Wednesday 28 December 2011

Q&A with Emlyn Chand, Author of Farsighted

Announcing the Farsighted Social Media Whirlwind Tour!



As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Farsighted eBook edition is just 99 cents this week.

What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including lots of Amazon gift cards (up to $100 in amount) and 5 autographed copies of the book. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 30th, so you don’t miss out.



To Win the Prizes

  1. Purchase your copy of Farsighted for just 99 cents on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
  2. Fill-out the form on Novel Publicity to enter for the prizes
  3. Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book or a $50 gift card!
  4. BONUS: If you leave a comment on this blog post, you have another chance at $100!
  5. DOUBLE BONUS: If I receive more comments than any other blogger, *I* win $100.
 ...And I can win too!
Over 100 bloggers are participating in this gigantic event, and there are plenty of prizes for us too. The blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card as well. So when you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry form, don’t forget to say that I referred you, so I can get a point in the poll.

The Featured Events include:
Monday, a guest blog on Novel Publicity! Emlyn kicks off the tour on the Novel Publicity Free Advice blog by discussing her brightly burning passion for books in a guest post entitled “My journey through the pages and toward a life-long love of reading.” One commenter will win an autographed copy of Farsighted. Don’t forget to enter for the other contest prizes while you’re over there!

Tuesday, Twitter sharing contest! A tweet is tiny, only 140 characters. But on Tuesday, it could win you $50. Send the following tweet across the twittersphere, and you just may win a $50 Amazon gift card. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs. The winners will be announced Wednesday morning. Here’s the tweet: Looking for a fun read to round out your holiday break? The paranormal YA hit Farsighted is just 99 cents! http://ow.ly/81Dt1 #whirlwind

Wednesday, Google+ sharing contest! Yup, there’s yet another awesome opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card, and this time it just takes a single click! Visit Google+ and share Emlyn Chand’s most recent post (you’ll see the Stay Farsighted book cover included with it). On Thursday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs. Two chances to win with just one click! How about that?

Thursday, Facebook sharing contest! Stop by Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share their latest post (you’ll see the Farsighted book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs.

Friday, special contest on the author’s site! Are you ready for some more fun? Take a picture of yourself with your copy of Farsighted either in paperback or on an eReading device, then post it to Emlyn Chand’s Facebook page or email a copy to author@emlynchand.com. You just way win one of three Amazon gift cards! A $100 prize will go to the photo with the most interesting setting (so put your holiday travel time to work for you). Another $50 will go the funniest photo, and one more prize of $50 will go the scariest photo—this is a paranormal YA book after all. An autographed copy of Farsighted will go to one randomly selected entrant. For more details about this contest, please visit www.emlynchand.com.

Remember, it’s all about the books!


About Farsighted: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Farsighted is the winner of the 2011 Dragonfly eBook Awards. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the Author: Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.


Let's get to know the author a little better through this rousing Q&A...


Q: What was it like writing from the viewpoint of a blind, teenage boy? Were there any parts of Alex's personality/life you found hard to come up with?

A: You know, it wasn’t as hard to write blind as I initially thought it would be. It didn’t take long to begin “seeing” Alex’s world the way he does. I wrote the entire story without knowing what anyone or anything looked like (except for Alex himself). When it came time to shoot the book trailer, the directors were asking me questions about the scenes and which props they should bring, and I really, really didn’t know what to tell them!

As I got to know Alex better and better, it became easier to tune into his way of seeing things. I read books about coping with blindness in a school setting and spent a great deal of time pondering how I might behave if I couldn’t see. In the story, Alex has always been blind; he’s always known the world to be a certain way. Not everyone understands that, and they have trouble talking about it with him. I gave Alex a tendency to overcompensate. He knows who he is and what he’s capable of, and he wants the world to know it too, so sometimes he overdoes things a bit.


Q: Your cast of characters has international flavor? What's behind that choice?

