Saturday 19 April 2014
Friday 18 April 2014
Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway - Anne of Cleves & Catherine Howard by D. Lawrence-Young
Anne of Cleves
It is winter 1539. King Henry VIII is galloping through the night to Rochester to meet a young woman. Just arrived in England from Germany, Anne of Cleves is destined to become his fourth wife. He has never met her before. He has only seen her portrait – the portrait of a sweet, demure and innocent young woman. The impatient and lovesick king must see her before their marriage. But this rushed and unplanned rendezvous will shock them and the country both. It will also lead to some completely unexpected and fatal results.
In D. Lawrence-Young’s well-researched novel, we learn of the strong passions and the deadly politics when the romantic plans of a frustrated Tudor king go badly wrong.
Buy Links:
Catherine Howard
This historical novel has it all: sex and romance, violence and war, infidelity and intrigue.
Catherine Howard, the Duke of Norfolk’s niece, is raised in the very free atmosphere of her grandmother’s palace. Here she becomes aware of her own sexuality and the exciting effect she has on the men at court around her.
She is also an unknowing part of her uncle’s devious plan to obtain more influence with the king - he pushes her onto the newly-divorced and lovesick King Henry VIII who is looking for a fifth wife.
Meanwhile, John Butcher has become a guard in the dreaded Tower of London. He guards the king, witnesses the executions of Anne Boleyn and Thomas More and takes part in the fighting in Ireland. However, when he returns to London, his meeting with Catherine Howard, the king’s fifth queen, produces unexpected and dramatic results.
In D. Lawrence-Young’s second Tudor novel we learn how Catherine Howard’s passionate nature mixed with the murky, deadly politics of the Tudor court and a furious king produce a classic story of passionate love, disappointment and revenge on a royal scale.
I have always liked learning history, even when I had to suffer three of the world’s most boring history teachers in high school. Fortunately, when I went home and told my parents about what I had studied, my father would ask pointed and cynical questions about the heroes or the events we had concentrated on that day. In that way, I learned that there was more than one way in which I could relate to a specific historical hero or incident.
Another spin-off of this was, that when I became an English teacher, I would pepper grammatical examples I wrote on the board with historical events. In this way I hoped that this potentially dry subject would be more interesting. Using examples such as “If Henry VIII had not fallen in love with Anne Boleyn…” or “If the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler had succeeded…” I hoped made learning the conditional structure more exciting.
From this use of English and history grew my desire to write complete historical novels. This desire was helped in that I feel I don’t have to specialize in dealing with one particular era or country. Therefore I have been able to write about Australia in Sail Away from Botany Bay, about Israel in Six Million Accusers, about Anglo-Saxon kings in Of Plots & Passions, about Tudor queens in Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard as well writing about the 1605 Gunpowder Plot in Gunpowder, Treason & Plot. In addition, I have also written novels about the two World Wars - Of Guns & Mules and Of Guns, Revenge & Hope. And of course I had to write about Shakespeare and Marlowe. These two Elizabethan playwrights became the subjects of four other historical novels.
When it comes to the actual writing, this and the necessary background research is the best part. In terms of writing this means selecting the most suitable vocabulary and style; not repeating the same words too often and making sure that what I write flows well and is credible and accurate. Even though I am writing fiction, I cannot allow mistakes such as ‘the American Declaration of Independence of June 4th, 1777’ or ‘After the Confederate victory at Gettysburg…’ to creep in. Therefore I work hard to ascertain that if I do include an historical fact, it is completely accurate. This means I have to check my sources very carefully. As an example of this, I once phoned a friend in England who is an expert on trees to ask him about which sort of trees grow in the New Forest, the site where King William II was accidentally (?) shot to death by an arrow.
Finally, it is probably because I was a teacher for many years as well as being a long-suffering student, that today I work hard to choose interesting topics for books and then to write about them in the most ‘page-turning’ way I can. I love reading and learning about what happened in the past and I want you to do the same.
This historical novel has it all: sex and romance, violence and war, infidelity and intrigue.
Catherine Howard, the Duke of Norfolk’s niece, is raised in the very free atmosphere of her grandmother’s palace. Here she becomes aware of her own sexuality and the exciting effect she has on the men at court around her.
She is also an unknowing part of her uncle’s devious plan to obtain more influence with the king - he pushes her onto the newly-divorced and lovesick King Henry VIII who is looking for a fifth wife.
Meanwhile, John Butcher has become a guard in the dreaded Tower of London. He guards the king, witnesses the executions of Anne Boleyn and Thomas More and takes part in the fighting in Ireland. However, when he returns to London, his meeting with Catherine Howard, the king’s fifth queen, produces unexpected and dramatic results.
In D. Lawrence-Young’s second Tudor novel we learn how Catherine Howard’s passionate nature mixed with the murky, deadly politics of the Tudor court and a furious king produce a classic story of passionate love, disappointment and revenge on a royal scale.
Buy Links:
Guest Post: How and why I write historical novels
I have always liked learning history, even when I had to suffer three of the world’s most boring history teachers in high school. Fortunately, when I went home and told my parents about what I had studied, my father would ask pointed and cynical questions about the heroes or the events we had concentrated on that day. In that way, I learned that there was more than one way in which I could relate to a specific historical hero or incident.
