The winner of my Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway of a $10 Amazon GC was:
bookattict!!
I've emailed you.
Thanks to everyone for visiting :-)
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Reflections: Eternal Curse Series book one by J. Dorothy - Virtual Book tour
Please welcome author J. Dorothy on her tour with Bewitching Book Tours today for her paranormal YA romance "Reflections: Eternal Curse". The author answered a few questions for me, so sit down and get to know Ms. Dorothy, then enter her Rafflecopter giveaway, below to win one of five paperbacks or ten Ebooks for your very own!
Why write YA fiction? What draws you to it?
As a former primary school teacher/librarian I spent a number of years reading and choosing young adult books for the school library collection. When I ventured into classroom teaching, I continued to read YA books, to keep up to date with my students reading interest, while secretly fulfilling my own enjoyment at the same time. So, when I first began writing I was drawn to the YA genre, as it is the one that captures my interest the most and I feel the most comfortable with. I enjoy writing through the eyes of a young adult, as it allows you to revisit the complexities of life at an earlier age, when life is just beginning and the future it yet to be determined. There always seems to be an element of hope and optimism in most YA novels which I find refreshing and satisfying as a reader, and now as a writer.
What books were your favorite as a youth and why?
I have always loved reading. My mother was an avid reader so I was probably influenced by her example. As a child my favourite author was Enid Blyton and I particularly loved the Magic Faraway Tree. As a teenager my favorite book was Lord of the Rings. I was captivated by the characters and fascinated by the world Tolkien created. He was definitely the master at creating a believable fantasy world. I remember having many discussions with my sister over the intricate relationships between all the characters and creatures from Middle Earth.
What superpower would you love to have? Why?
I’d love to be able to speed read and to have super editing abilities. To spot errors on every single page, to leap across chapters, cutting and slicing with my red pen, leaving a perfect manuscript in my wake. That would definitely be something!! I’m sure my editor and publisher would love that too!!
Hunger Games or Twilight? Why?
I liked both. But I’d have to say Twilight, because I liked the story and character development with each new installment. And being a big lover of romance books, I also enjoyed that element of the story. I thought the Hunger games became a bit stagnant in the second book, and I’m yet to finish the third book. Whereas, with Twilight I read all four books in quick succession.
Favorite TV show from your childhood?
I watched a lot of Sesame Street as a young child, and I still remember seeing Bert and Ernie in colour for the first time, a somewhat significant event, in a mostly black and white television childhood. But my favourite show was probably Happy Days, and I still love watching re-runs . Scott Baio was my girl crush for many years.
Sum up your book for Twitter: 140 characters or less.
Two sisters, bound by an eternal curse. A family legacy set to determine their fate. And time is definitely not on their side.
You’re stranded on a desert island—which character from your book do you want with you? Why?
Well if I had to choose, I think I would choose James. He is resourceful and dependable. Someone you could rely on to see you through difficulties and keep your spirits up, with his joking banter and upbeat personality. And being trapped on a desert island I think I’d need cheering up.
Reflections Eternal Curse Series Book One by Jacoba Dorothy
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Taylor Street Books
Number of pages: 272 Book Description:
Jo doesn’t know why she inherited a magical ring.
She doesn’t know why her father abandoned her when she was a baby, or the truth about her mother’s death.
Jo doesn’t know a lot about her past. But she’s about to find out.
Nearing her eighteenth birthday, she’s about to discover what really happened to her father all those years ago.
She’s on a new path, a path including her first love, a path that will lead to the truth about a family secret held for generations.
Jo’s about to face her first real challenge. ‘Reflections’ part one, is just the beginning.
About the Author:
Jacoba Dorothy lives in Canberra, the bush capital of Australia. She is the mother of two and works part time teaching children with English as an additional language. Most days she can be found bashing away at the computer, either writing, editing, reviewing great books or face-booking. Oh and of course balancing her time to make sure she give special attention to her husband and family.
The Eternal Curse trilogy is her debut series, the second in the series, Shadows, should be released later this year. And the third installment, sometime next year.
www.eternalcursetrilogy.weebly.com
http://www.facebook.com/#!/jacoba.dorothy
Web site: http://www.taylorstreetbooks.com/
http://eternalcursetrilogy.weebly.com/the-author.html
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eternal-Curse-series/248812455248382?success=1#!/pages/Eternal-Curse-series/248812455248382
Good reads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11970152-jacoba
Book Trailer for Reflections: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNCvAS5HXio
Book Trailer for Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMpcQdMENK0
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Monday, December 10, 2012
Black Moon by Jessica McQuay - Virtual Book Tour
Please welcome author Jessica McQuay on her tour with Bewitching Book Tours. We're featuring information about her book, "Black Moon". Check out the contest at the end for autographed books and swag bags with Amazon GCs and more!