A: I don’t see why my characters all need to belong to the same culture or ethnicity. What fun is that? Culture shapes our characters in a big way, so by diversifying my cast, I was able to hit on more types of personalities and situations. Grandon is based on my hometown; it’s small and kind of boring. I couldn’t wait to escape and move on to bigger and better things. My home town was mostly Caucasian, but somehow I ended up with a very diverse set of friends even though they made up less than 1% of the student body. Fast forward a few years, and I end up marrying a man from India. He’s from New Delhi, like Simmi. I’ve always been fascinated by other cultures; I even decided to pursue my Master’s in Sociology for this very reason. I credit two early life influences for this attraction: 1) My adoration of A.C. Slater in Saved by the Bell, 2) Disney’s Aladdin being the best movie ever.

Q: What was the inspiration for Farsighted?

A: Everything started with a single image—my face in these tacky oversized sunglasses reflecting out at me from the car’s side mirror. I was daydreaming while my husband drove us across Michigan for my sister’s wedding. Something about my image really struck me in an almost horrific way. I felt the glasses made me look blind but found it so weird that there was still a clear image within them; it seemed so contradictory. At the time, my book club was reading The Odyssey, which features the blind Theban prophet, Tieresias. I started thinking about what it would be like to have non-visual visions of the future and began forming a modern Tieresias in my mind. Lo and behold, Alex Kosmitoras was born. I didn’t want him to be alone in his psychic subculture, so I found other characters with other powers to keep him company. Thank God for my poor fashion sense. :-)

Q: What would you like readers to take away from Farsighted? Is there a different message for adults than for teens?

A: First and foremost, I hope that readers will enjoy themselves. My primary goal is to tell an interesting story that people will find entertaining and be glad they read. Secondly, I’d like to infuse contemporary Young Adult fiction with a bit more diversity and teach readers about the beauty of other cultures and other ways of life. I also hope that Farsighted is a book that leads to introspection—what would I do if put in Alex’s place? Did Alex ever have a choice or was this path his destiny? What would it be like to see the world the way he sees the world?

I like to think of anything I write as being kind of like a Disney movie, in that the primary audience will be children, but there are extra tidbits for the adults too. Farsighted has been infused with a great deal of research about runes, classic mythology, and Eastern spirituality, but you don’t need to understand any of that to be entertained by the story.

Q. There have been articles written this year about YA being too dark for teens. What are your thoughts on this?

A: I definitely agree. I want to get back to the core of the YA genre, and I attempted to do that with Farsighted. I also think that paranormal has gotten a bit too out there. One thing I hear from readers quite a bit is that the paranormal seems normal in Farsighted. They don’t question the existence of the powers, and it doesn’t seem out there like some other books of the genre do. That was important to me. I wanted my story to be run by the characters, not the fantastic elements. This is a story about Alex, not about a blind psychic.

Q: What motivated you to structure the book around the runes?

A: Remember how I said my Master’s degree is in Sociology? It’s actually Quantitative Sociology. I’m a numbers person as well as a word person. I love things to be organized just so. If you set a stack of papers in front of me; I’m going to fuss with them until they are lined up in a perfect stack. It’s just the way I am. Shaping each chapter around a rune gave the story order, which made me feel happy and comfortable. Whenever I got stuck and didn’t know what should happen next, I was able to learn more about that chapter’s rune and get the inspiration I needed to continue. The runes themselves tell a story, one that is successfully completed. I felt that boded well for Farsighted.


Q: What do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

A: I LOVE YA—I read it, write it, love it! My favorite author is JK Rowling. The more I read, the more I realize how brilliant she is as an author. If you remove the dialogue tags from Harry Potter, you still know which character is speaking, and Rowling managed to create an intricate beautiful world without allowing her character development to suffer, which is tremendously rare. I consider her literary God. Suzanne Collins, and JD Salinger are classic faves.

My all-time favorite book is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, definitely. The novel has so many layers and entertains on so many levels. Also the characters in that novel seem more real than those from any other I’ve ever read. It’s just beautiful—that’s the only word for it.

Q: If you had to be stuck on an island for a year with three literary characters, who would they be?

A: First up, we’d obviously take Robinson Crusoe. He knows what he’s doing, and he can be the provider. I’ll also take Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games—if we get in any kind of danger, she’d be a great protector. Lastly, I’d take Ron Weasley. Ron and I can live the good life, while the other two make sure we all stay safe and well-fed. I know I would never get bored with Ron around—he’s just 24/7 entertainment.

