Ex Libris

It's Monday, What Are you Reading? (#76)

2012-05-27T23:05:00.000+02:00

It's Monday, What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read and the books to be finished this week.

Here are the books I got to read this week:

Books I completed

Seductive Reunion by Virginia Cavanaugh

Amazon

A short sexy novella, one I enjoyed even more since I was reading it while I went to my own high school reunion :-)

My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin

Amazon - Kindle

My Fair Concubine was a wonderful and very memorable story. I loved this vibrant and exotic China where Jeannie Lin took me, it was full of colours and interesting customs. The writing was unique and conveyed the atmosphere of Ancient China perfectly and the characters were also wonderful. I believe I have discovered a new favourite author and I wholeheartedly recommend My Fair Concubine to any historical romance lover! My detailed review will be posted on June 15th.

Book I'm currently reading

The White Swan Affair by Elyse Mady

Amazon

I love Elyse Mady's books (Learning Curves was a favourite of mine), so when I saw she had a new release: a full length historical romance I got excited, and so far I'm really enjoying it :-)

Book I can't wait to start

Succubus Lost by Tiffany Allee

Amazon

I loved Tiffany Allee's debut novel Banshee Charmer and can't wait to read the second book in the series!

And what are you reading this week?

Winners, winners!

2012-05-26T11:30:00.001+02:00

Hey Everyone!

Sorry I'm a couple days late announcing the winners but the week was so busy that I thought I'd wait until another giveaway ended to announce everyone at once, so here are the lucky ones:

The lucky winner of an ebook copy of The 2012 Book Blogger Cookbook by Christy Dorrity is

Charlotte

The lucky winner of an ebook copy of Bad Girl Lessons by Seraphina Donavan is

Kelly Grant

The lucky winner of one book from Gabi Stevens' Time of Transition series is

Beth W

Congratulations winners! I have sent you an e-mail notifying you of your win, please get back to me within 48 hours or I will have to draw a new winner. Thank you.

There are a lot of giveaways happening at the blog right now, you can enter them by clicking on their separate links at the top of the blog.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Guest post: UK vs US? by Sophie Barnes + Giveaway

2012-05-25T14:00:00.000+02:00

Today I am happy to welcome to Ex Libris Sophie Barnes, whose historical romance novels published by Avon Books have the most unique and fun titles (and their covers are just as memorable)! Sophie is celebrating the release of her latest novel, Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure the 1st book in her new Summersby Tale series. Please give Sophie a warm welcome and share your thoughts, you could win a copy of her book.

Toward or towards – American versus British English

by Sophie Barnes

Having attended mostly British schools, I find that I’m quite fond of adding S’ at the end of my words. For example, I have always written towards instead of toward, forwards instead of forward, maths instead of math and so on. To be honest, it didn’t even occur to me to write it any other way, so I couldn’t help but smile when I received my editors first set of corrections to How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back, only to find that all of my S’ had been guillotined =)

Now that I’ve been living in the US for a few years, the British and American words tend to get all muddled together inside my head. I generally have to concentrate in order to separate them from each other. For instance, when one of my friends proof read Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure before I submitted it, she pointed out that since the plot was taking place in the UK and my characters were British, I should probably write autumn instead of fall. Of course I knew this, but I’d somehow missed it anyway, and though that particular scene was eventually cut for other reasons, it did make me more aware of the words I was using. Later, as I was working on There’s Something About Lady Mary (the second book in the Summersby series), I remember pausing on the word sidewalk, deleting it again and writing pavement instead.

Since my books are set in the Regency period, my characters are generally British and I’m writing for an American publishing house, the British and the American languages do have a tendency to merge. The spelling should be American, but the words that are used – especially in dialogue – should be British. As a writer, I consider this another part of the learning experience, but to be perfectly honest, I still have a very hard time writing color instead of colour – it just looks wrong =)

For more examples, I’ve added the following link: http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/british-american.htm

I’d like to thank Ex Libris for hosting me today. I’ll be popping in throughout the day to chat with you and to answer any questions that you might have. So feel free to leave a comment or two – tell us about any unusual words that you’ve come across over the years.

To find out more about me, Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure, or my upcoming releases, please visit my website at: www.sophiebarnes.com

You can also follow me on Twitter or on Facebook.

Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure

A Summersby Tale – Book 1 – Coming May 22nd 2012

It’s going to be a wild ride...

Lady Alexandra Summersby is not your average society miss. Not only is she more likely to climb a tree than she is to wear a dress, but she has also sworn off marriage. Alex loves taking chances, which is how she finds herself embroiled in a secret mission as she races across the country with the Earl of Trenton. But Alexandra is about to discover that the real danger lies not in duels, but in her completely unexpected reaction to Lord Trenton’s company.

Michael Ashford, Earl of Trenton, is a man of duty. Honorable, charming, and a hit with the ladies, he’s never had trouble staying focused—until now. Lady Alexandra is like no other woman he’s ever met, and suddenly the prospect of marriage seems far more appealing. Now, to convince Alexandra that a life together could be an adventure like no other...

Buy at Amazon - Kindle store - B&N

Watch the book trailer here.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Avon Books has generously offered an eARC of Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure by Sophie Barnes to a lucky commenter!

All you have to do is leave a comment for Sophie or tell us about any strange or memorable word you have come across, or a word you are surprised the way it is spelled.

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 31 May 2012!

Guest post by Kristie Cook + Giveaway

2012-05-25T10:00:00.074+02:00

Today I am happy to welcome you to Ex Libris a favourite character of mine in Kristi Cook's Soul Savers series, everyone please give it up for Owen!

Stella: Hi Owen, thanks for agreeing to answer a burning question of mine. You are the epitome of "loyalty". Your unerring devotion and service to Alexis, your service and loyalty are unfaltering. You’ve laid down your life to serve, help and protect Alexis and her family, so I would love to know, to what lengths would you go for Alexis? Also, you’re a friend of Tristan, so could you choose between them, to whom is your first loyalty? Is your loyalty born out of a sense of duty or love and affection? (or a combination of both?)

Owen: Protecting Alexis is my job and I will do whatever necessary to do that job, but my first loyalty (*straightens back to stand a little taller*) is to the Amadis. I do what I have to do that serves the Amadis best. That means protecting Alexis, sometimes even from herself…sometimes from Tristan. As the youngest daughter, her well being is paramount to the Amadis. As for love and affection? I, uh… *coughs* I’ll just say duty always comes first.

Devotion by Kristie Cook

Book #3 in the Soul Savers series

With powerful abilities gained from the Ang’dora and Tristan back by her side, Alexis thinks she’s ready for the next challenge— protecting her son from what appears to be the inevitable. But she has so much to learn about her powers, her new world and the people in it. Nothing is what it seems to be on the surface, including the Amadis.

Power-hungry politicians comprise the council and make impossible demands. A traitor lurks among them all, inciting trouble that could destroy the Amadis and, ultimately, humanity. The Daemoni wreak havoc in the human world, with the ultimatum that they’ll continue attacking innocents until Alexis and Tristan are expelled from the Amadis’ protection. The couple’s own society begins to shut them out. But that’s not all.

Someone’s keeping a secret. A big one. Faith and hope in Alexis and Tristan will be restored if she can uncover the truth in time.

But the search for answers leads only to the discovery of more betrayals by those closest to Alexis. Her devotion is put to the test—devotion to her husband, to her family, to her people and to her beliefs—leaving her to question whom she’s fighting for and why she should even bother. But if she won’t fight . . . who will?

Buy at Amazon - Kindle - B&N - Nook

Books in the Soul Savers series:

Promise
Purpose
Devotion

About Kristie Cook:

Kristie Cook is a lifelong writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle.

She can be found at her website /Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Blog Giveaway

Kristie has generously offered an ebook copy of Devotion, Book #3 in the Soul Savers series to a lucky commenter!

All you need to do to be entered is leave a comment and tell us what does loyalty or devotion mean to you?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 31 May 2012!

Grand Prize Giveaway

Grand Prize – Nook Simple Touch (US only)

1st Prize — All 4 of my books signed (US only)

2nd Prize — Soul Savers Swag bag (US only)

International Prize — All 4 books as ebooks

All you need to be entered is to leave a comment on this post (the more you comment throughout the tour the more entries you'll get as each comment left throughout the tour will count as an entry).

Please include your email address and if you are international or US.

You can find all the tour stops here: http://www.kristiecook.com/2012/05/on-tour-and-you-could-win-nook.html

Guest post: Music and Immortals by Lisa Kessler + Giveaway

2012-05-24T13:30:00.004+02:00

Music and Immortals
by Lisa Kessler

Hi everyone,

Thank you for inviting me to the Ex Libris blog today!

They say music is timeless. Classical music has lived on for centuries, long after the one who composed the notes on the parchment. Operas are still performed today without microphone and amplification, so when you walk into an opera house to see Carmen or the Marriage of Figaro, you are seeing the production the same way audiences had watched it since the 1700’s.

I’ve always imagined that would be encouraging for an immortal.

Can you imagine the world changing around you, while you remain unchanged? I would think immortality would be cool for the first lifetime, but what about after the second or third?

Would you ache for familiar things?

Music is not only timeless, but it also evokes memories. I can hear the song Almost Paradise, and I’m instantly transported back to my high school prom.

What would it be like for an immortal?

In Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, Lestat plays the violin with such accuracy and frenzied precision that it awakens the Queen of the Damned. So the music not only affected Lestat, but also the oldest vampire who hadn’t moved in over a thousand years.

In my new novel, Night Walker, the hero, Calisto plays the piano with a passion and precise intonation that could only be achieved by lifetimes of practice. He uses the piano to pour out emotions he can’t share with anyone in the world, because no one knows who or what he truly is.

Here’s a short excerpt of Calisto pouring his heart into his music…

When the soft purr of her car’s engine faded into the distance, Calisto went downstairs and sat down at his grand piano. Playing was one of the few activities of late that helped ease the loneliness plaguing him. The music surrounded him in a calming embrace, like a child wrapped in his mother’s arms.

Over the years, he had become a virtuoso, a product of having centuries to practice. In that time, he had memorized countless masterpieces by Chopin, Mozart, and Beethoven, but right now Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise” poured from his soul, through his fingertips, making the grand piano ring with emotion.

The music spoke words he couldn’t recite, and he played with fervor and accuracy only an immortal being could achieve. Tonight the piano sang, not with the bitter ache of emptiness but with hope and the promise of love. Passion built in the melody, and in his mind he saw her eyes shining as he bent to kiss her lips. He closed his eyes as he played, envisioning her body pressed against his, her warm skin enticing him to hold her tighter.

At the final cadence, his hands remained frozen over the keys, suspending the final chord as it echoed through his empty house. When silence crept around him, Calisto rose from the keyboard and made his way to the secret chamber buried deep within the cliff of his beachfront home.

He would find her again. Tomorrow night he would search for Kate Bradley. For the first time in decades, he was anxious for another night.

Music can become an immortal’s link to the past, as well as a comfort in the future.

Since music seems like a perfect match for an immortal, I’ve often searched out Vampire musicals, and surprisingly there aren’t very many. I wish I could have seen Elton John’s Lestat: The Musical, but it didn’t stay on Broadway for long.

I have a friend in England who has devoted the past few years to developing Dracula for a musical stage production. He even has a cast recording out... and recently Frank Wildhorn, the composer behind Jekyll & Hyde also released a studio recording of Dracula the Musical... Check out the romance of “Loving you Keeps me Alive”.

So what are your thoughts on the connection between music and immortals? And did any of you ever get to see Elton John’s Lestat on Broadway? I’d love to hear from you! :-)

Lisa

Lisa Kessler is an avid reader and writer of dark fiction. Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.

Lisa recently signed a 4 book deal with Entangled Publishing to release her Night Series. The first book, Night Walker, is scheduled to be released August 5th.

When she's not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego. Lisa lives in southern California with her incredibly fun husband and two amazing kids. You can reach Lisa at

Her website

Night Walker by Lisa Kessler

He gave up his soul for a second chance to love her…

Two and a half centuries ago, Calisto Terana lost everything when a zealous priest murdered the woman he loved. Now, desperate for another chance to love her, he wants redemption for the mistake that cost her life.

She’s haunted by dreams of her own death…

After catching her fiance with another woman, Kate Bradley returns to San Diego to clear her head. The last thing she needs is romance, but after meeting Calisto she’s drawn to him in ways she doesn’t understand.

They’ve waited in the shadows for centuries…

Calisto has no doubt Kate is the reincarnation of his lost love, but the Fraternidad Del Fuego Santo has a new watcher with dark ambitions of his own. As old enemies reemerge and a new threat arises, the betrayal that enslaved Calisto to the night might destroy the only woman he’s ever loved again.