Another spin-off of this was, that when I became an English teacher, I would pepper grammatical examples I wrote on the board with historical events. In this way I hoped that this potentially dry subject would be more interesting. Using examples such as “If Henry VIII had not fallen in love with Anne Boleyn…” or “If the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler had succeeded…” I hoped made learning the conditional structure more exciting.
From this use of English and history grew my desire to write complete historical novels. This desire was helped in that I feel I don’t have to specialize in dealing with one particular era or country. Therefore I have been able to write about Australia in Sail Away from Botany Bay, about Israel in Six Million Accusers, about Anglo-Saxon kings in Of Plots & Passions, about Tudor queens in Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard as well writing about the 1605 Gunpowder Plot in Gunpowder, Treason & Plot. In addition, I have also written novels about the two World Wars - Of Guns & Mules and Of Guns, Revenge & Hope. And of course I had to write about Shakespeare and Marlowe. These two Elizabethan playwrights became the subjects of four other historical novels.
When it comes to the actual writing, this and the necessary background research is the best part. In terms of writing this means selecting the most suitable vocabulary and style; not repeating the same words too often and making sure that what I write flows well and is credible and accurate. Even though I am writing fiction, I cannot allow mistakes such as ‘the American Declaration of Independence of June 4th, 1777’ or ‘After the Confederate victory at Gettysburg…’ to creep in. Therefore I work hard to ascertain that if I do include an historical fact, it is completely accurate. This means I have to check my sources very carefully. As an example of this, I once phoned a friend in England who is an expert on trees to ask him about which sort of trees grow in the New Forest, the site where King William II was accidentally (?) shot to death by an arrow.
Finally, it is probably because I was a teacher for many years as well as being a long-suffering student, that today I work hard to choose interesting topics for books and then to write about them in the most ‘page-turning’ way I can. I love reading and learning about what happened in the past and I want you to do the same.
About the Author
D. Lawrence-Young takes the often pompous and frequently silly “Shakespeare Authorship Controversy” and turns it into a fast-paced page-turning detective story. All the nooks and crannies of rival candidates and claims are traversed in interesting locations and often funny encounters. The SAC has got under the Shakespeare-loving and teaching David Young’s skin and he has turned this irritant into a pleasure to read and from which there is much to learn.
Author Links:
***Giveaway***
5 Kindle or ePub copies of Anne of Cleves & Catherine Howard up for grabs.
Ends May 8 (midnight GMT).
International giveaway.
Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 13 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. The winner will be posted on this page after the winner responds. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.
Bookvie: In Secret - out February 21, 2014
Who's in it:
Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Felton, Oscar Isaac
What's it all about (book blurb from Goodreads):
One of Zola's most famous realistic novels, Therese Raquin is a clinically observed, sinister tale of adultery and murder among the lower classes in nineteenth-century Parisian society.
Set in the claustrophobic atmosphere of a dingy haberdasher's shop in the passage du Pont-Neuf in Paris, this powerful novel tells how the heroine and her lover, Laurent, kill her husband, Camille, but are subsequently haunted by visions of the dead man and prevented from enjoying the fruits of their crime.
Zola's shocking tale dispassionately dissects the motivations of his characters--mere "human beasts", who kill in order to satisfy their lust--and stands as a key manifesto of the French Naturalist movement, of which the author was the founding father. Published in 1867, this is Zola's most important work before the Rougon-Macquart series and introduces many of the themes that can be traced through the later novel cycle.
In Secret Official Trailer
Movie Stills:
Thursday 17 April 2014
Blog Tour Guest Post - Startup by Glenn Ogura
Startup
by Glenn Ogura
Book Description:
Set in California’s Silicon Valley, STARTUP follows a young idealist/entrepreneur, Zack Penny, as he strives to achieve his dream of creating a new company that will launch an international revolution in technology through the creation of wallpaper-thin displays that will completely surround a viewer. Zack works for a highly successful company called Display Technik, run by CEO Allen Henley, whose vision is based on a success-at-all-costs philosophy. Zack sees Henley as a mentor, but Zack’s philosophy favors high morals and values over Henley’s ruthless, end-justifies-the-means model of doing business.
Zack’s dream takes root one morning when he discovers an important paper has been taken from his office. Someone has exposed Zack’s secret plan to break away from Display Technik and start his own company. Henley gives Zack another chance to pledge his loyalty to the firm, but Zack resigns instead, more determined than ever to realize his vision. Soon, the optimistic if naive Zack steps into his new facility with high hopes for success. Henley, however, has already launched a plan to destroy Zack, his company, and Zack’s relationship with Henley’s daughter, Mary Anne.
Guest Post - Startup: The Villain
Thrillers are often villain-driven plots. The audience becomes more engaged as the villain’s behavior becomes more cutthroat, ruthless and deadly. Think no further than Hannibal Lecter in Thomas Harris’ classic novel and movie Silence of the Lambs. Although as a civilized society, we should be appalled by the cannibalistic behavior, the audience listened with morbid fascination as the villain calmly discussed eating a census taker’s liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
Eating dinner with my family, I would eat pork sausages (bangers) with ketchup and soy sauce that would turn my wife’s stomach ill and cause an early exit of the kids. No fascination at the dinner table. No probing questions of the odd combination. Just shaking heads and scowls of disapproval.