Q: You’ve taken a risk by going with an unconventional ending. Without spoiling the story for your readers, can you tell us why you made this choice? Are you glad you did this? Do you feel it’s been successful? Why or why not?

A: Yeah, I ended with a cliffhanger, which goes against traditional publishing wisdom. But you know what? I. AM. INDIE! Being indie means taking risks and breaking the mold and, boy, am I excited to do it. The ending is kind of polarizing, people either love it or wish there was more there. The joining thread is almost everyone mentions looking forward to the next book in the series. Farsighted demands a companion, and people see that. I think it was a good decision since this is the first in the series and since I enjoy toeing the line of convention. It’s fun to shake things up.

Monday 26 December 2011

Tuesday Tales 27th Dec 2011





Wish


Ela drew her legs up, wrapped her arms around them, and rested her chin on her knees. She watched the snowflakes as they swirled, performing a tuneless ballet of sorts. Finally, they settled on the white ground outside of the window, merging and becoming one with the lump of snow. Unidentifiable. 


She closed her eyes and exhaled.  It was no use wishing that things were different. She had fallen in love, and fallen hard for the wrong man. And the right reasons. Their hearts were intertwined. 



How she wished she would have been born in another time. A time when being who she was, did not stand in the way, or that she had been born to a more kinder, accepting parent. Oh, how she wished this wasn’t an assignment. But these were the warring times. Love was easily squashed by the heavy fist of a raging war. A stupid war, if anyone was to ask her. But no one did.


She had pledged allegiance to her father, and promised to do everything in her power to ensure victory. She would complete the task, no matter how unpalatable it was, and return home. Given her father's impatience, and the lack of trust he had bestowed on her, he was probably gathering an army to invade Tolidian.


She opened her eyes, brushing them with the back of her sleeve, hardening her resolve. It would be much better to see the light fade from Sildian's eyes while he was in her arms, than wait until her father's soldiers stormed in and took his life in the most cruel and inhuman way possible. And if this is what it took for her father to love her as his daughter, and not compare her with a son he never had, or ever would,  maybe, just maybe this would be  the beginning of a relationship she so craved.

She straightened as muted footfalls on the thick carpet reached her ears. Quickly, she brushed her eyes repeatedly, hoping she had time to compose herself before whoever who was approaching her took note of her state. 


She took another deep, shuddering breath, exhaled, and waited as the footfalls drew closer. 

Moments later,  the cushion she sat on dipped, capturing his weight as he settled himself behind her, his strong well-toned arms wrapping around her. Spring sunshine, mint and earth tickled her senses, a scent she had come to associate with him. His warmth seeped into her back as he pulled her to him. She shivered unable to control her body as she felt his fingers gently push her hair to the side, the tips of those fingers she so adored sending sensations from her neck, and spreading to the toes of her feet.  She bit back a groan as his lips brushed softly on the nape of her neck, and inhaled sharply as he traced his lips along her jawline. 


She closed her eyes, as heaven descended on earth, savouring the feel she knew she won't be experiencing again.


His fingers traced the lines of her face as if memorizing it, then settled on her chin, cupped it with one hand and urged her to turn around, all the while murmuring so softly, as his lips inched closer to hers. 

Her eyes flew open as the power within her leaped to life, warming it's way up throat, urging her on.   Slowly, she turned around, avoiding his lips as they sought hers. 


She reigned the power as she brushed her lips on his, then quickly moved and began tracing his jawline, the stumble tickling her lips. She turned and faced him, pushing him on his back, following him as he lay down, his brown eyes never leaving hers.

“Very pushy today, are we?” Sildian said, a lazy smile playing on his lips as he adjusted his body so that she lay on top of him.

She didn’t answer. Instead she maneuvered herself lest he became suspicious of her intentions. and continued to brush kisses along his arms, leashing  in the lethal  power. Finally, she sighed in relief as the power settled within her.