"Hot romance and cool characters make Night Walker an all-night read." - Kelley Armstrong, #1 NYT Best-Selling Author

"A stellar first novel with heart-stopping suspense and a hero to die for." -- Angie Fox, New York Times bestselling author THE LAST OF THE DEMON SLAYERS

Buy at Amazon - Entangled Publishing

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Lisa is giving away a signed paperback of Night Walker, a signed Night Walker poster and a $25 Amazon giftcard!

Just fill out the Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to US residents!

Guest post: Being Sexy in the 23rd Century by Lilly Cain + Giveaway

2012-05-23T12:23:00.000+02:00

Being Sexy in the 23rd Century

by Lilly Cain

It’s a hundred years from now and earth has met its first set of aliens. The Confederacy, a large group of politically aligned species, has arrived and introduced us to the Inarrii – a people who look enough like us that we won’t freak out. We will, however, want to date them, make love to them, even marry them. In whatever weird ceremony they can think up. We don’t care – they are tall, hot, and have fantastic nerve lines on the surface of their skin. These L’inar nerves look like tattoos, until the Inarri become excited, angry or frightened. Then they rise in narrow, shallow ridges. Touching these nerve lines brings intense pleasure. And since they are a sharing people and telepathic to varying degrees, we’re able to experience the same pleasure. Yay Inarrii. :-)

So that’s how it is in my world, The Confederacy Treaty Series with Carina Press. Each novella (about 40,000 words) tells the story of a first for our world. In Alien Revealed we meet our very first alien spy. And we fall for her and the military man from Earth who comes to love her.

There’s always been romance in Science fiction, whether it’s been popular to admit it or not. Sex is a big part of life. Look at Star Wars, and Princess Leia. Did anyone not imagine she was going to hook up with Han Solo?

How about forbidden romance in Star Wars I, II, and III? And Star Trek is rife with episodes full of fantasies, fulfilled and not. Poor Seven of Nine. I so wanted her to hook up for real. The holodeck is cool and all, but somehow not satisfying.

Don’t even get me started with Captain Kirk. Seriously. And those are just two of the science fiction franchises that come to mind.

Will our own love change so much in a hundred years? With robotic lovers or holodeck affairs. Meeting aliens and loving them and their new forms of pleasure. Good God, I hope so.

What do you think?

Lilly Cain

Alien Revealed by Lilly Cain

Book #1 in The Confederacy Treaty series

Inarrii agent Alinna Gaerrii was tasked with observing the Starforce base on Earth. Crash landing her observation pod onto the base was not part of her mission briefing. Neither was making m’ittar—mind contact—with Major David Brown, the human who discovered her amongst the wreckage.

David thinks she’s a psychologist sent to evaluate his Special Forces team, and Alinna goes along with his misconception, seizing the opportunity to observe humans up close. But their daily contact has unexpected side effects, and Alinna soon invades David’s dreams. Through their intimate mental connection she allows him to express his forbidden physical desires.

Alinna delights in the sensory exploration and grows excited by the prospect of a treaty with the humans and a potential life mate in David. But an attack from an unknown ship sends the base into chaos, and Alinna may be forced to reveal her lie, erasing all hope of a successful treaty, and driving David away forever…

The Confederacy Treaty Series:

Alien Revealed
The Naked Truth
Undercover Alliance (coming soon)

Buy at Amazon - Carina Press

Lilly Cain is a wild woman with a deep throaty laugh, plunging necklines and a great lover of all things sensual - perfume, chocolate, silk! She never has to worry about finding a date or keeping a man in line. She keeps her blond hair long and curly, wears beautiful clothes and loves loud music. Lilly lives her private life in the pages of her books.

Lilly lives in Atlantic Canada, although she spent eight years in Bermuda, enjoying the heat and the pink sands. She returned to her homeland so she could see the changing of the seasons once again. When not writing she paints, swills coffee and vodka (but not together), and fights her writing pals for chocolate.

When not living up to her pen name, Lilly is a single mom who loves reading and writing, dabbling in art and loving and caring for her two daughters. She loves romance and the freedom erotic fantasy provides her imagination. She loves the chilling moments in her novels as much as the steaming hot interludes. Her stories are an escape and a release, and she hopes that they can give you that power, too.

You can reach her at her website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Lilly has generously offered an ebook copy of Alien Revealed to a lucky commenter!

All you have to do is leave a comment answering Lilly's question or telling us which sci-fi couple is your favourite.

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 30 May 2012!

Guest Post: Fan Expectations by Gini Koch + Giveaway

2012-05-22T14:24:00.000+02:00

It is my great pleasure to welcome back to the blog the terrific, the unimitable, the one and only Gini Koch, whose amazing Alien series is not only a favourite of mine but of many others as well. To our great joy Book #6 Alien Diplomacy got released in April and Gini has graciously agreed to share with us how she lives with fan pressure since her series got BIG. (Because let's be honest, every one of us who read Kitty & co's stories let Gini know (=harassed and stalked her) what we thought should happen and why did so and so do what they did). Now Gini lets us know why things happen the way they do and that we should trust her because she knows best what we need to enjoy her stories (and I have to hand it to her she is right. Even if at first I was maybe rooting for things to happen differently now I see that they did the way they were supposed to). But enough of that, read on and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end, you wouldn't want to miss out on such a sweet prize! ;-)

Fan Expectations

There’s something they warn you about, in passing, when you start getting published. “They” are other authors, agents, editors, someone involved in the idea-to-bookshelf supply chain. “Don’t pay attention to the pressure of fan expectations,” someone says casually. Maybe someone else nods in agreement.

And that’s it.

Source: BigPicture

Now, for most of us, when we’re starting out, the mere idea of garnering fans is so far away from where we’re at that we tend to nod and then go on about the business of getting our bookie wookies finished and edited and all that good jazz. And then we move right on into worrying that our books won’t sell and all that bad jazz. So, you know, we keep busy.

Your book hits the shelves, and, if all goes well, people buy it. Many of them actually read it, too. And out of those people, somewhere along the way, you get fans.

My first fan letter came three weeks before my first novel, “Touched by an Alien”, was supposed to be released. The bookstore got the books, put the books onto its shelves, the reader picked my book up, enjoyed the book, and lo and behold, she sent me a fan email telling me she’d enjoyed the book. Which I almost threw away without opening it, thinking it was spam, because, frankly, I wasn’t ever expecting to get one. (And I am so very happy that I opened it “just in case”.)

That is NOT to say that I don’t think my books are fan-worthy. I just honestly never expected anyone to take the time to tell me they enjoyed my book…beyond, you know, buying the next book in the series. But she did (and I love her for it), and others do, too, all the time.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but from that first fan email on, I fell in love with my fans. I really mean it -- I LOVE my fans. All of them, each and every one. My fans are my crack. (Is that wrong?) Nothing makes my day brighter than someone telling me they enjoyed one of my books.

So I didn’t feel the pressure at the start. I was too new, the whole experience was too new, and I was too busy bouncing in my chair any time someone said something nice about my book to notice anything even remotely close to the pressure of fan expectations.

I was also writing three books ahead.

Yes, that’s right. When “Touched by an Alien” came out, “Alien Tango” and “Alien in the Family” were done and I was finishing “Alien Proliferation” while also being immersed in the editing process with DAW. (There are pros and cons to this, which aren’t applicable for this particular topic, but let’s just say that it was a great learning experience and let it go at that.) Which was a really, really good thing. Because by the time “Alien Tango” released, I started to feel the pressure.

It’s not a bad thing, mind you, fan expectations. And no fan means it to BE bad. But there are characters that become favorites and others who aren’t liked as well and things happen and everyone has an opinion. And while I may not ever comment on reviews, I do read them all. And I interact with my fans all the time because social media’s made that very easy and I love me some social media.

There are all kinds of fan expectations that can affect you. Of course, the obvious one is “will they like this next book” and that is what keeps some of us (me, for certain) up at night, nervously pacing, once the book’s gone through its last galley edit.

The next obvious one is when someone didn’t like something specific in the book, be it a character, a plotline, a scene, whatever. There’s always a knee-jerk reaction of wanting to fix it, to explain in some way, before you get to the realization that the book’s out and not everyone’s going to like everything you write, no matter how much you wish it were otherwise. Everyone’s a critic, and for your own mental health (such as it is for writers) you have to just say “oh well” and keep on keeping on.

But it’s the little requests about specific characters or plotlines or settings (“When will Christopher find love?” “You’d better never kill THAT character off!” “Any chance you can set the next book in my country?” “Are you sure Kitty couldn’t just have a fling with this other guy?” “Will you put me into your book somewhere?”) that start to get into your brain, and not always in a good way.

There is a reason beyond being several books ahead (somehow, I’m only writing two ahead now…how did THAT happen?) for why I don’t actually give in to fan pressures for things my various fans have asked for.

I’ve seen what happens when someone gives fans exactly what they ask for.

I was part of a fandom what seems like only a little while ago but was actually in the ‘90’s. (Yes, honestly, THE NINETIES…we must pause, while I feel very, very old for a moment…there, I’m better now.) We were one of the first Save Our Show groups and we actually saved said show. Go us, right?

This was a vocal and opinionated fandom, and the producers and writers and actors were very gracious and grateful that we’d done all this to keep them on the air for a second season. And so, to show their gratitude, they listened to everything we said we wanted to see. And they gave it to us.

And we hated it.

Everything we’d said we wanted, well, once we saw it on the screen, we didn’t like it. There are a variety of potential reasons why, but the one that I think is the closest to the truth is that we didn’t KNOW what we wanted. Sure, we thought we knew, but what we REALLY wanted was what the show’s writers, cast and crew had given us before -- THEIR vision. Not ours, theirs. We’d fallen in love with what they’d created, and when they altered that to make us happy, we were more than let down.

The show was, frankly, nowhere near as good in the second season as the first, and it died the death it honestly deserved. But in its death, it taught me the most valuable lesson I’d need once I had books published and had fans find me.

You don’t really know what you want until I give it to you, because I know the world and the characters and all the little intricacies that make it special and make it mine, make it clearly written by me, not written by someone else.

I know what would have happened if, for example, Kitty had chosen Christopher instead of Jeff (and the example is: the world would have ended). I know where every turning point for the characters is, in this universe and others. I know because they’re in my head, they’re a part of me.

You might not like everything I do every time out of the gate, but the sum of the parts makes up a better whole than if I was giving each person what they’d asked for -- if I gave every fan what they asked for, it wouldn’t be “right”, because it wouldn’t be coming from me, in that sense, it would be coming from a committee. And committees don’t write books. Authors write books.

Will you love my current release, Alien Diplomacy (and, writing as G.J. Koch, Alexander Outland: Space Pirate), and my next bookie wookies, and the ones after those? I sure hope so. But I can guarantee that the reason you love the books you do, mine and other authors’, is that you love where we take you, even if it’s not where you think you want to go.

The one thing you can always expect, though, is that my books are going to take you on a wild ride. So fasten your seatbelts and join Kitty and Company as they introduce Washington, D.C. to how they do things Alien-style.

What change from the norm in popular entertainment (books, TV, movies, etc.) had you the most worried, but ended up being something you loved? My answer -- the casting of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in the first X-Men movie. Hugh's a foot too tall to play Wolverine as he is in the comics, but the moment Hugh was onscreen he BECAME Wolverine, and was pretty much perfect. So, kudos to the casting director for ignoring fan pressure and casting the right guy for the role.

Gini Koch lives in Hell’s Orientation Area (aka Phoenix, AZ), works her butt off (sadly, not literally) by day, and writes by night with the rest of the beautiful people. She writes the fast, fresh and funny Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series for DAW Books and the Martian Alliance Chronicles series for Musa Publishing. She also writes under a variety of pen names (including G.J. Koch, Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch), listens to rock music 24/7, and is a proud comics geek-girl willing to discuss at any time why Wolverine is the best superhero ever (even if Deadpool does get all the best lines). She speaks frequently on what it takes to become a successful author and other aspects of writing and the publishing business.

She can be reached through her website / blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Alien Collective Headquarters

The Kitty Katt/ Alien series:

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Gini has generously offered winner's choice of either Touched by an Alien, Alien Tango, or Alien in the Family, signed & personalized! woohoo!

All you have to do is leave a comment answering Gini's question: What change from the norm in popular entertainment (books, TV, movies, etc.) had you the most worried, but ended up being something you loved?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 30 May 2012!

It's Monday, What Are you Reading? (#75) + Plenty of Giveaways

2012-05-21T22:25:00.000+02:00

So you want to know what I've been doing these past one and a half days? I've been looking for A book. But I'll just tell you the story ok? Last night I finished the book I was reading at 2:30 am. Yes, at half past two dawn time (on a Sunday night when I had to get up early to go to work the next day, no problem *insert sarcastic tone*). But since I was feeling still awake I got up and started rummaging through my bookshelves because I just knew what book I had to read (to be able to send the questions to the author) and was in the mood for. But despite my looking through everywhere I was unable to locate it. So after some time I gave up went to bed and to sleep, only to wake up in the morning and start searching for THE book again. After some time and still no sign of the book I just realized I was running late (yep seems THE book was playing hide and seek with me...) so I had to abandon my research and rush to get ready. Fast forward about 12 hours when I got home and after my shower I thought it was time for Round 3. I turned my book piles upside down again, looked in the shelves, in bags in cupboards but no sign of THE book. I was trying to despair and think the universe has decided it wasn't the right time for me to read THAT book, when on a hunch I went back to the very first place (top shelf) of my TBR pile and the 2 nd book from the top was THE book! The little sneaky ...! :-D But I got it and I'll start reading it tomorrow *big grin* (and if you want to know which book was the winner of this week's Hide and Seek go to the "Book I can't wait to read" part).

