Krazy Book Lady

Moonlit by Jadie Jones - Book Blast - Win $50

2013-04-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

Moonlit
by Jadie Jones

Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods.

When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t.

But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?

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Praise
"Virginia's trees look like they're burning. Most of them blaze crimson or gold, but some still have a chokehold on their green. I wish they'd give it up already. Leaves are more beautiful when they're dying." And so Moonlit begins. From here the story rolls from one twist to another with many vivid characters whose motives are hard to predict. I found myself being suspicious of everyone, wanting to tell Tanzy to be very careful. The deeper I fell into the plot, the more questions kept rising to the surface. But not to worry, all of my questions were answered. Appropriate for all ages, if you love paranormal fantasy mixed with suspense, mystery and other-worldly romance, you'll love this novel! ~Author Julie Ford

Prologue
The first anniversary of my father’s death was even harder on my mother. Back then, I thought she was haunted most by what she didn’t know. I refused to blame her when she raged above me on our staircase that night, drunk and sad and angry. When she made me promise I’d never ride again. When she hurled a half-full bottle of vodka at my face and it exploded on the wooden stairs at my feet. I hadn’t tried to get out of the way. She had just missed. I wanted to tell her that knowledge was no solace, that what you know can burn inside you until there’s nothing left but guilt and ash. I also wanted to protect her from losing the only piece of him she had left. So I didn’t say a word.

Author Jadie Jones
Georgia native Jadie Jones first began working for a horse farm at twelve years old, her love of horses matched only by her love of books. She went on to acquire a B.A. in equine business management, and worked for competitive horse farms along the east coast. The need to write followed wherever she went. She currently coaches a hunt seat equitation team that competes in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, and lives with her family in the foothills of north Georgia. When she's not working on the next installment of the Moonlit series, she is either in the saddle or exploring the great outdoors with her daughter. Moonlit is her first book.

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Book Blast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 5/5/13

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Helga: Out of the Hedgelands by Rick Johnson - Win $100 - Book Blast

2013-04-16T12:55:00.000-05:00

Helga: Out of the Hedgelands
by Rick Johnson

Twelve-year-old Helga has more danger in her life than most beasts her age—Wrackshee slavers after her, a vicious attack by bandits that nearly kills her, a race against dragons pursuing her, and leading a daring rebellion to save her life and rescue friends and family from the insidious WooZan. And that is just the beginning. But what do you expect when you are a young beast who just can’t see the stupid rules of the world making any sense? Helga can’t accept things as they are and ends up taking on not just one, but two all-powerful, supreme tyrants in two different realms.

Helga never intended to lead a revolution. It just sort of happened because she wouldn’t go along with the “rules of normal” that keep tyrants in power and entire societies enslaved. Beginning on a dangerous quest to solve some mysteries in her own past, Helga leads her quirky comrades on a journey that will not only forever change them, but upset ancient civilizations.

As an author, I’m drawn to eccentric, unexpected characters: those who surprise because they hear a distant galaxy, see a different music, create their own fragrance rather than get hooked on a soundtrack; the child who has her own ideas about how the emperor is dressed; the lunatics and rebels who tell stories on the boundaries. Helga’s unusual story will take readers to worlds they never imagined— definitely a whole new ride.

Time and again, the unconventional heroine and her eccentric comrades overcome ominous tyrants and black-hearted slavers, not by battling to the last beast standing, but by being the first beast to think differently.

Helga: Out of Hedgelands is divided into three books which introduce the epic saga of the Wood Cow clan and their role in overturning centuries of slavery and tyranny. This story will continue in additional volumes of the Wood Cow Chronicles now in development. Over the series of current and future volumes, the entire history of the Wood Cow clan, the fall of Maev Astuté, and the coming of Lord Farseeker to the Outer Rings, will be told.

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Book Trailer

Author Rick Johnson
I am a native of the Great Plains, having grown up on a farm in the Platte River Valley of western Nebraska. I love the wild beauty of the Plains and nearby Rocky Mountains--the too hot, too cold, too empty, too full of life extremes. Typically, the awesomely diverse and the awesomely stark are much the same, even as they are different. Although I have lived in Michigan, North Carolina, and British Columbia, the western plains, mountains, and desert are in my heart. As my day job, for over thirty years I have been a faculty member and administrator in higher education. Teaching broadly in the liberal arts, including creative writing, my professional publications include educational materials, poems, and 28 stories for young readers. During my spare hours, I have also collected and carefully studied the records of former times upon which the Wood Cow Chronicles are based. It is my privilege to bring this astonishing saga to light. The Wood Cow Chronicles have been researched and written with the irreplaceable assistance of Barbara, my beloved wife of more than thirty-five years, and our children. Indeed, the essential research into the history of the Wood Cows has been conducted during the odd hours of family reading and storytelling "around the campfire" as we say--even when there is no campfire! This research continues and grows richer as our family expands across generations and continents.

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Book Blast Giveaway
$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 5/1/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http:/ /iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Second Chance by Shelby Gates - Book Spotlight

2013-04-05T14:19:00.002-05:00

Second Chance by Shelby Gates
January 24, 2013

Elle Middleton deserves a second chance. A second chance at life, that is. Despondent over a lost job and a singular lack of direction, Elle reluctantly returns to the only place she's ever found peace and solitude: Keefer Island.

With a nanny job lined up on the island and a directive from her mother to sell her grandmother's island house, Elle is ready to forget the past and live fully in the present. But when she arrives, she learns that her nanny job no longer exists and the only real estate agent in town is Cash Brady, the man she loved and the man who ditched her twelve years before without any explanation. And the man who can still completely disarm her with a smile.

Determined to give herself the summer she deserves and to honor her promise to her mother, Elle remains on the island. But with memories lurking behind every corner and Cash demanding answers to questions she didn't even know existed, Elle begins to realize that she may be getting more than a second chance at life. She just might get a second chance at love, too.

About the author:
Shelby Gates is actually a pseudonym for bestselling romance writer Liz Appel and bestselling mystery writer Jeff Shelby. You can find Shelby Gates on Facebook and Twitter or visit them at their blog. You can find Liz Appel on Facebook and at her blog. You can find Jeff Shelby on Facebook and Twitter, as well as at his blog. Or just shoot them an email at authorshelbygates(AT)gmail(dot)com.

Fire and Ash by Anne Patrick - Book Blast - Win $25

2013-03-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

Fire and Ash by Anne Patrick

Fire and Ash is the story of female fire investigator Sadie McGregor. When she was a child, Sadie lost her family in a horrific fire that still haunts her. She's now been called in to investigate a fatality fire in her hometown of Emerald Point, Missouri. What Sadie and the handsome new police chief discover will not only affect those close to them, but will rock the entire community.

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Amazon Kindle

Reviews and Awards

"This is a beautiful, yet hard-hitting story, fluently written, presenting characters you fall in love with."
~ Reviewed by Fennel at LASR

"A Top Pick! Another Fantastic Novel!!!! Anne Patrick's novel, "Fire and Ash" is a well-written novel that flows wonderfully. A fantastic read!"
~ Night Owl Reviews

"A wonderful read, this book had me laughing and crying. True to life characters and vivid descriptions, along with comedy and heart stopping moments, make this a page turner you'll want to read again."
~ Happily Ever After Reviews

"As a forensics show enthusiast, I found that Anne Patrick, in her book, Fire and Ash, goes into great, minute detail of the fire investigation, that puts you on the scent of a perpetrator. Her unique ability to incorporate multiple plots to throw you off course makes the pages fly by to connect the dots."
~ Onedesertrose's Christian Book Reviews Blog</ span>

"As a retired fire investigator I have to say kudos to Ms Patrick on her research. I normally don’t read romantic suspense, but this book sounded intriguing so I couldn't resist. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED"
~Review from 'Fireboy' at Christianbook.com

Received Four Stars from Romantic Times Book Reviews!

LASR BEST BOOK of 2010 Nominee!

'Best Inspirational' 2010 at The Romance Reviews!</ span>

#1 Bestselling Suspense eBook, and #1 Bestselling Romance eBook at Christianbook.com!

Amazon Top 100 Bestseller in Christian Fiction!

Author Anne Patrick

Anne Patrick is the author of more than a dozen novels of Romance, Mayhem & Faith, including the award winning and bestselling WOUNDED HEROES SERIES, FIRE AND ASH, and TIES THAT BIND. When she isn't working on her next novel she enjoys spending time with family and friends, and traveling to foreign countries to experience new cultures and adventures. Born and raised in Oklahoma, she now makes her home in Kansas.

Website * Blog * Twitter

She loves to hear from her readers!

Book Blast Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 4/10/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http:// iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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To Love or Die in a Steamy-Reamy World by Emily White - Book Blast - Win $100

2013-03-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

To Love or Die in a Steamy-Reamy World

10 Tales of Steampunk Silliness and Spookery
In the cozy seaside village of Steamville, New Hampshire, an unfaithful zombie, out of control werebots, succubi in corsets, and more wreak havoc in this short story collection from the author of Elemental.

Purchase

Just .99 cents

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Praise

"Well written and very fast paced. You won’t get bored or find your mind wandering. I’d love to see a sequel to this collection and see what happens next. I give this book five out of five donuts."