 She inched her way up toward his face,  and lifted her gaze to his. Gold flecks flickered  in his, as flames filmed along his arms, his face. She watched in fascination as it spread covering every inch of his body.  He leaned forward slightly and snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her up close down, embracing her until she didn't know where she ended and where he began. LIfting one had to her face, he stroked her chin with his thumb, leaning forward, love, lust, trust bright in his eyes.

She stiffened.  This was her chance. 


As if called forth, the power emerged again, soaring within her, dancing on her tongue begging to be released.


 Forgive me, my love, my Sildian. “I wish…” she whispered as he brought his lips to hers, capturing hers hardly giving her time to finish the sentence.

After a moment, he pulled away his breathing heavy, a frown on his face. “What do you wish for, my Ela? Anything for you. I will lay my life for you, if that is what you wish of me.”  

Tears sprang in her eyes, and flowed down her face. She began stroking his face, smoothening the frown lines that marred his rugged beauty.  “I wish I was someone else, someone you deserve."


She was just in time to see the frown deepen as she quickly lowered her lips to his. The gold flecks in his eyes faded, turning the brown to black. Souless. Lifeless.

This one is for you Father. 


Her eyes, burned as tears threatened to blind her, her throat warmed up as the life and love she was taking created a pleasant burning sensation as it always did, right before bitterness as sour as lemons wiped the pleasantness, replacing it with heartache born of lost love.

Please click http://tuesdaytales1.blogspot.com/ to read other wonderful stories from other authors on Tuesday Tales. 
The Day The Sun Stopped Shining Blog Tour 


Today marks the beginning of the Blog Tour. Below are some of the the authors participating in this  blog tour, book blurbs, and links to their blogs and websites. For a chance to win a 10$ Amazon Gift Card, scroll down to the bottom of this post. 


Be sure to check other authors taking part in this blog tour as well. The link can be found below this post as well.






Ju Ephraime


A short description of Ju's The Man In The Black Top Hat  


Inspired by a true story. Is there life after death? 


It's a question Syria Warrington is desperately trying to answer since she came home one afternoon to find an old black top hat on her front step, being a lover of all things old, she did not hesitate to take it in to her home. But bringing this top hat into her home unknowingly exposed her to the spirit that called this hat home. The strange happenings that began to take place in her home, from that day on, had Syria questioning her sanity, as night after night she found herself caught up in sexual escapades, the like of which she had never experienced before ... Syria's relationship with her family begins to unravel, as she struggled to keep her secret, while she tried determine whether her experiences were real or imagined? Was she slowly losing her mind? What was happening to her? 
Be sure to check out her blog http://juephraime1.blogspot.com/ and get to know her, as well as a chance to win some fantastic prizes.






Dicey Grenor




Short description of Dicey's Sleepy Willow's Bonded Soul: The Narcoleptic Vampire Series #1

Ever since vampirism became illegal, the undead have been hunted to near-extinction. So Willow has to watch her back to make sure no one finds out what she is. And that’s not easy considering she’s a vampire with narcolepsy.

More about Dicey, click on http://diceyblog.wordpress.com/ .





 James Hatch

Short description of  James' The Substitute

Miss Havana’s public persona was far from the truth because, in her capacity as substitute teacher, the small community where she lived knew her as the breathtakingly beautiful young woman who demanded every student learn, but in her private life, ostensibly caring for aging parents in Chicago, she raced through the lives of powerful men, leaving a wake of destruction…and a deep desire for revenge. Little did she realize her conflicted life would end in a chaotic death at an early age, and to eternal conflict with the devil. The surprise ending will leave the reader stunned and gasping for more.




Alesha Escobar



In an alternate WWII era where the Nazis unleash occult powers, the Allies must employ wizards to stand in their way. One wizard who joins the fight is Isabella George, an SOE agent who’s torn between her sense of duty and her desire to retire to a normal life where she can find love and raise a family. As friends and colleagues disappear, she knows that if she continues, she’ll meet the same fate.
The stakes are raised even higher when she discovers a warlock is stalking her in order to steal her powers, and that the very people who trained her as a wizard may be her greatest enemy.


More about Alesha's, click http://www.aleshaescobar.com, and a chance to win an Amazon Gift Card. Check out her Amargeddon pudding recipe that I am dying to try out. 