Last week it was the Bout of Books 4.0 Read-a-thon and I did amazingly, I was so proud of myself! (You can read about my goals and what I did achieve in this post). Here are the books I got to read:

Books I completed

A Gentleman Says "I Do" by Amelia Grey

Amazon - Kindle

A nice story but nothing too memorable or out of the ordinary rather average.

The Book Blogger's Cookbook 2012 by Christy Dorrity

Amazon

The 2nd book blogger cookbook got released with more delicious recipes. You can read my review here and you can win yourself a copy of the book HERE.

Bad Girl Lessons by Seraphina Donavan

Amazon

You still have time to win a copy of this short but steamy novella HERE.

Always a Bridesmaid by Cindi Myers

Amazon

Another one of Entangled Publishing's new Indulgence (category romance) line and once again I was blown away! A wonderful story and a terrific new author I discovered!

Chairman of the Whored by Lucy V. Morgan

Amazon

We did a dual review of this controversial and dark erotica story at Book Lovers Inc. And you can win a copy of the book HERE.

Can't Buy Me Love by Molly O'Keefe

Amazon - Kindle

This book was categorized as "quirky fun – with strong wit and humor similar to that of Rachel Gibson or Janet Evanovich", so I was excited. Sadly despite the nice writing the characters were quite awful and after 45% I put it away.

Someone Else's Fairytale by E.M. Tippetts

Amazon - Kindle

Once I started reading this book I couldn't stop. I would love it if it were made into a movie *sighs*

Wow I just saw that I read 7 books, 1 book/day, I really did have a great bookish week :-D

Books I am currently reading

Seductive Reunion by Virginia Cavanaugh

Amazon

Lol funny how I started reading this one the day I had my own high school reunion :-D

Book I can't wait to start

And Ta-Da, here is the book I have turned up my room for:

My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin

Amazon - Kindle

After really overcoming such obstacles and not giving up I hope the book will be wonderful, I'm a huge My Fair Lady fan and I am fascinated by China, so I have high hopes! :-)

And what are you reading this week?

Romance at Random's Diamond Jubilee Celebration Giveaway Hop

2012-05-21T12:00:00.029+02:00

Enter below to win beginning 5/21 thru 5/31 – Romance at Random will be randomly giving away some of our jewels of romance, to celebrate the UK’s Diamond Jubilee including:

•1 winner, 1 copy – Born To Darkness by Suzanne Brockmann
•1 winner, 1 copy – The Proposal by Mary Balogh
•1 winner, 1 copy – Darker After Midnight by Lara Adrian
•3 winners, 1 copy of WITCHFUL THINKING by HP Mallory
•10 winners, 1 copy of a PREVIEW from Net Galley of ABOUT LAST NIGHT by Ruthie Knox
•10 winners, 1 copy of PREVIEW from Net Galley of DEEP AUTUMN HEAT by Elisabeth Barrett

That’s right, 26 winners in all!

Enter the hop using the Rafflecopter below then visit all of the participating sites to increase your chances – winners will be randomly chosen and this is a big one . . . it could be you! US only for this one - Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can enter the giveaways at any of the participating sites:

Book Review: Dreams of Wolf by Miranda Stowe

2012-05-20T21:50:00.000+02:00

Title: Dreams of Wolf
Author: Miranda Stowe
Series: Book #2 in the Half-Breed Shifters series
Release Date: 4 August 2011
Number of pages: novella length
Publisher: Cobblestone Press
Source: review copy provided by author
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon

Grade: 3 stars

Novellus bonus!

Goodreads appetizer: Nanny, Jaycee Roland, would die for her three wards. So when a massive wolf appears in their backyard, she instantly places her own body between them and the threat of danger. But the oddest thing happens next. Instead of attacking, the wolf merely watches her a moment before turning and jogging off.

From then on, she swears the animal stalks her, following her everywhere. And worse yet, it steals into her dreams—crazy, erotic dreams where the wolf comes into her room at night, shifts into a man calling himself Knox, and takes her in ways she never dreamed imaginable.

Originally posted at The Forbidden Bookshelf.

My Thoughts: Dreams of Wolf is the second novella in Miranda Stowe’s erotic paranormal series, and until the end I thought they were quite unrelated (so fear not the 2 stories can be read as standalones).

Dreams of Wolf is Jaycee’s story, who besides being a nanny to cute little triplets is a human *gasps*. Jaycee is fiercely protective of her charges and loves them above all else, which is no wonder considering she has been with the family since the birth of the triplets, for more than 6 years. I think that Miranda Stowe nicely painted the family dynamics very well, giving the reader a clear picture of the very different character of the three shildren as well as Jaycee’s devotion to the family.

One day while the children are playing outside in the garden she almost has a heart attack as she sees a big gray wolf staring at them.

The reader gets to discover the story through both Jaycee and the wolf’s perspective so we become aware of the fact that Knox a shapeshifter man is the big wolf stalking Jaycee quite soon.

Knox has lived on his own, a true lone wolf since he was a kid due to his shapeshifting heritage and troubled childhood. He has forsaken civilization and hasn’t shifted back to human form for years. Then he encounters this protective and brave human woman who intrigues him beyond compare. He is curious and starts following and syping on her. He wants to understand her. Sure it is a paranormal romance but I still had a few hangups when reading about Knox reentering society after a lifetime of isolation and how he hasn’t forgotten to speak, etc.

When Jaycee starts to see the wolf appear more and more to her she is convinced it’s her imagination, that she has conjured up a dream wolf/man. I partuclarly find this scene memorable for Jaycee’s light humour and teasing, which seeing how broken she was by her past relationship was a welcome sight:

“That’s it. We’re going to have to give you a name.” Dream man or not, she couldn’t keep thinking of him as simply that-sexgod-wolf-guy.

Next to her, he murmured, “My name is Knox.”

She blinked, then frowned. “Hey. This is my dream. Shouldn’t I be the one who gets to name you?”

His brow crinkled. “My name is Knox,” he repeated, not leaving any room for negotiation.

She sighed. “Fine. But I had a couple of doozies in mind. I mean, how can you go wrong with a name like, oh, say Philip the friendly Phallus?” He growled and sat up. She laughed at his irritated expression. Feeling the need to tease him mercilessly, she added. “Or Ben Dover or Dick Long…”

The bedroom scenes between Knox and Jaycee were plenty sexy, but after some (a very short) time the story went downhill with the (forced) introduction of a suspense plot and the far-fetched resolution to that. I would have much preferred if Miranda Stowe had explored the relationship of Jaycee and Knox in more depth instead of introducing external threats and hardships.

Verdict: Since I have enjoyed Caught in Heat and the blurb intrigued me I was excited to read Dreams of Wolf, but maybe due to the high expectations raised by the blurb I was left somewhat disappointed. The premise sounded new and exciting, but the story (especially the ending) felt rushed, I truly believe the story, the suspense plot and most of all the characters and their relationship could have benefitted from more development.

Plot: 8/10
Characters: 6/10
Writing: 7/10
Ending: 6/10
Cover: 6/10 - quite bland

Buy it:

Books in the series:

Book #1 - Caught in Heat - Read my review
Book #2 - Dreams of Wolf

Book Review: Caught in Heat by Miranda Stowe

2012-05-19T15:00:00.002+02:00

Title: Caught in Heat
Author: Miranda Stowe
Series: Book #1 in the Half-Breed Shifters series
Release Date: 20 May 2011
Number of pages: novella length
Publisher: Cobblestone Press
Source: review copy provided by author
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon

Grade: 3.5 stars

Novellus bonus!

Goodreads appetizer: Fearful of how she’ll react during her first mating heat, Riley Bane flees toward a sanctuary, hoping to arrive before her fever hits. But she’s caught in an animal trap set by hunter Shaw Griffin, and her fever begins, consuming her with lust.

Determined to wipe out the entire shape shifting race after a wolf pack murdered his family, Shaw snares his first shifter, only to capture Riley begging him to fulfill every wicked desire pounding through her. As things turn hot and heavy, the scent of their mating attracts nearby shifters and soon brings Shaw’s monstrous past to their doorstep.

Originally posted at The Forbidden Bookshelf.

My Thoughts: Caught In Heat is the first book in Miranda Stowe’s erotic paranormal (shifters) novella series.

I’ll start by saying that from the moment I read the blurb I was curious and wanted to read Caught in Heat as it sounded exciting.

The heroine Riley is a young shifter on the brink of her first mating. These are lust crazed periods where due to the hormones and pheromones the shifters are ruled by their animal basic instincts of nonstop mating. As we soon learn this is a much more serious matter than it sounds at first, because besides the serious physical pain Riley is in , after the mating fever reaches its peak she will go crazy with sexlust and mate with whatever she encounters (and if she doesn’t mate she’ll die). I found this aspect particularly poignant as we experience at the start of the story the raging battle Riley the human rational being tries to fight with her instincts. She is terrified of what nature will reduce her to as she feels control slipping between her fingers. She is horrified by the aspect of mopunting anything to relieve the pain and yeraning, and what disgusts her is that she has absolutely no say in the matter, after a certain point her body will take over and will do as it pleases.

So when she spots an attractive male in the forest she is relieved and hopeful that he can alleviate her pain and help her:

“Please,” she whispered. “Please, I can’t take this anymore. I’ll go mad. Prolonged exposure to these hormones have killed some females and sent others insane. Please help me.”
His heart broke. Easing hesitantly forward, he crouched down. When her eyes slitted open, she looked drained and half-coherent. He swallowed. “How do I help?”
“Fuck me,” she rasped. “Fuck me or kill me. Please.”

Having witnessed his family being massacred by a werewolf pack Shaw has become a dedicated shifter hunter. He encounters Riley in the forest fallen prey to one of his traps. He soon realizes that she is a shifter and tries to see her as a disgusting and dangerous enemy, but he can’t fight his attraction to her. He sees her humanity and her vulnaribility calls out to him.

As soon as Shaw and Riley meet they combust. The sex scenes were hot, but as they were going at it nonstop it felt as if they were mindless sex craving bodies possessed by their lust, at times it was as if they weren’t even enjoying it but couldn’t help themselves or stop their bodies and hormones from taking over. I feared this fever would be dangerous to their health, and seems I wasn’t the only one concerned:

When he collapsed on top of her, he mumbled into her hair, “I should really pull out of you before we fuck ourselves to death. This can’t be healthy.”

There was a suspense sub-plot and the fight scene at the end was exciting, I was biting my nails while holding my breath. The ending left me unsatisfied, though the solution would have been good but it was brought to resolution too quickly.

Verdict: I thought Caught in Heat had a good premise but there could have been a few breaks between the numerous rounds of sex to give some breather to the characters. I would have enjoyed if it were a longer story.

Plot: 7/10
Characters: 6/10
Writing: 7/10
Ending: 4/10 the solution would have been good but it was brought to resolution too quickly
Cover: 7/10 - a bit too blue for my taste, but the jaguar is a nice touch

Buy it:

Books in the series:

Book #1 - Caught in Heat
Book #2 - Dreams of Wolf

Guest post: Changes by Gabi Stevens + Giveaway

2012-05-18T13:45:00.007+02:00

Today I welcome back to Ex Libris Gabi Stevens, author of the delightful Time of Transition series, contemporary romance novels about ordinary young women who become the next fairy godmothers and all sorts of magical creatures and events! Wishful Thinking, the 3rd book in the series was released recently, so it seems it's time for changes for Gabi. Please give her a warm welcome and read on, a giveaway awaits you at the end.

Changes
by Gabi Stevens

I’m sort of stuck on new beginnings right now. Maybe because my daughters are graduating. Maybe because it’s springtime. Maybe because Wishful Thinking just came out and in the novel, my character, Stormy Jones-Smythe has a new beginning.

At the beginning of the novel, Stormy discovers she next in line to be a fairy godmother. She’s grown up in a loving community of artists, with no magical powers of her own. When she’s chosen as the third godmother, a whole new world opens up for her—a world not only with new powers but with new responsibilities and dangers. The first two godmothers have gone rogue, and the Council assigns a Guard to prevent her from doing the same.

Her Guard, Hunter Merrick, doesn’t realize his whole world is about to change also. He doesn’t appreciate the babysitting job he’s been given, especially when Stormy proves as chaotic as her name implies. But a threat forces Hunter to choose which side deserves his loyalty and both choices have dire consequences.

