Rising Tide: Dark InnocenceThe Maura DeLuca Trilogy Book 1by Claudette MelansonGenre: YA ParanormalRising Tide will sink its fangs into you, keeping you awake into the wee hours of the night
Could Maura's life get any worse? ...turns out it most certainly can.Isolated and sheltered by her lonely mother, Maura's never been able to make friends. She seems to drive her classmates away—except for the odd times they pay enough attention to torture her—but she doesn’t understand why. Maura considers herself to be a freak of nature, with her unusually pale skin and an aversion to the sun that renders her violently nauseous. Her belief is only worsened by the fact that almost everyone around her keeps their distance.Even her own father deserted her before she was born, leaving Maura alone with her emotionally distant mother, Caelyn. Even though Maura is desperate for answers about her unknown parent, Caelyn remains heartbroken and her daughter can’t bring herself to reopen her mother’s wounds. Or is there a more sinister reason Caelyn refuses to utter a word about her long-lost love?When a cruel prank nearly claims Maura’s life, one of her classmates, Ron, rushes to her rescue. Darkly handsome & mysteriously accepting, Ron doesn’t seem to want to stay away, but Maura is reluctant to get too close, since her mother has announced she’s moving the two of them to Vancouver…nearly 3,000 miles away from their hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania.If life wasn’t already challenging enough, Maura begins to experience bizarre, physical changes her mother seems hell bent on ignoring, compelling Maura to fear for her own life. Vicious nightmares, blood cravings, failing health and the heart-shattering loss of Ron—as well as the discovery of a tangled web of her own mother's lies—become obstacles in Maura's desperate quest for the unfathomable truth she was never prepared to uncover.2015 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Winner for YA Mystery2015 RONE Award Finalist for YA Paranormal
2015 New Apple Top Medalist for Young Adult Ebook
Chosen as one of 400 for the second round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for 2014!!!
Praise for Rising Tide:
"This captivating and commendable work had me immersed from the beginning. The story flows from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional skill when it comes to storytelling."
"Mrs. Melanson’s writing is so descriptive and talented. Throughout the entire story, I felt like I was watching a movie."
"Melanson grabs you from page 1 and doesn't let you go until the very bitter end, only bitter because the book is finished."
"I found pure delight in this book and will recommend it to other readers."
"The writing by Claudette Melanson in this novel is top notch and I can see the movie rights for this being grabbed in no time."
˃˃˃ Sure to become one of the Books to Read of the year, Rising Tide: Dark Innocence isn’t the usual YA tale of vampires. Full of Mystery and Suspense, this Vampire Mystery Thriller packs just enough Romance & Humor, while delivering plenty of Dark Fantasy served with a side of the Supernatural. Maura, in the midst of her vampire awakenings is unarguably a vampire in denial. It is a novel that is certain to become one of the classic paranormal and fantasy books of its time--the series is not only for Teen & Young Adult readers, but has been well-received by many adult readers, as well. Maura doesn't live in Castle Dracula in Transylvania, but she must still discover the bloodlines constructing the creature she is destined to become, while overcoming social issues, such as bullying, that rock her world while coming of age. She is an strong Urban Scienece Fiction & Fantasy female protagonist readers love.
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It was too late then… He was ringing the doorbell. He looked so much braver than I felt. I could see the anger that had crept back into him in the hard set of his lips, the flash in his dark eyes.Caelyn had torn the door open immediately, anxiety all over her face. She looked at Ron, dumbfounded. She must have then caught sight of some part of me, because she instantly peered around his shoulder to find me standing meekly behind him, clad only in a boy’s shirt that just barely cleared my hips. “Maura?! What the…” Her eyes fairly popped with dismayed astonishment.“Hi, Mom.” What an asinine thing to say. I should have at least started with “I’m okay.”Caelyn just stood there with her mouth hanging open. I felt the fear turn over, like a living thing in my stomach. How was I going to survive our confrontation? How could I even begin to explain everything that had happened that night?Luckily, I had Ron. “Hi, um, Ms. DeLuca.” He started out sounding very shy, but as my mother’s brows furrowed closer together, he put a stronger edge to his voice. “I came to bring Maura home.” She was still scowling.“Um…I’m Ron by the way.” He put his hand out to her. She ignored that entirely.My mother’s glare was venomous. “Maura! Get in the house this instant!”Oh boy… She thought Ron was at fault for whatever imagined atrocities were going through her brain right at the moment.“Mom!” I was desperate to put everything right, despite how much trouble I knew I’d be in. “You have it all wrong!”