"This book starts off dipping its toe right into the heart of the story, not unlike Ms. White's YA novel Elemental, and the story never really slows down to a lazy pace; making it a very easy and fast read."

"Ms. White wonderfully succeeded in instilling humor into ten short stories about vampires, zombies, ghosts, and one mad scientist. Each story is brilliantly linked. The Victorian era setting delightfully adds to the humor."

"This is a wonderful mix of Steampunk and Horror written in Emily White's unmistakable brilliance and style. Does it get any better than that?"

About Author Emily White

Emily White lives in NY, wedged between two of the Great Lakes and a few feet of snow and ice. She's spent most of her life running away from the cold, and even spent a year in Iraq, but now contents herself with writing her characters into warm, exotic places in faraway galaxies. When not tapping away at her computer keys, she can be found reading, reading, and reading some more. And when she's not doing that, she's usually playing video games with her husband, peek-a-boo with her kids, or walking through her garden, wondering why the bugs insist on eating all her vegetables.

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Book Blast Giveaway
$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/24/13

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just What is "New Adult" Anyway?

2013-03-11T18:37:00.000-05:00

With the sudden popping up of New Adult books, seemingly everywhere, I am sure I'm not the only one with questions about it, so we have BR Kingsolver, a New Adult author, here today to discuss what New Adult really is. Please feel free to add your opinions.

New Adult Literature – What is it?
Guest Post by BR Kingsolver

Publishers and bookstores, just like libraries, are obsessive in categorizing books. They need to be in order to file things properly so that they, and their customers, can find things. Unfortunately, this has a downside. What do you do with something that doesn’t fit?

Young Adult, or YA as it’s called in the industry, was invented when publishers discovered that kids in high school know how to read. Prior to that time, there were children’s books and adult books. With the publication of Harry Potter, many adults discovered the YA category. In addition, high school kids grow up, but continue to read.

For some reason, publishers haven’t figured that out.

One of the myths in publishing is that adults want to read about adults, and children want to read about children. Teenagers read YA because they relate to the characters. And since college-age people don’t read fiction, books with college-age characters won’t sell.

As a result, authors who write about characters between high school and their mid-twenties are told that there’s no market for their books.

In the same way, many authors have been led to believe that the category of New Adult, where the characters are of that between age, are being read by people of that between age. And so a debate rages within the New Adult community as to exactly what it is.

Is New Adult aimed at readers between 18 and 25, or is it stories with characters between 18 and 25?

I know that many authors and readers in that age group feel the books are aimed at them. But if they stop and think about it, they might have read Harry Potter, Twilight or the Hunger Games when they were much older than the characters in the books.

A couple of years ago, St. Martin’s Press put out a call for New Adult books and coined the term. Some incorrectly classify it as a genre, but it is actually a category. Within the category, books in many genres have hit the market. What do I mean by genre? Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Westerns, etc., are genres.

So what exactly is New Adult?

Some in the media have labeled New Adult as YA plus sex. But it is much more than that. After a character graduates high school, they are technically an adult. Faced with a new world of jobs, college or university, and adult romance, they have different motivations and challenges than they did as a teenager in high school. They are able to explore a wider world, travel, and experiment with sex. But that doesn’t automatically mean a story about someone who is 20 includes them having sex.

In another era, such stories were often called “coming of age” novels. Think about Pride and Prejudice, Catcher in the Rye, or Anna Karenina. I’ve often wondered if The Devil Wears Prada might be classified as New Adult.

As I said earlier, often people in that 18 to 25 age group feel such books are aimed at them and identify with the characters. They therefore fall into the same trap as the publishers, thinking that age group is the only market for the stories. But a much wider audience will read such books, both younger and older.

Many authors who have unwittingly written books with characters in this age range are surprised when they are rebuffed by publishers. The reasons are always the same. There’s no market. Agents and publishers suggest making the characters younger, getting rid of the sex. Or maybe make the characters older. Change the conflict. In other words, write a different book.

Self-publishing changed that. The growth of New Adult and the fact that some of the big six publishers are now soliciting NA manuscripts is directly attributable to sales of self-published novels, proving there really is a market.

In my own case, I was told that I should make my characters younger, get rid of the sex, and perhaps include some vampires. In other words, write a different book. Thankfully, what people read is no longer exclusively dictated by six large publishing companies. I just received a letter from a fan who raved about my new novel, Succubus Rising, the third book in the Telepathic Clans Saga. He’s read all three books and he definitely falls in the age range for New Adult novels. He’s 72.

The Succubus Gift
The Telepathic Clans, Book 1
by BR Kingsolver

The history of the Clans, called the Sidhe by the Irish, stretches back to antiquity. The Goddess blesses Her people with 25 Telepathic Gifts. In addition to Telepathy, the Gifts include command over Air and Fire, Telekinesis and Teleportation. In over 2,500 years, She has never bestowed more than 15 Gifts on a single person.

Brenna Morgan was orphaned at eight when her parents were killed in a plane crash. Through one foster home after another, she carried the ornate, carved wooden box her mother had left with her, keeping it always a secret. Then one night she stumbles over a man who claims her as family.

Brenna’s life isn’t the same after she discovers her unusual and mysterious heritage. In addition to being a telepath, Brenna learns she has the Succubus Gift.

That’s just the beginning of her problems. Someone is stalking her. Then there’s the tall, dangerous woman who shadows her and hints a Goddess has linked them. And what is she going to do with a handsome, charismatic, womanizing man she knows she should avoid?

Some days a girl just wants to pull the covers over her head and stay in bed -- with a willing young man of course.

Urban Fantasy with a dash of romance. The Succubus Gift is a completely different take on the succubus myth. Beautiful women and hot men in a world with a hidden telepathic subculture.

Find out more about The Telepathic Clans on Goodreads.

About the author:

I write books combining Adult Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Science Fiction. I believe in fiction as an escape, with devastatingly beautiful women and incredibly sexy men.

In my books, you will find characters with psychic abilities, such as telekinesis and telepathy, and a completely different view of a succubus than you've ever encountered before.

I made silver and turquoise jewelry for almost a decade, ended up in nursing school, then took a master's in business. Along the way I worked in construction, as a newspaper editor, and somehow found a career working with computers.

I love the outdoors, especially the Rocky Mountains. I've skied since high school, with one broken leg and one torn ACL to show for it. I've hiked and camped all my life. I love to travel, though I haven't done enough of it. I've seen a lot of Russia and Mexico, not enough of England. Amsterdam is amazing, and the Romanian Alps are breathtaking. Lake Tahoe is a favorite, and someday I'd like to see Banff.

I have a very significant other, two cats and two Basset Hounds. I'm currently living in Baltimore, nine blocks from the harbor, but still own a home in New Mexico that I see too infrequently.

Find out more at BRKingsolver.com and Twitter.

If you are a New Adult author and would like to submit a guest post about what New Adult really is, please feel free to email me.

Falling in Love with Your Characters - Guest Post by Merry Farmer - Win a Starbucks Gift Card

2013-03-07T11:28:00.000-06:00

Falling in Love with Your Characters
Guest Post by Merry Farmer

Conventional wisdom in the writing world says that you should write the kind of books that you want to read. That is absolutely true. But I am going to take that a step further for those of us who write Romance. When writing Romance, you should not only write the kind of story you want to read, you should create the kind of hero that you would fall in love with.

Falling in love with your hero is the best part of the process of writing a Romance, as far as I’m concerned. Just like a relationship in the real world, writing a first draft is like those first few weeks of dating. You’re getting to know the guy, his habits and his quirks. You’re exploring those things that drew you to him in the first place. And as the first few chapters develop into something more, you get that delicious, twitterpated feeling every time he walks into the room. The blush of first love is sweet indeed!

The best is yet to come, though. Over time you really get to know that character. You often get to see him at his worst as you put him through the trials and tribulations of the plot. The awesome thing about a hero in a Romance setting is that you get to see him hit rock-bottom, and then you get to witness the turn-around. Because in Romance the hero always rises above the pain of his circumstances. He stands by his woman and sacrifices for love. In Romance there is always a Happily Ever After. And that’s what makes the hero so irresistible!

I love every one of the heroes I’ve written so far. Okay, maybe that borders on polygamy a bit, but each one of them has something about them that really shakes my jig. I love Crispin in The Loyal Heart for his steadfast devotion to Aubrey, in spite of impossible odds and her own rather mean rejection (at first). I love Jack in The Faithful Heart for the sheer joy with which he faces life and the fact that he will do whatever it takes not only to win Madeline’s love, but to help the people who depend on him. I love Ethan in The Courageous Heart for his willingness to change when he hits rock-bottom – perhaps the rockiest bottom I’ve ever given one of my characters.

But lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my hero Michael West from Our Little Secrets. I could make the case that Michael is my favorite hero of all and that if every hero I’ve written was lined up in front of me, he would be the one I would go for. The thing is, Michael is not an alpha hero. He’s fast approaching middle age, he’s not particularly tall or handsome, and he wears glasses. He may also be the most tortured soul I’ve written. He can’t let the secrets of his past go, even when he can see the promise of the future in front of him.