Georgina Kamsika

Short description of  Georgina's The Sulphur Diaries

Alice is in deep trouble.

The police have found her covered in blood and surrounded by corpses. The dazed teenager explains that she had befriended an angel to help her escape her tiny Yorkshire village that is situated over a gate to hell.

Why? Because the Harvest was coming and the love of her life was up for selection.

To link up with Georgina @http://www.kamsika.com/2011/10/25/the-sulphur-diaries/







Michael Rivers

Short description of Michael's The Black Witch (Curse Of The Black Witch)
It was the adventure of a life time. In an obscure marina off the shores of Maryland a schooner unlike any other ever built was discovered. Dorian and Diana Coe purchased the schooner and sailed from the shores of tranquility into the bowels of hell itself.

Prurient tales of suicide, murder, and the disappearance of an entire crew were hand written within the ship's logs.

On her decks sailed a well seasoned Captain and crew that never knew the schooner's shadowed past. The new owners ignored the words of men with integrity and sailed the Black Witch in the Spring of 1935.

Into the realms of illusion and pure evil the ship and its compliment sailed never knowing the fate awaiting them! 

To link up with Michael Rivers, as well as a chance to win Fantastic prizes,  http://www.michealrivers.com/



Shelley Workinger

Short description of Shelley's Solid

Clio Kaid may be 17 and just beginning the last summer before her senior year, but her life is anything but typical.

She's just discovered she was genetically altered before birth and is now headed to a top-secret Army campus to explore the surprising results of the experiment.
Follow Clio and the other teens as they develop fantastic super-abilities, forge new friendships, find love, and uncover a conspiracy along the way.

Be sure to check Shelley Workinger's blog http://bookfare.blogspot.com/ and website http://shelleyworkinger.com/









Charles W. Jones


Short description of CharlesDreamwalker: The Second Plain 

Saul can control dreams, not just his dreams but dreams of people he comes in contact. At first, he is not aware of what he can do and does not understand why people act strangely when he gets angry. When he goes away to boarding school he inadvertently calls for help from his Spirit Guide, Gappé.
Gappé teaches Saul about his gift and alerts him about danger from the Man who wants the gift. His paranoid warnings turn out to be true when the Man finds Saul after he is finished with school. Had Saul listened to Gappé then the nightmares that the Man creates for his own pleasure and gain would not have happened. To end the nightmares, Saul must solve a poorly written “riddle” from Gappé. But will he find the answer before it is too late?
Saul enlists Marcie, a newly divorced nurse who works at the Lakeside Sanitarium, to help him stop the Man. He tells her the story of how he came to be at the Lakeside Sanitarium and the nightmares the Man created using Saul’s power to his advantage. When she awakes, she thinks it was all just a dream. 
More about Charles on http://bizzarofiction.blogspot.com/





One Amazon $10 Amazon Gift Card is up for grabs to a lucky winner. 


It's the 31st Dec, you wake up and find everything is darker than ten nights combined, the night as still as death itself. You flip the bedside lamp switch on.
 Nothing happens.


 What could be the problem? There were no thunderstorms last night, and the last snow storm was like 2 weeks ago. You extend your hand, your fingers search for your mobile, feel around for a button and press it. Time: 8.30 am.


An earpiercing scream cuts through the air, followed by a hungry howl so foreign it can only be classified as Otherworldy. Then it dawns on you. It is the 31st of December 2011. Your mind goes back to the predictions everyone thought were silly about the world ending. Your heart starts racing, and sweat pools under your armpits. 


What would be your next step?


The best and most creative/interesting answer wins the Gift Card. Please leave a comment/answer, along with your email address.




To check out other authors taking part in this blog tour,  go to http://sunstoppedshining.blogspot.com/




Good Luck and Happy Holidays!









Introducing Ju Ephraime, The Author of The Man In The Black Top Hat

Another day, another brilliantly talented Author. In the spotlight today is Ju Epharaime, introducing her book 'The Man In The Black Top Hat, taking part in the The Day The Sun Stopped Shining blog tour.

