Friday, July 19, 2013

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Identified: The Maya Price Story by Faith A. Rice-Mills

The Maya Price Story by Faith A. Rice-Mills
Series: The Maya Price Story series, #1
Publication date: December 3rd 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal/Fantasy
Blurb:
Maya Price is a typical eighteen-year-old girl without much going on in her life. Her biggest problems include getting ready to leave her hometown for college, figuring out how to avoid her ever-so-strange stepmother, and trying to muddle through her feelings for her best friend, Pete. Yet, on one of her last nights in her hometown, she and Pete are in a car accident. A stranger pulls Maya from the accident, leaving Pete behind, and takes her out of this world and into another dimension.

      Maya soon discovers that she has been taken to a dimension called Leets by a group of people that call themselves shifters. Shifters are of mixed human and onyx blood and have various abilities.  These shifters are able to travel between dimensions and control the four elements (fire, earth, wind, water) and the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch and taste). Their leader, Victoria, informs Maya that she, too, is a shifter and that she must choose to join them or risk being sought out by their greatest enemy, a shifter named Leonas.

     Maya joins Victoria and her ragtag group of rebel shifters in Leets, where she is teamed up with a group of seven other shifters. Her new "teammates" include a street-smart girl named Luz, who is especially adept at controlling fire, her twin sister Espy, and a nervous boy named Lamar, who can manipulate sound better than any other shifter. Together, Maya’s team trains for the battle that will soon be  inevitable.

      However, Maya soon learns that her purpose is not to just move the earth or send water flying into the air. There are rumors of a hidden prophecy and that the prophecy mentions Maya by name. Supposedly, the prophecy says that Maya will one day have to choose a side and will be essential in bringing her chosen ally to power...
Get it here: Amazon




About the author:


Faith A. Rice-Mills is the author of Identified: The Maya Price Story and a handful of short stories.  She moonlights as a Spanish teacher,  but has wanted to be a writer since she wrote the poem “The Jackowhipp’s Wail” as an eight-year-old.  Her writer’s spirit resides somewhere between Narnia and Mount Doom, but her physical body lives in Texas with her family.  Besides writing, she loves reading (and will take recommendations!), yoga, coloring with her daughter, and watching Parks and Recreation with her husband.  She dislikes snakes, the word “literally,” and teaching double object pronouns in Spanish.  She is currently working on Burdened, the second book in The Maya Price Story series and is writing whatever short story she has to get out of her brain.

Check her out:
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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Book Blast: Vitality by M.A. George's

Vitality
Series-Proximity Book # 3 
By-M.A. George
Expected Publication Date-July 16th, 2013 

Blurb:
Palta learned long ago not to expect a “normal” life.  She’d settle for one free of close encounters with supernaturally-gifted homicidal maniacs.

 Apparently that’s too much to ask.

 Join your favorite Onontian royal family, as they settle into life at the palace...only don’t get too comfortable, because things are about to take a hair-raising turn.

 Vitality is the gripping third installment in the Proximity series.


Get it here:


Check out the first two in the series as well!!!
Proximity 
Proximity Series-Book #1 
By: M.A. George
Published on October 3, 2012
Blurb:
  
Dr. Palta Capal would be a typical American career woman…if only she were human.

She has found her calling in this world as a physician. It’s an ideal outlet for her compassionate spirit...and unearthly healing powers.

Palta may spend her nights rereading Jane Austen novels, but she deliberately avoids pursuing her own love story. Human men — attractive as they may be — inevitably grow old and wither, leaving her to grieve in solitude. Frankly, no one has seemed worth the torment.

Enter Eric Moran, the intensely attractive and enigmatic new coworker on the scene. With his quiet confidence and warm smile, he manages to draw Palta’s attention. Little does she know that he, too, holds a secret…one that will propel them both into an escalating collision of two worlds. 


Get it here:





Relativity
Proximity Series Book #2 
By M.A. George
Publication Date: January 9, 2013 
Blurb:

No matter the planet, Palta Capal is an alien. 

She’s lived a lifetime where she never belonged…but relocating to the “home world” she’s never seen has her feeling more like an outsider than ever.

