Blog Tour Update

In less than one week, I'll be kicking off the 10 Infinite Weeks blog tour right here on my personal blog! The first three weeks will be hosted by myself, but after that there are seven dedicated bloggers taking the torch and leading the way with exclusive cosplay photos, video releases, interviews, and reviews! I look forward to celebrating the characters from all my books with those that follow along on the tour, and I CAN NOT WAIT to release Infinite Limits!

Week 1 of the tour starts October 5th, and our first character dedication is for Audrina Ashby!

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE :

Week 1, 2, & 3 (10/5 – 10/25) – Hosted by Megan at meganduke.blogspot.com 
Characters – Audrina Ashby, Logan Brown, & Carter Walbridge 


Week 4 (10/26 - 11/1) – Hosted by Lauren at thebookwormcornerr.blogspot.com 
Character – Charleigh McAfee from Ninety Degrees & Infinite Limits

Week 5 (11/2 - 11/8) – Hosted by Lainey at thebellebeautyblog.blogspot.com 
Character – Silas McFuller from Ninety Degrees & Infinite Limits

Week 6 (11/9 - 11/15) – Hosted by Bryce at novelstosong.com 
Character – Tucker Watson from Ninety Degrees & Infinite Limits

Week 7 (11/16 - 11/22) – Hosted by Jennifer at thebookfighters.wordpress.com
Character – Jade Walbridge from Small Circles, Three Sixty, & Infinite Limits

Week 8 (11/23 - 11/29) – Hosted by Catheryn at thebooklioness.wordpress.com & youtube.com/catherynthefangirl
Character – Owen Spencer from Small Circles

Week 9 (11/30 - 12/6) – Hosted by Jaclyn at livinginaworldofbookquotes.wordpress.com 
Character – Paxton Graham from Small Circles, Three Sixty, & Infinite Limits

Week 10 (12/7 - 12/13) – Hosted by Ana from analoves.com
Character – Larson Ashby from Small Circles, Three Sixty, & Infinite Limits 

I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson

I couldn't write this earlier. I was too full of emotion to even fathom what I would write down. I finished reading I'll Give You the Sun at 1 o'clock this morning, and it was the most beautiful work of literature I think I've ever read.
Mind you, I've read some pretty amazing books. I've got a list of favorites, and I'm pretty this just bumped everything back down a spot, taking number one.
It's not just the fact that the characters were so well developed. It's not just the fact that the story is being told at two different times yet somehow are parallel. It makes no difference that the amount of detail that went in to the artwork and the passion blew my very mind. It's not even the idea that Jandy Nelson has created something within me that I don't think I can ever extinguish.
The pure fact of it is, I loved it.

(There's always this one Goodreads user out there (I won't name them), but she always gives the worst reviews to some of the best books. Not just random books that maybe I'm the only person out there that appreciated it for what it was. No. GOOD books, that the whole world loved. It's weird. I think she's a sociopath. But never mind that.)

I mainly wanted to stress how much this book affected me. There are some books, when I read them, that I thoroughly enjoy. I think about them right after I'm finished, thinking it'll stick with me forever, but they never do. This book. I have no doubt in my mind that it has changed me. The two main characters are artists, and as I was reading, I couldn't help but think that this book was a piece of art in itself.

I'm not going to go into the spoilery bits, because I'll Give You the Sun is one of those books you are better of knowing nothing about. I will say this: I was moved the most by the relationship Noah and Jude shared. It might be because they are twins, but I feel like Jandy Nelson represented that bond so perfectly between a brother and sister. More so. And the ending? Let's just say: everyone has secrets.

Please, please, please go read this godsend of a book! I am begging you!


Megan


Add this book to your shelf on Goodreads!

84 days until Infinite Limits!

On December 16th, I'll be releasing the final book in the Stories From Foster & Allan series. Infinite Limits is a conclusion to Small Circles. In it, all the characters from all the books will collide, creating an ending you won't want to miss. If you've fallen in love with these books along with me over the past two years, join me in celebrating ‪#‎10InfiniteWeeks‬ - the 10 weeks leading up to the release of Infinite Limits! Follow along on my blog meganduke.blogspot.com for exclusive images, never before seen video, interviews, character breakdowns, and more! Thank you to anyone that's stuck with me, and thank you to anyone that will be joining me in my next chapter!

