Internet Famous
Danika Stone
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: June 6th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Can an online romance survive in real life?
Internet sensation Madison Nakama has it all! Her pop-culture rewatch site has a massive following, and fans across the world wait on her every post and tweet. Even Madi’s dismal romantic life seems ready to take off as Laurent, a fellow geek (and unfairly HOT French exchange student!) starts flirting with her in the comments section of her blog. But Laurent’s not the only one watching for Madi’s replies.
Internet fame has a price, and their online romance sparks the unwanted attention of a troll. When Madi’s “real life” hits a rough patch, she feels her whole world crumbling. With Laurent’s support, can Madi rally her friends across the globe to beat the troll, or will he succeed in driving her away from everything―and everyone―she loves?
Excerpt:
Eyes closed, Madi stumbled blindly forward.
“Where are you taking me?”
She shivered as Laurent’s mouth brushed the shell of her
ear. “Just trust me. Alright?” His fingers tightened around hers. “Almost
there.”
“Okay.”
In the last minutes, Laurent had slipped on her backpack,
taking one of her hands in his, the other hand sliding around her waist. She
wasn’t sure where they were, but she could smell damp cement, mildew and decay.
The sound of the city had dimmed in the last seconds, the red glow of sun
through her eyelids replaced by darkness.
“You know I don’t like scary movies, right? No screamers on
my dashboard. No trolls in the dungeon.” She shuddered. “Definitely no trolls!”
Laurent laughed. “This is good, chérie. I promise.” His
scruff brushed her cheek, voice low. “Just a little further. Here. Take a step
down. Don’t let go of me.”
Madi stumbled, but he caught her, the faint scent of cologne
reaching her nostrils as he helped her regain her footing.
“And one more step,” he said. “A little to your left. Aha,
almost there now. Hold on.”
He put a hand on either shoulder, turning her slightly. When
he let go of her, Madi’s arms rose in sudden fear, but Laurent came back at her
side.
“You ready?”
Madi nodded.
“Open your eyes.”
Her lashes fluttered open to discover they were standing in
the damaged interior of a building. She guessed it had been a brick apartment
building, but a fire, sometime in the last years, had gutted the interior. Now
it was a roughly rectangular box forming a massive chimney, three or four
stories high, with charred beams and the wilting remains of fire-bent stairs
clinging to one side. Below their feet, the floor was warped and uneven, but
apparently sound. Above them, the wide open sky.
Madi gasped as her eyes adjusted to the light.
Light poured in from many glassless windows highlighting an
explosion of imagery. Faces rose from floorboards. Intricate words twisted into
strangely foreign shapes. Round and round the interior walls had been painted
into a massive mosaic of light and color.
“Oh my God. Did you paint this stuff?”
“Oh no, not me,” Laurent said. “Though I’ve met the artists
who did.” His arm slid over her shoulders. “One of them is a MadLibber,
actually.”
“Who?”
He winked. “I’m pretty sure you can figure out which artist
would have the attitude to do something like this.”
Madi’s eyes widened. “ArtWithAttitude? This was painted by
Ava?!”
“Among others.” Laurent said. “This is one of my special
places. One of the hidden gems in the city. It’s one of the places I wanted to
take you.” He stared up at the broken-down walls and vibrant graffiti with the
reverence some people saved for church. “I love this place. I’ve photographed
almost all of it.” He looked down at her and grinned. “The murals are always
changing. Come back in a week, this’ll be new again.”
Madi smiled. “This is the inspiration for your photographs.”
He nodded.
“And the… the feeling of it is what you want to
capture?”
Laurent’s eyes widened, gold dancing in the green. “Exactement!
I want to photograph the life and spirit of a place. Not just the structure,
but what a building is because people have put their lives into it.” His hand
rose to cup Madi’s cheek. “Because they’ve loved it. Their vision is imprinted
on it for— for— always.”
Forever?”
“Yes. Forever… Inaliénable. Indélébile.”
Author Bio:
Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both adults (The Intaglio Series and Ctrl Z) and teens (Icarus and All the Feels). When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.
The first book in Danika’s upcoming Tathagata series (Edge of Wild) was selected as a quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel of the Year Award (2013). Edge of Wild (Stonehouse CA) will be released March 2016. Danika’s YA novel, All the Feels (Macmillan US), will be released June 2016.
Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.
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