Teetering between the thrill of newfound love and the despair of family loss—not to mention the looming threat of global war—Palta doesn’t need any more excitement in her life. 

But what she needs and what she gets are two entirely different things.


Get it here:




About the Author: 
M. A. George is part proud mother of two adorable children, part super top secret agent…Oops, probably just lost that job.

Writing is what keeps her up into the wee hours of the night.  Fortunately, she has a lot of energy (Read: caffeine is her friend).  She has a bit of an obsession with music (It does a fantastic job of tuning out rambunctious children while she attempts to focus).

She sincerely hopes people out there enjoy reading her work as much as she enjoys writing it.  And if anyone hears of work for a super top secret agent, she’s now available (Discretion guaranteed…).

Get news and updates on her latest work (including the continuation of the Proximity series) by visiting her blog at: 
or the Proximity Facebook page at:

Check her out:

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Monday, July 15, 2013

Book Blast + Giveaway: Blood and Bone by Don Hoesel



Blood and Bone 

More Archaeological Adventures from Popular Suspense Writer Don Hoesel. A decade after Serpent of Moses, Jack is married to Espy and back teaching at Evanston University. They have two sons, one of whom has cystic fibrosis. Despite this challenge, life is comfortable. But that all changes when the CIA, while combing through the papers of the late Gordon Reese, uncovers the secret of Elisha's bones. Jack's world is then turned upside down by an urgent call from his old friend Duckey, who's been alerted to the CIA's probing by one of his former contacts. Jack and his family escape from their home just ahead of the CIA, and he decides to do what he should have done long ago: recover the bones and destroy them. Except the bones aren't where he left them. So now Jack is in a race, for the last time, to find the bones. And he's not the only one. Pitted against both the CIA and an organization that will kill to protect their secrets, Jack and Espy follow hard-to-decipher clues across the globe before arriving in the catacombs of Paris for a final showdown that will either save their family--or tear apart everything they hold dear forever.



  Blood and Bone Tour
 
Author Don Hoesel 

 Don Hoesel is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal. He lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. The Alarmists is his third novel.  

  BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal CashEnds 8/4/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   a Rafflecopter giveaway  
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Friday, July 12, 2013

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Thundering Luv by L.M. Preston

Thundering Luv 
Luv Series Book #2 
By L.M. Preston
Expected Publication Date: June 1, 2013 
Published By: Phenomenal One Press


Blurb:
Jewel has always been able to get the guy she wanted. The starting jock on the football team, the team captain on the basketball team, and the lead swimmer on the swim team. Problem is, she didn't find them the least bit exciting. Was she cold or a she-wolf for guys? Colin thought so, and he'd do anything to bring her down a peg or two. When these two collide on the sandy beach during their mixed up summer vacation, sparks fly, making this a summer neither will forget.  

Get it here:


Excerpt:
“I mean, how does your mom do it? Most ladies can’t even find a guy to marry them – my mom is still ‘dating’ my dad and can’t get him to commit. But your mom,” Amy inhaled loudly, “she’s like…hum, like a husband whisperer or something,” Amy laughed.
Jewel lifted her shades to peek out at Amy, “So are you saying guys and dogs are the same?” she jumped up and plopped down on Amy’s butt to tickle Amy’s feet, “You calling my mom a dog trainer,” she giggled.
            Whack! The volleyball hit Jewel on the forehead with such force, she fell backwards. Jewel’s foot hit’s Meg’s drink and red juice splattered all over her white bikini. Amy’s butt went upward to knock Jewel onto the hard deck. Falling back, Jewel’s head hit the wood floor knocking her shades off.
            Jewel tried to catch her breath. Pain and anger became one as she blinked against the glare of the sun. Her eyes meet the dark brown ones of a laughing boy standing above her. A gorgeous guy, but who cared, he’d hit her so hard with his dumb ball, she was seeing stars.
            “You! You! Stupid, don’t you know how to hit a ball?” Jewel struggled to get up, and pushed the boys tanned hand away from her. His unruly long black hair, dark eyes, and full lips cocked up in a smirk made her angrier.
            “I’m trying to help you,” his baritone voice sounded like he was fighting against laughter, and he grasped her hand. His firm muscular shaped arm flexed as he bent to help her.
            Jewel slapped it away, “I don’t want your help you ruined my bathing suit and,” she touched her forehead where a small lump was forming, “put a knot on my head!” She pushed at him and stood up, grabbing the volleyball off the ground. His yummy face taunted her when his eyebrow went up questioning her motive. Then she aimed the ball at his head and missed.
            He ducked, “What was that for?” His laughing eyes turned stormy.
            Waving her hand at him, she stepped forward. “Idiots that hit girls with their,” Jewel slipped back, and tried to get her balance, but the last thing she remembered was him smirking at her as her head hit the floor again.