Short Excerpt from Infinite Limits

There was no one else Audrina looked up to more. Her brother was the strongest person in the world. No matter what happened, he’d kept his head held high and pressed on. Sometimes he crashed, but he never burned.

“I still can’t imagine what it must have been like,” she admitted.

Larson frowned. “What what was like?”

“Losing him. Permanently.”

She knew he didn’t like to talk about it. He didn’t like sharing very much about Owen. It was out of respect that he kept so much of their relationship to himself. He didn’t want to taint it, or let anyone take it away.

He suddenly became very serious. He took in a deep breath and laced his hands in his lap. “Did I ever tell you the last thing he said to me?” Audrina shook her head. “He said, ‘I love you, Larson Ashby’.” Larson then smiled innocently to himself. “When it got really hard to deal with, and I just couldn’t stand the pain, I tried to remind myself that he’d said that. He was happy before he died, and it was because of me.”

INFINITE LIMITS - AVAILABLE  12/16/14

www.megandukebooks.com

Three Sixty - The Real Outer Banks

Come with me on the quickest road trip of your life to OBX!

Home of the Ashby's. Duck, NC. This is the exact style of the house that I envisioned, but not the color. 

This is the color.

Corolla / Corova Beach (The Driving Beach)

Duck (Where the Ashby house is located.)

The lighthouse that Silas worked at as a tour guide located Hatteras.

Silas's house in Hatteras. 

Owen's Restaurant.

Small Circles: Songs That Inspired

Throughout the writing process, listening to music was a MUST for me to keep the inspiration flowing. I've created playlists for all of my books on my website and featured them on my blog quite frequently, but after Jaclyn starting posting all of these amazing edits on her Instagram (@QuotableBooks1), I just had to share some of the songs that meant the most to me. There are 5 songs that stand out to me the most, and each of them highlights more on a different character.

SPOILER ALERT FOR ALL 3 BOOKS

1) "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap

Sweet disposition
Never too soon
Oh, reckless abandon
Like no one's watching you

A moment of love
A dream
A laugh
A kiss
A cry
Our rights
Our wrongs
A moment of love
A dream
A laugh
A moment of love
A dream
A laugh

So stay there
'Cause I'll be coming over
While our blood's still young
It's so young, it runs
Won't stop 'til it's over
Won't stop to surrender

Songs of desperation
I played them for you

A moment of love
A dream
A laugh
A kiss
A cry
Our rights
Our wrongs
A moment of love
A dream
A laugh
A moment of love
A dream
A laugh

Stay there
'Cause I'll be coming over
While our blood's still young
It's so young, it runs
Won't stop 'til it's over
Won't stop to surrender

Won't stop 'til it's over
Won't stop 'til it's over
Won't stop 'til it's over
Won't stop to surrender

[repeating over the next verse 'til the end:]
A moment of love
A dream
A laugh
A kiss
A cry
Our rights
Our wrongs
A moment of love
A dream
A laugh
A moment of love
A dream
A laugh

Won't stop 'til it's over
Won't stop 'til it's over
Won't stop 'til it's over
Won't stop to surrender


This song was more or less the theme of Small Circles. This is one of my top favorite songs of all time, so my love for it is biased, but it fit perfectly with the story. It's all about being young and living in the moment. Soaking up all of your experiences and loving it. Being free. Doing everything. Never giving up.



2) "All I Want" by Kodaline

All I want is nothing more
To hear you knocking at my door
'Cause if I could see your face once more
I could die a happy man I'm sure

When you said your last goodbye
I died a little bit inside
I lay in tears in bed all night
Alone without you by my side

But if you loved me
Why'd you leave me?
Take my body
Take my body
All I want is,
And all I need is
To find somebody.
I'll find somebody like you.

Oh oh

So you brought out the best of me,
A part of me I've never seen.
You took my soul and wiped it clean.
Our love was made for movie screens.

But if you loved me
Why'd you leave me?
Take my body,
Take my body.
All I want is,
And all I need is
To find somebody.
I'll find somebody.

Oh

If you loved me
Why'd you leave me?
Take my body,
Take my body.
All I want is,
All I need is
To find somebody.
I'll find somebody like you.

Oh

This song is dedicated to Larson, after losing Owen. To me, it described his feelings completely on point. Owen's death was sudden and unexpected and this expresses Larson's feelings of betrayal and anger, over his sadness and grief. At first, he doesn't understand why something like this would happen? To him, it doesn't seem fair. Larson loved Owen, and he always will. No matter how happiness finds him in the future, a part of him will never be able to completely move on. And that's okay.