Take the award-winning book and film No Country for Old Men. The cold-blooded killer Anton Chigurh waited for Carla Jean to return from her mother's funeral (is this sick irony or what?) and proposed to toss a coin for her life. The audience watched the coin tossed up and down into Chigurh’s hand. I have also tossed a coin, not for someone’s life of course, but for which bedroom the kids get when we bought a new house. You’d think this would be pretty important to a couple of teenagers but I remember the indignant behavior of the kids, not believing I would leave it up to chance on who gets the larger room. I mean, this is compelling drama—right?
by Glenn Ogura
Book Description:
Set in California’s Silicon Valley, STARTUP follows a young idealist/entrepreneur, Zack Penny, as he strives to achieve his dream of creating a new company that will launch an international revolution in technology through the creation of wallpaper-thin displays that will completely surround a viewer. Zack works for a highly successful company called Display Technik, run by CEO Allen Henley, whose vision is based on a success-at-all-costs philosophy. Zack sees Henley as a mentor, but Zack’s philosophy favors high morals and values over Henley’s ruthless, end-justifies-the-means model of doing business.
Zack’s dream takes root one morning when he discovers an important paper has been taken from his office. Someone has exposed Zack’s secret plan to break away from Display Technik and start his own company. Henley gives Zack another chance to pledge his loyalty to the firm, but Zack resigns instead, more determined than ever to realize his vision. Soon, the optimistic if naive Zack steps into his new facility with high hopes for success. Henley, however, has already launched a plan to destroy Zack, his company, and Zack’s relationship with Henley’s daughter, Mary Anne.
Buy Links:
Guest Post - Startup: The Villain
Thrillers are often villain-driven plots. The audience becomes more engaged as the villain’s behavior becomes more cutthroat, ruthless and deadly. Think no further than Hannibal Lecter in Thomas Harris’ classic novel and movie Silence of the Lambs. Although as a civilized society, we should be appalled by the cannibalistic behavior, the audience listened with morbid fascination as the villain calmly discussed eating a census taker’s liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
Eating dinner with my family, I would eat pork sausages (bangers) with ketchup and soy sauce that would turn my wife’s stomach ill and cause an early exit of the kids. No fascination at the dinner table. No probing questions of the odd combination. Just shaking heads and scowls of disapproval.
Take the award-winning book and film No Country for Old Men. The cold-blooded killer Anton Chigurh waited for Carla Jean to return from her mother's funeral (is this sick irony or what?) and proposed to toss a coin for her life. The audience watched the coin tossed up and down into Chigurh’s hand. I have also tossed a coin, not for someone’s life of course, but for which bedroom the kids get when we bought a new house. You’d think this would be pretty important to a couple of teenagers but I remember the indignant behavior of the kids, not believing I would leave it up to chance on who gets the larger room. I mean, this is compelling drama—right?
Remember the scene in Marathon Man where the former Nazi SS dentist from Auschwitz, Dr. Christian Szell, drilled into Dustin Hoffman’s character’s healthy tooth, repeatedly asking, “Is it safe?” The audience froze in anticipation. Personally I loathe the dentist. When I was kid, the dentist injected a painkiller needle—as long as a stiletto-- into the soft underbelly of my cheek and suddenly the room started to spin around in my head until I emptied my lunch (most likely the ketchup and soy sauce-laden sausages) into the lap of the once-smiling dentist and his fresh-faced assistant. Guess the reaction of my ex-dentist? Believe me. No frozen anticipation there.
When I wrote the business thriller Startup, I wanted to create a deliciously evil villain. Startup is a story about an idealistic young man Zack Penny who starts his dream company but that dream turns into a nightmare, spoiled by his ex-mentor Allen Henley who sets out to systematically destroy Zack, his company, his friends and even his girlfriend, who happens to be Allen’s daughter. Now I’m not sure this ruthless behavior matches cannibalism, a gambler’s vice or over-zealous dentistry but judging from the book reviews, I would say that Allen Henley is a true villain, secretly admired and reviled at the same time. One reader wrote to me that she couldn’t finish the book because she was too appalled by Henley’s actions.
So what is it about villains that compels the audience to be so absorbed by their ghastly behavior? And why is my behavior, although tame by the standards of the earlier mentioned villains, hardly gets even an acknowledgement from my family?
And while we reflect on those questions over a glass of Chianti, would you please pass the ketchup and soy sauce?
Praise for Startup
Kirkus Reviews has hailed STARTUP as “a solid business thriller … reminiscent of John Grisham’s THE FIRM.”
“STARTUP is an intriguing and suspenseful good-versus-evil story set in the cutthroat Silicon Valley culture. STARTUP will appeal to readers who want to root for the little guy.” - ForeWord Reviews
About the Author
Glenn Ogura earned a degree in electrical engineering from Queen’s University in Canada. He is currently the executive vice-president for a New Hampshire-based laser micromachining company. Glenn lives with his wife in California. In addition to his love of writing and talking technology and the study of business ethics, he plays tennis. Startup is his first novel.
Author Links:
Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE
Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop - Book of Choice or Amazon Gift Card
Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop
April 17 - 24th
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
Several blogs are taking part, so there's lots of amazing gifts to be won. Check out the rules of the other blogs. I will choose a winner within 5 days following the end of this contest. I will contact the winner via email. Winner will also be announced on this page.
***Giveaway***
My giveaway is for a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a Book of Choice (up to $10) from The Book Depository.