About the author: 
LM. Preston was born and raised in Washington, DC. An avid reader, she loved to create poetry and short-stories as a young girl. With a thirst for knowledge she attended college at Bowie State University, and worked in the IT field as a Techie and Educator for over sixteen years. She started writing science fiction under the encouragement of her husband who was a Sci-Fi buff and her four kids. Her first published novel, Explorer X - Alpha was the beginning of her obsessive desire to write and create stories of young people who overcome unbelievable odds. She loves to write while on the porch watching her kids play or when she is traveling, which is another passion that encouraged her writing.  

Check her out:




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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Book Blast + Giveaway: Over the Rainbow by Brian Rowe




Blurb:
Zippy Green never meant to fall in love with a girl, but when she does, her ultra-conservative father tries to send her to anti-gay camp. At the Kansas City airport, however, she hides inside a giant suitcase and sneaks onto an airplane headed not to the camp, but to Seattle, where her online love Mira lives. Halfway through the flight, the plane barrels out of control and crashes into the ground, knocking her unconscious.

 When Zippy awakens, she finds that most of the passengers have vanished. She doesn’t know what’s happened, but she’s determined to find out. She begins a quest on foot toward Seattle, and along the way, she meets a teenager with a concussion  a homeless man with a heart condition, a child without a shred of bravery, and a terrier named Judy. Together the group discovers that more than two-thirds of the world’s population has mysteriously disappeared. But that’s only the beginning…

 All Zippy wants is to find her Mira, but before she can she has to contend with two outside forces. The first is her homophobic father, who does everything in his power to keep her from the girl she loves. And the second is extinct creatures of all shapes and sizes, including living, breathing dinosaurs, which have replaced the missing population.


About the author:
Brian Rowe is a writing fiend, book devotee, film fanatic, and constant dreamer. He’s written nine novels, dozens of short stories, five feature-length screenplays, and hundreds of film articles and essays. He is one half of the blog Story Carnivores, where he reviews the latest in books and film. He is currently pursuing his MA in English at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is hard at work on his next novel.


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Monday, July 8, 2013

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Into the Fire by K. Gorman

Title-Into the Fire
Series-Mieshka Files Book # 1 
Publication Date- March 23, 2013 
Approximately 56000 words


Blurb:
"I've got magic?"
"I'm afraid so."

 Secure under its Mage-powered shield, Lyarne ignores the war that has taken the rest of the country.

 Inside its borders, refugees are first pitied, then assimilated.

 Mieshka knows this well. Coping with the loss of her mother and the grief of her father, she keeps her head down at school and maintains a neutral stance with her new Lyarnese friend.

 Things change when she meets the Fire Mage. There's a lot more to this city—and herself—than she could imagine.

 And Lyarne's shield is not as impenetrable as the city would believe…
Get it here:


Excerpt:
After Roger’s tip, Mieshka is running away from an angry mob through a large, abandoned mall in the Underground--the city that exists buried beneath her city.