3) "The Darker Days of Me and Him" by PJ Harvey

Promises, promises
I'm feeling burned
You taught me a lesson
I didn't want to learn

Why did I come here?
Please tell me again
Why did you ask me?
Don't say you forget

I long for, I long for
I long for my home
I long for a land where
No man was ever known

With no neurosis
No psychosis
No psychoanalysis
And no sadness

I'll pick up the pieces
I'll carry on somehow
Tape the broken parts together
And limp this love around

Limp this love around

This song is THE SONG for Audrina and her emotional connection to Paxton. Her love for him is like a magnet. She keeps coming back and she doesn't know why. She knows the relationship is toxic, but she can't pull away. It's instinctual. And it's breaking her down.



4) "Heavy Rope" by Lights

Strange hands taking my wrist again
Somehow I'm still alone
Voices shaking my steps again
I follow

I'm a little bit on the edge
Holed up and out of reach
I can't hear much of what you said
Come for me

Don't let me tumble away
Into the throws of the shadowy bay
I clung to the rock
And it's crumbling off
Toss me a heavy rope
It's a slippery slope
Come bail me out of this God forsaken precipice
Come bail me out of this God forsaken precipice

Turned up in this old place again
Can't seem to get away
Take me back to my element
I'm afraid

Don't let me tumble away
Into the throws of the shadowy bay
I cling to the rock
And it's crumbling off
Toss me a heavy rope
It's a slippery slope
Come bail me out of this God forsaken precipice
Come bail me out of this God forsaken precipice

Oh, I'm not a lost cause
I'm just stuck in this spot
And I'm close to falling off
So toss me a heavy rope
It's a slippery slope
Come bail me out of this God forsaken precipice
Come bail me out of this God forsaken precipice

Don't let me tumble away
Into the throws of the shadowy bay
I cling to the rock
And it's crumbling off
Toss me a heavy rope
It's a slippery slope
Come bail me out of this God forsaken precipice
Come bail me out of this God forsaken precipice
Come bail me out of this God forsaken precipice
Come bail me out of this God forsaken precipice


This is for Charleigh. It describes her feelings towards Logan in the beginning of their friendship/relationship. At first, she's unsure how to feel. She thinks he's pushing her away, but in reality, he's keeping her close. Charleigh cares about him, but doesn't realize how much she really loves him until she's able to compare him with Tucker. She tries to convince herself that those types of things don't matter, but when she realized she wants real love, her choices become that much harder - whether to take a leap or jump. She's terrified of actually loving someone, but she wants it. More than anything.



5) "If I Lose Myself" by OneRepublic

I stared up at the sun,
Thought of all of the people, places and things I’ve loved.
I stared up just to see
With all of the faces, you were the one next to me.

You can feel the light start to tremble,
Washing what you know out to sea.
You can see your life out of the window tonight.

If I lose myself tonight,
It’ll be by your side.
I lose myself tonight...
(oh) yeah, yeah, yeah.

If I lose myself tonight,
It’ll be you and I.
Lose myself tonight...

[Instrumental break]

I woke up with the sun,
Thought of all of the people, places and things I’ve loved.
I woke up just to see
With all of the faces, you were the one next to me.

You can feel the light start to tremble,
Washing what you know out to sea.
You can see your life out of the window tonight.

If I lose myself tonight,
It’ll be by your side.
I lose myself tonight...
(oh) yeah, yeah, yeah.

If I lose myself tonight,
It’ll be you and I.
Lose myself tonight...
Whoooooooooo

[Instrumental] (Whoooooooooo)

Take us down and we keep trying,
Forty thousand feet, keep flying.
Take us down and we keep trying,
Forty thousand feet, keep flying.
Take us down and we keep trying,
Forty thousand feet, keep flying.
Take us down and we keep trying,
Forty thousand feet, keep flying.

(Lose myself)
If I lose myself tonight...

Whoooooooooo
Whoooooo, whoooo,
Whooooooo

Whoooooooooo
Whoooooo, whoooo,
Whooooooo

And this is Paxton's song, for himself and for Jade. His need to let go becomes overwhelming at times. He turns to drugs, to sex, to water... everything. But nothing helps. Until Jade. She is his everything, and even in times of trouble, he's willing to lose himself in her.


