order, here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Gift. Here’s a line from Chapter 3 of SUPERHERO HIGH, releasing in 2018.
I remember Ronny’s present and yank the gift out from under my seat. I settle the pale blue bag with crumpled gold tissue paper on my lap and undo the curly navy and white ribbons she attached with care. My BFF, a sixteen-year-old Martha Stewart.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
I’m so excited to finally be able to share the cover to SUPERHERO HIGH, a young adult contemporary/science fiction romance, releasing in 2018. See below for the cover, information on the book, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR
SUPERHERO HIGH by T.H. Hernandez
About the Book Title: SUPERHERO HIGH Author: T.H. Hernandez Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing Release Date: 2018 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary/Science Fiction Romance Links:Goodreads
Synopsis Sixteen-year-old Annarenee Stevens is the sole member of her family without a super power. The only time she feels powerful is in the pool. With her sights set on swimming for U.C. Berkeley, she’s ready to win it all at the State championship and secure her future.
When the government unexpectedly ends the secret Genetically Enhanced Asset (GEA) program, Annarenee is uprooted from Dayton, the only home she’s ever known, and relocated to San Diego with all of the other GEA families. Queen of her public school, Annarenee is just another zero at Superhero High, a school without any sports teams.
With the end of the program, her hero older brother now needs a college education, too, meaning the only way Annarenee is getting into Berkeley is on a scholarship. Her dream is slipping through her fingers, no matter how tightly she clings to it. To make matters worse, super hot superhero, Ren Gonzalez, is paying too much attention to her. The kind of attention that has Ren’s ex-girlfriend intent on making Annarenee’s life even more miserable.
But when heroes begin disappearing, zeros and heroes will be forced to team up in order to solve the mystery. If they don’t kill each other first.
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Author T.H.-Hernandez
About the Author T.H. Hernandez is the author of young adult books. The Union, a futuristic dystopian adventure, was a finalist in the 2015 San Diego book awards in the Young Adult Fiction category.
She loves pumpkin spice lattes, Game of Thrones, Comic-Con, Star Wars, Doctor Who marathons, Bad Lip Reading videos, and all things young adult, especially the three young adults who share her home.
When not visiting the imaginary worlds inside her head, T.H. Hernandez lives in usually sunny San Diego, California with her husband and three children, a couple of cats, and a dog who thinks he’s a cat, affectionately referred to as “the puppycat.”
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Sky. Here’s a line from Chapter 1 of my WIP, a young adult superhero novel, Superhero High.
The sky is a cloudless crystal blue, as if the weather knew today was a day to celebrate and reigned in the usual mugginess.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Page 6, 16, or 160. Here’s a line from page 16 of my WIP, a young adult superhero novel, Superhero High.
As much as I know I should leave, I can’t tear my eyes away from my boyfriend boinking Valerie Whitehall.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Opening Lines. Here’s the opening line from chapter 2 of my WIP, a young adult superhero novel, Superhero High.
Screw house arrest, I’m going to that party. I head into my closet and change into my black stretchy miniskirt, a cropped white tank and sheer lace T.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Sun. Here’s a line from my WIP, a young adult superhero novel, Superhero High.
We push our towering luggage carts outside where brilliant sunlight dances across the pavement.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Old. Here’s a line from my WIP, a young adult superhero novel, Superhero High.
He shoves his gun against my spine and pushes me toward an ancient house with slumping walls and a crumbling roof.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Friendship. Here’s a line from my new young adult superhero novel, Superhero High.
The album is filled with pictures of us. Ballet recitals, swim meets, birthdays. We’ve been together for all life’s important events. Until now. I swipe away a tear and whisper, “I can’t do this without you, Ronny.”
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Hot. Here’s a line from my new young adult superhero novel, Superhero High.
“We’re gonna rule the school. You with your hot new boyfriend, me with my hot old boyfriend…”
“He’s 18, not 80!”
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
It’s that time of the year again. Pumpkin, turkey, cranberries, and spending every spare minute writing. Yep, NaNoWriMo is here again. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, a challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I first attempted the challenge in 2012 and managed to draft 60K words of The Ruins, rounding out the first draft topping over 100K by the end of December. It was still two-and-a-half years before it was published, but getting the first draft down is the first step to publication.
I skipped 2013 and last year, between launching The Union, I attempted NaNo again. I managed to get maybe a third of Found drafted, the story of The Union from Cyrus’s point of view. I cleaned up and released that, a chapter at a time, to newsletter subscribers, but I still only have about two-thirds of it done at this point.
For me, getting the first draft written is the hardest part. While I love the process of writing, the free flow of text without worrying about grammar, punctuation, or sentence flow (anyone who has been a beta reader for me can attest to the ugliness of my early drafts), I’m always afraid I’m going to stall and plummet to the story’s demise. So by forcing myself to write every day for thirty days, even if I don’t know what I’m going to write when I sit down, I hope to push through the fear and just get words to page (or screen).
With that in mind, I decided to use this month and this year’s challenge to draft a book that’s been rolling around in my head for close to a year. If I can get this thing drafted, maybe I can turn it into something halfway decent over the next couple of years. Tentatively titled, Super Hero High, I have this idea of the teenage offspring of the world’s super heroes trying to cope with hormones while simultaneously being able to melt steel and fly.
After the first week, I have a little more than 14K words drafted, thanks to Thursday night’s write-in at our local Coffee Bean. That night, I wrote over 3K words. Yeah, okay, so it’s mostly crap, but the plot is finally starting to take shape, and I’m getting a feel for my characters. I’m listening to a lot of Five for Fighting, Daughtry, and 3 Doors Down to find my inspiration, but it’s been fun to write something contemporary, even if it has a strong science fiction bend to it.
If you’re interested, here’s the blurb I came up with so far, in an attempt to keep me focused:
Super Hero High
Sixteen-year-old Annarenee Stevens is the sole member of her family without a super power. The only time she feels powerful is in the pool. With her sights set on swimming for U.C. Berkeley, she’s ready to win it all at the State championship this year, securing her future.
When the government ends the Genetically Enhanced Asset (GEA) program and relocates all the GEA families to San Diego, life is about to take an unexpected twist. With the end of the program, her hero brother now needs a college education, too, meaning the only way Annarenee is getting into Berkeley is on a scholarship.
Queen of her public school, Annarenee is just another zero at Super Hero High, a school without any sports teams. Her dream is slipping through her fingers, no matter how tightly she clings to it. To make matters worse, super hot super hero, Ren Gonzalez, is paying too much attention to her. The kind of attention that has Ren’s ex-girlfriend intent on making Annarenee’s life even more miserable.
But when heroes begin disappearing, zeroes and heroes will be forced to team up in order to solve the mystery. All they have to do is not kill each other first.
I’m happy to be able to share an excerpt from SUPERHERO HIGH, the first book in my young adult urban scifi series, Heroes & Zeros, about teenage superheroes. See below for an exclusive excerpt, and links where you can find the book. You can read it for free with Kindle Unlimited or buy the ebook for just $3.99.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Gift. Here’s a line from Chapter 3 of SUPERHERO HIGH, releasing in 2018.
I skipped 2013 and last year, between launching The Union, I attempted NaNo again. I managed to get maybe a third of Found drafted, the story of The Union from Cyrus’s point of view. I cleaned up and released that, a chapter at a time, to newsletter subscribers, but I still only have about two-thirds of it done at this point.