Author Bio:

Ju Ephraime has been reading and writing from her teenage years. However, over the years, the heavy load of academic reading and writing, in pursuit of her educational goals, forced her to step away from reading and writing, just for the fun of it. A year ago she revisited her first love, writing for fun and enjoyment, and has not stopped since. She has written several children's books, including four romance novels, and her first paranormal. Professionally, she is the administrator of a career school in Connecticut and the President of a non-profit organization, Professional Wardrobe, Inc., which dresses individuals for job interviews. Ms. Antoine is very active in her community and is always willing to assist and help someone in need.






Brief Synopsis: 
In this her first paranormal romance novel, Ju Ephraime has given us a book filled with suspense, mystery, ghostly happenings, and sex. For most authors of paranormal romance, this would have been an ambitious undertaking, but Ephraime delivers this story in her usual quick pace and attention to detail. The Man In The Black Top Hat, is not your ordinary paranormal romance novel. Set in Connecticut, The Man In The Black Top Hat will have you on the edge of your seat, as you try to follow the interactions between Syria Warrington and the Ghost that invaded her home. Told in the voice of the heroine, Syria Warrington, the story takes you from Syria's first meeting with the Ghost on her front step, to her bringing it into her home, and the nightly going ons between them, as, night after night she found herself caught up in sexual escapades, the like of which she had never experienced before. The story has the reader wondering, was Syria's meeting with the Ghost an accident or had she been targeted by the Ghost in a former life? Get a copy here at: The Man In The Black Top Hat


Excerpt

PROLOGUE

There was no denying the immediate and powerful physical attraction I felt for this man; it was palpable. I was surprised to find Jeff O’Mallery behind the counter at O’Mallery’s antique shop, and not his seventy-year-old father.
This was the first time I had come face to face with Jeff. He would disappear into one room or another any time I had gone to the storage area in the back of the shop. Standing this close to him was quite disconcerting. He was strangely compelling. My face flushed as though with a fever, heat flooded my body as I reacted to this man. My nipples had ruched up something terrible. They had gotten so stiff that they were almost painful against my bra. I was a bit embarrassed by the way my body reacted to this man, so I just stood there, praying he didn’t notice the effect he had on me.
Just when I thought I would get away with it, he looked pointedly at my breasts, and then allowed his eyes to travel slowly from my breasts to my face, with an expression on his face which was almost a leer. Embarrassment had rendered me speechless for a moment; to cover my shame I became all business-like.
“Where is your father,” I asked him.
“He had to step out for a bit,” he responded.
“When will he be returning?”
“What’s the matter? You are Syria Warrington, aren’t you? Are you not comfortable with me waiting on you?” he asked.
“That’s not it. I’m used to working with your father, so I’ll come back another day when he’s available.”
I made a determined effort to downplay my reaction to this man. A happily married woman, I had no business lusting after another man. That afternoon, I discovered something new about myself. I could repeat this mantra until the cows came home, my body wasn’t buying it. I had to make a super-human effort to drag my mind out of the gutters, where it insisted on going, to concentrate on the matter at hand.
I made a promise then and there never to allow myself to be close to that man again. I tried to school my thoughts as I completed my purchase. He assisted me in loading the item into my car, which I had to drive with my trunk tied down. The whole time, I was very aware of his every move – he made that much of an impression.
When I’d finally completed my purchase and was leaving, my entire being wanted to walk back into the shop, and ask, no, beg him to have his way with me. But somehow I kept walking away, putting one foot in front of the other, until I had gotten into my vehicle. As I drove away, I couldn’t help turning back to look. Somehow I knew he’d be standing there watching me.
Three weeks later, the newspaper reported that Jeff O’Mallery was missing at sea and presumed dead. His body was never found. 



To see what Ju Ephraime upto, as well as get to know here and her work please go to http://juephraime1.blogspot.com/

Sunday 25 December 2011

The Bastard by Brenda Novak Book Review



Title:           THE BASTARD
Publisher: Brenda Novak
Pub Date:   November 01, 2011
Source:       Netgalley
Genre:        Adult Historical Romance 
Ratings:      5/5





Blurb:


To some men honor is just a word....