 Mieshka’s track and field training returned. She stretched her legs out, immediately regretting her choice in tight jeans. Her breath, which had started out panicked and harsh, smoothed into her old, habitual rhythm. As did her legs, pants permitting. She found her pace. The echoes faded. The world and all its shadows drifted by, surreal with the dust and bones of another age. The trail of light stretched straight ahead of her, each bulb marking a distance. It had been a long time since she had raced.
The path split into two, one diverging to run along the right side of the mall while she followed the left. The chasm opened between them with a Plexiglas fence topped with a piped aluminum guard rail protecting her from the edge. The top of a dead escalator came into view. It gave her an idea.
What if she went below?
She clicked on the flashlight and swung its beam into the gap, squinting as the floor below came into view. The remains of a dinosaur exhibit stretched up, gaunt and dusty. Around it, a maze of shopping stalls she’d have to run around.
Nope. Best to stay on the clear path while she had it. While the way was lit.
Behind her, more shots cracked through the old air. Their echoes knocked into her spine. She ran on. Had they reached the mall?
Her breaths raced along with her, shoes pounding against the linoleum. She imagined the mob chasing along behind her. They made her wish she had magic even more. She did not want to be alone in the dark with them. In lieu of either option, she put distance between them.
Her lungs burned. Her legs felt like lead. She was not an athlete anymore.
When the light died, it took her breath with it. The dark was a physical presence. Shocks of blue burned in her vision.
She skidded in the dust, a knee briefly locking in place. Geez, she was out of shape. She skipped a few steps and clicked on the flashlight.
Ancient displays hung limp in the windows, materializing strobe-like in her bouncing beam. She tried to keep it pointed ahead of her. Her breaths wheezed in her ear, growing more and more ragged. Her hair stuck to her open mouth. Her burning thighs grew clumsy, sluggish and slow.
It was eerily quiet.
She looked over her shoulder—a quick, wild look. She didn’t trust that dark. These people lived here. This was their playground. She was trespassing.
What the hell was she doing down here? She didn’t belong here. Then again, she didn’t belong in the normal city either. Hell, her magic—whatever it was—didn’t even fit the normal definition of magic. She had no element. No role.
Her toe stubbed into the linoleum. Hard. She yelped before she hit, the wind knocked out of her. The flashlight spun away. Her knees stung, her wrist rang with pain. She gritted her teeth against a whimper, curling into her legs.
The flashlight rolled under the guard rail. It illuminated the grimy Plexiglas as it tipped over the edge. There was a heavy clunk. The light vanished.
Great.
Clinging to her burning knees, she let that whimper go. She rested her head against the floor, choking on her breath.
Maybe she should just let them catch her. She wasn’t going to reach Mo’s. In these tunnels, without light, she couldn’t beat them there.
The floor felt cool against her cheek. The pain subsided into a hot throb. Her knuckle felt numb from where she’d knocked it.
What would her mother have to say about this?
Her laugh hurt. No way would her mom have been in this position. Tears slid from her eyes, but they weren’t the usual ones. These were for the pain. They didn’t choke like grief did.
Which was a good thing, since her breath still hadn’t caught up.
If she got out of this, she promised to run every damn day.
‘If’. Her jaw tensed. She knew what her mother would have said to that. Same thing her father had told her last night.
She couldn’t let the fear win.
An idea formed. She felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier.
She didn’t have to reach Mo’s. Her cell phone was in her pocket. This wasn’t the nineties. Reception could bite through anything. Including a buried city.
All she had to do was get within range of the surface.
Distant shouts roused her. First, she’d have to deal with her pursuit. She sat up with a wince, taking stock. She wasn’t badly hurt. Her skin burned, but linoleum was easier to fall on than concrete. Gingerly, she wobbled to her feet.
Arms outstretched, she limped forward until her fingers bumped into the Plexiglas guard rail. She followed it to one of the silent escalators.
