Tag: Books

Photo 365 #115

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One of my favorite pastimes is reading. I know, big surprise. 🙂 But seriously, I love books. And I love to read, to myself and to my kids. It’s the best way I know to pass on my passion for books.

The best part? It works.
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Here’s Thumper reading George and Martha by James Marshall. I loved his books when I was little, and I’ve read them to each of my kids. This particular book is an omnibus edition of all the George and Martha stories, which I’d never seen before. Our last trip to the library yielded not only this treasure, but also James Marshall’s retelling of The Three Bears and a stack of Tomie dePaola books, another author I loved as a kid.

What were some of your favorite childhood books? Favorite authors? Share ’em down below!

(c) 2014. All rights reserved.

Book promo round-up

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rowlingbookI was trawling through Facebook Friday and ran across some excellent words of wisdom from Lucas Hargis:

BUY BOOKS TODAY FROM YOUR COUCH
1. Go through your “Friends” list
2. If any are published authors, click their links
3. Buy their books
4. Help authors on Black Friday, too

I spent last week promoting books in anticipation of Black Friday.  There are so many great books out there, and this is a great time to pick up a whole bunch of them to either keep for yourself or share with others as Christmas gifts.  It was seriously hard to limit myself to the books I did promote, and, as evidenced by my last post, I completely failed at the whole limit thing.

But with tomorrow being Cyber Monday, I thought this would be the perfect time to collect all those posts into one big one, a sort of one-stop book-shopping list, if you will.  So, without further ado, a list of all the books I’ve featured this month and where to find them:

One last recommendation!

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Well, two more, actually.  First up, I’d like to recommend The Showing by Will Macmillan Jones.  In a departure from his usually comedic genius, he’s put together “a gripping, scary read” and, having read some of his flash fiction pieces in 416, I can vouch for his ability to scare. 🙂

So, what’s The Showing all about?  Well…

It was a house Mister Jones knew too well, his family’s house.
Here it was, again for sale and he could not resist being shown around.
But his visit has roused that which was sleeping – how many will die before it can be laid to rest?

If you knew how much of this story is true, would you want to sleep with your light on tonight?

Now if that doesn’t stir your interest, I don’t know what will.  Oh, maybe this excerpt from Will’s website will do the trick:

Spend your Thanksgiving with a great book!

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ctdkHappy Thanksgiving, everybody!  Yes, even today, I’ve got a book recommendation for you.  This one is currently free on Amazon, but only for one more day.  Luckily, I’ve got the scoop on Cedric the Demonic Knight by Valerie Willis right here:

Known for hunting the supernatural, no mortal man realizes Lord Cedric is one of Sorceress Morrighan’s abominations. After competing in a tournament, he is wed to a Lady of the Court, Angeline. Cedric’s senses begin to overwhelm him and he struggles to decipher his feelings; Are they a creation of his incubine bloodline or truly heartfelt emotions for the girl who has lost it all to him? He finds himself forced to choose between falling in love or continuing his suicidal quest to kill his creator. Epic battles against all manners of beasts and demons fill this story with memorable antagonists such as Morrighan and her two sisters; Romasanta the Father of Werewolves; Succubus Queen Lillith and many more. Find yourself engulfed in lores and history long forgotten from the 12th Century and beyond.

And here’s a handy dandy excerpt, because…Well…Because why not?

Next up in the holiday book promo is…

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btp…Better Than Perfect by the incomparable Tricia Drammeh.  Tricia has a whole host of novels available, and you should all go and read every last one of them, then pay her to write more.

Also?  Tricia is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, so, you know – help a girl out.

Anyway.

What’s Better Than Perfect all about?  Behold, ze blurb:

Twenty-three-year-old Karlie is in the type of rut some people never escape from. With few friends, no boyfriend, and no plans to graduate from college any time in the immediate future, Karlie is as stuck in her ways as the elderly neighbor she spends all her time with.

When her world is invaded by two surly twins bound for criminal court, a too-good-to-be-true love interest, and a cute cop who keeps showing up at the most inopportune moments, Karlie can either fight against the changes in her life, or embrace them.