Ends April 24th (midnight GMT).
Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 13 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. The winner will be posted on this page after the winner responds. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.
Book Blast & Giveaway - The Epherium Chronicles: Embrace by T.D. Wilson
The Epherium Chronicles: Embrace
by T.D. Wilson
Book Description:
Book Description:
Book one of The Epherium Chronicles
Hope. Captain James Hood of the Earth Defense Forces remembers what it felt like. Twenty-five years ago, it surged through him as a young boy watching the colony ships launched by mega-corporation Epherium rocket away. He, like so many others, dreamed of following in the colonists' footsteps. He wanted to help settle a new world—to be something greater.
Then came the war...
Hope. During years of vicious conflict with an insectoid alien race, it was nearly lost. Though Earth has slowly rebuilt in the six years since the war, overcrowding and an unstable sun have made life increasingly inhospitable. When mysterious signals from the nearly forgotten colony ships are received, Hood is ordered to embark on a dangerous reconnaissance mission. Could humanity's future sit among the stars?
Hope. Hood needs it now more than ever. As secrets about the original colonists are revealed and the Epherium Corporation's dark agenda is exposed, new adversaries threaten the mission, proving more dangerous to Earth than their already formidable foes…
Then came the war...
Hope. During years of vicious conflict with an insectoid alien race, it was nearly lost. Though Earth has slowly rebuilt in the six years since the war, overcrowding and an unstable sun have made life increasingly inhospitable. When mysterious signals from the nearly forgotten colony ships are received, Hood is ordered to embark on a dangerous reconnaissance mission. Could humanity's future sit among the stars?
Hope. Hood needs it now more than ever. As secrets about the original colonists are revealed and the Epherium Corporation's dark agenda is exposed, new adversaries threaten the mission, proving more dangerous to Earth than their already formidable foes…
Buy Links:
Praise
From Laura (5 star reviewer on Amazon) "I was shocked about how fast the author sucked me into a new world, a world that I am impatiently awaiting the next in the series. I read from another reviewer that it would make a great television series and I would have to agree with that reviewer."
From Kathryn Svendsen of Kathryn's Shelf Full of Books Blog (4 star review) : "It was a delight to read. Mr. Wilson did an excellent job of introducing each of the many characters involved in this large crew. There were many people to keep track of, and like a movie we found out a bit about the character of each one as we went along."
From Laura (5 star reviewer on Amazon) "I was shocked about how fast the author sucked me into a new world, a world that I am impatiently awaiting the next in the series. I read from another reviewer that it would make a great television series and I would have to agree with that reviewer."
From Kathryn Svendsen of Kathryn's Shelf Full of Books Blog (4 star review) : "It was a delight to read. Mr. Wilson did an excellent job of introducing each of the many characters involved in this large crew. There were many people to keep track of, and like a movie we found out a bit about the character of each one as we went along."
Book Trailer
Excerpt
“I have an idea about that,” Hood said as he opened a channel to Engineering. “Mr. Whitaker. I need that shield of yours.”
Whitaker responded slightly out of breath. “Sorry, Captain. I can’t give it to you. That second rock that smacked us caused one of the reactors to scram, so we shut it down. Until we get that stable and some more juice in the batteries, I can’t power it up.”
Hood muttered under his breath as he pounded his fist on his chair. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as he closed the channel. “Alright, our ace is out of commission,” he told Sanchez, “and even with the best of my contingency plans, we are going to have to do this the hard way.”
“You have multiple contingency plans for this?” Sanchez asked as he pointed to the viewport and the many asteroids floating nearby.
Hood looked at Sanchez and raised a single eyebrow.
“Forget I asked,” Sanchez said.
Whitaker responded slightly out of breath. “Sorry, Captain. I can’t give it to you. That second rock that smacked us caused one of the reactors to scram, so we shut it down. Until we get that stable and some more juice in the batteries, I can’t power it up.”
Hood muttered under his breath as he pounded his fist on his chair. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as he closed the channel. “Alright, our ace is out of commission,” he told Sanchez, “and even with the best of my contingency plans, we are going to have to do this the hard way.”
“You have multiple contingency plans for this?” Sanchez asked as he pointed to the viewport and the many asteroids floating nearby.
Hood looked at Sanchez and raised a single eyebrow.
“Forget I asked,” Sanchez said.
About the Author
T.D. Wilson was born in 1968 in Troy, Ohio and has been an avid fan of science fiction and fantasy from a very young age. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and has supported the systems and networks in several of the largest Supercomputing data centers in the world. His early thirst for adventure in reading began as he explored many of the great stories of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As his reading scope expanded, Mr. Wilson was fascinated by strange new worlds from the magical of Middle Earth and Narnia to the far reaches of space in Star Trek and Babylon 5. As a science fiction author, he strives to integrate a realistic flavor to his worlds by providing his readers a feel for the real science in science fiction. A topic he loves to discuss with his friends and readers. Mr. Wilson still lives in Ohio with his wife and their two sons.
Author links:
***Giveaway***
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash.
