10 Things I hate about August by Alicia Dean

Instead of posting about vacations, I thought I would post about why August is my least favorite month of the year. But before I do, do you know how August got its name? No? Well, I’ll tell you. July was named for Julius Caesar. After Julius's grandnephew, Augustus, defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra, and became emperor of Rome, the Roman Senate decided that he too should have a month named after him.

There, don’t you feel just a little bit smarter?

Okay, now for Ten Things I Hate About August:

1)      Back to school when I was a kid. Because, well, I had to go back to school

2)      Back to school when my kids were young. Because of school supply shopping, getting back in the hectic routine, buying school clothes, figuring out transportation, homework, etc

3)      My favorite all time entertainer died in August. Elvis Presley died on August 16^th, 1977, and that date will always hold bad memories. I can remember exactly what I was doing the day I found out, down to every detail. I have found over the years, that most people, if they’re in the age range to remember things like this, remember hearing about Elvis’s death. Even if they were not fans. Whether or not you liked Elvis, you cannot deny the huge impact he had on the world. To this day, thousands upon thousands of fans flock to his home in Memphis Tennessee—fans of all ages and from all over the world. My kids, my niece and I went to Atlanta last month for a Vampire Diaries/MLB/RWA Conference. (Below is a picture of the three of them in front of Graceland. The tall blonde is my niece, the others are my kids). We spent the night in Memphis, which is the halfway mark, and toured Graceland. It never ceases to amaze me how many young people visit his home, wearing Elvis shirts, taking pictures, and being overwhelmed at his stardom. 

4)      All of my favorite shows are between seasons. There’s no Vampire Diaries, no True Blood, no Justified, no Dexter (soon to be no more Dexter ever, waahaaa!), no New Girl, etc. Nothing but reruns to get me through the long, hot summer. (Well, reruns and MLB, which is one of the few things I like about August).

5)      It’s hot. I mean really, really, unbearably hot. I am a winter person. I love the cold, dark, snowy, damp weather. (I think I should have been a vampire)

6)      School Zones (need I say more?)

7)      I am racing against the clock to finish Liberty Divided, Isle of Fangs Book 2 by my self-imposed deadline of August 31^st, and I’m losing the race. (See below for my cover and info on Liberty Awakened Isle of Fangs Book 1)

8)      Okay…I can really only think of seven things I hate about August, but I thought the title was catchy since it played on the move, Ten Thins I Hate About You. I LOVE that movie, which did NOT come out in August. See…there’s number 8.

What month(s) are your least favorite and why? What month(s) are your favorite? (Mine’s December)

Evil lurks beneath the surface in the beauty of the tropics…

After graduation from her small, Oklahoma high school, Liberty Delacort is looking forward to a fun-filled summer before college. But when the people she trusts the most betray her, and a letter arrives claiming her deceased father is still alive, she jumps at the chance to travel to an exotic island to meet him.

But her excitement is short-lived. Her father is dying, and he doesn’t want her around. And, in spite of its outward tranquility, the island is filled with danger and ominous secrets. The secrets soon begin to unravel, and she discovers she is a descendant of Van Helsing, the vampire hunter.

The one up side is her budding romance with the sweet and sexy Ryan Kelly. But even that is threatened when—in spite of her fear of him—she finds herself attracted to an insolent, formidable vampire. Her plan to stay away from him fails when she learns he is the only one with the ability to train her to fulfill her destiny—to save humans from a faction of vicious vampires.

Will her inexperience lead to her death—and the death of others—or will she rise to the challenge and realize her full potential as a Hunter?

Available on Amazon