Undertow: Death's TwilightThe Maura DeLuca Trilogy Book 2
Maura finally found the truth she was always seeking…or has she?
After being left in the dark for all of her life, Maura’s father, Maxwell, has finally returned to reveal sinister family secrets Maura could never have dreamed possible—including his revelation that she is one of The Born. But his daughter soon discovers both he and her mother are keeping pieces of her reality hidden, still. As Maura struggles to unravel the mysteries surrounding her new existence and discover every piece of the cryptic puzzle, life appears intent on casting stumbling blocks across her path with every step forward.Tragedy seems to stalk Maura, and those around her, as she stumbles along, altering the young changeling’s family, just when they have all come back together. The changes left in its wake could be for the better, or may threaten their existence, entirely.With the arrival of Christmas comes the opportunity for Maura to draw close to everyone she loves—and finally reunite with Ron, the man she loves. But permanence has always eluded her, and in her current state of flux this pattern endures, as fate seems intent on snapping the threads that bind her to those she holds most dear. Maxwell’s good intentions pave a road for Maura, littered with misery, while her mother, Caelyn’s, desire to shield her family from pain may tear her away from them, altogether. The perfect happiness in the young vampire’s grasp is so easily swept away and dragged under, out of reach. Can Maura erupt from the darkness and confusion to break the surface and find the life she’s always dreamed of?In the midst of chaos, assistance materializes in the form of another of her kind—ephemerally beautiful, yet explosively volatile, this new vampire may prove capable of unlocking the puzzle-box Maxwell seems intent on securing from her sight. Maura will discover the darkest parts of herself in her quest to understand the being she is destined to become. Her newfound friend has some shady intentions of his own—such as thwarting the love that has grown between Maura and Ron. Following in the wake of the impulsive vampire’s misguided instruction may further pull a naive Maura down into the depths of ultimate despair, heartbreak…and even destruction.
2015 Readers' Favorite Honorable Mention for YA Horror
2016 New Apple Summer eBook Solo Medalist for YA Horror
Praise for Undertow:
"This series offers so much: the heartwarming family moments, the comedic back and forth banter between characters, life lessons tragically instilled."
"I actually cried during a few parts of the story."
"The story is well written and gripping until the very end."
"If it’s written by Claudette Melanson, you’re guaranteed to have an amazing piece of literature that anyone can enjoy."
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“W-w-what?!!” seemed to be all I could manage in way of a response.My long-lost father had appeared, after seventeen long years…and informed me Iwas turning into a vampire. My hold on reality was tenuous at best. The very airaround me felt watery and surreal. In fact, I was reasonably sure I had to be dreaming.My father, Maxwell, had released me from our first-ever embrace, and I’d begun toback away—an auto-response to his little revelation. He stood with my mother now,both hands out in a conciliatory gesture. “Now, Maura, please calm down…”“Calm down?!” My voice came out shrill and thready. He’d just said somethingutterly ridiculous—impossible. I threw both arms around my ribcage, trying to stabilizemyself somehow. My breaths were coming so fast; I was sure I’d hyperventilate.My mother finally spoke, after her long silence, “Maura, it’s okay.” She wasadvancing very slowly toward me.I didn’t feel like anything would ever be okay again. What my father had divulgeddefied reality itself. That tiny, but logical, voice in my head I’d been hearing insistedthey explained a lot of things happening lately. Like the bloody tears smeared acrossmy face and hands... But vampires weren’t real!The disease I’d inherited must’ve possessed the capability to deteriorate the mind inorder for my father to believe such a thing. *Then why does Caelyn believe it too?* mymind asked. Or was she merely going along with his maniacal raving to avoid upsettinga dying man? I looked back and forth between them and another realization struck.“It was him! This is who you’ve been with at all those ‘work dinners!’ We saw you!”There! I’d let the cat out of the bag about me and my best friend, Susie, followingCaelyn after work one night. Once I’d put two and two together, I became so enraged,all thought of ludicrous vampires was chased from my head.My mother’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Excuse me? Did you just say you’vebeen spying on me, Maura?” My father simply stared at the ground.That was the last straw. “You have the nerve to be angry about me spying on you?!!You’ve been keeping me from my own father!!” I was screaming now. “How couldyou?? How could you?!!!”Caelyn’s mouth was moving, but no words were coming out.I continued to scream at her, my temper completely beyond my control. “We’re bothsick, maybe dying, and you sneak around behind my back.” My brain connected moredots. “And you?!” I pointed a trembling finger at Maxwell. “You didn’t want to see me?Or are you just completely out of your mind, spouting nonsense about vampires?”My father’s head jerked up suddenly when that word escaped my lips. His eyesdarted to either end of the alley, and I noticed small groups of people peering in, mostlikely in response to the volume of my shrieking.His expression switched from alarmed to a combination of stern and resolute. I’dseen an identical look on my own face in the mirror before. He moved past my mother—reminiscent of a mannequin stuck in suspended animation—to grab me firmly by thearm. “Come along, Maura, we are leaving.”There was no arguing with that vicelike grip. He towed me along and collected mymother in similar fashion, as we moved toward the end of the alley from which I’doriginally come. A lingering assault of the senses flashed in the forefront of my mind,overwhelming me. I unconsciously muttered, “Sushi.”“What?” my mother asked, glancing over at me like I’d grown another head.“I planted that suggestion,” he explained to her calmly.“Oh! I see.”I felt my legs go weak again…and the fog that had stolen my consciousness beforestarted creeping in from the corners of my eyes.
Riptide: Betrayal of BloodThe Maura DeLuca Trilogy Book 3Maura has never felt so alone in her life…nor has her existence ever been so overshadowed by peril…
Not only do both her parents—her distant but loving mother and recently- returned father—remain absent from her life, but due to the hideous error in judgment executed in collusion with her best friend, Valdamir, and adoptive sister, Susie, Maura has been cut off from the pair’s friendship and support, forbidden by both her father and the fallout from the dire outcome to see either of them. The heartbreak she suffers, brought on by the weight of these estrangements, is only intensified by the continued mysterious absence of her supernaturally-destined mate, Ron…whose disappearance delivers grave consequences Maura would have never dreamed possible…
Despised by her vampire cousin, Aldiva, for reasons Maura cannot yet comprehend, the young changeling will be forced to guard her back with every step, as she comes to realize this member of her vampire family would love nothing more than to bring about her demise. Aldiva’s wrath calls forth other members from both Vancouver covens, forcing them to rush to Maura’s aid—even though her father, their king, has expressly forbidden the other vampires to initiate contact with his daughter. Will her extended family on Vancouver Island obey, abandoning Maura to her doom, or will they instead rebel against Maxwell’s wishes in order to save her life?In addition to the menace personified in her unsolicited enemy, the unlikely vampire princess will find herself drowning as she is pulled down into the depths of a far more devastating crisis…one which may condemn her to a fate she considers much more undesirable than death. But in order to tear herself free from the deadly pull which is drawing her under, Maura must enlist the help of her preternatural family, exposing her newfound friends to a danger none of them have ever had the misfortune to face before. Can she be saved or will the riptide drag Maura under…along with those she loves the most…
2017 New Apple Solo Medalist for Summer eBook - Young Adult General Fiction
Praise for Riptide:
"I will scream it from the rooftops how much I love this series."
"I can only say that Riptide is one of the best modern vampire stories I have ever read, and I read them all from Stephen King to Ann Rice to Stephenie Meyer."
"Riptide was action packed and the fight scenes were well written but more than that it was the story of family and love, of taking responsibility, and dealing with hate when all sane avenues fail."
"The lore is superb, as is the writing. I can't wait to catch up with Maura again!"