Yep, I love a good tortured soul. And even though my best friend tells me I should stop making friends with crazy people, I can’t help but love Michael for all the whacky ways of thinking and painful missteps he makes throughout Our Little Secrets. He’s a great guy at heart, he just needs his heroine, Charlie, to bring it out in him. I cheered for him throughout the entire process of writing and revising that book, in spite of the facepalm-worthy mistakes he made along the way.

I love Michael as though he is a real person. And in the end that love shows through the pages. He’s real to me. All of my characters are real to me and they deserve all the love I can give them. In his book On Writing, Stephen King talks about how we as writers have to really know and respect our characters, even if we aren’t in love with them, but as I said at the start, I am a firm believer in the fact that in Romance love is most definitely the answer.

So who do you love? Which characters, of your own creation or someone else’s creation, are you head-over-heels for? Leave a comment below letting everyone know. One lucky winner will land themselves an eBook of Our Little Secrets so you can see who I’m in love with and a Starbucks gift card. Good luck and good loving!

Our Little Secrets
by Merry Farmer

Michael West swore he would never fall in love again. So when the beautiful and wily Charlotte steps off the train looking for a new life he jumps at the business opportunity she presents. Engaged forty-five minutes after meeting, married the next day, Michael thinks he’s found everything a respectable man should have. Except that Michael is as far from respectable as they come. They agreed not to ask questions about each other’s pasts, but when the past seeps into their present Michael suspects his passionate new wife is not who she says she is. Too bad he’s already fallen in love with her.

Charlotte Baldwin has a secret. She fled Philadelphia to escape the sins of her past but someone is following her. What better way to hide than by marrying Michael West, Cold Springs, Montana’s enigmatic shopkeeper? A new name, a new life, and a passionate husband is exactly what she needs to leave her sins behind. But when it comes to keeping secrets Charlotte may have met her match in Michael. When a connection neither of them expects catches up with them, the shocking revelation means Charlotte may have run right into the arms of her enemy.

No sin stays a secret forever….

About the author:
Merry Farmer is an award-winning novelist who lives in suburban Philadelphia with her two cats, Butterfly and Torpedo. She has been writing since she was ten years old and realized one day that she didn't have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. It was the best day of her life. She then went on to earn not one but two degrees in History so that she would always having something to write about. Today she is a giant History nerd and a hopeless romantic waiting for her own love story to start. Her first book, The Loyal Heart, is a swashbuckling Medieval Historical Romance involving a love triangle that will keep you guessing. Both The Loyal Heart and its sequels, The Faithful Heart and The Courageous Heart, are available wherever eBooks are sold. She has also begun a new Western Historical Romance series set in Montana in 1895. The first of that series, Our Little Secrets, is now available. The second, Fool for Love, will be released in early 2013. Merry is also passionate about blogging, knitting, and cricket and is working towards becoming an internationally certified cricket scorer.

Find out more at MerryFarmer.net.

Giveaway:
As mentioned above, Merry is giving one lucky winner an eBook of Our Little Secrets and a Starbucks gift card. To enter, leave a comment answering the question asked by Merry. Then, to keep you from having to publicly display your email addresses, please fill out the Rafflecopter form after you have commented.

Sorry! This giveaway is now over.

What Do We Learn From Issue Books, Besides the Issue? Guest Post by Kim Purcell & Win a Signed Copy of Trafficked

2013-03-06T12:15:00.000-06:00

What Do We Learn From Issue Books,
Besides the Issue?
Guest Post by Kim Purcell

I like to think of Trafficked as a page-turner that helps people escape their problems for a while, and I believe this is one of the gifts of any good book, but I also hope that it, like other issue books, gives readers something to think about when it's done. A good issue book teaches us not only about the issue, but also about human nature, revealing our own weaknesses and strengths as people.

I wrote Trafficked because I was shocked that people were kept as slaves in regular homes in many developed countries, especially in this day and age. I figured that modern-day slavery happened in developing countries, but certainly not right where I live, in my own neighborhood. Since the book has come out, many readers have told me they had no idea this happened in America. So, on a basic level, issue books do teach us about the issue, but there is so much more beneath any issue.

In many cases, what is beneath the issue is fear, which is something we all experience. When I did more research into human trafficking, I learned that in most cases, these girls and women had chances to escape and they chose not to because they were too afraid of what might happen. This fascinated me because I realized then that they weren’t any different from any of us who want to do something, but we don’t, out of fear. I hope readers see themselves in the main character, Hannah, as I saw myself. We all have fears to overcome. As a writer, I had so many fears about rejection and failure to overcome. I think when you see a rawness of emotion in a character, in this case, fear, you can’t help but look at your own life and think, I’m afraid too.

Issue books aren’t about weak victims, so different from ourselves, but rather they are illuminating the human experience and exploring issues that touch everyone, whether we know it or not. When people read Trafficked, I hope they see that modern-day slaves aren’t so different from themselves. I hope they read it and think, this could happen to someone like me and it could happen to someone I know. This book is about a foreigner who comes to America with a dream. Don’t we all have dreams? What do we do when it looks like those dreams won’t happen for us? Do we push harder or do we give up?

Sometimes we separate ourselves from an issue, saying I don’t know anyone who does that. Really? How can any of us be sure that a particular issue doesn’t affect us? Estimates are that around 16 thousand foreigners are trafficked into America each year, and 100 000 American kids are trafficked within America every year. If we separate ourselves from people in any terrible situation, it keeps us from seeing what’s happening just down the street, or maybe in our own house. This is true whether we read a book about trafficking, or about suicide, cutting, depression and bullying. We are all affected in some way.

When we create awareness about issues through fiction, we de-stigmatize all issues and provide a dialogue for people, a forum for people to come forward about any problem. We take away the shame and we create the impetus for change.

I hope when people read Trafficked, they will be motivated to do something about this terrible problem: maybe push for stricter laws, start fundraisers for victims, or simply pass the book on to create more awareness. If nothing else, I hope that after reading this book, people will be kinder to those they meet who don’t speak English perfectly. Maybe they will expand their awareness and notice people who are in trouble. Most of all, I hope that some girl somewhere will read this book and when a trafficker approaches her with his empty promises, she’ll walk away.

Trafficked
by Kim Purcell

A 17-year-old Moldovan girl whose parents have been killed is brought to the United States to work as a slave for a family in Los Angeles.

Hannah believes she’s being brought from Moldova to Los Angeles to become a nanny for a Russian family. But her American dream quickly spirals into a nightmare. The Platonovs force Hannah to work sixteen-hour days, won’t let her leave the house, and seem to have a lot of secrets—from Hannah and from each other.

Stranded in a foreign land with false documents, no money, and nobody who can help her, Hannah must find a way to save herself from her new status as a modern-day slave or risk losing the one thing she has left: her life.

About the author:
Kim Purcell is a journalist, teacher and novelist. When she’s not writing or teaching writing workshops, she loves doing yoga, going for long runs with her dog, playing board games with family, and dancing in empty elevators to cheesy elevator music.

Find out more at KimPurcell.com and on Twitter. Check out Trafficked on Goodreads.

Giveaway:
1 winner will receive a signed copy of Trafficked.

Giveaway details:
Open to the US and Canada. Giveaway is open until midnight March 17, 2013. Must be 13 or older to enter. Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will be emailed and must respond within 3 days or a new winner will be selected.

Sorry! This giveaway is now over.

Winner: Jess

Souls of Darkness by Eleanor T. Beaty - Excerpt & Giveaways

2013-03-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

Excerpt:
It took two extra turns before the car obeyed. They almost ran off the road. Alex couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing. "Did you ever consider Googling this island… getting an update?" The bumpy road made it hard to talk.

"Gosh, no… since the phone number hadn't changed."

"That should've been a clue: same number for thirty years? And how did you rent this wicked piece of metal?"

"The guy from the hotel… I should have suspected, he only charged me a hundred dollars for three weeks."

"And you thought you got a great deal!" Alex groaned. "The house is probably a shack with an outhouse where snakes make their nests. Spiders all around."

"The lack of progress is…."

"Suspicious."

"Disturbing," Charlotte half-whispered.

Ten minutes later they came upon a clearing to the left. As if in a suspense film, Alex and his mother held their breath while they drove up the short driveway and then stared speechless at the house.

"Wow… it's cute… and well cared for." His mother turned off the engine.

"It looks almost… American. It reminds me of Grammy's old house in Fort Lauderdale."

"You're right, those 1960's wood houses. Huh. This is great!"

Alex wrinkled his nose. "Too good to be true?"

"Let's check it out before we unload. If it's bad, we can stay at the Mayan Hotel."

His mother inched the door open, as if she expected something to jump out.

"Will you just go in," Alex said, looking around the thick and dense vegetation next to the house. He had the strange sensation of being watched. Maybe a wild animal. Oh, God, what type of wild animals do they have on this island?

"Wow, it's not bad. Not bad at all," his mother said.

Alex agreed as he stood in the small kitchen, which opened into a dining room/living room. A porch stretched out beyond the spacious room.

Charlotte turned into a hall on the left, across from the kitchen. "Two bedrooms and two bathrooms; actually one's a suite."