Black Moon (Paige Tailor Series Book One) by Jessica McQuay
Genre: YA/NA Paranormal Fantasy
Number of pages: 240
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/YapSh2lxRnc
Book Description:
"Am I losing my mind?"
Paige couldn't help but question her sanity. What other explanation could there be for her hearing a conversation held barely above a whisper in the back of a classroom full of students? What about coming home to find one of those very classmates lying in wait in the darkness of her home, ready to attack her?
Confused, frustrated and feeling every ounce of her social ostracism, Paige confides in the one person she's always been able to count on: her mom. But when her mom reveals a deeply rooted, unbelievable family secret, Paige discovers her world is filled with more than she ever imagined possible. A world where fairytales live alongside nightmares and secrets are the glue that binds them together. Suddenly no one is who they seem and Paige is faced with more questions than answers. Can she survive in a world filled with creatures scarier than anything she could imagine and where deceit runs as thick as blood? Or will the truth send her over the edge?
While my classmates read to themselves, I replayed the morning over and over in my head. I was up early, just as I started off each school day. I showered, brushed my teeth, and got dressed. As I packed my things into my bag, ready to head downstairs and out to my car, a white dusky light began in the palm of each of my hands. A tingling sensation accompanied the light causing me to drop my backpack.
I stared in disbelief, turning my hands palm up towards the ceiling; a trickle of fear mingled with curiosity warmed the core of my being. I brought my hands together, palm to palm and watched as the light grew stronger, casting a white luminance on the things surrounding me. Th e tingle grew stronger and began coursing up my arms. Scared, I pulled my hands apart and just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
There were three things Jessica loved to do growing up; reading, writing and playing music. She discovered her love for writing at a young age, when she realized she could create anything she wanted with words. Jessica lives in Sacramento, CA with her husband, four children, a goldfish named Sparkle and their cat, Talula. When she isn't working on the next Paige Tailor novel, taking her children to one activity or another, or folding the never ending laundry of a six person family, Jessica enjoys playing her clarinet in the community band, reading while enjoying a cup of coffee or heading to the theater and catching a movie with her husband.
www.jessicamcquay.com
http://paigetailorseries.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/JessicaMcQuay
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-McQuay-Author-of-the-Paige-Tailor-Series/217414364984840
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16005072-black-moon
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Friday, December 7, 2012
Death to the Undead by Pembroke Sinclair - Virtual Tour and Giveaway
Please welcome author Pembroke Sinclair on her tour with Bewitching Book Tours today for her paranormal YA"Death to the Undead". The author answered a few questions for me, so sit down and get to know Ms. Sinclair, then enter to win a coffee mug, a spiral notebook (2 will be given away), or a complete signed set of books (both Life After the Undead and Death to the Undead) (2 will be given away) by leaving a comment!
Why YA fiction? What draws you to it?
I am drawn to YA and Middle Grade because I’m still a kid at heart. I enjoy taking a break from my busy, adult life and just sitting back and having fun. Even if my characters aren’t exactly having fun (after all, fighting zombies is serious and scary work), it’s still outside of my mundane existence. Writing about and for teens allows me to go back to those times when I was carefree. It’s a nice escape.
What books were your favorite as a youth and why?
My favorite books as a teen were Christopher Pike books. I loved his writing style and the situations he put his teens in. His use of the supernatural and horrific were fantastic! He really influenced me as a writer.
What’s your favorite sweet treat?
I have several, I can’t narrow it down to one. I’m a big fan of Crunch bars, but I also really like brownies (without nuts) and cinnamon rolls. Donuts are fantastic as well.
What candy do you give out at Halloween?
Much to the chagrin of my husband, and probably the kids in the neighborhood, I handed out temporary tattoos this year. I figured they’d be getting tons of candy elsewhere, why add to it? Plus, we only had probably 8 kids come to the door, so I didn’t want to be stuck with leftover candy! My kids brought home enough for an army!
What superpower would you love to have? Why?
The ability to multiply myself so I could be in several different places at once. That way, I could take care of all the things that needed to be taken care of during the day and still find time to write!