In Wishful Thinking, I don’t just write about metaphorical change:

“You’re shrinking,” Hunter said.
“I’m what?”
“Shrinking. It was bound to happen. You need to be able to change.” Hunter lowered his wand.
“Change? What do you mean ‘change’?”
Hunter looked at her for a moment as if he didn’t understand what she meant. Then he nodded. “That’s right. You don’t know. All Arcani have the power to transform themselves, so when we’re children, the Magic changes us into something. I changed into a fox. I think the Magic was poking fun at my name.”
“But I’m not a child.”
“Clearly. I imagine most Arcani change as children because children are more flexible.”
She grimaced as another series of pops issued from her body. “It hurts.”
“Of course it hurts. You don’t think you can just change your entire being without some sort of consequence.”
“Thanks for the sympathy.” She bit back another groan.

I love writing about dealing with change because I firmly believe life is all about change. As soon as you stop changing, you stop growing and learning, and if you stop growing and learning, what’s the point in living? Change isn’t easy. It can be daunting, exciting, scary, major, or minor, but never boring. Remember being a student? Every new year brought change you had to deal with. Heck, every semester did. That doesn’t stop once you reach adulthood. A new job, a new love, a new stage in life—it’s all about change.

And new beginnings aren’t limited to outside forces. You can make your own changes. You can start something any time you want to. There is no time constraint or deadline. And if you fail in one attempt, you can start over again.

In my Time of Transition series, change plays a huge role. Look at the title I gave my trilogy. At the start of each chapter I wrote little rules for life. In The Wish List, the first book in the trilogy, the final chapter has the following rule: Don’t mourn endings; they often bring new beginnings. And in Wishful Thinking, is the following: Change is the only constant in life. Embrace it.

I’m facing my own new start now. The Time of Transition Trilogy is now complete. You can read all three books in the series and discover the magic: The Wish List, As You Wish, and Wishful Thinking. And what’s next? Well, my agent is shopping around a brand new series, one I hope will be the start of yet another change in my life.

So tell me: do you fear change or face it as a challenge?

I love reaching out to readers and having them contact me as well.

You can find me at

--Gabi

(To get a first taste of the series you can read my review of As You Wish here.)

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Gabi has generously offered winner's book choice from her Time of Transition series to a lucky commentator.

All you have to do is leave a comment answering Gabi's question: do you fear change or face it as a challenge?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 25 May 2011!

Winners

2012-05-17T16:00:00.002+02:00

Hey Everyone!

After last weeks' wonderfully sunny and warm weather we are back in November at least when it comes to the climate change: gray skies, icy wind and cold days brrr..

A couple giveaways have ended at Ex Libris and here are the lucky ones:

The lucky winner of an ebook copy of Hunting the Shadows by Alexia Reed is

~~Tina B~~ lilblupixie

The lucky winner of an ebook copy of A Hero Rising by Aubrie Dionne is

Ruby

Congratulations winners! I have sent you an e-mail notifying you of your win, please get back to me within 48 hours or I will have to draw a new winner. Thank you.

And don't forget to enter the other giveaways while they are still running (you can find their direct links at the top of the blog).

Book Review: The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook by Christy Dorrity

2012-05-16T18:00:00.002+02:00

Title: The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook

Author: Christy Dorrity

Number of Pages: 118 pages

Publisher: Dorrity Publications

Release date: 1 May 2011

Purchase information: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon

Grade: 4 stars

Novellus superbus!

Goodreads appetizer: Great books, bloggers, and recipes meet in this second volume of a fresh and unique cookbook that helps you experience books, not just read them. This year's volume features even more tasty reads, recipes and book bloggers.

Books were selected from the author’s book review blog and paired with delectable recipes like “Caramel Crack” from Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi, "Everliving Soup" from Brodi Ashton's Everneath, and "Jagged Ham" from Elana Johnson's Possession. Mouthwatering photos complement every recipe.

The 2012 Book Blogger’s Cookbook includes a foreword by David Farland, award winning, New York Times Bestselling author, and showcases more than one hundred reviews with links to book review blogs and author websites.

Whether you're a food lover, an avid reader or a book blogger, there’s something for you in The 2011 Book Blogger’s Cookbook.

What Reviewers Are Saying:

"The Book Blogger's Cookbook has the best combination of two of my favorite things: food and books. Overall, it's sort of a dream book for readers who love cooking."
-Elani at La Femme Readers book reviews

"The 2011 Book Blogger's Cookbook is a beautiful blend of a cookbook about books. It's worth reading straight through if only to find new books to add to your "to-read" shelf."
-Lisa Mangum, author of the award winning The Hourglass Door series.

"The 2011 Book Blogger's Cookbook is more than a mere cookbook. It contains review bits of bloggers stating what they loved about the featured books. The blogger testaments make you want to read the novels and the photos make your mouth water. Perfect combination!"
-Stella from Ex Libris. (yep, I've been blurbed! :-D)

My thoughts: I loved Christy Dorrity's first 2011 Book Blogger Cookbook and as a passionate baker (through my Sunday Treats I combine my love of baking and desserts with my love of reading by sharing with you recipes of some of my favourite treats) I was very much looking forward to this second volume of Christy's bookish recipes.

I will confess that my favourite part, the "I'm impatiently turning the pages to get there" part are Christy's introductions/explanations on how and why such book inspired that recipe and why she thinks they fit together. Sometimes the reason is a cover, a setting, a character or even a meal featured in the novel, but every time I am excited to discover this special link pairing the treat with the story.

Once again the cookbook has plenty of easy and quick recipes that don't require hours of slaving away in the kitchen and can be whipped up in no time. But Christy takes it up a notch by including some more complex and challenging recipes for seasoned cooks which require some experience or at least effort and time on the baker's end.

I'm sure I would have enjoyed the recipes and their connection to the books if I had read these novels, but as I mostly read adult titles I wasn't familiar with the featured books (there were 2 adult titles and the rest were YA or children's books). (my request for the 2013 Blogger Cookbook: please include more adult titles, don't leave us out! ;-)

I find it applaudable how besides the big shot, popular and famous titles (like Divergent, Matched and Starcrossed) Christy Dorrity also highlights some lesser known and indie titles as well.

Verdict: Once again I was blown away by the creative and delicious recipes (I loved the fantasy names Christy Dorrity gave to each one of them, they were memorable and evocative). The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook is a wonderful and mouth-watering compilation of bookish recipes ranging from simple whip up treats to more complex and time consuming concoctions, a must try for any book lover!

Content: 7/10

Cover: 10/10 - Once again it has a very professional and eye-catching cover, and I love how both the reading and the delicious treats are included on it :-)

Buy it:

Read my review of The 2011 Book Blogger's Cookbook by Christy Dorrity.

The 2012 Book Blogger Cookbook - Guest post by Christy Dorrity + Giveaway

2012-05-16T14:15:00.001+02:00

Today I am happy to welcome back to Ex Libris Christy Dorrity, author of the wonderful and popular Book Blogger Cookbooks. Christy just recetnly released the Cookbook for 2012 full of a couple dozens delicious bookish recipes no book lover should miss. Today I asked her about her inspiration and how she chooses which recipe to pair with which book. Read on to see her answer and she also shares one of my favourite recipes of the cookbook with you. (If you'd like two other yummy recipes check out Christy's post from last year and my review of the book).

ps. And there is 2 fantastic giveaways waiting for you at the end as well ;-)

When I first started blogging, I didn't think about writing a cookbook at all. I love to read and I love to cook and I wanted my book review blog to reflect that. I decided to pair each book review with a companion recipe. Some of the recipes have to do with food or meals that the characters consume in the books, like "Lost in Love Chicken Alfredo Pizza" from Emily Wing Smith's Back When You Were Easier to Love. Others stem from the theme or mood of the book, like the "Perfect Ten Dauntless Skewers" to go with Divergent by Veronica Roth.

I don't have a structured system for choosing which books to highlight. I read a handful of books each year, mostly young adult fiction. If I enjoyed the book, it was a clean read, and is published for the mainstream market, I consider it. I like to have at least a few ebooks from authors whom I think are doing a great job self-publishing.

At the end of my first year of blogging about books, I decided to publish a little pdf file of the recipes for my readers. About the same time, there was a lot of buzz about self-publishing. I am a writer, and the idea of self-publishing is intriguing. I thought it might be fun to publish the recipes as an ebook and figure out what it's like to self-publish.

I knew that the recipes themselves would not be enough to attract readers so I asked my blogging friends from around the world to contribute blurbs about the books that are included in the cookbook. So many bloggers responded and the community of book reviewers has been an unexpected bonus to this process.

Reading about cooking and cooking about reading is a tasty adventure that I can't wait to continue!

And here is one of my favourite recipes of the 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook Christy was kind enough to share with us:

Polite Pumpkin Custard

Scary School, by Derek the Ghost, is a downright frightening place to be. Children who lag behind, or are unruly in library class, are likely to get eaten. You may survive if you step lightly around Principal Headcrusher and steer clear of Mr. Dragonbreath. At least Sue the Amazing Octo-Chef can whip you up a delicious, if dubious dessert. Charlie Newkid is the first to figure out that Sue’s amazing pumpkin custards will stop to let you eat them, if you ask them politely. You, too, can enjoy this creamy, crust-less custard, if you say pretty please.

Filling:

1 (15 ounce) canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 cup half and half cream
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt

Topping:

¼ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup pecans, chopped
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Whipped cream
and ground cinnamon for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine all of the filling ingredients. Beat until smooth and pour into five greased custard cups (or small hollowed out pumpkins, if available).

Place in a 13x9 inch baking pan. Pour hot water around the cups until the bottoms are in an inch of standing water.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

For the topping, combine the brown sugar, pecans and butter. Sprinkle it over the custard.

Put the custards back in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

Serve warm or chilled. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon, if desired. Store in the refrigerator. Serves 5.

Christy Dorrity loves to read about cooking and cook about reading. She was taught early to have a discriminating taste for both books and food. Christy grew up on a trout ranch in Star Valley, Wyoming. She taught elementary school and lives in the mountains with her husband Devon and their five young children. When Christy's not reading or writing, she's probably trying out a new recipe in the kitchen.

http://www.christydorrity.com/
christy@dorrity.net
twitter: @christydorrity

The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook

Great books, bloggers, and recipes meet in this second volume of a fresh and unique cookbook that helps you experience books, not just read them. This year's volume features even more tasty reads, recipes and book bloggers.

The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook is a community project from some of the blogosphere's best book bloggers in a simple, easy to read format. The cookbook combines a love of reading and dining to help you find books you'll devour and recipes you can't put down.

You’ll love The Book Blogger’s Cookbook because…

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook has 50 different book reviewers from every corner of the blogosphere. It bridges the gap between author and reader—putting you in touch with book reviewers who can separate the 5 star books from the mediocre.

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook showcases great reads and provides an interactive experience with links to author and book reviewer websites. The cookbook is created for those who like to experience what they read long after they’ve closed the book.

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook tells why each recipe complements its companion book. Recipes and books combine to make the reading experience satisfying and entertaining.

Buy at Amazon

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Blog Giveaway

Christy generously offered a copy of The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook to a lucky commenter!

All you need to do is leave a comment and tell us what is your favourite food/meal? Either to prepare or eat ;-)

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 22 May 2012!

Grand Prize Giveaway

Every person who comments on one of the blogs during the tour will be entered to win a grand prize: a copy of every book featured in The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook (22 in all, over $200 value). You can find the rules and details here.

Guest post by Seraphina Donavan + Giveaway

2012-05-15T12:00:00.001+02:00

Hi Stella! Thanks so much for letting me hijack your blog today!

First, I am so excited to be promoting my newest release, an erotic romance novella, called Bad Girl Lessons. I write romance for real women about REAL women... women with curves, and I don’t just mean a J-Lo bootie. I am all about promoting the belief that a woman can be sexy, confident and sensual, no matter what size she is. I also believe that those qualities are far more attractive to REAL men than stick figures with a boob job!

To give you a little back story on Bad Girl Lessons, here is the blurb for the book:

Evangeline Harper has been everyone's good girl. But after being dumped at the altar by her fiancé, Evie decides it's time to stop playing by the rules and have some fun. There's only one problem... she doesn't know how. But one of her oldest friends, Jackson Cope, is just the man to teach her. Hotter than a Georgia tent revival in July, Jackson has had a starring role in every erotic fantasy Evie has ever had. Can she convince the local bad boy to help transform her from a slightly pudgy, former debutante into a wanton, sex kitten?

Jackson's been secretly in love with Evie since they were kids, but she was always off limits to the likes of him. Now she's offering him everything he's ever wanted, but only as friends with benefits. Planning to seduce her into his life on a permanent basis, he starts out with hot, steamy lessons on how to walk on the wild side. When Evie's former fiancé shows up, trying to woo her and her trust fund back to save his sorry hide from the Dixie Mafia, it's up to Jackson to protect her from danger. But who will protect him from a broken heart?