There are so many other songs I want to share, but it would take all day. And I'd probably end up writing another novel just to explain them all. If there are specific characters or scenes you'd like me to share a song about, let me know!

Megan.

Infinite Limits Kindle Pre-Order - Delayed

I'm now back in Virginia, sitting at the kitchen table while my cousin is cooking stir-fry chicken and veggies. I'm here, unfortunately, because of not-so-good news. It's not terrible, but it isn't happy. I had to push back the date for the Infinite Limits pre-order on Kindle. Instead of October 1st, it's now NOVEMBER 1st. The reason is, I have to have the completed/final draft uploaded before I'm able to set the pre-order. Because I'm sending out ARCs at the beginning of November, I know the final version of the book will be completed by that time. October is pushing it for me to have the first draft back from my editors. I've stated this before, but when it comes to writing, I try not to rush it. Even in the editing process, I tend to take my time since I'm independent and have the luxury of no deadline but my own. That being said, I want to make sure that the best possible version of my novels are ready and perfected by the time they get into your hands. Your opinions are what matters most, and I cherish them greatly!

Megan

Add Infinite Limits to your to-read shelf on Goodreads -> HERE

The Accurate Timeline...

Hello and welcome. Today marks day four in the Outer Banks, and it's FINALLY sunny! Yes, my friends, I woke up and opened the curtains, only to find a bright stream of blinding light penetrating it's way into the room. I was enthused.
But that's not what I'm here to discuss. A lot of my readers have asked about the timeline in which the Small Circles books take place. I saw a post that Cassandra Clare did on her site that mapped out the exact years certain events occur in The Shadowhunter Chronicles, so I'm inspired and have decided to do the same.

But not here...

I will be creating a detailed timeline with all major events, including birthdays, for the books, but this will be available as bonus content in Infinite Limits. But here's a hint: if you've kept up with the books from beginning to end and read them as they were released, that means you've been reading them in current time. What??? Yep.

To get you started, I will say that Larson and his friends graduated in the year 2013. Infinite Limits starts in September 2014, the beginning of their sophomore year of college. You can pretty much trace everything back from there, but you don't have to. I'll be doing that in good time.

Before I go, I want to thank everyone that's going to be participating in #10InfiniteWeeks ! The blog tour is looking to turn out fantastic! Here is the schedule so far...

Week 5 (11/2-11/8) - Lainey from The Belle Beauty Blog
Week 6 (11/9-11/15) - Bryce from Novels to Song (Blog)
Week 7 (11/16-11/22) - Jennifer from The Book Fighters (Blog)
Week 8 (11/23-11/29) - Catheryn from The Book Lioness (Youtube)
Week 9 (11/30-12/6) - Jaclyn from Living in a World of Book Quotes (Blog)
Week 10 (12/7-1213) - Ana from Ana Loves (Blog)

All of the links to these sites can be found on my website HERE !



-it's okay to be happy!

Megan.

"10 Books That Mean Something To You" Challenge

I've made it to the Outer Banks. I'm actually in my bed, freezing by the way, and trying to catch up on organizing everything for 10 Infinite Weeks. I do, however, want to do this challenge that I was tagged to do before I forget. So, thank you Jaclyn from livinginaworldofbookquotes for tagging me!

Here are the instructions:

“List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way, and tag 10 people to do the same. Don’t over think it. They don’t have to be the ‘right’ books or great works of literature, just books that have influenced you in some way. Then tag 10 friends plus me so I can see your list.”

I don't know a lot of people's blog URLs, so I'm tagging anyone that wants to participate! I'll be sharing this on all of my social accounts!

So, here we go....

I'm going to start with my top 3 favorite books of all time.

1) Lucas by Kevin Brooks
2) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3) Looking for Alaska by John Green

THOSE ^ are all incredible reads that made me cry, laugh, and think. Each I read several years ago, and they have never left me, even to this day. Lucas changed my entire view on the world around me. Looking for Alaska made me fall in love with John Green and inspired me to write my own contemporary novel. The Perks of Being a Wallflower... well, there really are no words.

Now for the rest....

4) Crooked by Laura and Tom McNeal
5) It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
6) Paper Towns by John Green
7) Since You've Been Gone - Morgan Matson

^ This book, specifically, reminded me of how important friendship is. It reminded me of a relationship I had when I was younger that I no longer have today.


8) The God Box by Alex Sanchez

^ Everyone needs to read this book. It sheds incredible light on those that struggle with being openly gay and attempting to cling onto their religion.