Alex played with the light switch near the door. "We've got light!" He looked around, "And no TV and… and no phone? No. This is bad. Mom, there's no phone!" So much for bringing my computer. And so much for buying the PC card. Cris had told him to get one in the event his only option was dial up. He crossed to the porch. The beach seemed to be a mile in length and wide enough to make him feel lazy about going for a swim. A low stone wall ran along both sides of the house. He took out his cell, turned it on and began looking for a signal.

His mother came up from behind. "Oh, my God! This is paradise. Look at this amazing clean and empty beach, blue-green water!"

Alex cringed. "Yeah, I'm blown away."

Charlotte laughed. "I guess this isn't your definition of paradise."

Souls of Darkness

by Eleanor T. Beaty

Alex’s life is turned upside down after his father’s sudden death. An old pamphlet found in his father’s belongings leads Alex and his mother, Charlotte, to a remote Polynesian island. His mother longs for a place untouched by past memories, and Alex hopes the trip will help her to heal.

Their arrival on the island elicits an eerie episode of déjà vu for Alex, and he begins to wonder about the pamphlet and his father’s past. Why did he have it? Had he been there before?

Alex senses something is off with the island. Progress is unwelcome by the inhabitants. A local girl reveals the history of the island and its dark spirits. She warns him to never be caught outside after dark, but Alex finds it all hard to believe... Until inexplicable and terrifying events begin to unfold. While digging for information, Alex finds his presence on the haunted island is not by chance. Rangur, the most evil of souls, aims to use him to acquire great power. There's only one way Alex can stop him and for that he must uncover his father's past connection to the island.

Purchase Links:

Amazon eBook: http://www.amazon.com/Souls-of-Darkness-ebook/dp/B00BC5KWM8

Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Souls-Darkness-Eleanor-T-Beaty/dp/0988590115

About the author:
Eleanor T. Beaty is a Young Adult Paranormal author. A worldly person born in beautiful Brazil and spent much of her childhood in several places (Argentina, Switzerland, and the US to name a few). She holds a BA in English Literature and is published in both Brazil and Turkey.

Eleanor loves spirituality and magic - both have allowed her to gain a strong grip on life and enjoy what it has to offer. She believes that everything has a reason and understanding those reasons help us deal with the difficult moments. Eleanor currently enjoys life with her husband in Brazil.

Follow her at EleanorTBeaty.com.

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Book Blast & Giveaway with Author Taylor Dean

2013-02-28T18:39:00.000-06:00

BOOKBLAST!!

The Tour of Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle has come to an end. In celebration of this unique tour of the Lancaster Mansion, we are giving away 10 eCopies of both books!! & sharing highlights from the Tour. Yep!! Catch the entire tour right here...

On tour with Prism Book Tours...

Fundimental Review of Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle

2/11 – Unputdownable Books – Guest Post Paranormal

What inspired me to write a paranormal romance?

2/12 – I AmA Reader, Not a Writer – Guest Post Inspiration

The American Idol performance that inspired Lancaster House

2/13 - Fundinmental Guest Post by Taylor Dean

Lancaster House contains many secret passageways and hidden rooms.

- Letters to the Cosmos – Review of Lancaster House

thought-provoking romantic read that isn't afraid to confront darkness

2/14 – Oh,The Books You’ll Read – Review of The Middle Aisle

I didn't think that this book would be as good as the first one but I was wrong. Taylor Dean is a literary genius.

- Proud Book Nerd – Excerpt

Luminous, bright green eyes were trained directly on her.

2/15 – LDS& Lovin’ It – Review of Lancaster House

I wanted to actually leap into the book and visit the place, old and damaged or not. I loved the idea of secret hiding places and staircases that go nowhere

2/17 - PhantasmicReads - Guest Post Inspiration for the Lancaster House

The Hayes Mansion . . . is it haunted?

- Lavender & Camomile Press Highlight

- Colorimetry - Guest Post the Mansion

The mansion that served as inspiration for writing Lancaster House

2/18 – TheReading Diaries – Excerpt

Reviews: Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle

2/19 - Living a Goddess Life – Review Lancaster House

the imaginative Lancaster House within the novel really captured my attention.

- Beck Valley Books – Guest Post by Taylor Dean

I Scared Myself!

2/20 – Living the Goddess Life – Recipe from Lancaster House

2/21 – Passionand Life – Guest Post Excerpt

The doorway was gone.The room had been re-sealed and the wall, painted. There was no evidence it had ever been opened.

- Books Mystify – Review of Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle

2/22 – Christy’s Cozy Corner – Review of Lancaster House

Her story becomes even more alive in this follow-up to Lancaster House. It is a story woven with great detail and raw emotion.

2/24 – Christy’sCozy Corner – Review of The Middle Aisle

I give it 5 stars!

- A Buckeye Girl Reads - Guest Post 1920's Slang

Dewdropper: young man who sleeps all day and doesn’t have a job

2/25 – Livinga Goddess Life – Review of The Middle Aisle

The Middle Aisle... toyed with the question of Zoe's sanity, which I found to be the most compelling part of the books.

- Icultgen – Guest Post Excerpt

“Excuse me, I need to iron my shoelaces. Can you help me?”

2/26 - FUONLYKNEW - Guest Post the Doctor

"I consulted my psychology-degreed daughter as I wrote Doctor Channing."

2/26 – Who’sThanny? – Review of Lancaster House in Portuguese

A sequência de Lancaster House, The Middle Aisle, já está disponível. Aguardem pra saber mais sobre essa história!

- Letters to the Cosmos – Review of The Middle Aisle

Dean adds some great storytelling to mix, turning the concept of an unreliable narrator so completely on its head that the reader is never quite sure what is real, what isn't, and how it will all end.

2/27 – Livinga Goddess Life – Recipe from The Middle Aisle

2/28 – ABuckeye Girl Reads – Review Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle

This series just has a way of pulling you in and not wanting to come up for air.

- Who's Thanny? Review of The Middle Aisle

(...) But I'll never admit That he's here. Never again. I need him. I want him. I do not care if he's not real. I wish I'd never known the truth. The truth sucks. Delusions are fantastic. The world would be a happier place if everyone was allowed to Live Out Their fantasies, live in a dream world where everything is butterflies and roses. (...)

Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle, available in print or eCopy from Smashwords or Amazon:

Taylor Dean:

©iStockphoto.com/tinabelle

Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it's paranormal, contemporary, or suspense-you'll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.

Find & Follow:

Website/Blog

Facebook
Twitter

Goodreads
Smashwords

Bookblast Giveaway!!

10 eCopies of Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle for 10 Winners!!!
March 1 - March 7, 2013

Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced on Rafflecopter and Grand Finale posts as well as emailed and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and Prism Book Tours and sponsored by Taylor Dean. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Tour-Wide Giveaway Winners on Rafflecopter:

5 WINNERS in USA will receive.... Signed copies of Lancaster House and The Middle Aisle, two Lancaster House bookmarks, two pencils that say, "Believe it, Know it, Accept it," and a cute little tote bag.

5 International Winners will receive... eCopy of Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle

Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced on Rafflecopter and Grand Finale posts as well as emailed and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and Prism Book Tours and sponsored by Taylor Dean. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Guardians Inc.: The Cypher by Julian Rosado-Machain: Win 100 Dollars

2013-02-28T00:01:00.000-06:00

GUARDIANS INC.: THE CYPHER

A chance reading of a newspaper ad will send 16 year old Thomas Byrne into the world within our world.

Following the ad he will find Guardians Incorporated. A seven thousand year old organization charged with protecting the balance between Magic and technology.

Through their guidance, technology has kept Magic at bay since the Renaissance, but the balance is shifting and soon all those creatures we've driven into myth and legend will come back with a vengeance.

To protect the present, Guardians Incorporated needs to know the future and to unlock the future
they need a Cypher.

Book Trailer

Guardians Inc.: The Cypher is FREE on Kindle, Nook & iBooks

Praise
USA Book News 2012 Finalist -Young Adult Fiction

"Rosado-Machain brings a light, humorous touch to themes of teenage love, loss and betrayal wrapped up in a tasty package of magical coming-of-age."
~Kirkus Reviews

"It's like Julian Rosado-Machain took everything that I love about middle grade children's fiction and slammed it into one awesome, well-paced fantasy"
~Emi London Oktopusink.blogspot.com

"The Cypher hooked me from the beginning. And kept my attention right through to the very end."
- Heidi Roth reviewthebook.com

Get Your Copy for FREE

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

iTunes

Author Julian Rosado-Machain

Julian has enjoyed pizza in three continents, holds a degree in graphic design, built armored vehicles and computers, handcrafted alebrijes and swears has seen at least one ghost.

He is the Co-owner of Hacienda de Vega Restaurant in San Diego, California and enjoys the sun with his wife, three children and cat.

Website * Facebook

Book Blast Giveaway
$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/13/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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FREE Book Alert - REINVENTING CLAIRE by Darian Wilk - Win 20 dollars to Amazon

2013-02-25T00:01:00.000-06:00

Reinventing Claire by Darian Wilk is FREE this week (2/25 to 3/1) on Amazon. Get your copy and find out how to enter to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card below.

Reinventing Claire by Darian Wilk

August 20, 2012

People get divorced, but that's what happens to other people. That's what Claire thought anyway, until her husband, Charlie, tells her he wants a divorce.