Buy at Amazon

Now, I have a big old soft spot for Jackson Cope. Just bad enough to be a really good time, he is my kind of man. It doesn’t hurt that he’s head over heels in love with Evie and knows it from the outset. There’s nothing sexier than a man who knows his own mind, his own heart and doesn’t go all “sensitive” on you. Being from the South, Jackson would agree with me when I say that sensitive, as a description of a man, is a dirty word.

Thank you again, for letting me drop by and tell your readers about my book!

Seraphina Donavan is part time graduate student, full time drone in the bureaucracy of social work, and is dedicated to rescuing as many strays as possible.

You can find her at http://seraphinadonavan.blogspot.com

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Seraphina has generously offered an ebook copy of Bad Girl Lessons to a lucky reader!

All you need to do is leave your info in the form below:

Giveaway open worldwide and ends on 22 May 2012!

It's Monday, What Are you Reading? (#74)

2012-05-14T10:38:00.000+02:00

Another week is over so let me show you what I have read:

Books I completed

Hunting the Shadows by Alexia Reed

Amazon

It was a very exciting and unique novel blending sci-fi, paranormal and romantic suspense elements. You can read my review here and you can win yourself a copy of the book HERE.

A Hint of Frost by Hailey Edwards

Amazon

May is Fantasy Romance month in The Romance and Me Reading Challenge (you can find the details here and the current giveaway here), and as my introduction to the fantasy genre I've chosen A Hint of Frost by Hailey Edwards. And what a wonderful introduction it was! If fantasy is like what this story showed me than I can't understand why I waited so long (and dreaded) to discover it! A great story I enjoyed very much, my review will be posted on Book Lovers Inc. next week.

By Surprise by Alyssa Turner

Amazon

This was a short and sweet, emotionally surprising erotic romance. My review will be posted soon, probably next week.

Books I am currently reading

A Gentleman Says "I Do" by Amelia Grey

Amazon - Kindle

I was in need of a sweet historical romance as my comfort read and I chose this one since the blurb sounded quite different and a lot of fun.

Chairman of the Whored by Lucy V. Morgan

Amazon

An erotica story I was intrigued about: I was curious to see how the author could achieve having a heroine who is a prostitute be relatable/symapthetic to the reader. My review will be posted on Book Lovers Inc. on Friday.

Can't Buy Me Love by Molly O'Keefe

Amazon - Kindle

This book came recommended and categorized as "quirky fun – with strong wit and humor similar to that of Rachel Gibson or Janet Evanovich", so of course I wanted to read it! The hero is a hockey player (in case you were wondering how he got those delicious washboard abs ;-p lol)

Books I can't wait to start

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Amazon - Kindle

Still haven't gotten around to read this one yet, but it remains on my TBR list.

Always a Bridesmaid by Cindi Myers

Amazon

A new Entangled Publishing release, the title alone got this book on my radar ;-) Looks like a light and fun contemporary romance, just what I'm in the mood for!

And what are you reading this week?

The Book Depository's great offer of getting -10% off all the books you buy ends tonight, so hurry, only open for a few more hours!

ps. there is a week-long read-a-thon going on, read the details and sign up. There are no complicated rules, just to read and have fun, my kind of read.-a-thon! :-)

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Starting Line and Updates

2012-05-13T20:23:00.010+02:00

You were going to read that week anyway, right? Read with us.

The Bout of Books Read-a-Thon was created by http://onabookbender.com/ on a complete whim in August 2011*. It took on a life of its own and was such a hit that Amanda decided to do it again and turn it into a somewhat regular occurrence. There are no set dates for Bout of Books; rather, Amanda tries to work with Bout of Books participants to determine the best dates for them.

However, there are a few things about Bout of Books that will always stay the same.
It is a week long read-a-thon, usually from 12:01am on a Monday through 11:59pm on a Sunday in whatever time zone you are in.

Bout of Books is low pressure, meaning participants are only asked to push themselves to read more than they normally would during any given week. There is no competition between readers.

How much time a reader wants, and can commit, to read, tweet, or network with fellow bloggers is left to individual preference. All challenges and giveaways are optional.

Networking with fellow bloggers is actively encouraged, though never required. Co-hosts are there to facilitate blog hopping and interaction between participants.

Use Twitter to post updates throughout the read-a-thon. Everyone will be tweeting with the #boutofbooks hashtag.

*always be careful what you tweet!

The Bout of Books 4.0 team consists of http://onabookbender.com/, http://paranormalbookreviews-kelly.blogspot.com/, http://creativedeeds.wordpress.com/ and http://onceuponatime.jaedia.net/.

You can join the fun and sign up HERE.

And here are...

My Time Devoted to Reading

As I will be working all week my reading time will be limited, but I vow to read all the way to and from work on the commute ;-)

My Goals

~~Have fun (I'm sure I will ;-)~~ - DONE
~~Finish the three books I'm currently reading~~ - DONE - DNFd the 3rd at 45%
~~Read at least 5 books~~ - DONE
~~Try to interact with other participants~~ - DONE left comments on the update posts and challenge entries of others
~~Update my reading progress~~ - DONE

Books To Read

~~A Gentleman Says "I Do" by Amelia Grey~~ - DONE
~~Chairman of the Whored by Lucy V. Morgan~~ - DONE
~~Can't Buy Me Love by Molly O'Keefe~~ - DONE - DNFd at 45%
~~Always a Bridesmaid by Cindi Myers~~ - DONE
~~Someone Else's Fairytale by E.M. Tippetts~~ - DONE

Updates

5/14

Number of pages I have read today: 270
Number of books I’ve read today: 2
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Books:

5/15

Number of pages I have read today: 195
Number of books I’ve read today: 1 (and progressed with +15% of Chairman of the Whored by Lucy V. Morgan)
Total number of books I’ve read: 3
Books:

5/16

Number of pages I have read today: 42% of Chairman of the Whored by Lucy V. Morgan
Number of books I’ve read today: half a book
Total number of books I’ve read: 3
Books:

5/17
Number of pages I have read today: 11% of Chairman of the Whored by Lucy V. Morgan + 30 % of Always a Bridesmaid by Cindi Myers
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 4
Books:

5/18
Number of pages I have read today: 227
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 5
Books:

5/19
Number of pages I have read today: 67 (I had my own high school reunion today so didn't have much time to read)
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 6
Books:

5/20
Number of pages I have read today: 450
Number of books I've read today: 1.5
Total number of books I've read: 7.5
Books:

Mini-challenges:

"Re-title It"

Your Challenge is to choose any book cover and Re-Title it! You can choose anything you like and go the serious or humorous route!

And here's my entry:

To Kill a Firebird by Linda Poitevin

"Books and Shoes"

The task was to pair shoes with either a book cover or a character.

And here is my entry, I'm going steampunk with

and the shoes that go with it:

This model in pruple:

or:

for longer journeys

or this one when comfort isn't a must:

Wrap Up

Number of pages I have read in total: about 1,540 - Wow!! never knew I was reading this much in pages! :-D

Total number of books I've read during the event: 7.5

Books:

And I participated in all mini-challenges except 2 (Zombie one since it was reserved to US residents and the Book poetry one because I didn't have the time to put my books together for a shot that day).

Overall I had a great time, I think the mini-challenges were terrific, the organizer Ladies were all wonderful, thank you all for your hard work, you really made this Read-a-thon a lot of fun! :-D And I don't think I've been this successful in any of my previous Read-a-thon efforts. So I can't wait the next one! :-D

Cover Reveal: Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies by Cynthia Cooke at Entangled Publishing

2012-05-13T17:00:00.002+02:00

The day has come when Entangled Publishing's Dead Sexy romantic suspense line is finally being revealed!

The first novel to be released will be Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies by Cynthia Cooke, the "phenomenal teaser book that previews what's in store for readers in our new Dead Sexy Romantic Suspense line".

Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies by Cynthia Cooke

Family secrets must be kept, and painful wounds must be ignored.

After an all-out assault by a vicious terrorist bent on destroying her entire family, a former government agent must break the strict rules she has always lived by when she emerges from hiding to reluctantly accept the help of her all-too-sexy ex-lover. Running a deadly race against time, they rush to rescue her kidnapped sister, find her missing father, and bring the notorious villain to justice. But nothing ever goes as planned. Bullets fly, danger abounds, and their passion reignites even faster than the lies are flowing. But their stubbornly held secrets just might spell the end of their rekindled love and hopes for the future…as well as their very lives.

Buy it at Amazon

You can connect with Cynthia at:

Website - Blog - Twitter - Facebook

Doesn't it sound exciting? And I just love how Entangled has a Romance vs. Suspense ratio detail (for this book it's 65/35 in case you were wondering).

This Week's Winners Are...

2012-05-12T12:00:00.009+02:00

Hey Everyone!

It is wonderfully sunny and warm here, feels like summer arrived early this year :-D So if the weather holds I'll spend the weekend out in the garden, soaking up the sun and reading. Can't remember last weekend I could just chill. So now I'm planning on making the most of it, fingers crossed nothing will spoil it.

A couple giveaways have ended at Ex Libris and here are the ones who were lucky this time:

The lucky winner of Laura Kaye's WoW Mega Event, winning a West of Want bookmark and the romance trading cards for North of Need and West of Want is

Seawitchreviews

The lucky winner of an ebook copy of Improper Relations by Juliana Ross is

Jeanne Miro

Congratulations winners! I have sent you an e-mail notifying you of your win, please get back to me within 48 hours or I will have to draw a new winner. Thank you.

And don't forget to enter the other giveaways while they are still running (you can find their direct links at the top of the blog).

I also wanted to remind you, that the Book Depository's great -10% off everything offer expires on Monday May 14th, so if you'd like to buy some books while the offer still stands hurry now.

Have a great weekend everyone! :-)

Book Review: Improper Relations by Juliana Ross

2012-05-11T14:00:00.027+02:00

Title: Improper Relations Author: Juliana Ross
Release Date: 23 April 2012
Number of pages: novella
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: ebook provided by author for review
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Audible

Grade: 4.5 stars

Novellus superbus!

Goodreads appetizer: Dorset, 1858

When Hannah's caught watching her late husband's cousin debauch the maid in the library, she's mortified -- but also intrigued. An unpaid companion to his aunt, she's used to being ignored.

The black sheep of the family, Leo has nothing but his good looks and noble birth to recommend him. Hannah ought to be appalled at what she's witnessed, but there's something about Leo that draws her to him.

When Leo claims he can prove that women can feel desire as passionately as men, Hannah is incredulous. Her own experiences have been uninspiring. Yet she can't bring herself to refuse his audacious proposal when he offers to tutor her in the art of lovemaking. As the tantalizing, wicked lessons continue, she begins to fear she's losing not just her inhibitions, but her heart as well. The poorest of relations, she has nothing to offer Leo but herself. Will it be enough when their erotic education ends

Review originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

My Thoughts: I will shamelessly admit that I started reading Improper Relations because of its beautiful and sensually suggestive cover, and let me tell you that this is a little gem of story you shouldn't miss out on!

I have heard that there are several historical romances exploring the trope of initiation of the young and clueless widow into the pleasures of the flesh, but I haven't read any such novels yet so I can't compare them to Improper Relations. I can only tell you that this book is an extrordinary story.

It is told in the first person narrative by Hannah, which in my opinion was a double risk Juliana Ross took: first of all telling an erotica story in the first person makes finding the balance between including the reader but not making them feeling voyeuristic quite perilous, and then the even bigger challenge of channelling a 19th century sexually inexperienced widow and making her story authentic and believable. And Juliana Ross excelled on both accounts.

If I had to pick the first thing that comes to mind about Improper Relations it is how authentic it read. I was amazed how its language style, the heroine's vocabulary and approach to sex and intimacy, her belief regarding the role of men and women in pleasure/duty were all historically accurate and authentic. It managed to transport me back in time and made me feel as I were really there in Victorian England witnessing Hannah's sexual and emotional awakening.

Cousin Leo leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his expression grave. “They did you a great wrong, you know. Your mother and my cousin.”
“That is unfair—”
“Because they were wrong. No woman should ever feel she has to submit. No woman should have to grit her teeth and endure her husband’s attentions. Lovemaking is meant to be enjoyable, for men and women.”

Hannah is a very likable and relatable heroine. Her reluctance and timidity battling with her natural curiosity were believable and real, and the way her curiosity wins over her shyness endeared her to me even more. It took me a bit more time to figure out and take a liking to Leo. At first he appears to be the typical rakish rogue, the Victorian playboy who doesn't care about anything but "drinking, gambling and wenching". But the more we get a glimpse of his tender and thoughtful side through the way he treats and initiates Hannah into experiencing pleasure revealed he was much more than the first façade led the reader to believe.