Ends 5/15/14
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 and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Wednesday 16 April 2014
Blog Tour Tens List & Giveaway - Gift of the Phoenix by Donna Cook
Gift of the Phoenix
When three strangers are brought together by the discovery of a common enemy, they must fight to keep the magic of the Phoenix out of dangerous hands before their world is destroyed forever. The Three must learn to unite in spite of what separates them, and unlock the magic of three stones that seem to harm as much as they help. But uniting will not be easy for Nicolai, the simple peasant with a powerful secret; Marcellus, the warrior prince who’s no longer heir to the throne; and Corren, a gifted wizard whose ambitions threaten to ruin them all. Full of magic, mystery, and a touch of romance, Gift of the Phoenix is an epic fantasy that takes the reader deep into the heart of a wondrous world and the three men destined to defend it.
Buy Links:
Tens List: Top Ten Reasons I Love Being An Author
1. I get to listen to the voices in my head and no one tries to prescribe me medication.
2. I can write anywhere: on my back porch, on vacation, in waiting rooms, on top of an elephant. Sky’s the limit, really.
3. I get to play in a world of make believe every day.
4. I can be fussy about who touches my pens and people chalk it up to a charming, writerly quirk, when really I’m just a control freak.
5. I can write off book purchases as a business expense.
6. Nobody thinks it’s strange that I have a notebook collection. (My cheese doodle collection is another matter.)
7. When I meet young, aspiring writers, I get to encourage them to never give up, because I remember being in their shoes.
8. I can claim all those years of daydreaming in school were part of my professional development.
9. I get to hang with other writers and entertain fantasies about being part of the next Lost Generation.
10. Saying “I’m an author” makes me sound far cooler than I actually am.
Praise for Gift of the Phoenix
“An incredibly impressive book that grips you from the very start. There is plenty of action in the story, some wonderful characters and magical, atmospheric settings. Donna has created a fascinating realm in this story which, even if you don’t consider yourself a fantasy fan, you’ll definitely enjoy.”
– Excerpt of Stephanie Dagg’s review at Books Are Cool.
“As an avid reader of fantasy, I often encounter boring or overused plotlines—this was neither! With a fresh new take on fantasy adventure, Cook constructs an enchanting world of magic, kingdoms, rebirth, and death.”
– Excerpt a review by Artemis at Fantasy Book Lovers Unite
“Gift of the Phoenix reminds me of a mix of Paolin’s Eragon and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, but stands on its own as a unique fantasy-adventure. Cook creates a magic system that is intricate and unique, which can be hard to do in a genre littered with magic. The story is very complex, and yet very easy to follow… layers upon layers of intertwined plots that all culminate to a fantastic ending. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age.”
– Excerpt of a review by Will Wortner at Zero2Fiction
Awards
Gift of the Phoenix has won several awards, including Semifinalist in the Kindle Book Review Book of the Year Awards, and Notable Read in the Shelf Unbound/Half Price Books Indie Book of the Year competition
About the Author
Donna Cook is an Arizona native transplanted to Boise, Idaho, where she is delighting in the change of scenery. When she’s not writing she spends her time chasing the kids, exploring delicious eateries downtown, and dancing with her talented husband. Her fantasy adventure, Gift of the Phoenix has won several awards, including Semifinalist in the Kindle Book Review Book of the Year Awards, and Notable Read in the Shelf Unbound/Half Price Books Indie Book of the Year competition. It was also nominated for the Whitney Award, which recognizes LDS writers. She’s currently working on the sequel to Gift of the Phoenix.
Author Links:
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash.
Ends 4/31/14
Author Spotlight - Amber K Bryant {Wattpad}
Unseen
Author: Amberkbryant
Genre: Teen Fiction / Paranormal
Wattpad Book Blurb:
Clara has been alone her entire existence. People pass through, but no one can see or touch her and she cannot leave the grounds of the nondescript hotel she calls home. She doesn’t know how she came to be there, nor does she understand exactly what she is or why she’s different, but Clara does know one thing—she wants to be seen.
After running away from his abusive father, Nolan lands a job at Clara's hotel. Trying his best to fly under the radar, Nolan hopes to attract as little attention as possible while he raises enough money to find his long-absent mother. Depressed and heartbroken, Nolan wants only to be invisible.
Despite opposing goals, the two share a palpable loneliness. But there is little hope that they’ll share anything beyond that, until the morning a barrier separating their planes of existence is breached, and for the first time, Clara’s unseen world is made visible. As Nolan is drawn into Clara’s reality, he must decide whether the love of one person is worth crossing into a world that may never let him back into his own.
Author Links:
Author Interview
1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.
Hello, my name is Amber and I’m a librarian. I’ve been a Wattpad addict for about a month and now have only have vague memories of what life was like before. My career brought me from the Midwest to the west coast of North America over ten years ago. When I’m not in librarian mode, I’m writing, and when I’m not writing, I’m growing flowers and food or hiking in one of the mountain ranges near my home.
2. What types of books do you write?
I write young/new adult speculative fiction, predominantly. Some of my work is science fiction, some of it veers more towards paranormal and fantasy. I can’t seem to get away from the topic of other planes of existence/parallel universes in my work. Each universe seems to manifest differently depending on the context of the story, but it’s always there.
3. How many books have you written?
I started writing almost two years ago. The first thing I wrote is a book called Adherence, which is the beginning of a sci-fi trilogy set on—you guessed it—a parallel world. Next, I took a break from that trilogy to write Unseen, so that work is essentially the second story I’ve written. I also wrote a novella, a short story, and several flash fiction pieces. And I’ve got several novels currently cooking, including the second book in the Adherence trilogy and another novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) last November.
