Blog Tour: An Excerpt from CELESTIAL by S.E. Anderson

Hi everyone!

I'm so excited to be taking part in the blog tour for CELESTIAL by S.E. Anderson! I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book, and I can't believe that it releases next week. If you haven't already, please check out my review here. 

S.E. Anderson kindly gave me the chance of choosing the excerpt for today's stop on her blog tour, and immediately, I knew which scene I wanted to excerpt. This is one of the lighter moments of the book, and it provides a great contrast with the life-and-death decisions that main character Sally has to make in this book.

The other reason I love this scene is because it reveals SO MUCH about the main characters, Sally, Blayde, and Zander. I love their interactions with one another.

Anyway, onto the excerpt:

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Answers to Prayers Aren’t Always That Good

This morning, I woke up with spoons.

Maybe I should clarify: I was the small spoon. There were arms around me, holding me close against a perfect chest, and as I awoke, the most perfect sense of well-being flowed through me. I wanted to curl in away from the bright light that shone directly in my eyes and just lie here, fully content, fully happy.

Then I remember there wasn't anyone I should have been spooning and, poof, good feeling gone.

I rolled away from the arms, out from under the blankets, and into the cold of the morning. Instantly, I pulled back the blanket as the chill brought goosebumps to the surface. There was no memory of where I was, who was with me, or who was supposed to be with me. I tried to open my eyes, but the light burned, making everything look fuzzy. I reached out a hand, thwacking something soft. I had the dreadful feeling that it might have been a face.

"Stop that," came a mutter of muffled annoyance next to me.

"What the?" I stammered as I watched Blayde slowly wake up beside me. She opened her eyes and smiled at me, one of her twisted grins that showed too many teeth.

"Morning sunshine." She grinned, and I had a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Oh damn, Blayde," I said, "did we ...?"

"Did we what?" She pushed herself up on her elbows. "I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep with you. Why? If that something you see happening?"

"It's just, well, you were spooning me?"

"Because you asked me to."

"When?"

"Last night."

"When, last night?"

She dropped her elbows and collapsed back on the bed. "When you got back, all sandy and gross, from wherever you and my brother were off to," she said, shuffling her shoulders in what I guess could have been a shrug. "A few harsh words were exchanged a propos of this bed. Mainly, me not wanting to move or share. I got here first, why should I move?"

"So … what happened last night?"

"You mean after the two of you stumbled in, you threatened to kill me again, and told me that if I wasn't going to move, the least I could do was spoon you?"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing." Blayde grinned. "You just slept."

"And why is Zander in the bed?" I asked, glancing one person over and seeing Zander sprawled beside his sister. His gravity-defying hair must have been as exhausted as he was because it fell on his face, shading his eyes from sunlight. His face twitched; our voices must have woken him.

"He was tired?"

"And why is Nim here?" I asked, seeing the teen down the lineup. Somehow, the four of us had managed to squeeze into the only bed. Exhaustion does silly things to people.

"He was here first." Blayde shrugged again.

"I thought you said you were here first?"

"No, I was first compared to you. And you felt bad about kicking the kid out."

"Don't call me that," grumbled Nim, proving once and for all that he was awake.

"You're fifteen, and I've lost track. You're all kids to me."

"Sally's not that much older than me," he mumbled. "I think?"

"Stop it, please." Zander sat up, taking the blankets with him. "We're supposed to be putting a plan in place today to save thousands of people ... I think. I'm not quite awake yet. I need coffee."

About CELESTIAL:

She wanted a holiday. They needed a chosen one.

Sally, Zander, and Blayde, accompanied by their new friend Nim, have only one request: no more bizarre distractions on their hunt for Earth.

But before their cells can complete a single jump, the team is shoved off course and crash into a dreary old temple. Worse yet, there seems to be some confusion over Sally’s face, as it looks exactly like that the local deity, Selena, goddess of the moon and omniscient absentee. Sally’s ticking every box on the ancient prophecies checklist.

Fresh off of her meds and riding the withdrawal, and Sally must choose between embracing the role of Goddess so as to protect the planet from mysterious Sky People, or being thrown in a Volcano. Not the best way to start a tropical vacation. It’s not going to be easy uniting warring factions, dealing with excitable whispering forests, or fighting both literal and figurative demons. Not to mention keeping up the appearance of divinity when all Sally wants is a nap.

Armed only with some high school improv’ classes and a basic knowledge of foreign pop songs, Sally must save the planet – before everything goes up in flames. 

Don't forget to pre-order CELESTIAL now!