Leo is truly an inventive and most patient teacher, all their sexual encounters are focused around Hannah, he takes her sexual education at her pace and only progresses further upon her approval. But do not be mistaken: their bedroom scenes are not merely tender and sighing lovemakings, oh no. Leo is much more complex than that: besides his consideration for Hannah and while not forcing her hand he shocks her plenty with his dirty talk and revelation of sexual customs. The seduction scenes between them are always hot and titillating, making the reader just as affected as Hannah.

Although Improper Relations is a short novella the development of the characters' relationship is not rushed. The ending is predictable but it brings that necessary HEA vital to us romance lovers.

I loved both parts of Improper Relations, the scorching sexual initiation of Hannah and the gently budding romance between her and Leo were equally wonderful and both left a lasting impression.

Verdict: I found Improper Relations a delightful surprise. It is sweet, it is sexy and most certainly addictive. You will devour it in a couple hours and immediately stalk Juliana Ross' website to be able to read more.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Writing: 9/10
Ending: 8/10
Cover: 10/10 - I get goosebumps and sigh just looking at it!

Buy it:

Unspent Time Launch Party by Graham Parke + Giveaway

2012-05-10T16:50:00.000+02:00

Unspent Time Launch Party

Get free books and win a Kindle Fire or a Kindle Touch

Warning: reading this novel may make you more attractive and elevate your random luck by about 9.332%*
(* These statements have not been evaluated by any person of consequence!)

From the award winning author of ‘No Hope for Gomez!’ comes a collection of impossible tales. Permeating the cracks between the past and the present is the realm of Unspent Time; time that was allotted but never spent. This is where we find the stories that could have been true.

Read how to enter below.

Excerpt

It is not uncommon for writers to have a keenly developed interest in their fellow man. For them to spend hours looking at people, listening to them, discovering all the little synchronicities and ambiguities that make them unique.

But I don’t have that.

In fact, I can’t stand people. And there’s so freaking many of them. They’re like huge, overblown ants, crawling all over the world and getting in my way.

So it came as a big surprise to me when I met a fellow human who didn’t immediately piss me off. Who didn’t make me want to take a ten minute detour just to avoid eye-contact, or feel that disgusting little disturbance in the air that inevitably occurs when people come close.

This is rare.

This man, let's call him John, has a very interesting day job. One I didn’t even know existed. Apparently, he’s the guy who designs the colors for the insides of shoes.

Bet you didn’t know that. Bet you never realized there was a guy out there who spent the better part of a year deciding on the exact shade of tan to use for the inside of the shoes you are wearing right now. Or that weird off-white color in your sneakers that you wouldn’t call egg-shell – not just because it’s not exactly egg-shell, but mostly because you never actually noticed the color of the inside of your sneakers.

And that’s also part of John’s brilliance; the way he manages to let his work blend into the background. John is at the top of his profession and he’s one of the few people in the world who can create that all important balance between the inside color of your shoe and:

1. The outside color of your shoe (obviously designed by hippies and no good marketing managers without a subtle bone in their bodies.)

2. The odd lighting conditions created inside your shoe by the shape of the nose and the height of the heel.

3. The mood a specific shoe-shape induces.

This balance is needed to create a perfect blend of unobtrusiveness. Now, I would normally interject a few words here about what the world must’ve been like before John began this valiant work. I’d give examples of the kind of accidents that occurred when people became distracted by the color of the insides of their shoes as they were putting them on. How it destroyed their lives and the lives of the loved ones they fell on. But I won’t do this. I don’t have the data at hand to back it up and, to be honest, I think it would be reaching a bit. I’m sure things weren’t that bad. We survived somehow and we’ll probably continue to survive long after John retires. Nevertheless, this doesn’t make John any less interesting.

... continued in Unspent Time

How to enter:

For the launch of the new novel I decided to discount it to $0.99 for today (PC and eBook), give away some exclusive content, and raffle off two Kindles. All entrants will get:

(Prizes can be traded for Amazon gift certificates if you already own them.)

Just email your receipt to nohopeforgomez@gmail.com to enter.

Each purchase counts, so stock up on birthday presents (for people you don't like that much, for instance)

The discount ends today, but be sure to send the receipts no later than June 1st.

(Or order the books from any bookstore.)

Coupon code for today: ZB77D

And then get by ing about your purchase and another by mentioning it on facebook

Sound bites from Unspent Time:

“I'm looking into my past lives. I'm convinced some of them still owe me money.”

“I'm very polite by nature, even the voices in my head let each other finish their sentences.”

“I didn’t actually want to do it,” Kiala told the boy. “The universe just kind of conspired to force me to make a fool of myself. It does that quite a lot, actually.”

“Sadly, my socks are like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike.”

Here's what reviewers had to say:

"A veritable page turner of nonstop laughs!" -- Reader Views

"An unputdownable read. a Coens Brothers' film in book form." -- BookReview.com

“Extremely witty and clever writing.” -- California Chronicle

"A Party for your Brain!" -- Warren Baxter

Bio:

Graham Parke is responsible for a number of technical publications and has recently patented a self-folding map. He has been described as both a humanitarian and a pathological liar. Convincing evidence to support either allegation has yet to be produced.

http://www.grahamparke.com/
http://www.grahamparke.blogspot.com/
GoodReads
Facebook

An exclusive spin-off novelette (not available for purchase anywhere!)

Making of Gomez: behind the scenes eBook

Signature for their paperback or kindle edition

Chance to win a Kindle Fire or a Kindle Touch

Book Review: Hunting the Shadows by Alexia Reed

2012-05-09T16:00:00.118+02:00

Title: Hunting the Shadows
Author: Alexia Reed
Series: Book #1 in the Shadow Ops series
Number of pages: 219 pages
Release Date: 7 May 2012
Source: ebook provided by publisher through NetGalley
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Audible, Kobo

Grade: 4 stars

Novellus bonus!

Goodreads appetizer: Amy has spent her life in isolation. Locked away in the Centre, a secret government facility where children with extraordinary abilities are raised as highly skilled fighters, she longs for a normal life. A life where being around people doesn't overload her sensitive telepathic mind. A life where she can't see through the eyes of a murderer as he hunts down his next victim...

J.C. Nikolaiev was a top researcher, but when his conscience got the better of him, he tried to destroy his work and free his subjects—and was imprisoned as a traitor. To save himself and prevent more people from dying, J.C. must catch the serial killer stalking the halls of the facility. But his only leads come from a woman whose thoughts have invaded his mind...

Finally out of the psych ward, Amy joins forces with J.C. to find the killer before he closes in on them. Can their growing attraction withstand the truths they uncover?

My Thoughts: When I read the blurb of Hunting the Shadows I expected to read an action packed Dark Angel-esque romantic suspense story and I wasn't mislead.

The world-building created by Alexia Reed is fascinating and complex. She develops the details of how these enhanced humans, subject of this shadow government experiment became what they are and she makes it all seem possible with scientific explanations of genetics. The Centre is a reasearch lab: they create and exploit the talents and train them to be skilled agents with special powers. The extent of these talents are varied and exciting: some can freeze time, some can manipulate the atomic structure of matter, others are telepaths and I could go on. Alexia Reed gives each one of her characters an exciting power, the specifics of how that said power worked I much enjoyed reading about.

It took me some time getting a grip on the story and happenings at the beginning, the reader is thrust into the chaos: a killer is on the loose, agents are disappearings, the team is fighting, there are many secondary characters and it takes some getting used to to get the lay of the land and have a clear picture of who is who and their place in the hierarchy of the system.

J.C. was a character I immediately took a liking to. He had integrity and passion for his beliefs, he was more than a mere mindless soldier of the system and his sense of right and wrong and will not to sit by and let awful things happen made him a worthy hero in my eyes. Though he has the resolve and drive of a soldier he hasn't lost his moral compass and retained a generous and warm heart.

Amy was an interesting mix of vulnerability and strength. She spent her whole life isolated from the outside world and thus became sheltered and shy. But despite this she showed such inner strength and backbone I was truly impressed they didn't manage to break her during all the years she was subjected to Testings and other cruel experiments.

Though the chase was thrilling, at times I felt the mystery plot of Hunting the Shadows didn't run smoothly (at times it left off then picked up), and as the resolution of the why wasn't explained, I hope Alexia Reed will explore the reason behind the killings and why and how they happened in the next book(s) of the series.

I believe that beside the fascinating world-building it was the romance between J.C. and Amy that made Hunting the Shadows an extraordinary read. The connection and romantic relationship between J.C and Amy didn't develop overnight, it progressed gradually, through baby steps, first they relied on each other as human beings helping each other out, then they became friends who had to face the sizzling attraction between themselves to finally realize that the depth of their feelings and connection warranted the use of the word 'love'. Alexia Reed orchestrated the evolution of their relationship wonderfully, because beside being invested in reading how things progressed between them, I was satisfied at how realistic their romance felt: it wasn't rushed or forced as is the case in a lot of novels due to time restraints as the h/h have to get to the mandatory 'I love you's and marriage proposals. Here this wasn't the case.

The writing is captivating and beautifully descriptive

There was no relief in dreams. Amy slept fitfully, her mind in turmoil as she rolled over. The killer’s mind ensnared, held and she shuddered as she crawled back to consciousness, jerking out of the nightmare.

making it easy for the reader to picture some scenes out of the ordinary or how the special talents of the agents work.

Verdict: I found Hunting the Shadows an exciting introduction to a new sci-fi/paranormal/romantic suspense series and I'm looking forward to reading the next books and discovering more about the complex and fascinating world and its rules that Alexia Reed has created.

Plot: 8/10 - the world-building was exciting, the mystery plot could have been better developed

Characters: 8/10

Writing: 8/10

Ending: 8/10

Cover: 9/10 - at first I thought it quite generic, but after reading the novel and having become acquainted with the characters I find it to be the perfect cover! It suits the characters wonderfully and represents the tone of the story perfectly. I couldn't imagine a better cover, bravo!

Buy it:

Giveaway + Excerpt: A Hero Rising by Aubrie Dionne

2012-05-09T10:00:00.001+02:00

A Hero Rising
by Aubrie Dionne

Book #3 in the A New Dawn series

Genre: Sci-Fi Romance

Length: Novella

Release Date: February 2012

ePub ISBN: 978-1-937044-83-1

After watching his love leave on a colony ship, James Wilfred must save those left behind from a planetary apocalypse. Their salvation lies in an unfinished ship tucked away in a secret government base, and only James can break in and pilot him and his people to freedom on a nearby space station.

Skye O’Connor’s boyfriend never returns after his gang attempts an assassination of the Governor, and the State Building is destroyed. Worse, crazed moonshiners addicted to the chemical Morpheus have stormed the city, and she must find a safe place for her and her boyfriend’s daughter. When a heroic man saves her, Skye asks to accompany him on his quest to find the last colony ship left on Earth.

As the city falls around them, James and Skye must work together to build a new future, all the while rediscovering their ability to love, before the apocalypse claims them both.

Buy at Amazon - Barnes and Noble

Excerpt

Chapter One

Left Behind

Clutching his retractable cable, James lowered himself down the glassy surface of the high-rise as the wind stole the warmth of the sheets he’d just left behind. He glanced at the fluttering curtain three stories above his, wondering how Mestasis would feel when she awoke to an empty bed. He detached his grappling hook and slipped inside the balcony of the building, fast as a diving raven’s shadow.

If only I could stay longer. If only things could be different.

His wristband flashed another message. If you don’t get down here within the hour, I’m coming to look for you.

The thought of Dal stumbling through the abandoned subway by himself sent adrenaline rushing through James’s veins. The lower levels had been dangerous since Dal was a boy, but with the introduction of Morpheus, the desperate scavengers had grown into vicious savages.

James typed a message back, hoping Dal would believe him. I’ll be there. Stay where you are.

Mestasis will have to understand.

He took an elevator down as far as it worked, holding onto the slim hope he’d have a chance to give Mestasis a decent good-bye later. The elevator creaked to a halt and the doors parted to a corridor lit by one flickering bulb. Crumpled rags and broken vials dusted with the dried, silvery sheen of Morpheus lined the floor.

The lower levels.

No one decent ventured down this far, so the government didn’t find it necessary to cover low level repairs. It would only bring up gangmen, like himself, to the upper levels. But some of us are good. It’s those Razornecks that give gangs a bad name.

He jogged to the end and slid down a plastic recycling chute to Level Five. The chute ended with a rusted metal grating piled high with cracked bottles and compacted cans. He kicked out the grating and emerged on a stairwell landing. Cracked bottles rattled around him as he shuffled through the debris to Level One, the place where only the bravest, or craziest, treaded alone.

The scent of dank air and old garbage wafted up from the moldy floor. It smelled like home. He’d been away too long. James ducked through a shattered window to an alley between the buildings.

Twilight spread through the sky, stretching the shadows of lumbering heaps of old mattresses, broken ionizers, and tattered plastic bags. Using the darkness as his cloak, he climbed through the debris and checked over his shoulder. The alley lay as silent as a wasteland. Residents had boarded most of the windows to keep out thieves, but apartments lay empty and dark as deep space.