4. What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?
I actually have the book in my possession now! It’s called The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton. This was the first book I discovered on Wattpad. Walton posted the first six chapters leading up to publication and I was immediately taken in and had to get the book. It’s wonderful! As for movies, I must admit that I used to go to them all the time but rarely do now. I have a young child, which means the last movie I saw in the theater was The LEGO Movie (not that I’m complaining because it was awesome). I’m tentatively excited for The Maze Runner, but as with all of the film adaptations of YA trilogies, I’m fearful that it won’t do the book justice.
5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?
Because of my job, I’m exposed to a lot of Young Adult fiction and therefore, I end up reading quite a bit of it. I think it’s important to read beyond the kind of work you write or are most comfortable with, though. While I might be a sucker for dystopian sci-fi, paranormal fiction, and magical realism, classic authors like Austen, Dickens, and Tolstoy have had a significant impact on me and I enjoy returning to their work now and then. I think it’s easier to find your own voice as a writer if you have eclectic tastes in what you read.
6. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?
I’ve thought about this one—or more correctly, I’ve over-thought it. I’m going to make some assumptions—the island has a fresh clean water source, it’s tropical so no need for heavy clothing or shelter, and it’s large enough to provide food. So here goes:
1. A really great knife.
2. A copy of Moby Dick. Because if it’s the only book I have with me, I’ll actually finish it.
3. A survival expert who will take care of that pesky day-to-day keeping-us-alive business. I will even let him use my knife and read Moby Dick aloud to him each night by the light of our campfire, if he asks me nicely.
I think there’s a chic-lit romance in there somewhere—something I’d want to read on a beach vacation on a not-so-deserted island (I’ll leave Moby Dick at home for that one).
7. Are you considering a sequel?
Yes! In fact, the second installment is already underway. My goal is eventually to have three interrelated stories, Unseen being the first. Once they are completed, the stories combined will create one novel-length book.
8. What inspired you to become a writer?
Reading! Being an avid reader for 30+ years made me want to write, as well as having a desire to see something through to its end. I’d thought about writing for a long time, but held off doing it. When I finally started and actually finished a 115,000 word novel, that was really huge for me. It gave me the confidence to keep going and write more.
Excerpt from Unseen
Clara hasn’t always been alone. She is almost certain of that. She can’t say that she remembers someone else exactly. Nothing is that concrete for Clara. But sometimes, when she lies on the edge of sleep, she unintentionally brushes her hand against her cheek, and the touch seems familiar in some inexplicable way. Someone touched her like that once. Gently, nonchalantly, as though to caress Clara was a routine and expected gesture repeated often throughout the course of a day.
Clara believes someone loved her once, a long time ago.
Besides, someone must have taken care of her as a baby. It just stands to reason.
Whoever they were, they left her before she was old enough to remember them properly and it has been Clara and only Clara ever since. She does not count the breathing people. They are different, set apart from her. They have always been oblivious to her, and her interest in them merely passes the time.
That was before the boy, Nolan, came along. Her fascination with Nolan is on a vastly different scale than anything she’s experienced for other breathing people. Nolan interests her, and that interest began before she became visible to him. Nolan avoids speaking to everyone, if he can help it. He keeps himself wrapped up in a dark hoody in order to hide himself from the world. Nolan doesn’t want anyone to notice him. He is a complete contrast from Clara.
And yet. Clara sees how sad the boy is. He goes to great lengths to keep his emotions secret from the other hotel employees. They might start asking questions that Nolan isn’t interested in answering.
He doesn’t want it to, but the lack of attention from other breathers seems to make Nolan lonely. This is exactly how Clara feels. She wishes for his sake that they didn’t share this in common. But as long as they do, she must admit that she is oddly comforted by it. She is lonely and he is lonely. Maybe their loneliness can somehow cancel each other’s out and become something else entirely.
Tuesday 15 April 2014
Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway - Girls Love Travis Walker by Anne Pfeffer
Welcome to my tour stop for Girls Love Travis Walker by Anne Pfeffer. This is a New Adult contemporary recommended for ages 16+. The tour will consist of reviews, with a few guest posts and interviews.
Girls Love Travis Walker
by Anne Pfeffer
Book Description:
To nineteen-year-old high school dropout Travis Walker, women are like snowflakes--each one different, but beautiful in her own way. He can charm any girl he meets, and yet down deep he fears he'll always be a loser like his jailbird father. As the landlady threatens to evict him and his sick mother, Travis takes a job he hates and spends his evenings picking up girls at a nearby night spot. When he enlists in a teen program at the local fire station, he finds out he’s amazing at it. Then he meets the smoking hot Kat Summers, enlists Kat’s friend Zoey to help him woo her, and falls in love for the first time ever. But he keeps the details of his life secret. His girl will never love him back if she knows the truth about him….
Book Links:
Amazon | Goodreads
Guest Post: The Grammar Grump Speaks
No one has perfect spelling, grammar, and punctuation all the time. I sure don’t. So let me say it up front. If you catch any mistakes in this post, call me on it.
I’ll deserve it, because now I’m going to talk about some of my language peeves. You know, those mistakes that appear over and over again in books, and let’s face it. A lot of times they’re in the self-published books. In fact, self-published books are notorious for having mistakes, which is too bad, because it brings down the reputation of indie books and authors overall.