Claire has no choice but to take on the title of Divorced Woman, and face the question she has no idea how to answer. Who is Claire without Charlie? Her family believes her newly divorced woes can be cured by landing herself a boyfriend. With her dating dunce cap in hand, Claire stumbles her way through the foreign territory of online dating.

A teacher from hell, a softball coach, and a sap later, Claire proclaims herself the dating idiot she thought she was, and fears she's doomed to be a lonely, crazy cat lady. But an accidental run-in with an old acquaintance might change everything. What starts with comparing dating battle wounds over a cup of coffee, quickly turns into something Claire had given up on.

As Claire discovers maybe there is love after Charlie after all, Charlie realizes his mistake. He wants her back, and he'll do anything to prove it to her. Now Claire must choose who deserves her heart, and if she's really willing to give it away again.

About the author:

Darian Wilk was born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the younger of two children. While still a toddler her family moved back to their home state of Michigan, where she still lives today.

After high school Darian tried her hand at college, majoring in Nursing, while she worked as a Physical Therapy Technician. "I loved my job, but I still couldn't picture doing it forever," she says now. But before she finished her degree she became pregnant, and focused her attention on the challenges of being a single mother to her daughter.

In 2005, Darian married her best friend, Steve, whom she met and became close friends with several years earlier. In their second year of marriage, Darian became pregnant with her son. She worked on and off throughout her twenties as a Home Health Aid to the elderly, but preferred to stay home and raise her babies.

In 2007, her mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and Darian quit working to tend to her mom. It was in those three years of taking care of her that Darian realized how precious, and short, life really is. In her moms last year of life, she finally had the courage to pursue what her heart always secretly longed for; becoming a writer. It was then that she started her debut novel, Love Unfinished, and continues her writing journey today.

Find out more at DarianWilk.weebly.com.

Giveaway Details

One winner will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card.

Giveaway ends at midnight on March 1, 2013 EST.

Open internationally as long as you can use a Amazon.com gift card.

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The Love Game by Emma Hart - Cover Reveal & Excerpt

2013-02-24T00:01:00.000-06:00

The Love Game
by Emma Hart
Expected publication: March 29, 2013
Genre: New Adult

His challenge? Make her fall in love with him.

Her challenge? Play the player.

Until life changes the rules of the game.

Maddie Stevens hated Braden Carter on sight. Arrogant, egotistical, and the playboy of the University of California, Berkeley, he's everything her brother Pearce has taught her to despise. So why, when the girls challenge her to play the player, doesn't she say no? She doesn't know either.

Braden wanted fiery little Maddie the second he laid eyes on her - and he'd do anything to have her, hence why he's agreed to make her fall in love with him. After all, it's the only way he'll get what he wants. Sex.

But, as Braden discovers, there's more to the girl from Brooklyn than he ever imagined - and he can't help but care about the broken girl behind those pretty green eyes.

Maddie finds Braden isn't just a walking erection - he actually has feelings. He can be sweet, funny and his good looks don't exactly hurt. That means trouble - but when her brother Pearce turns up in Berkeley begging for her help, she realises Braden and Pearce aren't so alike anymore.

And maybe, just maybe, they're exactly what each other needs.

Add on Goodreads.

Excerpt:

He slides one of his arms around me and pulls me to him so my back is flush against his chest, both of our arms wrapping my stomach. “See? I've got you. It's fine, Angel.”

“This is crazy. Never again is Megan organizing a date.”

“Yeah, she got a good one with this.” He laughs again and I shake my head.

“No, no, she didn't. This is terrible.”

“Really? I would have thought that being up against me would be a good thing.”

“Maybe it would be if I could actually focus on the fact I'm pressed against your body.”

“Well, then.” He spins so he's in front of me, skating backwards.

“Braden, you can't see where we're going!”

“That's your job.”

“Oh my god.” I try looking over his shoulder but I can't. He's too tall, dammit. “You're too tall!”

“Then you just have to trust me.” His lips take mine in a searing kiss and I gasp inwardly, grabbing hold of him tightly. His hands find my waist and pull my hips against him, our speed slowing slightly. He goes to deepen the kiss, his tongue tracing between my lips, and I nip his bottom lip before I open to him. My fingers tangle in his hair as our tongues meet, starting an intricate dance of want.

For a second, I forget the game. I forget the fake relationship. I forget the fact I'm on roller-skates and Braden isn't-

“Oomph!” Braden grunts, hitting the floor. I laugh, rolling off him.

“I told you we didn't know where we were going!” I say through my laughter, blades of grass tickling my ears.

“Hey.” He rolls towards me, propping himself up on his elbow. His hair flops down towards my face, casting little shadows over us. “I totally knew where we were going until you distracted me.”

“I distracted you? Oh no, mister. You kissed me, not the other way around.”

“And I didn't hear any complaints about that.”

“Maybe that's because there weren't any.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let's try again.”

Fallen Ruler by Eleanor T. Beaty - Excerpt & Giveaways

2013-02-22T00:01:00.000-06:00

Excerpt:

A lush garden, with ancient ficus trees, surrounded her grandmother’s cottage in the Grove. The tall trees’ cascading aerial roots had terrified Lya when she was small. At night they turned into huge monsters with scary faces. Nee had come up with the perfect solution to make her feel safe; she'd placed three angels with chimes in the garden to guard the house. These angels didn’t have wings or names. They were but blue wooden silhouettes.

Nee’s gates stood open. The mango trees in her garden were loaded; the sweet scent of ripe fruit permeated the driveway. There would be mango bread for tea. Her seventy-year-old grandmother opened the door dressed in an orange Sari. Her shoulder-length gray hair was pulled back in a ponytail, which brought out her almond-shaped brown-green eyes.

“Abhaya.” Nee gave her a tight hug.

Abhaya, Lya’s Indian name meaning “fearless,” had been given to her by a nurse at the Delhi Hospital the day she was born.

Lya kissed her grandmother’s cheek.

Nee looked past her. “And Utpalini, has she escaped?”

Utpalini was Andrea’s Indian name, given to her by Nee. “More like bolted, while I dozed.”

Nee smiled. “Her loss.”

Lya felt bad about her sister’s treatment of Nee. Andrea considered her an embarrassment, an outdated hippie who should be put out of her misery.

The aroma of mango and dough drifted through the house. Nee’s cottage had beautiful art pieces collected during her travels. The Russian icon of a Madonna and Child and the bronze Buddha sitting on his wooden pedestal were Nee’s favorites.

“I set tea in the garden with the angels.”

Lya smiled to herself. As soon as they stepped out, the chimes rang in welcome. Lya bowed and thanked the angels. She still hadn’t figured out how her grandmother rang those chimes on cue. There were no wires. Three places had been set on the old picnic table under the golden raintree’s cascading canopy, now lined with yellow flowers. Lya sat facing the house, knowing her grandmother liked to face the angels.

“How was the trip?”

Lya shrugged. “Ok. I didn’t sleep much. The plane was full.”

Her grandmother poured the tea. “And your father?”

“He caught a flight to headquarters. He’ll be back tonight.” The company’s headquarter was in New York City.

“And your mother?”

Her mother, Carla had stayed behind to pack up the house. Or so she said. “She arrives next week.”

“How is everyone dealing with the move?”

“Well, it varies. Mom’s upset; she didn’t want to leave Brazil. When Dad announced the move, she said she didn’t care where they went, since anywhere with Dad sucked.”

Nee’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought things had calmed down.”

“No. I think it’s gotten worse between them. They weren’t fighting as much because they kept out of each other’s way. Both Dad and Andrea are furious over the move. Dad thought he’d get something like Paris after Bolivia and Brazil, and not another underdeveloped country like India.”

Fallen Ruler
by Eleanor T. Beaty

For sixteen years, Lya, has lived as a normal human, until her father, Walter, gets involved with the wrong people and puts Lya’s life at risk. During a visit to Miami, Lya’s older sister is kidnapped, and Lya and her father are subsequently taken hostage by Walter’s associates and forced to board a plane to India. When the plane lands in Delhi, Lya is rescued by three monks and taken to a Monastery. There her reality is shattered, when she learns the true identity of her rescuers and, even more surprisingly, herself. Lya is now faced with the toughest decision of her life. Can she live up to her ethereal destiny and save her family?

Purchase Links:

Amazon eBook: http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Ruler-ebook/dp/B00AJVMW88/

Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Ruler-Middle-English-Edition/dp/0988590107

About the author:

Eleanor T. Beaty is a Young Adult Paranormal author. A worldly person born in beautiful Brazil and spent much of her childhood in several places (Argentina, Switzerland, and the US to name a few). She holds a BA in English Literature and is published in both Brazil and Turkey.

Follow her at EleanorTBeaty.com. a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Seduced Saga by Kimberly Kinrade

2013-02-16T14:49:00.000-06:00

“Twilight meets Beautiful Creatures.” Introducing A New Adult Erotic Romance.

