Monthly Archives: May 2012

New Release: Meantime

Today’s new release is something a little different – a military memoir. While not my typical read, the ratings on this book are fantastic (34 out of 34 5* ratings on Goodreads!), so I have agreed to review it (will come later). Please check this one out if you like memoirs, and even if you don’t, you might still enjoy it.

Blurb:

An intense, artful, and heartfelt U.S. military memoir detailing accounts of war-fighting in Baghdad, Iraq, Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona, and Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Bio:

Stephen Paul Register moved around often as a child in the American South. He settled in Nashville before joining the Tennessee National Guard. He was deployed to to Baghdad, Iraq and Kuwait for over 16 months from 2003 to 2004. He served in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and also had the duty of supporting Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona. Stephen attended Belmont University in Nashville from 2005 to 2008 where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and the Arts. He then went on to Yale University to earn his Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, where he graduated in 2011. He now lives with his wife Anna in Nashville.

Stephen Paul Register has a philosophers mind, an artists heart, and a writing style that beautifully reflects a lifetime of profound experiences. From his upbringing in the American South to his ivy league graduate education at Yale University, Register has travelled the world over as a student, a nomad and a soldier. Register’s voice is often Hemingwayesque in its control and simplicity, and yet, on occasion, it blossoms beautifully into an overflow of nearly Proustian extravagance. Continue reading New Release: Meantime

New Release: The Taint: Sorrow’s Child

I’m pleased to announce the release of my latest project, The Taint: Sorrow’s Child by Georgina Anne Taylor! I’m really proud of this one – I think Georgina has done a great job creating her world and a character you (the reader) can really feel for and watch grow. I can’t wait for the next one!

Blurb:

‘Sorrow’s Child’, the first novel in ‘The Taint’ series, is a dark fairytale steeped in myth and magic. In a richly gothic setting, ‘Sorrow’s Child’ is a coming of age story and a tale of betrayal and bloody revenge.

On the Isle of Muin, one of the thirteen scattered Meda Isles, Lilith, a young orphan and an indentured servant, is found guilty of witchcraft and is condemned to hang…

Bio:

I’m an Australian writer of Gothic Fantasy and Fairy Tales and a visual artist, exhibiting under my maiden name Georgina Smith. I live on an organic farm in southern Tasmania, with my husband, two children, and a hoard of unruly dogs, ducks, chickens and goats.

I’m currently working on my four part Gothic Fantasy series ‘The Taint’. The first novel ‘Sorrow’s Child’, will be released in May 2012. Continue reading New Release: The Taint: Sorrow’s Child

Excerpt: Blind Veil

Today I have Michael Lorde, author of Blind Veil, here with me to share some excerpts as part of his blog tour. This book has been getting great reviews, so read all the excerpts (they are long but worth it) and follow his links at the end of the post. First, a little about Micheal!

About Michael Lorde

Michael  was raised in a rural town in upstate New York and has two sons and two daughters.  After living in a warmer climate for nearly thirty years,  Michael has since moved back north with the youngest daughter of the four.  They are dog lovers and have two.  Blind Veil is Michaels debut novel.

 

Blurb:

How can an unreported crime that occurred forty years in the past,and across the country, affect a New York City Cop today?

Can a seemingly innocent boat ride forever change the life of a former Marine?

Find out when a Police Officer meets an eccentric scientist who claims to hold secret knowledge that has been hidden from the rest of society.

Is this all truly happening, or is he slowly losing his grip on reality? Unfortunately, neither conclusion between the two worlds is better than the other as the clarifying line between reality and impossibility slowly disintegrates, turning his world upside down.

He must dig thirty years into his past; deep beneath the veil and the mesh of murder, lies and deceit to find answers.

Follow the trail of events that will forever shape his future… and maybe yours.

Continue reading Excerpt: Blind Veil

Guest Post: Lisa Orchard

Today I’d like you to welcome Lisa Orchard to my little corner of the universe! Lisa is the author of The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer and is here as part of her blog tour! This looks like a great book reminisced of Nancy Drew (only with  more girls!) and has been getting great reviews so far. If you enjoy YA mystery/thriller writing, don’t forget to check out the buy links!

Hello Everyone! I’m here today as a guest of Tricia’s. This is the fourth day of my blog tour and I’m having fun! I want to thank Tricia for hosting today!

When I first started writing my book, there was no question that I was going to write a Young Adult novel. I love this age group! Everything is new and exciting! It’s that time in life when the world is your oyster and anything is possible.