What book is on your nightstand currently?
Currently, I am reading the new book by Christopher Pike, “Witch World.”
Favorite class in high school. Why?
My favorite class in high school was English. I’ve always loved to create stories and write, and I had wonderful teachers who encouraged me. I wouldn’t write now if it weren’t for those teachers.
Death to the Undead by Pembroke Sinclair
Genre: YA horror
Publisher: eTreasures Publishing
Number of pages: 286
The battle that began in Life After the Undead continues.
Zombies changed her life completely...
Tough teenager Krista escaped to the safety of Florida after her parents were killed by the zombie horde. She united with General Liet, a distant cousin, and moved with him to North Platte to help build a wall to keep the zombies in the West. Krista fell in love with Quinn, a survivor and fighter from the zombie-infested wildlands of the West, and together they freed the garrison at North Platte from the power-hungry Liet.
But zombies aren’t the only enemy they have to face...
Now, North Platte is free, but Liet was not the only one using the zombie apocalypse to control their people. Florida is ruled by five ruthless Families, who use intimidation and the threat of the zombie horde to coerce their populace. Krista and Quinn hatch a desperate plan to run guns into the state and help the people revolt. Krista and Quinn, labeled as rebels run for their lives when the Families attack North Platte. The Families want them captured, the zombies want to eat them, and other survivors want them dead. Caught in between powerful forces, they must survive long enough to devise a new plan and put it into action, all while trying to solidify their new relationship and trying not to self-destruct in the meantime.
Under my real name, from March 2008 to January 2011, I wrote scientific articles for Western Farmer-Stockman. I have a nonfiction book, Life Lessons from Slasher Films, scheduled for release in July 2012 from Scarecrow Publishing (an imprint of Rowman and Littlefield).
I have my Master’s in English, and I am a freelance content editor for Musa Publishing, as well as a former content and line editor for eTreasures Publishing.
http://pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3522214.Pembroke_Sinclair
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pembroke.sinclair
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Realm of the Lost by Emma Eden Ramos - Virtual tour and giveaway
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| Tour Schedule |
Realm of the Lost by Emma Eden Ramos
Fantasy/Paranormal Middle Grade
68 pgs
Rated: 2.5 Stars
What happens when you die before your time?
Thirteen-year-old Kathleen "Kat" Gallagher has had it with her family. The eldest of three children, Kat feels trapped ever since her parents’ separated and she has had to take on more responsibility than she feels prepared for. Everything changes on a frigid morning in mid-December when an accident propels Kat into unfamiliar territory.
Stuck in the place where people go when they have died before their time, Kat must face obstacles she could never have imagined.
With the help of other young inhabitants of the Realm of the Lost, Kat learns the true meaning of friendship and family.
My Review: First, I have to say I completely enjoyed the author's voice and skill. I had no problem reading this story from beginning to end quickly and never had a complaint about the quality of writing in the least.
The characters were vivid and interesting and the setting well created. But, I had some issues with the storyline itself. I enjoyed the basic premise behind the idea of The Realm of the Lost. I thought this version of purgatory was fascinating and original. But my frustration arose with Kat's journey. There was very little actual conflict in the story, aside from Kat learning her way around the new world she found herself in. She didn't have anything to overcome to make her grow, a hero's journey to accomplish. It had the feeling of "a day in the life" more than a story with beginning, middle and end. I wanted more: more depth, more conflict, more growth from our heroine. Truthfully, this could have (and perhaps should have) been expanded because, as I noted, it was an interesting idea.
Perhaps the target audience (in my opinion somewhere between 8 - 12 year olds) wouldn't have the same problems I did. There was some excitement and action and certainly things that would appeal to that age range.
Still, my reservations about the story itself aside, I was quite impressed by the author. She absolutely knows her writing and I would be completely open and interested in reading more from her in the future.
Emma Eden Ramos is a writer and student from New York City. Her short stories have appeared in Stories for Children Magazine, The Storyteller Tymes, BlazeVOX Journal, and others. Emma's novelette, Where the Children Play, is included in Resilience: Stories, Poems, Essays, Words for LGBT Teens, edited by Eric Nguyen. Three Women: A Poetic Triptych and Selected Poems (Heavy Hands Ink, 2011), Ramos’ first poetry chapbook, was shortlisted for the 2011 Independent Literary Award in Poetry. Emma studies psychology at Marymount Manhattan College.