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I should have realized something was amiss before she laid a finger on me. Aminute before, the air had swirled with snow. Snow was rare in Vancouver. Snow inSeptember—an impossibility.The iron solidity of my fear prevented an answer to her question from escaping mylips.“I asked you a question, Changeling!” she hissed out into the silent, cold air. “Do yourealize what a mess you have made of everything?”I scarcely managed a “Y-y-yes,” in response to that. Aldiva lingered just at the edgeof my peripheral vision, her pale-blonde hair shining like sunbeams through icicles.“H-h-h-how...”“Did I find you?” she finished for me.I gathered every fragment of courage within me, drawing it up from the very tips ofmy toes, and turned to face her.She’d been so very young when she’d been turned. She could be no older than Iand, perhaps, had been even younger. Her huge ice-blue eyes had probably beeninnocent at one time…when she’d still been human. Her pale, finely-chiseled featureswould have been angelic, excepting those cold, inhuman eyes. I didn’t miss the fangtipsextended to light on her baby-pink lower lip. Surely, she feared my father’s wrath toomuch to eat me?“Have you nothing at all to say, Changeling?” Her grip at my shoulder becamefrozen needles in my skin.I tried to be brave. “Does my father know you’re here…with me?” I countered.One side of her mouth turned up in a coy sort of way… Could she be attempting asmile? “That matters not at the moment. Would you not agree? I do not find your fatherin my line of sight. Do you?”I felt it imperative to remind her of my father’s protection, anyway. “Maxwell…ummm…Dad…”“I know what you did to your friend,” she stated, throwing my tenuous hold on mymental axis to the stabbing wintry wind.My defenses kicked in, brought purely to light by some unfamiliar instinct. “I didn’t…It was Susie…” Shame flooded my entire being.“You turned her. It was your doing, ultimately,” she articulated with icy absolution.It hadn’t been I alone who’d turned her, but I wouldn’t have mentioned my lost friend,Valdamir, for a pint of fresh, warm blood. I feared for his life and safety enough already.Still, her words gave pause to the blood in my veins and reminded me of my part in themurder of one of my best friends, Amanda.Aldiva stalked after me, toppling me over with the smallest push of her slight indexfinger. Her eyes blazed at me… I’d never known blue could hold such fire.I scrabbled backward like an upside-downed tortoise—ineffective—my palmsscraping over the thorny rocks. The saltwater’s sharp sting was barely registered by mymind. Her gaze was far more cutting.If there had been anyone around to watch such a ridiculous display, I’m sure theywould have been left bewildered—me, scuttling backward like the world’s clumsiest crab—backing away in horrified haste from a young girl of such slight stature, who appearedmuch more angel than demon from a distance.“YOU broke our peace. You disrupted the harmony of my family.” She pointed hericicle finger at me as she hissed out her rage. “Maxwell can keep his mate, but I willdeny him his daugh…”The chilled idea of sudden, unavoidable death assaulted me with a cold unlike anyI’d ever felt before—even the preternatural touch of my father’s skin—and it permeatedme long after the threat had been nullified.Aldiva’s words were cut short, and she disappeared from my line of sight, her icebluecloak becoming a blur which perfectly matched her irises, as she was propelled asafe distance away. 
Claudette Melanson writes dark fantasy, horror and children’s books in Kitchener, Ontario with seven bun babies at her side: Tegan, Pepper, Butters, Beckett, Sansa, Daenerys & Caramel. She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English, BS in English Education and an MA in Literature. Harboring a deep admiration of vampires since the age of five left her with the desire to eventually become one, and now fuels the creation of her favorite paranormal characters. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since there are many, many stories playing out inside her head.In her very scant spare time, she enjoys watching Japanese Anime and reading vampire stories...along with other genres of great fiction, as well as riding every roller coaster she encounters in both her hometown and away at signings. An advocate for good health and ketogenic eating, her favorite foods are bulletproof coffee, cashew-flour crust pizza and treats made with xylitol and almond, coconut or cashew flours.Future dreams include a cabin boasting a roaring fire, isolated inside a snow-filled wood in the Yukon—the perfect writing spot—and the completion of dozens of future novels and stories. A Rabbit Rescue fanatic and loving bunmom, she also hopes to help rescues all over the world save many innocent lives.
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