I also feel that this is the time in your life when you develop your strongest bonds. I still keep in touch with my friends from my teen years and it’s so much fun to get together and discuss our escapades during these times. When I look back on my life I realize that these years were some of my happiest and I wouldn’t trade these friendships for anything in the world.  Continue reading Guest Post: Lisa Orchard

New Release: Pimp ur Blog Episode Two

I’m pleased to announce the release of Pimp ur Blog Episode Two: Increase Search Results with Articles and Feeds by Paul Rice and Messie Jessie!

Paul had recently asked me to review Episode One, but then emailed me to be his editor! While maintaining the overall “voice” of the piece, we worked together to make both Episode One and Two a little more concise for readers, and I think it’s turned out well.

If you’re looking for ways to get better search results or just need an intro into SEO for bloggers, check out this series. Paul and Messie Jessie do a good job of showing (with pictures!) what they are doing with the programs they use to increase exposure.

You can get Episode One and Episode Two on Amazon.

Here’s the press release: Continue reading New Release: Pimp ur Blog Episode Two

Review: Charade

Charade
Charade by Cambria Hebert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you cannot breathe, I will breathe for you. If your heart will not beat, mine will beat harder. If you do not live, neither will I.

Heven and Sam have been through so much in their struggles against evil, but they aren’t done yet. Being tasked to return a treasure to its rightful spot in Italy, Heven and Sam struggle with family, friends, secrets, and deceptions on top of everything else. Change is coming everywhere they look and everyone’s mask is cracking. Can Heven and Sam hold it together – themselves as well as their family and friends – and save the world in the process?

Charade continues to follow Heven and Sam, yet expands the cast of characters a bit and reworks a few of the old ones. While Heven grows into her powers, she also learns that she is stronger than she thinks – something she shows Sam time and again, as she is willing to literally go to hell to protect him. The characters continue to grow before the reader’s eyes, sometimes with shining moments and sometimes with bitter ones, making them very believable. Cole plays a bigger part in this book, as does Kimber, and the new additions fall into place logically as well.

While some points slow and predictable, Charades is full of twists and turns that keep Heven’s (and the reader’s) head spinning. Fast-paced and engaging, Charade picks up right where Masquerade left off and runs full-tilt until the end, leaving Heven, Sam, and the reader asking – “What will happen next?”

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Happy Mother’s Day

To all you mother’s out there, have a very special day. Becoming a mother has changed my life so much, and I can’t even imagine what it would be without my beautiful daughter.

So thank you for all your kindness,

Thank you for all your care,

Thanks for all the love you’ve shown,

And thanks for always being there.

Guest Post: Anne Tibbets

Today I have with me Anne Tibbets talking about an issue close to her heart. You see, Anne just published a new book, Shut Up, about childhood abuse, bullying, and depression. If you haven’t checked out her book yet, there will be more details after her post. Even if contemporary fiction isn’t your “thing,” this is a great, quick read about a topic that doesn’t see enough of the light of day, especially lately. But more of that to follow.

Now, here’s Anne!

If She Were Here

By Anne Tibbets

A few years back, after I had just started shopping Shut Up to publishers and literary agencies, I attended an SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) conference, and listened to a bunch of speeches, took a few seminars, and even took one writing class. It was a great conference, and I highly recommend it, if you’re a children’s author or illustrator – but that’s not the point I’m trying to make.

Continue reading Guest Post: Anne Tibbets

Review: Shut Up

Shut Up
Shut Up by Anne Tibbets
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This isn’t about her! It’s about me! I’m doing this because I want to! I’m doing this. Me!

Twelve year old Mary can’t do anything right, even when she’s not doing anything at all. Mary’s sister, Gwen, finds any excuse at all to yell at Mary, belittling her and making her feel worthless. What’s worse, Gwen’s gotten pregnant and decided to marry The Creep, causing her family a massive amount of stress – which leads to more yelling at Mary. After enduring for as long as she could, Mary finally plans to escape – which may be the true undoing of the entire family.

Written in mostly Mary’s perspective, Shut Up gives its readers a first-hand look at bullying and abuse. Mary gets teased at school, picked on at home by her sister, practically felt up by The Creep, screamed at and beat by her mother, and yet endures all of these things while her father and brother seemingly sit by and watch. The true strength of Mary’s character is remarkable.

A captivating page-turner, Shut Up brings to light all those little family intricacies that can plague even the most well-intentioned or perfect-seeming households. Readers ride the waves of emotions along with Mary – cheering for her when she does stand up for herself, saddened by her failed attempts to fit in or be nice to Gwen, angry with her at her entire family for the abuse she takes for unknown reasons, enjoying those quiet moments without Gwen – empathizing with Mary’s choice of escape, even if it’s not the best course of action. But Mary endures and overcomes, showing that even in the darkest storms, there is light ahead.

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