Sounds great, don’t you think?  I checked out the first little bit on Amazon and found myself relating to Karlie almost immediately.  If you want to know what I mean, then check this out:

Vampires and glitter don’t mix

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Today’s featured book is Shades of Gray, the first book in Joleene Naylor’s Amaranthine series.  Nothing is black and white, not even vampires, and when Patrick is found dead in his apartment, Katelina is left in a vacuum of uncertainty with no leads. Then the enigmatic Jorick appears. In a single sweep he turns over the rocks of reality to reveal what hides underneath in the shadows; monsters that she thought only existed in horror movies.

Trapped in a nightmare, Katelina is forced to accept the truth of vampires; vampires who want her dead for her association with Patrick. Jorick saves the day, but what should she do when her hero turns out to be one of the monsters? Can she really trust – and even love – someone who isn’t human?

Caught between light and dark, Katelina and Jorick must travel down a path of mystery and terror as their pasts are slowly revealed and their passions ignite, in a world that smells like blood and tastes like fear.

Look for the action-packed sequel, Legacy of Ghosts!

So, what are people saying about Shades of Gray?  Well, Sharon Stogner, a reviewer for I Smell Sheep, says, “It is a different look at what it would be like to be in love with a vampire. More realistic.”  But if you’d like to see for yourself, then you’re in luck because once again, I’ve got an excerpt to share…behind the cut!

Need something new to read?

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Then step right up, because all this week I’m going to be showcasing some fantastic books.  First up is Donna Yates’s book, The Lone Hero.  Escape to another world for the holidays where dragons rule and meet:

War has begun on Aberforth, the home-world of the dragons. The eternal being Einarr accepts his first mortal mission – to put an end to the warring but it will take most of his lifetime to try. In order for Einarr to have more strength than any other human, the dragon leader Zavat infuses him with some of his own strength and qualities.

Intrigued?  I know I am!  But in case that didn’t whet your appetite…

Time for another review!

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Earlier this fall, I signed up to participate in a blog tour for Glass House Press.  I volunteered to read and review a novella by Mary Fan called Tell Me My Name.  But there were a couple of glitches, because computers rock, and I didn’t get the file until the day my post was supposed to go live.

But!  I’ve finally managed to find enough spare moments to sit down and read this fantastic novella, and now I’ve got the scoop on what it’s all about.  The blurb:

In Mary Fan’s second novella for Glass House Press, a girl wakes up in an icy cell, alone and frightened. She has no memory of who she is or how she came to be there.

She does know that she must get out, at all costs. And that escape must start with remembering…

It’s excerpt time!

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Fifth WatcherThat’s right, today’s the day where you get a sneak peak at The Fifth Watcher, Book One of Melissa Barker-Simpson’s Worlds Apart series.  But how did this story come to be?  Well, let’s hear it from the author herself:

I wrote the Fifth Watcher during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) last year. It’s taken a while to get it ready for publication, but there are a few reasons for that. The novel was originally written in third person perspective, and during the first edit I decided to change it to first – not an easy task!

The premise for the story came to me following a discussion with my sister about alternate realities. I saw the protagonist of this tale clearly in my mind and Audrey Montgomery was born. I didn’t give much thought to the  name, it’s who she is. My grandmother’s name is Audrey too, and though both are strong, formidable women, I didn’t base the character on her.

As I like to do…

Cover reveal: The Fifth Watcher!

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image for websiteOne of the best things about participating in blogging events is all the awesome people you meet.  I met fellow author Melissa Barker-Simpson back in April during the Blogging 101 challenge, and have enjoyed getting to know her a bit.  Melissa fills her days with language and words so she doesn’t get lost among the clouds. She is an interpreter by day, and a pen-wielding conjurer by night. Of course the only thing she conjures belong between the pages of a book, but it doesn’t make them any less compelling.

Her most important job, as far as she sees it, is being a mother to two impish teenagers. They keep her feet firmly on the ground, are a huge source of joy (despite the rampant emotions) and allow her to live out her fantasy of being a musketeer!

She spends her time living between different communities, one of them being the (mostly) online writing community and giving back the magic that has touched her life.

Melissa runs a series of blogs, has a thing for collaboration, and enjoys to support others as often as possible.  She’s got a new book coming out soon, and you know me – I love to help an author out.  So it’s with great pleasure and much excitement that I present to you the cover for Melissa’s latest book, The Fifth Watcher, Book One in her Worlds Apart series!

Behold, the pretty, pretty cover …behind the cut!