Monday, 16 April 2012

In Leah's Wake Book Club Week 23 -29th April


The author of 'In Leah's Wake', Terri Guilano, will be running a Book Club Week on her blog between 23rd to 29th April. She will be hosting a range of events to help book clubs, reading groups and readers in general get more out of her contemporary fiction title, In Leah’s Wake.  

For more information, please visit Terri’s blog (http://terriglong.com/blog/in-leahs-wake-book-club-week-april-23-29/) for updates. You can also enter a competition to win an Amazon voucher worth $100 or one of five signed paperback copies.  In addition, a book club/reading group will have the opportunity to win a set of up to 20 copies of Terri’s next novel, Nowhere to Run.

EVENT LIST
 
MONDAY 23RD APRIL: WELCOME TO IN LEAH’S WAKE 

Terri shares a candid introduction to the book and her success so far and talks about the role of book bloggers and reviewers in boosting In Leah’s Wake up the charts.

TUESDAY 24TH APRIL: THE CHARACTERS OF IN LEAH’S WAKE 

Terri invites readers and bloggers to share their thoughts on their favorite characters within In Leah’s Wake and talk about the moments they loved most. In the evening enjoy a live Q&A session with two pivotal characters from the novel: Zoe and her daughter, Leah.

WEDNESDAY 25TH APRIL: THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY 

An interview with Terri looks into the story behind the story: how Terri came to write In Leah’s Wake and how it came to be the “little indie book that could” selling over 100,000 copies so far!

THURSDAY 26TH APRIL: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Answering questions by submitted book clubs, readers’ groups, readers and bloggers, Terri will share her thoughts on the novel, the writing process and what lies ahead.In the evening enjoy a Q&A session with Terri Giuliano Long and the chance to put forward your questions live

FRIDAY 27TH APRIL – SUNDAY 28TH APRIL: IN LEAH’S WAKE: IN DISCUSSION

Share your views on some of the discussion topics raised in the In Leah’s Wake reading guide. We’ll be publishing your thoughts along with any new discussion topics you suggest.

SUNDAY 29TH APRIL: LOOKING AHEAD: NOWHERE TO RUN

Terri shares her thoughts on her upcoming novel, Nowhere to Run, and talks about what it’s like to work on a very different kind of story.


This is going to be a fun event. Hope to see you there!
 

Sunday, 15 April 2012

Frozen Heart Cover Reveal








Title: Frozen Heart

Author: Annabelle Blume

Genre: SciFi Romance














A decade surviving on her own. Three days with the enemy. Can love conquer all?

Cressenda knows how to survive. With her sled dogs as her only companions, she’s spent the past ten years hiding in the snow covered wilderness from the oppressive regime of the Affinity. When a routine trip to civilization takes a turn for the worst, Cressenda is forced to take refuge with the enemy or lose her life to the frozen countryside.

But Beckett, a Guard of the Affinity, is more than a man in uniform. His desperate need to help Cressenda escape both- the blizzard and the Affinity- makes her feelings for him all the more troubling. Will Beckett be true to his word and set Cressenda free? Will her heart let her leave after all they’ve shared?



Author Bio:

Annabelle is a Science Fiction and Urban Fantasy Romance author. That is, when she's not checking homework or begrudgingly cooking dinner. Her dogs bark too much and her husband thinks there are too many dogs shoved into their tiny house out in California, but she believes their life is awesome if only because they live so close to Disneyland – which she loves with the tenacity of a nine-tentacled octopus.

She's also the author/personality of The Bombshell Mommy at Vitacost.com, where she expounds her knowledge of being a vixen clad in sweatpants.

Read about her adventures in writing at www.AnnabelleBlume.com.

Follow her on Twitter @AnnabelleBlume and like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnnabelleBlumeAuthor


Saturday, 14 April 2012

M is for Mirror, Mirror

I love mirrors. I have one in every room, mainly for decorative purposes.

There are various superstitions regarding mirrors being gateway to other worlds. The story that comes to mind is 'Through the looking glass' by Lewis Carroll. A wonderful classic full of imagination in a fascinating world Alice steps into.

 Others believe if you have the unfortunate luck of breaking a mirror, you will have seven years of bad luck. It is also believed that when you look at a mirror, it shows your true self.