The first few flashlights bobbed into view, the distance turning them into pinpricks. Her heart jumped, but she forced herself to look. Two hundred metres away, she gauged. By the swing of their lights, she guessed they were walking.
She eased herself down the escalator. Her hand trembled on the vinyl railing, toes feeling each step. Halfway down, the echoes caught up to her.
The shouting had stopped, which worried her. These voices spoke quietly to each other, indistinct in their echoes. She kept going, forcing each step down into the dark. At the bottom, she turned to follow the bulk of the escalator back.
When that ended, she held her breath and struck out into the dark. She angled toward where she thought the stores to be, listening. The voices were clearer now. They came closer with each step. Debris skittered away from her foot, hitting something just ahead of her. She reached out a hand.
Her fingertips bumped into smooth concrete as the first flashlight swept over the scene. The edge of the upper floor was silhouetted against it, giving her hiding spot a hefty overhang. Two pairs of footsteps walked above her.
“Did you hear something?”
She cowered into what she guessed was a support pillar. She followed their footsteps on the ceiling, suddenly glad for the darkness.
“She can’t have gone far.”
“True.” The flashlight swept across the floor above, briefly illuminating a sagging banner on the railings. Two men walked into her view, trailing the guard rail. She slunk back, putting the pillar between them. Where were the rest?
“Yeah, but you heard them talking. She has magic.”
“Magic does not help her find her way.” Roger walked out of the dark as the two men jumped. She’d jumped, too. Through the pain, she hadn’t even noticed the tingling in her hand. She jammed the glowing mark into her pocket. “And if she knew how, she would have used it by now. It’s possible she is hiding, but more probable that she is lost.”
That seemed to describe her fairly well.
“Can’t you sense her? You have magic, right?”
She paid close attention. The transfer mark linked them together. He’d helped her earlier. Was he a friend?
Roger did not speak. In that silence, he said a lot of things.
She saw one man take a step back from him. It seemed an unconscious decision. She was tempted to do that, too.
“Magic does not work that way.” He said finally, gazing out over the space beyond the rail.
“When you find her, don’t hurt her. I want to talk to her.”
Mieshka shivered.
The other men turned around to go. She relaxed. Roger did not go with them.
Had he lied? Could he feel her through the transfer link?
Just before the men’s light faded, his gaze passed right through where she stood.
She cowered against the support, her raw skin unhappy with its surface. He couldn’t have seen her. It was way too dark where she stood.
Was it a coincidence?
As the men’s footsteps departed, she listened for a third set.
It didn’t come. Either the man was inhumanly quiet, or he still stood there.
She pressed her forehead against the cool concrete of the pillar. The darkness closed in around her. Those men had caught up with her, but where had the others gone? Short-cuts? Roger had walked out of the dark. Were the others in the dark with him? Her imagination produced a helpful image of them all crowding in the dark, leading with their guns.
She tensed her jaw against the panic, shaking quietly against the pillar. She counted, mouthing each number. Focusing on calming her breath. After two minutes, she opened her eyes again. Not that it made a difference in the dark.
She was her mother’s daughter, she reminded herself. Her mother would not be clinging to some post like a wuss. Her mother would march boldly into the dark, unafraid.
But Mieshka was only her daughter, so she ventured a little less boldly.
She was three steps out when a light popped on. She froze. Roger was still there. As she watched, he took the penlight and moved on after the two men.
She stared at him. Should she call after him? He'd told her to run before, did that mean he couldn't protect her? Why had he waited?
The darkness silenced her. And all the people that might be in it, hiding like her. Soon, the why did not matter. He was gone.
She turned back to the darkness. Her cell phone could be used as a light, but she’d try without. As Roger had just demonstrated, having the only light in a dark place made oneself into a beacon.
So she angled toward the wall, where she could follow the shops. She wanted to find another, more distant escalator before she tried her cell-phone plan.