Jeannette Boucher, a young French beauty from a family left penniless by the revolution, must marry against her will to save them all from ruin. But almost immediately after the vows are spoken, she learns that her old English husband is impotent-and in his desire for an heir, he plans to compromise her in the worst way.
Determined to escape such a fate, she stows away on one of His Majesty's frigates. But a woman alone is in constant danger.

To Lieutenant Treynor, honor means everything....
Born a bastard to a wayward marquise, Lieutenant Crawford Treynor was given to a poor farmer to raise and was maltreated until he ran away to join the Royal Navy. Treynor is determined to prove he's as good as any other man and rise to captain his own frigate. But once he finds Jeannette aboard The Tempest he must decide whether to return her to the man he knows would abuse her-or risk everything, even his life, to keep her safe.

Photo and blurb courtesy of Netgalley

My Review:

This book was a wonderful and delightful read, a true love story between a strong heroine, complimented by a strong Hero.

Lieutenant Trenor Crawford is an officer at the British Royal Navy and hadn’t had an easy time getting where he is. He mistrusts women as a result of his bitterness towards his mother who lead him to believe he is a bastard, never revealing who his real father was. He meets Jeanette dressed as a boy, who is running away from her baron husband after finding out on her wedding night that the baron (who is impotent) has other distasteful ways of getting her with child. She wants to go to London in the hope that her uncle will help in having the marriage annulled.

The two characters and the situation they find themselves in create a healthy conflict, eventually find they are truly in love. Oh, what can I say? I LOVED reading this book, and I enjoyed that everything was nicely tied at the end, giving the Trenor and Jeannette their Happy Ever After.







MERRY CHRISTMAS, FRIENDS!!!!!

Below, please find the 3 winners of the 12 days of Christmas Blog Hop. I couldn't post it earlier because of the time difference (six hours, I think) and had to work today.  
Alright-y, here we go.





Judy @ magnolias_1@msn.com

Brooke @ brookea_2006@yahoo.com

Linda @ seriousreader@live.com




Congratulations to the winners! Be on the lookout for an email from yours faithfully. (me..haha)


Once again,  I would like to thank you all for taking part in this Blog Hop. And a big virtual hug to the new followers. It's good to have you on board that motorcycle up there on the template. :)


Happy Holidays, hope Santa fulfils your heart's desires.



Saturday 24 December 2011

Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder Book Review


Title: Touch of Power (Healer #1)
Author: Maria V Snyder

Publisher: MiraBooks (Imprint of Harlequin)
Pub Date: December 27, 2011
Source: Netgalley

Genre:  Adult Fantasy (Folklore, Fairy Tales & Mythology)
Rating: 5/5






Description
Magician, heal thyself.

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....


From Netgalley

My Review:


Here be magic, betrayal, greed and love: Individuals possessing magic, each as lethal as the next.


Avry is a healer in hiding and one of her kind after other healers execution years back. She moves from one place to another to avoid being recognized. Unfortunately, she is unable to resist the urge to heal anyone who is sick. Her magic pulls her to them, to heal them, and when she heals, she has to leave the town in fear of being discovered what she is. One fateful day she heals a child, and come the next day she wakes up to find that she has been discovered. Unfortunately as she tries to escape, she is caught and thrown in jail.

Enter Kerrick, a man who has been searching for a healer for a long time. He rescues Avry from the jail in the hope that she will heal his friend who is infected with the Plague. Later when she realizes who she is to save, a Prince Ryne, a man she doesn’t care for following past events, she refuses completely.

On the other hand, Tohon, a powerful enemy of Prince Ryne and Kerrick, has put up a warrant and a reward for Avry for anyone who apprehends her. He knows she is the only one who can heal Prince Ryne. He sends out mercenaries and the ‘dead resurrected’ after her. Eventually when she meets Tohon for the first time, she realizes her weakness when it comes to his ability (magic); he awaken desires in her just by a mere touch of his hand and lips. He is in this to win, and to make her his.