Can a soul be trapped in the mirror *shudder* Can mirrors interact with someone's soul?  Maybe that is why in the myth says that a if you want to know if someonw is a vampire, use a mirror to check for their reflection.

Superstitions  and Myths aside, anyone watched Mirror, Mirror, played by the wonderfully talented Julia Roberts?  On this trailer, she says she'll marry the prince, gives him a love potion, only to find out it's a potion for puppylove. :D and the prince is whining all over the place. I, for, one look forward to watching it. I would like to share the trailer with you courtesy of Youtube.






                                            As a girl who grew up reading fairy tales, I did enjoy Snow White and her army of dwarfs. very cute. mmmh I wonder if a time is coming for Beauty and The Beast cinematic retell? I sure look forward to that one. :)

What is your favourite fairy tale?










What do you see when you look into the mirror?

Friday, 13 April 2012

L is for Longstockings, Pippi




Tommy and his sister Annika have a new neighbor, and her name is Pippi Longstocking. She has crazy red pigtails, no parents to tell her what to do, a horse that lives on her porch, and a flair for the outrageous that seems to lead to one adventure after another!



Pippi Longstockings, in german, Pippi Langstrumpf. Aah, this girl reminds me of my younger years *dreamy sigh* Minus the red hair, stripped mismatched stockings, no parents.

This is also my daughter's favourite tv series. She loves Pippi so much that during the Fasching (Carneval) season here in Vienna, I searched high and low to find a wig that resembled Pippi's hair, the strip stockings as well.



A Little about Pippi Longstockings.

Pippi Longstockings is in truth an unusual young girl. She is financially independent since she owns a sackful of gold pieces. She can shoot a revolver and sail on the seven seas. She is both cheeky and kind, she can carry a horse and she can outlift the strongest man in the world, Mighty Adolph.




I truly admire how Astrid Lindgren created this character (maybe I am biased because in a way, I was like Pippi, well not carrying the horse part and outlifting Might Adolph, but I was cheeky. Very cheeky) she made a loveable character. Even when she is upto no good, I can't help but love this 10 year old. I've watched the DVDs with my 7 year old daughter (that's part of our bonding ritual) and we both adore Pippi. 

A fun read — not a feminist agenda

Astrid Lindgren was not exactly proceeding from an explicit feminist agenda when she wrote her wonderful stories about this remarkable girl and her two close friends. That, however, has not prevented Pippi from becoming a source of inspiration in the struggle for gender equality. She is still the hero of the day.

Throughout the world, girls have been encouraged to have fun, to be a bit more daring and to have faith in their own ability. Pippi Longstocking has performed wonders. Source


Long live Pippi Longstockings! :D


Friday Fantastic Author Feature: Debbie Peterson


I am really excited to welcome Debbie Peterson, a fellow Inkspeller, and the author of 'Shadow of The Witte Wieven'. I'm reading her book currently. What I can only say about it is that it is unlike any other book I've read before. Simply wonderful, unique, mysterious and well written with a dash of romance. So without further ado, let's welcome Debbie Peterson.

Book Summary:

Shadow of The Witte WievenDespite a contract on her head, lone Drug Enforcement Agent, Aliyana Montijo must ferret out a mole and stop the assassination of top DEA officials, as so ordered by the Colombian drug lord she seeks to take down. The task is a daunting one, for there is no one she can trust. No one that is, until she encounters a most unlikely ally.
Former seventeenth century captain of the Dutch West Indies Company, Wolfaert Dircksen Van Ness, now from a parallel dimension, encounters the beautiful agent during an unearthly storm in the Bermuda triangle. Drawn to the Spanish beauty he rescues, he pledges his assistance, despite her reluctance to accept either his help or his heart.
Can Wolf bridge both space and time to claim the woman he loves?






CeCe: Please tell us your name:

Deb: Debbie Peterson


CeCe:What book are you currenlty promoting When will it be released and by which publisher?

Deb: The book is a paranormal romance concerning a beautiful undercover DEA agent (working a Colombian drug cartel) and a handsome 17th century sea captain (now from a parallel dimension), who meet rather abruptly during a storm in the Bermuda Triangle. They team up to prevent an assassination of the top DEA officials and their families. And along the way...