About the author: 

After a year spent living in South-West China, K. Gorman has returned to her life as a university student in Western Canada. During high school, she spent her days ignoring classwork to focus on reading or writing. She has been a voracious consumer of Fantasy and Science Fiction for as long as she can remember. When not reading or writing, she moonlights as a horse-drawn carriage driver, combining her love of history with her long-time passion of working with horses.

 Check her out:
Website/Blog: http://kgorman.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/K-Gorman/185702481470134
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgorman8
Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6539472.K_Gorman

 Also take a look at the Facebook event for the whole tour too!! https://www.facebook.com/events/129466187260782/


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Saturday, July 6, 2013

Review + Blog Tour: Branded (Sinners #1) by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Title: Branded (Sinners #1) by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki 
Genre: YA Dystopian Romance 


Blurb:
Twenty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadliest sins were the downfall of our society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best.
Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me.   I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home.

 Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain.

 Now, every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win.
The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me.
I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter.
My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.
Check out the trailer:




Review: 
I had a really hard time writing this review because I had to keep containing myself from telling you too much!! I loved so much about it that I literally have pages of summary strewn about my room as I type this, but I don't want to spoil all the awesome for you so I'm going to keep this spoiler-free, I SWEAR!

 In a world taken over by The Commander, under a false pretense of morality, that has lead to a world where the are only the accused....not the guilty. Those who are accused are thrown in The Hole. The prison that hoses the men, women and children that are branded on their throats with bands of color that designate what crime they have committed. With their deadly sin on full display, the people of The Hole live a hell everyday not only from within but from the guards who are suppose to keep order. 

 We meet Lexi Hamilton in a situation that actually may be a first for me reading anything, she is trying to kill herself. However, before she is able to complete the task, the guards chase her down and she is taken away to The Hole as a sinner. After being tattooed with a blue band for the sin of Lust, she is given a guard and thrown into The Hole where she will spend the rest of her life.....or so it seems!

 What I loved the most about Lexi was that she seemed real. She went through hell growing up after her father died, and now she is in another form of hell in The Hole but she never loses some light inside her, which touched me. In all the horrible things that have happened to her, she could literally be dead inside and I wouldn't have blamed her, but she isn't. Lexi is a good person with a heart bigger than anyone I have read about in a very long time. She's tough and strong but she is able to love and feel and that's what drove this story home for me. Lexi was a center of light and hope in a world with not a lot of bright things to look at, especially when it came to Cole, her guard.

 First of all, if there was a real life Cole in front of me, I might be at a lost for words. The way he is described in this story made me drool a little bit, but even more than just how he written to look like he's another small bit of sunshine within the sleazy underbelly of the guards station. Cole is actually a decent person who takes his job very seriously without taking advantage of his stature within The Hole. There is no surprise that these two are drawn to each other and I root for them to be together from the second we meet Cole until the very last page. Not for one second did I say to myself, these two shouldn't be together. Does Cole make mistakes? Yes and so does Lexi but in the end it comes down to who they are and how they feel about each other and I really loved where the relationship went. 

 I'd be a fool if I didn't talk about the world this story is placed in because it is HUGE. I'm not just talking about Earth as a whole but even just within the great big walls of The Hole the world is enormous. Between the physical entity and the relationships between the immense amount of people within them, it could have easily gone in thirty different directions and you could get lost in the buildings that make it up. However, you never do. I never once had to back up and figure out where they were or what was going on. It is complicated, don't get me wrong, but in a good way. It makes for an entertaining story just watching the interactions of prisoner vs. prisoner, guard vs prisoner, guard vs. guard and so on. You get to see everything from the gorey and gross to the soft and gentle moments that Lexi has to go through throughout the book and it really is a complete and detailed setting these characters are traipsing around in, and it was great!

 Overall, yes this is another dystopian story with a romance that will bring you to your knees, but don't dismiss it. Branded has been one of the most intriguing books I have read this year and it kept my attention for hours at a time (to the point I had to force myself to stop reading at 3 am!) and it is truly a unique story in a genre that is over run with stale and boring takes on dystopia. Pick up Branded NOW because I loved it and I think you will too!!- My Opinion- BUT IT NOW!!!!


Get it here:


About the author(s): 
Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at college orientation and have been best friends ever since. After college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but they still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on weekends, they went to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What started out as an enjoyable hobby has now become an incredible adventure.

Check them out:
Website: http://www.abiandmissy.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AbiandMissy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbiandMissy




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Thursday, July 4, 2013

Book Blitz + Interview: The Spiral Arm by Peter Boland

The Spiral Arm by Peter Boland 
Publication date: May 21st 2013
Genre: YA Dystopia

Blurb:
Wren Harper lives on an overcrowded Earth on the brink of apocalypse. There are just too many people. The answer lies 600 light-years away on Kepler; a planet more than double the size of Earth. For decades humans have been fighting another race for its control. Earth’s armies are depleted. So now 15-year-old cadets are sent to fight, trained along the way in vast combat ships. But why has Wren been chosen? She's small and geeky and not a fighter. Will she survive Kepler? Or will the training kill her first? This is a debut novella-length episode in a series full of cliffhanger endings.