Being a reader who inhales and exhales romance when reading a book, I’d say the romance in this story is minimal. That did not stop me from enjoying the story from the first word to the last when I finally took a deep breath, and exhaled. Avry’s adventures, interaction between characters and the intriguing plot in general made up for everything. And when the romance happened, it was worth the wait, as sad as the situation was for both Kerrick and Avry. Really sweet and passionate. It was good to see Kerrick’s demeanor soften after finally revealing his feelings.

There was not a moment I got bored while reading. That is how good the pacing and plot of this story was. I am looking forward to the sequel. Recommended to readers who appreciate a wonderful fantasy story, along with a strong MC.

Thursday 22 December 2011

Introducing Michael Rivers, Author of The Black Witch

Lights on! On spotlight today is yet another brilliant author taking part in the 'The Day The Sun Stopped Shining Blog Tour. Huddle closer and get to know a little more about Michael Rivers, his book The Black Witch



Author Bio:
Micheal, born in 1953, is an American author. His writing genres include Fiction, Horror, Thriller and Paranormal. Micheal has been writing for several years. In the past he concentrated on Romantic Poetry. In recent years he has focused on writing Fiction and Paranormal stories. His book titled "Ghosts of the North Carolina Shores" has been published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Micheal also published the eBook "The Black Witch" which is the first of a series on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Micheal has over thirty years of investigating and collecting stories of the paranormal. He is the lead investigator for the Smokey Mountain Ghost Trackers of Western North Carolina. www.facebook.com/SmokeyMtnGhostTrackers He served his country as a United States Marine during Vietnam. He is a native North Carolinian. He lived in the Chicago area in the past and furthered his education there. He served the community as an Emergency Medical Technician while living there. Micheal currently resides in the mountains of North Carolina along with his wife and his Boxer he fondly calls Dee Dee.




Blurb:
It was the adventure of a life time. In an obscure marina off the shores of Maryland a schooner unlike any other ever built was discovered. Dorian and Diana Coe purchased the schooner and sailed from the shores of tranquility into the bowels of hell itself.

Prurient tales of suicide, murder, and the disappearance of an entire crew were hand written within the ship's logs.

On her decks sailed a well seasoned Captain and crew that never knew the schooner's shadowed past. The new owners ignored the words of men with integrity and sailed the Black Witch in the Spring of 1935.

Into the realms of illusion and pure evil the ship and its compliment sailed never knowing the fate awaiting them!


Book Excerpt:

“According to this, her maiden voyage took place in May of 1907. By the reading of this she had a bit of ill fortune for most of her time at sea. The description of her makes her sound like something really special. What exactly did you want to know about her?”

“I want to know what happened to her after 1914.” Dorian said.

Gale turned the pages reading quickly the hand written words, “According to this, after 1914 nothing unusual happened to her until September of 1926. The Australian Coast Watch found her on a large uncharted sand bar where an attempt to scuttle her had failed and she was salvaged for scrap. The official owners never lay claim to her. No claim for insurance was ever filed so the authorities dropped the matter. She was dismantled on February 5th, 1928. So we say goodbye to another lady of the sea.”

Gale closed the book and watched Dorian silently for a moment. “Why would you ask about a schooner that was of no historical value? Usually people don’t even know about such schooners as these unless they study them for a living, people such as myself that is.” Gale spoke these last words as a reflection of afterthought.

Dorian leaned forward, his voice almost a whisper. “Gale, how accurate is the files you have on this schooner?”

Gale sat back. “They come from all sources, especially official government records such as the ones on this schooner. I would stake my reputation on it that what is written here is fact and has not been changed in any form. My contact in Australia is a very reliable man.”

Dorian face turned ashen. “What if I were to tell you, she was not dismantled and she is very much real and intact?”

Gale laughed aloud. “That’s ridiculous, Dorian, you cannot brin
g a ship back from the dead.”



Shivers, right? Right up my alley. 


To get in contact with Michael Rivers, or/check out some of his wonderful books:


http://www.michealrivers.com/
Facebook
Twitter


Buying links for the featured book excerpt and other novels:

The Black Witch


Moonlight On The Nantahala


Ghost Of The Carolina Shores

More great authors with awesome stories coming your way in a bit.


Ghostly Yours,


CeCe