9) I'll Get There, It Better Be Worth the Trip by John Donovan
10) Cut by Patricia McCormick


Okay. Now, the reason why I chose most of these books was because they all share a very specific message. They opened by eyes, and that means something to me. I want to share them with you all, so they might open your eyes as well.

I'll be writing again towards the end of the week once I'm back in Virginia. Look forward to lots of pictures and a vlog from OBX on my new channel Megan Duke Books!


-it's okay to be happy!
Megan.

New Channel & OBX Tour Stop

Hello!!!

So, currently I am sitting in a recliner at my cousin's house located in Chesterfield, Virginia. I'm staying here in preparation to leave for the Outer Banks tomorrow morning, and I am so excited! One: I love North Carolina (specifically the Outer Banks) and I am due for a beach vacation. Two: This means I'll be able to share all of the places mentioned in Three Sixty with you guys! Unfortunately, I didn't have to time to film anything from my Decatur tour stop. I did take pictures, however, and those can be found on my website. This time, I am NOT missing out on recording my trip! I'll be signing at Island Bookstore located in Duck on Wednesday, September 10th from 4-5:30pm! This, along with the rest of my trip, will be documented in a new vlog coming soon to my NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL! If you are currently subscribed to my personal channel (Meggie Capture), you'll need to subscribe to my new channel (Megan Duke Books). This will be used for everything Small Circles and future books related. I'm going to continue using my personal channel, but it will steer more towards tags, book reviews, and other various things.

Subscribe Here!

It's okay to be happy!

Megan.

Decatur Book Festival - Photos

10 Most Influential Books Tag

Three Sixty made the cut! <3

10 Infinite Weeks - Schedule!

Thank you to everyone that participated in the Google+ Hangout last night! As I promised, here is the official schedule for the 10 week promotional celebration leading up to the release of Infinite Limits!

Week 1 (10/5 - 10/11) : Audrina Ashby
Week 2 (10/12 - 10/18) : Logan Brown
Week 3 (10/19 - 10/25) : Carter Walbridge
Week 4 (10/26 - 11/1) : Charleigh McAfee
Week 5 (11/2 - 11/8) : Silas McFuller
Week 6 (11/9 - 11/15) : Tucker Watson
Week 7 (11/16 - 11/22) : Jade Walbridge
Week 8 (11/23 - 11/29) : Owen Spencer
Week 9 (11/30 - 12/6) : Paxton Graham
Week 10 (12/7 - 12/13) : Larson Ashby


The idea behind 10 Infinite Weeks is to dedicate one week to each character. I'll be posting exclusive images, videos, and book extras throughout that week. You guys can get involved too! Create your own edits and post all your favorite quotes from the character being celebrated!

Thanks for the endless amount of love and support! You are all special <3

Megan.

#InfiniteLimitsCoverParty

Here's the video archive from the #InfiniteLimitsCoverParty :)

Infinite Limits Playlist

Gay Main Characters in YA

It's incredibly disappointing that when you walk into a Barnes & Noble or a Books-A-Million you can rarely find LGBT young adult books in stock. Most of the books I've read that have a gay or lesbian or transgender (the list goes on) character as the MAIN character can only be found online. If you're lucky enough to have an independent bookstore near you - one that's not close-minded about subject matter - it might not be as hard to drop in and pick up a copy of the story you're looking for, but I don't have that luxury. I've seen the movement for diversity in YA grow tremendously in the past few years, so I'm proud to say that I can be a part of that movement. I applaud anyone that includes diverse characters in their novels. When I wrote Small Circles, I knew it wouldn't be taken very well by friends and family, especially seeing that I live in the Bible Belt of the country. But I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was my job to push it into the laps of the ones that needed it. I HAD to write that story, because there are kids in Tennessee, just like in LA or New York, that are struggles with defining themselves and being told that who they are is wrong. It's sickening, but it's true. I can only imagine how hard it must be to go into a bookstore and be slammed with books about straight white people all the time. How can they identify with the book if they have to keep reimagining the characters to match what they feel inside? There are lots of great YA titles that include LGBT characters, but they're secondary. They're the friend or the brother. They don't carry the plot line. I want that to change.

So, if you're looking for a book that suits you more relatively, here are several LGBT themed novels that I adored. And by the white, I'm a straight white female. I was incredibly moved by every single one of these, so I know if you're going through similar situations, it will move you even more.