Get it here:


About the author:
After studying to be an architect, Pete realised he wasn’t very good at it. He liked designing buildings he just couldn’t make them stand up, which is a bit of a handicap in an industry that likes to keep things upright. So he switched to advertising, writing ads for everything from cruise lines to zombie video games. After meeting his wife Shalini and having two boys, he was amazed when she sat and actually wrote a book. Then another and another. They were good too. Really good. So he thought, I’ll have a go at that. He soon realised there’s no magic formula. You just have to put one word in front of the other (and keep doing that for about a year). It also helps if you can resist the lure of surfing, Taekwondo, playing Lego with the boys and drinking beer in front of the TV. 

Check out more about the author with this interview!

Where did the idea for The Spiral Arm come from?
It started off as a TV script about seven teenagers floating across the universe in an escape pod, a kind of Big Brother in space. Getting TV made is notoriously difficult, so I tried adapting it into a book. It didn’t work. So I rewound the story. Where did this escape pod come from? Why were they all teenagers? The idea of a vast training ship full of teenagers popped into my head, a kind of Hogwarts in space. That’s when the Spiral Arm took shape.

 Wren Harper is an intriguing character

 Yes, she’s shy and a bit of a loner. She thinks she’s weak but there’s a thread of steel running through her. She’s a fish out of water, surrounded by elite super fit, aggressive teenagers who are all ultra-competitive. But Wren’s smart and uses her brain to get her out of some pretty nasty situations.   

 What made you decide to write in episodes?
It suits my writing style. I like the plot to move along quite quickly rather than stretching it out. 

 How many seasons of The Spiral Arm will there be?
Well, it takes four years for the training ship to get to its destination, the planet Kepler. The cadets will be trained along the way. When they finally get to Kepler, the cadets on board will be young adults and expected to fight, so there’ll be at least four seasons, maybe five.

 When do you write?
Mostly in the evenings after work. I’m a writer for my day job as well, so sometimes I can spend up to 10 hours a day writing. Sadly only a small part of that is novel-writing.

 You say your day job is writing.
Yes, I’m a copywriter by trade, which means I come up with ideas for ads and write the words for brochures and websites.

 Does that help?
It’s the complete opposite of novel-writing. In a book you could spend ten pages describing a scene. Whereas, in advertising if you can’t say something in three or four words, no-one will read it. 

 Describe your writing process.
Initially I don’t write anything. I walk around with an idea in my head for weeks, mulling and chewing it over. I found this is the best way to slot everything into place. Then I jot ideas down in a notebook. When I’m happy I’ve got enough raw material, I write down key moments on post-it notes. I stick these to a wall and take a step back and rearrange them until the plot makes sense. Once I start writing properly I’ll still give myself enough room to modify things.  

 What advice would you give to first-time writers?
Get a good idea, one that can be summed up in a few words. Strong ideas are usually the shortest. Once you start writing don’t stop. Even if you don’t feel like writing. Your initial enthusiasm will wane after a week or two, that’s when you’ve got to get your head down and carry on.

 What’s your favourite book?
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. It’s an awesome read. It’s like Game of Thrones but without the supernatural element. Game of Thrones is my favourite TV series by the way.

 What do you do when you’re not writing?
We live by the beach so I surf and mountain bike. I’m also a green tag in Taekwondo which is great for blowing off steam. In between I usually build outrageous things out of Lego with my two boys. 


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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Book Blitz: The Melody in Our Hearts by Roberta Capizzi

The Melody in our Hearts 
By- Roberta Capizzi
Publication Date-January 1, 2013 (updated version available soon) 

Blurb:
Doctor Valerie Fogarty studied hard to become a competent surgeon, but losing a patient during an operation made her throw everything out the window and now she can't set foot into an operating room anymore. Until her best friend Ryan is brought into the ER on a stretcher, fighting for his life after a terrible car accident and she’s the only one who can save him. Meeting him as a teenager in their hometown in Ireland was the turning point in her life and she knows she will never be able to live without him. Will her determination and skills be enough to save Ryan's life?
Jazz Star Ryan Wyler grew up in Dublin, with a dream of becoming a professional pianist and continuing the legacy of his musical hero, Frank Sinatra. When opportunity knocks and he's offered the chance to pursue a real music career, he's happy to accept it, unaware that what he's actually accepting is a package deal he will have no control over. But when success keeps him away from Valerie, his best friend since adolescence, Ryan will have to question his choices.
A story about the value of true friendship, the power of dreams, and the unpredictability of love.