What fans and critics are saying about The Seduced Saga:

“Twilight meets Beautiful Creatures” ~ A Simple Mom on Amazon

“Sexy, sweet, suspenseful! The story line is great, the sexy scenes are honest, and the characters are wonderfully conflicted. Kimberly Kinrade knows how to tell a story and weave it together flawlessly.” ~Jennifer Novotny “Irelynkiss”

“An intriguing paranormal twist of a Romeo and Juliette story. I was hooked within the first few pages.” ~ Josette Schaber “Josette Evanlea”

“True love at its finest.” ~Stephanie Mayfield

About the Seduced Saga:
Rose Wintersong didn’t have an ordinary upbringing. Raised in what most would call a hippy commune, but what is actually a powerful coven of witches, she never questions the life fate chose for her.

Until she meets Derek O’Conner.

Derek challenges everything Rose believes and forces her to see the secrets hidden beneath the whitewashed walls of her idyllic country life.

Rose knows she should walk away, that the sexy martial arts instructor is bad news bred to create discord in her tight community… but the animal magnetism between them is impossible to fight.

Caught between the passion of first love, and the steady beat of the life she’s always known, Rose must choose between the innocence of her youth or the pleasures of womanhood–but lost innocence comes at a price, and Rose harbors a dark secret that could destroy everyone she loves–including Derek.

Buy links:

Seduced by Innocence

For Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Seduced-Innocence-Paranormal-Shifters-ebook/dp/B00B751B6E

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Seduced-Innocence-Volume-Kimberly-Kinrade/dp/1939559111/

Seduced by Pain

http://www.amazon.com/Seduced-Pain-Paranormal-Shifters-ebook/dp/B00BFFYX98

Look for the third book in the trilogy, Seduced by Power, coming soon!

About the author:

Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. She writes fantasy and paranormal stories for children, YA and adults and still believes in magic worlds. Check out her YA paranormal novels Forbidden Mind and Forbidden Fire and her illustrated children's fantasy chapter books Lexie World, and Bella World, all on Amazon.

She lives with her three little girls who think they're ninja princesses with super powers, her two dogs who think they're humans and her husband, also known as the sexy Russian Prince, who is the love of her life and writing partner.

Find out more at KimberlyKinrade.com.

Veiled Mist by Eleanor T. Beaty - Excerpt & Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway

2013-02-15T00:01:00.000-06:00

Excerpt:

The shoe hit the door and chipped off a flake of white paint. Only when the shoe fell to the floor did Hanna realize what she had just done. She looked at her shaking hands as if they belonged to someone else. Then she slumped onto the bed crying.

There was a hole inside her chest. A huge dark hole…a loss, she had lost something. Hanna turned to the doll. She wished she could hug it and make the pain go away. The eighteenth-century doll, with its delicate features, diamond tiara and yellow-laced gown, was all she had left of her mother. That doll gave Hanna great comfort every day. It was her mother Marie watching over her. Marie, a descendant of the French aristocracy, had died in childbirth. On Hanna’s fifth birthday, her grandfather John II had brought the doll and placed it on the mantelpiece. For ten years it hadn’t been moved, so she thought. How could this happen? Now her doll looked like a cheap prop from a B-horror film. Hanna shuddered. Oh, my God, she’d shuddered? Was shuddering contagious?

Maybe Vani was right, but not about the doll. There was something evil going on. Something evil had broken her doll. The shutters banged again, making Hanna jump. She stared at the window and wiped her face. She had locked those shutters before going to bed. She was sure of it. Hanna stood and walked over to the window. She pulled the shutters closed, then changed her mind and threw them open, fastening them to the slip-hooks on the outside wall.

No, the doll wasn’t evil. Hanna twisted around and made her way back to the fireplace. She placed a gentle kiss on the glass case and headed to the bathroom to get ready for school. Her mind stayed with the doll while her green eyes watched her hand comb her blond strands; a robot doing its routine chore. She would get it fixed. Hanna applied black mascara and some gloss to her lips, wondering if the doll’s arms falling off could be an omen.

Omens were an obsession with her grandmother Elizabeth; she saw omens in everything and everywhere. While some on the island called Elizabeth a witch, Hanna thought of her as spiritual, albeit eerie. Vani called her Chupacabra, the mythical goat-bloodsucking demon creature. Last week, when Hanna had told Elizabeth she’d dreamt of a hand stabbing her doll in the back, her grandmother explained it forewarned betrayal. Elizabeth told Hanna to be vigilant. Her grandmother didn’t like the doll. Hanna wondered what she would say about the doll’s fallen arms. As she headed across the bedroom, the shutters banged again. Hanna twirled around wide-eyed. That was not possible. Shutters didn’t get loose from those hooks. Did they? Perhaps the hooks were weak.

Veiled Mist

by Eleanor T. Beaty

On the Caribbean island of Maurray, spoiled-rotten, fifteen-year-old Hanna wakes up to a nightmare. She is not the daughter of an aristocrat but the orphan of a Gypsy. She is the descendant to a mystical Gypsy tribe. Their magic is strong and has lasted six hundred years. Ornella, the tribe's guardian, arrives at the island with her mutt, Count Dracula, to guide Hanna. Hanna is told she must embrace her heritage or die at the ripe age of seventeen. But Hanna does the unthinkable, she chooses death. She hates Gypsies and would rather die. What she doesn't know is that her death will destroy the entire tribe. What she also doesn't know is how persuasive Ornella can be. The nightmare begins.

The Reviews are in! 4.6 out of 5 stars!

"An engrossing and convincing thriller, set in an exotic part of the world, elegantly yet efficiently told. Eleanor Beaty is a writer well worth keeping your eye on" ~ Jon Breakfield, best-selling author of KEY WEST.

“Witches, Gypsies and Evil Wizards, Oh My!” ~ Krystal Willingham, book blogger

“The storyline for this book is delightfully original [and] chock full of intrigue and the paranormal… I enjoyed every minute of the story and think you will, too.” ~ Nancy Medina, book blogger

Purchase Links:

Amazon eBook: http://www.amazon.com/Veiled-Mist-ebook/dp/B008J72TGO/

Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Veiled-Mist-Eleanor-T-Beaty/dp/0615649483

About the author:

Follow her at EleanorTBeaty.com.

Giveaways:

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Bloggers: Sign Up to Participate in a "Free Book Blast" for REINVENTING CLAIRE by Darian Wilk

2013-02-12T18:53:00.000-06:00

Sign ups are now open for bloggers who are willing to put up a post for a "Free Book Alert" on February 25. Reinventing Claire by Darian Wilk will be FREE on Amazon from 2/25 to 3/1.

In exchange for getting the word out, you will receive a spot on the Rafflecopter. There will be a $20 Amazon gift card up for grabs. You must put up the post including the Rafflecopter by noon CST on 2/25. If you cannot commit to this, please do not sign up.

About the book:

Reinventing Claire by Darian Wilk
August 20, 2012

People get divorced, but that's what happens to other people. That's what Claire thought anyway, until her husband, Charlie, tells her he wants a divorce.

Claire has no choice but to take on the title of Divorced Woman, and face the question she has no idea how to answer. Who is Claire without Charlie? Her family believes her newly divorced woes can be cured by landing herself a boyfriend. With her dating dunce cap in hand, Claire stumbles her way through the foreign territory of online dating.

A teacher from hell, a softball coach, and a sap later, Claire proclaims herself the dating idiot she thought she was, and fears she's doomed to be a lonely, crazy cat lady. But an accidental run-in with an old acquaintance might change everything. What starts with comparing dating battle wounds over a cup of coffee, quickly turns into something Claire had given up on.

As Claire discovers maybe there is love after Charlie after all, Charlie realizes his mistake. He wants her back, and he'll do anything to prove it to her. Now Claire must choose who deserves her heart, and if she's really willing to give it away again.

About the author:
I'm a women's fiction author, and my current titles include Love Unfinished and Reinventing Claire. I love the challenge and thrill of putting words onto paper, and forming it into a story. For me, the only thing better than that are my kids.

On the occasions I'm not engulfed in writing you'll find me reading a book, either for fun or for review on my blog, Crazy Lady with a Pen. When I'm not reading, I'm spending time with my friends and family. Life is too short to pass those beautiful little moments life has to offer by, I want to soak up every moment I can.

For more information about me, my books, reviews, or my blog, please visit my website, DarianWilk.weebly.com.

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Teaser Tuesday: The Next Forever by Lisa Burstein

2013-02-12T11:28:00.000-06:00

Here is a little peek at a novella I recently read. (Review coming soon.) I really liked this line, so I wanted to share it here for Teaser Tuesday.

"I was pausing him, pausing myself. Trying to keep us in the perfect place we had been in before we got to college.

When he was my hero and I was a girl who needed one."

From The Next Forever by Lisa Burstein.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Dear Cassie by Lisa Burstein: Review

2013-02-05T11:28:00.000-06:00

Dear Cassie by Lisa Burstein
Expected publication: March 5, 2013
Entangled Teen

What if the last place you should fall in love is the first place that you do?

You’d think getting sent to Turning Pines Wilderness Camp for a month-long rehabilitation “retreat” and being forced to re-live it in this journal would be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.

You’d be wrong.

There’s the reason I was sent to Turning Pines in the first place: I got arrested. On prom night. With my two best friends, who I haven’t talked to since and probably never will again. And then there’s the real reason I was sent here. The thing I can’t talk about with the guy I can’t even think about.