Three windows down, a small child with wispy black hair peered out, clicking off a flickering light stick. The child disappeared as he approached. James reached in his pocket and left an orange on the sill before ducking away.

A stone stairway loomed at the end of the alley like a mouth to the underworld. James slipped down a corroded railing to an old subterranean transportation system once used by his ancestors in the days before the mega-high-rises and the elite’s reign of the upper levels.

Pitch-black oozed from under the brick, and his hair glowed neon green as the darkness enveloped him. The radiance was just enough to light his path, the permanent dye a trademark of his gang. James picked up his pace and jogged along the tracks, approaching a thick cement door with graffiti scribbled in hasty strokes.
He raised his hand to knock, but he paused with his fist in midair. Shuffling echoed down the track to his right. No one could see him entering the Radioactive Hand of Justice’s underground facility—he had to find out who had found him and make sure he or she wouldn’t talk.

James slipped past the door and tiptoed closer, his hair casting light a few feet around him in every direction. No one could sneak up on him.

Was it Dal?

“Hello?” His voice echoed down the shaft.

The shuffling continued and James froze, listening for footsteps. The motion sounded more like the fluttering of bats than any tapping of feet. Bats didn’t scamper on the ground.

Someone snickered and then sucked in a long breath before cackling lightly like a witch in a fairy tale. The person smacked his lips together. James narrowed his eyes.

Oh great—some desperate savage, looking for anything he can sell for Morpheus. Maybe I can knock him out and leave him on Level One where he came from.

“Stay where you are.” James’s voice was deep and authoritative.

The shadow moved toward him in a flurry. The smell of mold and rotten food clogged his throat, and James resisted the urge to gag. Where had this man been?

“I said, stay where you are.”

He blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, the figure had scuttled ten feet closer, arms writhing like snakes in the air. James stumbled back. He’d only seen them from the safety of the city walls before.

Oh geez. A moonshiner gone over the edge.

Moonshiners got their superhuman speed from the drug Morpheus, a chemical mined on the moon. Too bad the drug also caused an insatiable urge to kill. James had heard about the moonshiners who lost their minds from stories the city wall guardians told. He reached for his laser, but the man scurried closer like he was in an old movie on fast-forward.

James had enough time to deflect the moonshiner’s jaws with his elbow as the man’s face came into view. Sunken cheeks held shadows where the chemical spread like ink underneath the skin. James pushed back against the man’s weight, throwing him off. The moonshiner lunged at him before James could recover, scratching his chest with jagged fingernails that had grown so long, some of them were curled. James kicked him in the gut, but it did no good. The moonshiner was past the point of reacting to pain.

The man pushed James over and fell on top of him, jaws clacking an inch from his face. James held him back with one arm while the other worked his laser out of its holster. The man’s eyes had turned into black holes, the pupils bleeding over the whites to give him a fiendish glare. Strands of hair shed from his scalp, trailing down his arms to tickle James’s face. The moonshiner’s head was disproportionately larger than his body, as if his skull had begun to grow and change, morphing into an oval.

Yeah, this moonshiner is past gone. Must have been using for years. Why didn’t the guard take him out when he entered the city?

James yanked his arm free to fire his laser directly into the man’s midsection, and the moonshiner fell back with the force. Jumping to his feet, James raised his laser again. He shot the moonshiner three more times in the chest and shoulder, but the man scrambled up and kept coming.

Panic rose inside James in a riptide. Would the moonshiner never tire or die? Hissing with a black-toothed grin, the man crashed into him, pushing James into the wall and knocking the air out of him. Even the guy’s teeth looked different—inhuman, pointed like a shark’s incisors. James banged his head against the cement and dropped his laser. He struggled to focus as the world warped.

Would he die like this? Torn to pieces by a druggie monster?

No. Too many people needed him. He had to see Mestasis one last time.

James fought, wrestling the moonshiner to the ground. He rolled over and stretched his hand out, clawing for the laser. His index finger curled under the trigger and he brought the gun up in one swift motion. The man caught his wrist, and James struggled to point the laser at the moonshiner’s head.

Just a little lower.

The moonshiner opened his mouth, and a dry, rasping voice whispered, “Aliens. They left something behind on the moon.”

“What the—” James hesitated, and the moonshiner lunged for his neck. He fired at the man’s head and the moonshiner stilled and collapsed.

Pulling himself up, James tried to calm his racing heart and think straight.

Where did this moonshiner come from? What brought him into the tunnels? And what aliens?

James didn’t have time to decode the strange riddle leaking from a moonshiner’s crazy mouth. Worried about Dal, he rushed to the cement door and banged five times: two quarter notes followed by three eighth notes. If anything had happened to them while he was away, he would never forgive himself—even if it meant regretting his last hours with Mestasis.

The door creaked and three laser barrels poked through the crevice. James held up his hands. “Whoa, guys. It’s only me.”

An older man with a tuft of white hair stared back at him. Relief shone in his bright blue eyes.

“James, we thought they got you.”

“The Razornecks, the government, or the moonshiner I just blasted in the tunnel?”

“Any. All three.” Dal clapped him on the shoulder and led him inside while two guards stayed behind to close the entrance. Even though the cement locked in place, James had a hard time letting go of the encounter outside. The hideout didn’t feel safe any longer.

“What’s happened while I’ve been on the upper levels?”

“Nothing good.” Dal led him through a tunnel to the concrete bunker underneath the subway system. He talked over his shoulder as they hurried down the steep incline.

“As you can see from your new friend lurking by the door, moonshiners have infiltrated the sewers, climbing through miles of pipeline to rise to the lower levels.”

“Yeah, the one I met smelled like death.”

“That’s not all. A crazed mob of ’em storms the city walls as we speak. Guardians pick them off with gallium laser blasts, but they don’t have enough firepower to keep them back.”

“Hold it now.” James stopped midstep and Dal halted beside him. “The walls are five feet thick. No way the moonshiners can get through, even if they clawed with their fingernails all day long.”

Dal shook his head slowly. “They are, and they will. Some of them still have part of their brains left, and they’ve been tossing hypergrenades at the cement.”

James scratched his head. “Jeez, where have I been?”

“Making sure three hundred of our people got the hell out of here.” Dal squeezed his shoulder. His voice was shaky. “Did it take off?”

James shook his head. “Not yet. But it’s on schedule. I’d like to see it leave, so if we could hurry…”

“I understand.” Dal clapped him on the back. “Just checking to make sure my grandkids made it safely.”

“If you’d tell me why I’m here, I could make sure of it.”

“Yes, yes. Let’s go. There’s something I have to show you.”

James followed him to a low-ceilinged room lined with wallscreens displaying input feeds from all over the world. In the dim light, Dal’s wispy hair glowed like James’s, giving the old man a halo of green, otherworldly light.

Dal sat in a rolling chair across from a circular desk and gestured for James to follow. James waved his offer away. “I prefer to stand.” Every second counted. He knew Mestasis wouldn’t wait for him—shouldn’t wait for him. She’d probably think he’d left to avoid such a painful good-bye.

“You may want to sit down when you hear what I’m about to tell you.” Dal gave him a sad smile.

“I can take it.” James’s gaze passed from a riot in Mexico to a volcano warning in the Hawaiian Islands to flames consuming Utopia, the last giant greenhouse that fed all of New England and the surrounding states.

“No place is safe, is it?”

“No.” Dal pressed a button, zooming in on the ruins of Utopia. “One of our spies got a lowdown on the Razornecks’ counterattack…”

“A counterattack? Already? I thought most of the Razornecks died in the blaze?”

Dal shook his head. “They have cells throughout the city, and they’re all seeking revenge.”

James ran a hand through his hair. “What is it this time?”

“Assassination attempt. Governor Ursula Grier. They found out she was the one who ordered the counterstrike on Utopia after they took it over.”

That’s why Dal had called him down so quickly. “Should I organize a team to stop them?”

Dal clicked a button and the screen changed. “No.”

“No? What do you mean no?”

“The Radioactive Hand of Justice shouldn’t get involved in government affairs. Besides, she’s got enough guards and artillery to defend herself, and in two days’ time, she’ll be leaving on the Heritage, along with the other heads of state. The government in New York will be nonexistent.” The inevitability in Dal’s voice sent a shiver down James’s back.

“They’re going to abandon us?” Government officials didn’t just get up and leave their posts. This was serious.

“It’s their only choice for survival.” Dal clicked on another screen, bringing up a meeting of world leaders from at least five countries, all sitting around a circular table.

“More problems?” James studied the screen, recognizing the faces: most from the World Coalition. “What are they saying?”

“They want to nuke the areas with the largest concentration of moonshiners before the mobs grow out of control. As it is, the force outside these gates could rip through this entire population within days.”

“They’re targeting us? Citizens?”

“Bingo.” Dal sighed. “We think this bunker would hold during the attacks, but we’re not sure we could live here until the fallout dispersed. We have the fluorescent greeneries, and the stocks are piled high, but it would take years for the radiation to return to safe levels.”

“Not acceptable.” James shook his head, refusing to resign to such a fate. “There has to be another way.”

“There is.” Dal’s fingers flicked across the keypad and a picture of a gigantic chrome hull loomed over their heads.

“The Destiny.”

“Wait a second. We were deemed unfit for the Expedition. Who’s to say whoever built this ship wouldn’t conclude the same thing? I’m sure they have their own people to transport.”

“The project was abandoned three months ago. It’s not finished. The biodome hasn’t been completed, and it isn’t stocked with enough energy cells. It won’t be able to fly us on a hundred-year journey, but with a little work it could get us off this doomed rock.”

James put his hand on his hip. Every paradise planet he’d heard of was hundreds of years away, which could only mean one thing. “You’re thinking Outpost Omega, aren’t you?”

“It’s the biggest space station within a parsec of Earth, fully equipped with biodomes, solar panels, and energy cells.”

“It’s also the most important and the most heavily guarded. They’d never let a ragtag army like us live there. Only government workers are allowed to set foot on it.”

“Then we’ll take it by force.”

James exhaled a long, slow breath. “No. It’s too dangerous. Too many deaths.”

Dal leaned back in his seat and raised his hairy eyebrows like when he had a winning move at chess. “And staying here isn’t?”

James considered the impending attack of moonshiners coupled with the plan to nuke them all. Even if his group survived the mob and stocked their shelves high, did they really want to huddle underground for the rest of their lives, hoping rations wouldn’t run out? “You’ve got me there.”

“Exactly.” Dal slumped forward, clicking off the screens as if in resignation.

James’s mind whirled with all the possibilities and probable outcomes. “Even if we secure this quasi-built ship, who’s going to fly it?”

The room had gone black, and only their haloed heads illuminated their faces. Dal folded his hands on the table as if further discussion was unnecessary. “You.”

“You’re kidding me. I’ve never flown anything that large.”

Dal grinned. “Practice makes perfect.”

James’s wristband beeped. He glanced down at the time and his stomach sunk. “Dammit, Dal, the Expedition is leaving in fifteen minutes.”

Dal gave him a knowing twitch of his eyebrow. “Do you really want to see it take off?”

“I have to.” James shot toward the door, adjusting his backpack.

“Whatever you do, don’t try to defend the governor. Leave that to her bodyguards. They view all gangs as threats, and you’d be killed along with the Razornecks.”

“I won’t.” Although the governor had always been a thorn in his side, James still worried about her and her family surviving the attack. Yes, she blew up Utopia and planned to abandon her own city, but she didn’t deserve to be taken out by the Razornecks. Besides, James needed some sort of structure until the Expedition took off and he could get to the Destiny. If the Razornecks gained control of the city, every street would go to hell. He pressed the panel and the sides parted, revealing a crowded corridor.

“James, you never agreed to fly the Destiny.” Dal’s voice was a gripping force, holding him back.

James turned around. “You know me better than that, Dal. You know it’s a yes.”

Dal’s face softened. “All the more reason to be careful. We can’t have the most important person in the Radioactive Hand disappearing on us. Every time you go through those passages, you risk your life.”

James shot Dal a steady stare. “I’ll be back. Besides, some things are worth the risk.”

© 2012 Aubrie Dionne

About the Author

Aubrie Dionne is an author and flutist in New England. Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf.

Her books are published by Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. She recently signed her YA sci fi novel with Inkspell Publishing titled: Colonization: Paradise 21, which will release in October 2012.

When she's not writing, Aubrie teaches flute and plays in orchestras. She's a big Star Trek TNG fan, as well as Star Wars and Serenity. Her dogs are appropriately named Jedi and Princess Leia.

You can find Aubrie online at the following places:

Twitter - Blog - Website - Goodreads

Aubrie welcomes email from her fans at abriedionne@yahoo.com

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Aubrie has generously offered an ebook copy of A Hero Rising to a lucky visitor!

All you have to do is complete the form below:

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 May 2012!