Get it here:
Amazon Kindle



About the author:
An avid reader since her childhood years and being an only child, Roberta always enjoyed the company of her fictional friends from the children’s books she loved reading, while she dreamed of writing her own stories one day.
It was when she discovered novels by authors Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy in her teenage years that she realized it was time she put down in words the stories she had kept well hidden in her mind until then.
What started as a hobby, soon turned into a real passion and a way of life, until she could no longer keep the stories to herself, and decided to get over her fears and share them with the world.
Roberta lives in Italy, but her dream is to move out of her country and live either in a thatched cottage in the Irish countryside or in a country house with a swing on the back porch, somewhere in the United States, where she would love to spend her days writing novels as a full-time job, and maybe one day even get as far as writing a screenplay for a movie.


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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Arrow of the Mist by Christina Mercer

Arrow of the Mist by Christina Mercer
Publication date: March 21st 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy

Blurb:
Terror strikes the Celtic inspired kingdom of Nemetona when barbed roots breach the veil of a forbidden land and poison woodsmen, including 15-year-old Lia’s beloved father. Lia and three others embark on a quest to the forbidden land of Brume to gather ingredients for the cure. But after her elder kinsman is attacked and poisoned, she and her cousin, Wynn, are forced to finish the quest on their own.

 Lia relies on her powerful herbal wisdom and the memorized pages of her late grandmother’s Grimoire for guidance through a land of soul-hungry shades, trickster creatures, and uncovered truths about the origin of Brume and her family’s unexpected ties to it. The deeper they trek into the land, the stronger Lia’s untapped gift as a tree mage unfolds. When she discovers the enchanted root’s maker, it forces her to question everything about who she is and what is her destiny. Ultimately she must make a terrible choice: keep fighting to save her father and the people of the lands or join with the power behind the deadly roots to help nature start anew.

Get it here:



Excerpt:

Nettles stung Lia’s flesh. She pressed her fingers against her mouth for relief. This is what I get for letting my thoughts wander. Grandma wouldn’t have been so careless while harvesting sting-leaf. She wouldn’t have let the villagers’ opinions prick at her mind, no matter how many called her mad for crafting remedies in the old ways. 

Koun whined and nudged Lia’s arm with his nose.  

“I’m all right, boy.” Lia gazed into her hound’s violet eyes and then turned her attention to the friendlier mallow plant. Its white flowers matched Koun’s coat and its leaves and roots promised a soothing balm for the nettle’s bite. She’d make another batch of salve for Da, too. He swore her “potions” kept his hands fit enough for hewing wood and soft enough for holding Ma. Her ma could use a bit more mallow infusion for her soaps, as well, and she’d take a bundle of clippings to Granda— 

Her thoughts scattered as Koun shot from the garden. Lia whirled around to the pair of horses charging up the path. She squinted in the dusky light and recognized Da’s friend, Kenneth, on one of the horses. Then her insides went cold. Across the other horse’s back lay Da’s limp body.

She dropped the harvested mallow and sped from her garden toward them. Ma’s scream shot like a bolt through her, but Kenneth’s words, “He’s alive,” offered Lia a morsel of hope.

Kenneth carried Da into the cottage, and Lia caught a glimpse of her father’s torn and bloodied clothing. “I’ll fetch Granda,” she cried, and hurried to her filly.  

Clad in her usual boy’s breeches and high leather boots, Lia raced her horse down the path with her heart pounding in rhythm to the hoof beats.


 About the author:
Christina Mercer writes fiction in addition to mothering two young adults, a pack of large dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees. Her varied interests prompted her to study creative writing, earn her official degree in Accounting, become a CPA, acquire a certificate in Herbal Studies, and keep honeybees. She took Writer’s Best in Show at the 2012 SCBWI CA North/Central Regional Conference and was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakout Novel Award Contest. You can find her at www.christinamercer.com or working as the Reviews Director at www.indie-visible.com 

 Check her out:


GIVEAWAY!
Giveaway for one (1) ebook copy of Arrow of the Mist + one (1) bookmark. The ebook can be sent internationally, but the bookmark can only be shipped to US/Can

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