What if the moment you’ve closed yourself off is the moment you start to break open?

But there’s this guy here. Ben. And the more I swear he won’t—he can’t—the deeper under my skin he’s getting. After the thing that happened, I promised I’d never fall for another boy’s lies.

And yet I can’t help but wonder…what if?

Add on Goodreads.

My Review:
We first met Cassie in Pretty Amy as part of the trio of friends that broke into a guy's house after they were stood up for prom night, stole his pot, and managed to get themselves arrested with it. Cassie was the "tough guy" of the group, never showing emotion and never really letting anyone in. In Dear Cassie, we find out why she is so closed off from relationships and so guarded with her emotions. Besides Cassie's tough childhood and getting arrested with a crap load of pot on prom night, she is also trying to figure out how to deal with a life altering decision she was forced to make after the arrest. Now Cassie is being sent to rehab to try to keep herself out of jail, but she wonders if this will be enough? Will it really help her?

I have developed a love/hate relationship with Lisa Burstein. And I use the word "hate" in a very loose sense because I don't really mean hate. This is the third book I've read by this author. (Well, two books and one novella. Review on the novella coming soon.) I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised that I have enjoyed them so much. On the surface, Dear Cassie may look like a typical YA book with a whiny "oh poor me" main character where everything pretty much turns out perfectly even though they complain about their hard life the whole time, but you get so much more than that. Lisa Burstein manages to capture the raw emotions and effectively portray them so that the reader can relate to the character and the situation. Both Pretty Amy and Dear Cassie take real situations and show how hard it can be to deal with the consequences. I enjoy this type of YA/NA book and wish that I had been able to find these when I was that age. Now for the "hate" part. I rarely find myself so drawn into a character's world that I am disappointed at the end of the book. Not disappointed in the story but disappointed that it was over because I was so drawn into Cassie's world that I want to know what happens next. What is Cassie's next step? I am really hoping we find out in a follow up. Is Lila's story up next? I hope so.

A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Read my review of Pretty Amy.

About the author:
Lisa Burstein received her MFA in Fiction from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University. She lives in Portland, OR, with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Dear Cassie is her second novel.

According to her twitter profile: "I write to help girls like me turn into girls not like me."

Find out more at LisaBurstein.com, on Twitter, and Facebook.

Blog Tours by Krazy Book Lady?

2013-02-05T09:58:00.000-06:00

So, I have found that I do indeed miss the blog and very much miss the interaction with all of the authors and book bloggers. I would love to revive Krazy Book Lady (especially since it is getting so many hits still, even when there is no new material), but I still do not have the huge amount of time to invest that I once had. Therefore, I am considering posting the occasional review, guest post, or interview but also offering blog tours and book blasts.

I am well aware there are lots of sites already offering blog tours, so I was wondering if there is any interest if these services are provided by Krazy Book Lady.

What is in it for the authors?
I would set up blog tours or book blasts for you on established blogs with a good following. Once things got going, I could be more specific about what that means, but each blog would need to already have a certain number of followers and/or be blogging for a certain amount of time before being included on your blog tour. Your book and tour would be advertised on Krazy Book Lady and promoted through all of Krazy Book Lady's social media.

What is in it for bloggers?
Each month I would hold a giveaway, for perhaps a $20 gift card, and each time you hosted a blog tour would equal one entry. So if you hosted two, you would have two entries and so on. I would also hope to have a tour wide giveaway attached to each blog tour. Your post on your tour day would be heavily promoted through all of Krazy Book Lady's social media.

Before I get everything set up, I was wondering if I could see if there was some initial interest from authors who would be interested in having a blog tour set up by me and bloggers who would be interested in hosting by putting up a review, guest post, or interview.

Please fill out the form below and let me know what you think.

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Romance Scavenger Hunt Giveaway - Win Your Choice of Books

2013-02-01T14:48:00.000-06:00

I know I haven't posted anything in awhile, but I am amazed that Krazy Book Lady still has so many loyal followers. Even with no new posts, this blog is still getting hundreds of hits per day.

So, since this month is Valentine's Day, almost everyone at my house has a birthday this month, and I'm so thankful for so many great readers, I'm in the mood for a giveaway!

What's up for grabs? One winner will receive $20 in romance books! (These can be in print form from The Book Depository since they offer free shipping or can be ebooks from Amazon.)

How to enter:
Scavenger Hunt!
For each one of the questions you answer correctly you will get one entry into the giveaway. So answer all 10 questions and you receive 10 entries!

All of these questions relate to books reviewed on Krazy Book Lady. You can see a list of all reviews posted here by hitting the Reviews link above.

(Note: Please write down your answers so that you can enter them all at once. You will not be able to go back to enter more answers once you hit submit.)

Giveaway details:
Giveaway is open internationally (as long as The Book Depository ships to your area or you can receive ebooks from Amazon). Giveaway ends at midnight on February 28, 2013. Must be 13 or older to enter. Winner will be decided using random.org. Winner will be emailed and must respond within 2 days or new winner will be selected.

Sorry! Giveaway is now over.

Winner: Delilah

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton - Review

2013-01-06T10:49:00.000-06:00

What Happens Next
by Colleen Clayton
October 9, 2012
Poppy (Little Brown Books for Young Readers)

How can you talk about something you can’t remember?

Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.

Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

Witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton’s stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.

My Review:
From reading the blurb of this book, I really didn't realize what happened to Sid. Call me slow or whatever, but I simply didn't make the connection. During the first chapters of this book, I was enjoying it but wasn't really invested yet. Then suddenly, bam. I was hooked. For some readers, this is a controversial event that may make you not want to read this book, but Colleen Clayton handles it delicately and with no actual details of what happened. This is simply about Sid "before" and Sid "after."

What Happens Next portrays very powerful emotions, and Sid is a character who tugs at your heart and makes you empathize with her. This may be centered around an event that people don't like to read about and don't want to think about, but unfortunately, it does happen. This is the story of how someone goes on with their life when everything suddenly changes. What do you do when the people you thought were your friends aren't there for you but someone you didn't expect is? What do you do when your entire life changes in an instant? Don't be turned away by the controversial event that this book is based on because it would really be a shame if you didn't read this.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the author and the publisher for review.

About the author:

Colleen Clayton grew up in a small, suburban town just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating from Kent State University, she worked as a social worker in residential treatment centers for troubled teens and as Program Supervisor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mahoning Valley. She currently lives in Ohio with her family and recently received her MFA in fiction writing from the Northeast Ohio Consortium (NEOMFA). She teaches fiction writing and composition at Youngstown State University.

Find out more at ColleenClayton.com and on Twitter.

Surviving the Indie Publishing Explosion: Why Book Clubs Matter - Anderson O'Donnell - Giveaway

2012-12-14T00:01:00.000-06:00

Surviving the Indie Publishing Explosion: Why Book Clubs Matter

Guest Post by Anderson O’Donnell

I’m about to write something I never thought I’d think, let alone type: With regard to publishing, particularly in the digital era, it’s not just about the numbers.

I realize that, for some, this realization might not be particularly earth shattering. But when I was researching whether to self-publish, statistics were everywhere: Downloads. Amazon ranking. Page views. Indie fairy tales with a six-figure ending. E-readers market share. Decline in print sales.

Every one, it seemed, was talking about devices and distribution, consumers and downloaders. But what about the readers? In the mad dash for visibility and platform creation, some writers seem to have forgotten that not only does our long-term success hinge on cultivating relationships with readers—as opposed to consumers—but the stories themselves depend on devoted readers.

Sexy Statistics

There are a number of indie publishing prophets tossing around a lot of sexy statistics. For example, did you hear about Amanda Hocking’s deal? I bet you did, and hey, it’s one hell of a deal—exactly the sort of fairy tale that can make toiling away in a dark, damp basement seem worthwhile.

In fact, I have a confession to make: When I first waded into the indie publishing waters, I thought that my number one priority should be getting as many copies of KINGDOM onto as many e-readers as possible. Free downloads—that was the ticket. And through Amazon KDP free days and the like, 15,000 or so people downloaded KINGDOM. But lately I’ve been wondering: how many actually read it? The most majority of downloaded copies are probably languishing alongside a hundred or so similar freebies. The sheer glut of content generated by these promotional giveaways is staggering; how many books are being snagged then forgotten?

While these numbers might yield some sort term gain, in the long run, our stories will suffer. After all, when a story gets published, its not actually done; it’s just moving to the next stage in an on-going creative process. By devouring their favorite stories, readers often reveal elements of the characters and story that surprise even the author. Literature needs to be discussed and dissected. It needs to be loved; it needs to be loathed—visceral is always better than lukewarm. If your story is sitting on an e-reader along with 100 other indie books, odds are this will never happen.

Find Your Readers

The fascination with numbers, rather than readers, is understandable; the numbers are seductive, and all writers dream of during their hobby into a profession. But it’s critical to not allow the numbers to get in the way of engaging readers.

So what’s the antidote to all this? Rather than focusing on numbers, let’s concentrate on finding as many ways to engage readers as possible. This month, for example, I’m participating in the Book Club Bash, where reading groups get together and dissect several new indie novels, including my baby, KINGDOM. I’m thrilled, because events like Book Club Bash are going to help authors distinguish themselves from the current glut of indie authors chasing the numbers. Indie publishing is about building relationships, reader by reader.