So here are a few things I see all the time and that are, for the most part, easy to get right, if you just know the rules.
1. “Loose” versus “lose.” A lot of people insert a second “o” when they shouldn’t.
If she failed, she would lose everything. CORRECT
If she failed, she would loose everything. INCORRECT
MEMORY AID: When you lose weight, your skirt gets loose.
2. “Myself.” “Myself” should always be the object of a sentence, not the subject (except in this sentence). Most people get this right in the singular, but in the plural they get it wrong.
EXAMPLE:
Because it sounds funny, no one would never say: Myself went to the store. INCORRECT
Instead we say: I went to the store. CORRECT
But people do say: Veronica and myself went to the store. INCORRECT
It’s the same rule for singular and plural: Veronica and I went to the store. CORRECT
MEMORY AID: say it to yourself in the singular, then do the same thing for the plural
I played tennis. CORRECT
James and I played tennis. CORRECT
The misuse of “myself” has become so common that now people even sometimes misuse it in the singular! (I added an exclamation point to reflect the horror that we all feel upon hearing this news.)
EXAMPLE: He gave it to me yesterday. CORRECT
And yet, it’s not uncommon to see: He gave it to myself yesterday. INCORRECT
As for the plural:
He gave it to me and Harold yesterday. CORRECT
He gave it to myself and Harold yesterday. INCORRECT
3. “Lie” versus “lay” (and what about “laid” and “lain”?) Unlike the first two, this is genuinely complicated. So much so, that I confess I studied Grammar Girl before I wrote this section and discovered I didn’t know this as well as I thought I did. So I’ve learned something, too, from this post.
First of all, we’re not talking about “lie” in the sense of “telling an untruth.” We’re talking about “lie” as in “getting horizontal.” (That woke you up, if nothing else did.)
I’ll do the present tense, which is simple. “Lay” requires a direct object, while “lie” does not.
EXAMPLE: I lie down on my bed. CORRECT
I lay down on my bed. INCORRECT
I lay the book down on my bed. CORRECT
Again, these sentences are in the present tense. Those of us who write our books in present tense have to know this! Of course, all writers should know this, but especially us present-tensers.
For the past tense, I’m going to give you this link from Grammar Girl, because she explains it really well, and I would just end up copying all her charts and examples and probably violating copyright laws . So here goes:
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/lay-versus-lie.aspx
I’m going to bet that almost nobody reading this post understands this topic completely. I didn’t. So take the challenge!
Learn about the author at:
***Giveaway***
$25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
Book Blitz & Giveaway - Confessions of a City Girl - Los Angeles by Juliette Sobanet
by Juliette Sobanet
Book Description:
In their efforts to start a family, talented DC photographer Natasha Taylor and her professor husband have plunged headfirst into the stressful world of fertility treatments, scheduled sex, and IVF-induced debt. When an opportunity arises to sell a gallery left to Natasha by her late mother, Natasha hopes the sale could dig the couple out of financial ruin, give them one last shot at a baby, and save their crumbling marriage.
But when her husband walks out on her and doesn't show up to her most important exhibit, an intense encounter with the alluring Nicholas Reyes—a once-famous photographer turned investor—leaves Natasha questioning everything she believed she wanted for her life.
Nicholas offers to buy the gallery...on one condition: Natasha must join him for a decadent weekend in Los Angeles, where he will give her the career opportunity of a lifetime and one unforgettable Hollywood night.
How harmless could one night be?
As it turns out, one night with the disarming Nicholas Reyes has the power to unravel Natasha's tightly-wound world and awaken her in ways she never could have imagined.
Buy Links:
Amazon USExcerpt from Confessions of a City Girl - Los Angeles
Chapter 6
Our drinks arrive, and I take mine with haste, sucking down the minty fresh alcohol, hoping it will soothe the butterflies that are suddenly wreaking havoc in my stomach, making me feel all light-headed and dizzy—a thirty-two-year-old teenager in heat.
After Nicholas slides his empty glass down the bar, he takes my hand and nods toward the dance floor where couples are draped all over each other, laughing and grooving underneath the dim lights in this steamy club.
“Dance with me, Natasha.” The intensity in his voice means there is only one answer to that question.
I let Nicholas guide me out to the center of the floor, vaguely recalling all of the tiring arguments I’ve had with Ethan in recent years, begging him to put off his work for just one night so we could do something fun. All the times I suggested that we take a weekend off from our insanely busy lives, from infertility, from writing and researching and photo shoots, to go somewhere exciting together. To remember who we were as a couple, why we’d fallen for each other all those years ago.
But the nights out, the weekends away—they never did happen. Ethan just wouldn’t carve out the time, make the commitment. It was never important enough to him. Everything else came first.
And now, here I am in the middle of a booming Los Angeles dance floor, finding the excitement and romance I’ve been craving for so long with a man I’ve only met a handful of times, a man who cannot keep his eyes or his hands off me.
And I must admit—it feels incredible.
So incredible, in fact, that any hints of guilt I may have been harboring over my decision to say yes to Nicholas’ proposal have been abandoned at the door of this club.
A sultry piano and sax tune moves over the dance floor, prompting Nicholas to wrap his arms around my waist and pull me snugly into his chest. Our hips find each other instantly, a perfect fit as they sway in time to the music, grinding together in urgent, passionate waves. He presses his cheek to mine, the heat of his breath running down my neck and over my breasts, making my core throb with desire.