The book will be released April 21, 2012 by Inkspell Publishing.

CeCe: How much research did you do for this project?

Deb: Quite a bit. I had to know a lot of things about the DEA, the organization, weapons, latest in technological gadgets etc. I had to learn about brigantines and the Dutch West Indies company. I also had to know a lot of things about the South American drug cartels, just to name a few.

CeCe: How did you come up with the story idea?

Deb:I saw a beautiful picture of a raging storm over the ocean and my imagination took flight…
CeCe:Which genre is the book?

Deb: Paranormal Romance


Cece: Which genres do you enjoy reading and writing?

Deb: I love reading the classics, and of course, reading and writing fantasy, paranormal romance.


CeCe: Where can readers and fans find you - online that is?

Website: http://dk-peterson.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebbiePeterson.author
Blog: http://debbie-peterson.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DebbiePeterson1

Thanks Cece!

Thank You, Debbie. It was a pleasure having you here on my blog.

Thursday, 12 April 2012

K is for Kärnten (Carinthia)

Kärnten which is also Carinthia, is the southernmost state in Austria, bordering Italy and Slovenia. Although the inhabitants of this wonderful state speak German, they also speak a Carithian dialect, which is sort of like the Southern Bavarian dialect. This area is framed with mountains and valles. Carithia is also known as the country of water, as has lots of lakes and see.
Carinthia is also the Land of the Celts, Romans, Slavs, Carantanians and Carinthians, the history of the different peoples and their influences can still be explored today.v

One of the most famous places is the Lake Wörthersee.


During Summer, here is the place to be. Not only can you go yatching, but they have also  Beach Volley Ball Beach Slam and Carinthia Ironman Austria - a long distance triathalon race which consists of swim, bike and marathon.

In the evenings, there are other events like theatre, cabaret and music.

Other unique places:

Minimundus Park: Around the world in just one day. It displays famous buildings from around the world in miniature form.


Taj Mahal                                                        Pisa

I visited Minimundus about 3 years ago, and was amazed by the sheer beauty of it. While visiting very site, I felt as if I was transported to that particular country without even going there. Fantastic. Here you'll find miniatures of Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Tower Bridge and Big Ben, Statue of Liberts, Taj Mahal, Sidney Opera House all in one place.


One can ride inside these cable cars and see the panaromic view the area. 

Another fascinating site, is the dripstone cave in Obir. with around 200 million years of geological history, open from Mid April to October

             velden.at                                                               


mmmm interesting. very interesting. 

Aw...aren't they cute? These three cuties can be found in the Affenberg (Monkey Mountain) Park also in Carinthia. 


Wednesday, 11 April 2012

J is for Josh Groban

If there is a voice that makes me want to sink on the ground I'm standing on and weep in joy, it's Josh Groban. Remember 'You Raise Me Up' truely genius, right? He is my 'to-go-to' artist when I feel as if my world is falling apart, or need inspiration or uplifting music, not to mention the awesomeness of the lyrics and his voice.



I remember the first time I got to know about Josh Groban was in Ally McBeal (remember that tv series with quirky characters, and each court case as strange and funny as the characters themselves? - I loved it by the way and still do. My dvd's can attest to that.). I think it was in season 4 episode 23. He plays Malcom Wyatt, a preacher's son. A girl from school agrees to go with him to the prom. Then she bails out on him. And of course, Ally gets the case.  To cut the whole story short, she goes with him to the prom, and he sings 'You are still you'. My gosh, I can't even begin to explain the feelings that song evoke in me, and how the prom crowd cheers after. Here is the clip from youtube: (the prom one didn't work, so I got this one, which is just as awe-inspiring as the other one)




Oh here is another: Broken Vow. Lara Fabian, another of my muses, did the song as well. The lyrics are soo sad, but the voice makes up for it. Magnificent.





Josh Groban is one of the most amazing artists, and humble too. He's my muse, and his music a source of comfort.  I would love to meet him hopefully one day. I'd gush the the whole day and week about Josh, but I think I'll give it a rest and let you discover  about this ..this..oh, well,, words fail me..again.

Who is your to-go-to artist? Your favourite? Does Josh make you want to spread your wings and fly?(Or wish you had wings to fly..like me?