Good luck!

Interview with Alexia Reed + Giveaway

2012-05-08T12:30:00.004+02:00

Today I am happy to welcome to the blog Alexia Reed, author of Hunting the Shadows a very exciting blend of paranormal, sci-fi and romantic suspense story released by Carina Press. Alexia was kind enough to answer all my burning questions, and trust me I had quite a few *cough cough* ;-) So read on to discover the world of Hunting the Shadows, its characters and what you can expect of Alexia Reed's new series! (at the end you could even win a copy of the book!)

Stella: Hi Alexia, welcome to Ex Libris! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Alexia: Thanks for having me here! I am paranormal, romantic suspense writer. I am very much into science and because of my scientific background I love trying to dissect the paranormal to see if I can find a scientific explanation. When I’m not writing, I’m either cooking/baking or cat wrangling.

Stella: Your debut novel Hunting the Shadows was released yesterday by Carina Press, congratulations! :-D Can you tell readers what can they expect of it?

Alexia: Hunting the Shadows is a dark paranormal romance with a serial killer plot line. Readers can expect to read about a group of individuals who’ve been changed at birth and trained to be specialized agents with the ability to do things that aren’t of the normal psychic range.

Stella: What inspired you the idea for Hunting the Shadows? Any specific moment which triggered the setting/any of the characters?

Alexia: I am addicted to video games. When I was younger, I was obsessed over Medal of Honor and Final Fantasy. While I was playing these games, I used to brainstorm. While doing this, J.C., Amy, and Stefan were created. The rest of the story sort of evolved around them. I suppose these games inspired the military, more paranormal/fantasy feel of the book.

Stella: How would you describe the world of Hunting the Shadows in simple terms?

Alexia: I’ve always described it as Dark Angel meets the Pretender.

Stella: Can you introduce to us J.C. and Amy, the hero and heroine of Hunting the Shadows?

Alexia:

JC as Alexia pictures him

Full Name: J.C. Nikolaiev
Age: 27
DOB: April 26th
Hair color: brown
Eye color: amber
Height: 6’2″
Scars: on back
Abiltity: Manipulates matter at the molecular level
Occupation: specialized agent. One of the lead scientists and team leader.

“To look at me, I would probably look just like any other person. Take away my lab coat or uniform and I’m like any other man you’d probably pass on the street without a second glance. But what you probably don’t know, what you couldn’t know, is that I’m not normal. I’ve been changed, psychically enhanced to be a specialized agent with abilities to help protect the world you live in. As part of the secret government, I was trained to be a ghost, to walk in the shadows.

I live at the Centre, a military-base compound deep in the mountains; and train with my squad, a group of 7 highly enhanced individuals. We are a team, but more than that, we’re a family. We don’t always get along, but we care about each other. Even when the shit hits the fan and everything is at its bleakest.

I am Jaegar-Caleb Nikolaiev, son of two scientists who created the virus that gave us all these abilities. I followed in their footsteps, working my way up to lead scientist at the age of sixteen. I wanted to help the other kids, those who are just starting to learn their abilities but it’s never as simple as that. These abilities aren’t always stable and sometimes, there’s disastrous results. I do what I can but after so long of seeing just how fragile the human body can be, I gave up.

I got angry and did something in hindsight, needed more planning: I tried to blow up the labs. But I was captured and brought back to the Centre for sentencing. And through it all, despite all this, if I had just listened to the voice in my head, the one that’d been stalking me for awhile, I might have succeeded.”~ J.C.

Amy as Alexia pictures her

Full Name: Amy
Age: 27
DOB: June 7th
Hair color: brown
Eye color: blue
Height: 5’5″
Ability: Telepathic-empath

“I’m not like the other agents here at the Centre. I know that. I’m different…maybe a bit weird to their standards. You see, at age 3, I was taken away from all the other kids. I couldn’t be around them, my mind not protected. I couldn’t build shields to stop the thoughts and emotions of everyone and my body overloaded from the stress. From that moment on, I only really knew the room they put me in. For over 20 years, I stayed there in that room with special shields, unable to interact with others. Unable to even set foot outside…to live any kind of life.

And the staff…well, they were all too afraid of me and what I could do. No one wants their privacy invaded. They all thought, I couldn’t hear thoughts…but I could. The wards only helped so much.

What would you do if you could see…read the thoughts of a killer? One no one can seem to catch? One whose kills you dream about? And what if no one would believe you?

I did the only thing I could do. The moment I found the one person who could hear me and communicate back, I made sure he listened.”~Amy

Stella: The characters of Hunting the Shadows are enhanced humans, does everyone have their own special powers? What kinds, types of talents exist?

Alexia: In J.C.’s squad, each character has their own specific ability. There’s always going to similarities within the whole Centre, but for J.C.’s squad, these abilities balanced out nicely.

J.C.- can manipulate matter at the atomic level
Amy- telelpathic-empath (although she can do things like copy memories, etc)
Stefan- manipulates energy (his specialized attack is to tear old cellular wounds to the surface)
Mackenzie- healer
Ajay- she can manipulate time and manipulate light
Davan- manipulates the shadows
Ariadne- medium
Darilynn- psychometric

Stella: And which power would YOU like to have? :-)

Alexia: Freezing time would be nice. Especially when it comes to the weekend. I never have enough time! Especially to write.

Stella: Is Hunting the Shadows the first instalment in a series? How many more stories have you planned in this universe? And will J.C. and Amy be the main characters in the next book(s) as well or will the h/h change in each novel?

Alexia: Hunting the Shadows is the first of a series, although how many, I’ll have to see (I have an idea in mind, but that can easily change). There will be a different hero/heroine for each book, but, J.C. and Amy will always play an important part in the books. The characters will all interact in one way or another.

Stella: You are a lover of all things paranormal. What attracted you to this genre? Do you remember what introduced you to this world? (For me it was Buffy :-D)

Alexia: You know, I never watched Buffy until a few years ago. We had very limited amount of channels. I think my first taste of the paranormal was Dark Angel, to be honest (other than Goosebump books!).

Stella: Hunting the Shadows can be categorized as a paranormal, sci-fi, romantic suspense novel. How would YOU describe it? Also, in your opinion in romantic suspense novels what is preferred ratio between the suspense and the romance parts?

Alexia: Definitely dark. I categorize it as paranormal because of the psychic abilities but the suspense also because of the serial killer plot. It’s a contemporary, modern world, however. In this book, I wanted to focus mostly on the Centre so the reader doesn’t get a look outside in the world, but in the next books I”ll be broadening that focus.

Ratios are always so hard. I think it should be at least 60-40% I guess. It really all depends on the story.

Stella: The technical aspect of the special talents and the experiments featured in Hunting the Shadows appear quite complex. What kind of research did you do and what parts of the medical details are fictional, a creation of your imagination? Any funny research story you could share? What was the weirdest thing you had to research?

Alexia: To be honest, a lot of the abilities you can’t really research for. I read a lot of science books and I love viruses. I tried not to get too technical while talking about how they created the psychic abilities, just because I didn’t want to bore/confuse the reader too much. I did look up cell memory, however and study up on that a bit. It always interested me. In Hunting the Shadows, most of the abilities is made up. However, book 2, I get into it more. I try to explain the “vampirism” and even shapeshifting.

Oh I look up weird things all the time. lol. I swear, I must be on the governmental watch list. I look up weapons and…terrorist groups (book 2 talks about the enemy). Ability-wise however, it’s really hard to research that. So I’m always asking people how’d it feel to move the earth with your mind…and whatnot.

Stella: What was the most challenging about Hunting the Shadows? Any part of the story which gave you more thought than the others?

Alexia: The most challenging aspects had to do with describing the abilities. It’s so hard to picture it and try and to figure out a scientific way to explain it.

One of the hardest was the scene where Amy copies J.C.’s memories. I knew what I wanted but I didn’t really know how to write the scene. I compared it to being like a computer, but other than that, how does it feel…what are the consequences of taking someone’s memories into your own head? That is all up to me.

Stella: Oh, I loved that scene, and that ability of Amy, such a unique and complex power and the way she does it quite effortlessly tells the reader how powerful she really is.

Can you tell us any behind the scenes secret of Hunting the Shadows? (it can be related to the writing process, a scene that got deleted, a friend who makes a cameo, some tidbit about the characters that didn't end up in the final version etc. anything)

Alexia: Hunting the Shadows has been through a lot of rewrites. I started the original book when I was in grade 9 and kept changing it over time. So a lot has changed plotwise and character-wise. One thing I did edit out was that J.C. used to have a black lightning bolt tattoo on his neck, just under his jaw. In an old version (one of the first drafts), he was brainwashed and they erased ALL his memories in the past. His first memory he remembered when he broke conditioning was of watching a thunderstorm with his parents when he was a kid. That got edited out.

Stella: If Hunting the Shadows were made into a TV series, who would you like to play the characters?

Alexia: Oh that’s hard. I really don’t know! When I needed to find pictures for J.C. and Amy, I didn’t choose any actors. They’re just random pictures! (see above at the introduction) J.C. is some model and the picture above of Amy is a close version (although Amy’s hair is shorter).

Stella: What shall we expect from you, what is next on your schedule? When will we be able to read the following books in the Shadow Ops series?

Alexia: I’m working on book 2 at the moment and preparing to send it to my editor. Hopefully I’ll have news to share soon about it! I’m plotting book 3. I’m also writing a zombie book (more science!).

Stella: Can you share with us some little secret trivia, something that not many people know about you?

Alexia: 1. I guess something not many people know about (at least on the net), is that growing up, I lived in an old house that used to be a restaurant. My grandparents bought the house and moved it to where it is now on awesome farm land (I love all the space). When I was young, I used to hear things in my room. Heavy breathing noises that used to move about my room late at night. Sometimes cold brushes along skin. It used to freak me out. I would hide under my blankets or turn on my flashlight, etc.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. It’s an old house so there’s going to be drafts…and it was probably my brother or parents snoring. For awhile, I wondered that. I still sort of do. Except that the sound moves. I got up one night and followed it around my room. Sometimes it’s in front of me, sometimes in my closet…sometimes behind or even under the bed.

My mom once said that she heard something in my room late at night one day while she was getting up to go the washroom. She got a bit freaked and ran by my room. LOL. Um yeah, thanks!

There’s also a story that when my aunts were growing up, they saw a shadow that came from the wall and lowered itself onto their desk and would always knock things off.

Now, still, all stories…who knows right? I moved away for University and my parents did renovation to the attic beside my room. I thought it was all gone. For years I didn’t hear that breathing noise. Except it’s back. I went at Christmas and stayed in my old bedroom. My dad was working night shift that night and my brother was now sleeping downstairs. My mom and the dog were elsewhere. I was the only one upstairs. And what do I hear? That same breathing noise. Lol

So whatever it is…I can’t account for it but it’s there and yeah, it does freak me out a little.

2. One more story: When I was little, I dreamt one night about what I call the chicken massacre. I was being chased by a huge beast with dead chickens glued to its body. I had a pet chicken at the time and it was attached to its head…and the rooster was there. I knew they were dead.

I told my mom about it that morning but we thought nothing of it. That afternoon, our neighbour’s husky jumped the chicken coop fence. ¼ of our chickens were killed. Another ¼ had to be put down. Including my chicken. :-(

Stella: Ooh I see you have only spooky stories to share! Thank you so much for stopping by Alexia, and congrats on the release of Hunting the Shadows! :-)

While in reality Alexia Reed resides in Ontario, she likes to say that she lives in her own little world. A lover of all things scientific and the paranormal, Alexia uses her books as a way to straddle the realms of fact and fiction—and always with a healthy dose of romance thrown in.

When not writing and reading, Alexia paints, and is the caretaker to two neurotic cats.

You can find Alexia on her website, Goodreads, Twitter and Facebook.

Hunting the Shadows by Alexia Reed

Book #1 in the Shadow Ops series

Amy has spent her life in isolation. Locked away in the Centre, a secret government facility where children with extraordinary abilities are raised as highly skilled fighters, she longs for a normal life. A life where being around people doesn't overload her sensitive telepathic mind. A life where she can't see through the eyes of a murderer as he hunts down his next victim...

J.C. Nikolaiev was a top researcher, but when his conscience got the better of him, he tried to destroy his work and free his subjects—and was imprisoned as a traitor. To save himself and prevent more people from dying, J.C. must catch the serial killer stalking the halls of the facility. But his only leads come from a woman whose thoughts have invaded his mind...

Finally out of the psych ward, Amy joins forces with J.C. to find the killer before he closes in on them. Can their growing attraction withstand the truths they uncover?

Read my review

Amazon | B&N | Audible | Kobo | Carina Press

GIVEAWAY:

Alexia has generously offered an ebook copy of Hunting the Shadows to a lucky commenter!

All you have to do is leave a comment and answer Alexia's question: Do you read paranormal romances? What do you wish you could see more of?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 May 2012!