Song after song, we dance like this—our bodies intertwined, not able to get enough. And with each new song, I feel myself unraveling even further in his arms, marveling at the way his body moves so naturally with mine, at how comfortable I feel letting loose in front of him.
As the beat slows down, Nicholas threads his fingers through my long hair and dips me back, running his hungry lips down my neck. When we resurface, I am flushed, hot, and ready.
His mouth finds my ear. “I want nothing more than to ravage you right now.”
I don’t wait for him to say more. Instead, the inner seductress I didn’t know I had gives him a suggestive grin, takes his hand, and leads him out of the club.
About the Author
Juliette Sobanet earned a B.A. from Georgetown University and an M.A. from New York
University in France, living and studying in both Lyon and Paris. She worked as a French
professor before turning a new page in her career, penning romantic women’s fiction
with a French twist. Today she lives in San Diego, where she devotes her time to writing,
eating chocolate, and dreaming about her next trip to France. Visit Juliette's website at
www.juliettesobanet.com.
Author Links:
***Giveaway***
Enter to win a wine and spa gift basket as well as 3 ecopies of Confessions of a City Girl LA
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Tour Organized by Indie Sage, LLC
Book Blitz & Giveaway - The Accidental Socialite by Stephanie Wahlstrom
The Accidental Socialite
by Stephanie Wahlstrom
Release Date: 04/15/ 14
Swoon Romance
Summary from Goodreads:
Quirky and clumsy twenty-two-year-old Paige Crawford arrives in London on a cold Saturday in January. Just when Paige starts to think that moving thousands of miles away from home with no real plan was a bad idea, Jason Frost appears. Confident and classy, Jason is the complete opposite of Paige and just what she needs in her life, or so she thinks.
But before their romance has time to blossom, Paige trips and falls into the arms of a mysterious man on a drunken night out. She’s snapped by paparazzi, and newspaper headlines the next day suggest that she’s having an affair with a married footballer.
Paige finds herself instantly elevated to tabloid celebrity status which isn’t exactly a picnic, particularly when trying to juggle her new job at Fashionista magazine, a catalog of dating disasters and a nagging doubt that she maybe she can’t conquer London after all.
When a trip back to Canada for Christmas reminds Paige why she left her old life behind, she returns to London with renewed vigor realizing that while jobs, flats and men may come and go, friends in London are forever.
Buy Links:
Excerpt from The Accidental Socialite
I was practically down on my knees praying they would have a table for one when the Gap model/waiter from the other day spotted me and came over.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, eyes darting around behind me.
“Ummm, you serve food and I’m hungry, isn’t that normally how restaurants work?” I was clearly doing all I could to squash that ‘Canadians are super nice’ rumour.
“Come with me.” He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the back of the restaurant. “No, I mean what are you doing out after last night?”
I knew I looked like shit, but how did he know what kind of night I had? He grew impatient with my obvious hangover induced mental handicap and shoved today’s copy of The Sun in my face.
It took me a minute to register what I was seeing but once I did, I dropped onto the banquette in shock. There I was on the front cover of England’s best selling national newspaper in an apparent romantic embrace with a man I’d never seen before. The paper named him as Stuart Smith, superstar Chelsea footballer, notorious ladies man, and apparently married to some pop star named Kerry. Poop.
Gap model/waiter sat down next to me. “What happened? Are you dating him?”
“Uh –Uh-, No! No I’m not! I was at The Box and there were all these flashes and I tripped and I don’t know. Oh my god! Seriously, I got here YESTERDAY!” Why was I on the front cover of this paper?
The article insinuated that I was some home wrecker that this Stuart guy had been fooling around with behind the back of his beautiful wife. Easy, I was just going to have to call up the paper and get this whole thing fixed. No big deal. And it was a pretty good picture of me, so that was an upside to the whole debacle.
The waiter was freaking out. “Listen honey my name is Duncan and this is my number. I know someone at The Sun and I’m sure he’ll sort this out for you. Are you hungry? Eggs Benedict again?” This guy seemed to think this was a bigger deal than I did. My brain knew I should be slightly more alarmed, but my head was still clouded and would be until I had food.
“Yes please.” I gave him my biggest smile. Nobody actually cared about this, right?
I picked at my meal and pretended not to notice everyone staring at me. My appetite was gone, which was not only strange, but also tragic because the hollandaise was shouting ‘eat me now!’ Why on earth did this paper jump to a conclusion that was so clearly false? And why did everyone believe what they read?
About the Author
Growing up in
Edmonton, Canada, a significant amount of Stephanie’s time was spent making up and acting
out stories. She was studying to be an actress when she realized there weren’t any parts for
women being written. So, Stephanie wrote herself a short screenplay just to be in it and quickly
realized that writing was her true passion. She graduated from the University of Alberta with
an English and Sociology degree and she also has a Bachelor of Motion Picture Arts from Red
Deer College. She moved to New York on a whim after University and has written a variety
of TV shows including an environmentally friendly lifestyle series and a tween magazine
style show about celebrities. Stephanie moved to London in 2008 and aside from being
obsessed with Eggs Benedict, shoes, Fruit Roll Ups and travelling, she also works in Children’s
Television.
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