So the next time you come across those headline grabbing indie statistics, take a deep breath. There are quite a number of writers taking the self-publishing plunge at the moment, and the ones who survive the inevitable culling will be the authors who ignore the numbers and focus on what truly matters: the reader.

About the author:
Anderson O’Donnell lives in Connecticut with his wife and 2 sons. His debut novel, Kingdom, a dystopian, biopunk thriller, is now available in paperback and ebook format. Kingdom is the first part of the Tiber City Trilogy. Look for part two, Exile, in the summer of 2013.

Find out more at tibercitynoir.com.

Synopsis:

In a secret laboratory hidden under the desert, a covert bioengineering project—codename “Exodus”—has discovered the gene responsible for the human soul.

Somewhere in the neon sprawl outside the nation’s collapsing economic core, a group of renegade monks are on the verge of uncovering a secret that has eluded mankind for centuries.

In a glittering tower high above the urban decay, an ascendant U.S. Senator is found dead—an apparent, yet inexplicable, suicide.

And in the streets below, a young man races through an ultra modern metropolis on the verge of a violent revolution....closing in on the terrible truth behind Exodus—and one man’s dark vision for the future of mankind.

Welcome to Tiber City.

Purchase at Amazon for Kindle or in Print.

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Can Those in a Coma Hear Us? - Lenore Skomal - Giveaway

2012-12-13T00:01:00.000-06:00

Can those in a coma hear us?
Guest post by Lenore Skomal

It’s the pivotal question that launched BLUFF. Not a revolutionary or new question, but one that persists and is debated in the medical community, for one, and the world at large.

In doing the research for BLUFF, I spoke to many physicians and caregivers, and my straw poll indicates the group was evenly divided. While most doctors acquiesce that they don’t rightly know, their druthers list toward the “no, not likely.”

While my mother wasn’t in a coma, technically, she was in a deep, morphine sleep toward the end of her life, thanks to a losing battle with bone cancer. She drifted in and out of long periods of consciousness, and it had me wondering, perhaps obsessively so, about what exactly she was aware of. Her primary care doctors were sensitive about not talking about her condition in front of her, even when she was snoring. I appreciate this more than they will ever know. There was a level of respect that I bow to.

After I wrote BLUFF, an in-law of mine was admitted to the hospital and kept in a medical coma for a month. When I asked him about it later, he wasn’t comfortable discussing it, other than to say, “I don’t remember a thing.”

Others who have come out of comas have had similar responses. But they are not the norm. Actually, there are those documented cases of coma patients who do remember, and can even recall the offhand words of a careless doctor or insensitive nurse telling loved ones that they’ll never come out of it. Those cases are what keep the right to life movement fueled, especially in desperate cases where there is no hope. Oddly, however, there are no numbers to prove the case either way.

By creating this dilemma for my protagonist, I wanted to push the envelope and explore not just the idea that a comatose patient could hear, but much more. I wanted to know what it might be like to be trapped in one’s body, with no visible means of communication. And not just be trapped, but forced to face the decisions you’ve made and live with those outcomes while not being able to defend or explain yourself. My protagonist, Jude Black, finds herself in that position. And as she lies there, immobile, some strange things happen. One of them is that she actually finds herself communicating and developing a friendship with someone she loathed in her waking life.

As with most of my writing, this unusual outcome underscores something much larger and pervasive—a human frailty—basically, our tendency to judge one another. When everything is stripped away—social setting, class-consciousness, petty differences, toxic gossip—sometimes that’s enough to truly see someone. And find a commonality that can create a relationship, a bond. I played with this theme in the book, and I think you will agree that the unlikely friendship that transpires between Jude and Mary Shannon is not just poignant; it’s heartfelt and true.

To be certain, the question about just what someone in a coma can experience won’t be answered definitively by BLUFF or by me, that is unless I find myself in a hospital bed one day in a persistent vegetative state. And if that happens my friends, you can rest assured—I will get back to you about it.

About the author:

Lenore Skomal is the author of the recently released novel Bluff. As an author, Lenore wants you to eat her books. She wants you to chew them in your teeth, savor them on your tongue, breathe them in, and feel her words in your skin. Her passionate desire is to touch your heart, inspire you, and luxuriate in the world of the written word. Winner of multiple awards for blogging, literature, biography and humor, Lenore Skomal’s catalogue spans many genres. With 30 years of writing experience, over 17 books published and a daily blog, the consistent themes in her work are the big issues the human experience and adding depth and voice to the intricacies involved in living a multi-dimensional existence.

Find out more at LenoreSkomal.com.

Synopsis:

"To the medical world, I was a host body, surviving only to bring a new life into the world. And while I wanted to die more than anything in the world, I never wanted this. No, I never wanted to cease to exist. This was the worst death of all.”

Jude Black lives in that in-between, twilight place teetering on death but clinging to life in order to bring her baby into this world. Only she knows the circumstances surrounding her mysterious fall off the bluff that landed her in the hospital being kept alive by medical intervention. Only she knows who the father of her baby is. In this poignantly crafted literary novel, the mystery unfolds and the suspense builds as the consequences of Jude’s decisions threaten to reveal everyone's deceptions, even her own. Bluff offers a sensitive look at essential questions such as the value of human life, the consciousness of those in a coma and the morality of terminating life support. At the core is the story of a tragically misunderstood woman who finds peace, acceptance, understanding and even love on her deathbed.

Buy on Amazon for Kindle or in Print.

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Finding a New Author is a Little Bit Like Falling in Love - Monique Domovitch - Giveaway

2012-12-12T04:00:00.000-06:00

Finding a New Author is a Little Bit Like Falling in Love

Guest post by Monique Domovitch

Finding an author I really enjoy is a little bit like falling in love. I never know quite what it is that author has, but I sure know it when I read him.

The first time I fell in love like that was years ago and the author was Wilbur Smith. I think I hadn't read ten pages of his book--can't remember the title anymore--when I knew this was it. I could spend the rest of my life in bed with this writer's books.

Over the next few years, Wilbur and I traveled Africa together, and he introduced me to animals I'd never heard of, and villains the likes of which I hope to never meet. I was swept into his stories of love and passion and greed; stories from which I never wanted to walk away. But then, the inevitable happened. I caught up with his books and was left adrift until his next book hit the stands. And I, fickle reader that I am, had an affair with a few other authors and then it happened again. I read Dominic Dunne. And wham. I was in love again.

With Dominic, I spent time with the truly rich and the truly manipulative. How can anyone forget books like The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, or An Inconvenient Woman, or A Season in Purgatory. Once I discovered them, I devoured his books. Forgive me Dominic, for I betrayed you when I discovered my next big love, Nelson De Mille.

De Mille is a master of sharp, snappy talk and he makes all those words come out of the mouth of a sexy good cop with a bad attitude--John Corey. Now here's the funny part. I don't really know what John Corey looks like, except that he has scars on his chest from some bullet wounds. I also know that John Corey is almost as fickle when it comes to love as I am. He seems to fall in love with a different woman in almost every one of his adventures. That is, until he met and married Kate. But who knows, so far she's only been around for a couple of novels. For all I know she'll be dropped off, maybe even killed off in the next book, and then sexy John will be available again and I can go on dreaming.

Now here's something you might not know about me. I'm married, and, get this, my husband doesn't mind my little dalliances with all these authors...as long as I don't meet them in person that is.

And why am I blabbing about all these loves of mine? because, my dears, every time I start a new project, I hope with all my heart, that I infuse my novel with enough passion and ambition and greed that when you, dear reader, read my work, you will fall--perhaps just a little bit-- in love with my characters. And this I promise you. I will be kind to you, even knowing that I will never be able to write fast enough, and that you will someday leave me for some other writer. Ah, l'amour.

About the author:

Monique Domovitch was born in Canada, where she led a number of successful careers, from top model during the 70s, to financial adviser with her own national television show. Now, in what she calls the best part of her life, she launches into yet another career, this time as a fiction writer. Now, with two novels under her belt, and a contract for three murder-mysteries with Obsidian, she seems once again, headed for success.

Find out more at MoniqueDomovitch.com.

Synopsis:

Set in New York and Paris amid the glamorous and competitive worlds of art and real estate, Scorpio Rising takes the reader from the late 1940s to the 1960s through the tumultuous lives of its heroes.There is Alex Ivanov, the son of a Russian immigrant and part-time prostitute. He yearns to escape his sordid life and achieve fame and fortune. His dreams of becoming a world-class builder are met with countless obstacles, yet he perseveres in the hope of someday receiving the recognition he craves.Half a world away, Brigitte Dartois is an abused teenager who runs into the arms of a benefactor with an agenda all his own. When she finds out that her boss has an ulterior motive, she flees again, determined to earn her living through her art. This career brings her fame, but also the unwanted attention of her early abuser.

Monique Domovitch’s debut novel, Scorpio Rising, is a compelling tale filled with finely etched characters and a superb understanding of the power of ambition. Scorpio Rising promises to resonate with all who once had a dream.

Buy on Amazon for Kindle or in Print.

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