Purchase
Tour Giveaway
2 Ebooks of Realm of the Lost
Open Internationally
Ends 12/12/12
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Tour Schedule
December 3rd
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer - Tour Kick Off
Cuzinlogic - Author Interview
Paranormal Urban Fantasy Reviews - Review
Fictitious Musings - Review & Interview
December 4th
Brooke Blogs - Review & Interview
Bookhounds - Interview
Up in the Bibliosphere - Review & Interview
Lovely Reads - Review
December 5th
Publishing the Parnomal - Review & Interview
Books for Kids - Review
Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews - Review & Character Interview
Books in the Hall - Review
December 6th
Storeybook Reviews - Review
Bittersweet Enchantment - Review
Blkosiner's Book Blog - Interview
Christy's Cozy Corner - Review
December 7th
Reader Girls - Review
Cindy C Bennett - Interview
Rachel Rooney - Review
Peace from Pieces - Interview
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Returned by Keeley Smith - Virtual tour and Giveaway
Please welcome author Keeley Smith on her tour with Bewitching Book Tours today for her paranormal YA"Returned". The author answered a few questions for me, so sit down and get to know Ms. Smith, then enter her Rafflecopter giveaway, below to win a copy of "Returned" for your very own!
What books were your favourite as a youth and why?
I remember receiving a set of books at a very young age for Christmas. The set included Peter Pan, What Katy Did, A Christmas Carol and other great classics. I devoured the books and from that moment on my love of books has grown. I will only pick one book, if I picked many this question would take up considerable space. This book would be the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton. They are school boarding books that came before Harry Potter, minus the magic of course, but they are still great.
What’s your favourite sweet treat?
Oh gosh, I have such a sweet tooth. In summer it would always have to be strawberries and ice cream. Winter treats are different; I love chocolate, so a sweet treat for me would be warm chocolate fudge cake with custard.
What superpower would you love to have? Why?
I would love to have superhuman speed. That would mean I could get to work quicker, leave quicker and write my books a lot faster than I am right now. Household chores take too long so they would be a thing of the past too!
What book is on your nightstand currently?
That should read books *G*. I have many books on the go right now, Beautiful Creatures is one of the many books, there is also a Lee Child’s book, a Nora Robert’s book, The Twelve by Justin Cronin. I also have the tenth book in the House of Night series on the go.
What's your ideal summer vacation?
I would love to spend four weeks touring America in a lovely car. I’ve been to many beautiful places in America but we haven’t done route 66 so we would love to do this.
Which of your characters would you most like to meet IRL? Why?
I would love to meet Tabitha. As scary as she may appear to be, she is rather strict, she is such a strong independent woman who I find very inspirational. She owns a business which is successful, she doesn’t need a man to make her happy, and she’s a witch.
What four literary characters would most like to have over for dinner?
This is a tough question. If you asked me this again in a week I would probably change my mind. But today the four people would be Harry Potter, how could you have a meal without him present? Edward Cullen would be there for a bit of eye candy! Larten Crepsley from Darren Shan books. Larten is also a vampire but he’s nothing like Edward, Larten will actually feed from a human. I thought it would be nice to see the both of them interact. Finally, my last dinner guest would be Myron Bolitar, who is Harlan Coben’s creation. I’m hoping that if Myron is in the vicinity then Win may pay for dinner (he’s extremely rich!)
Do you have a playlist for your current book?
I’m writing Cora’s second book at the moment so there are many songs on my playlist. It depends what is happening in the scene. On my playlist there will be a lot of Green Day, Muse, Michael Buble, instrumental music also helps when I’m writing.
Genre: Fantasy, Young AdultReturned (Pendle Hill Trilogy Book One) by Keeley Smith
Number of pages: 319 17 year old Cora Hunt has one wish, to live the life of a normal teenager.
Her wish never comes true.
After her reluctant move to a sleepy village in the middle of Lancashire Cora's life is turned upside down when she discovers she is a witch, a very powerful witch. Cora is not just any old witch, she is the daughter of Alizon Device who was one of the most powerful witches of her time.
Dealing with her new found powers is quite a challenge, but when the past she didn't know about unearths new complications in the form of Jack Thomas, her life becomes increasingly dangerous with each waking minute.
Jack also has a secret past, a past that clashes with Cora's.
A confrontation between the two results in a life or death situation. The brutal events of 1612 happened hundreds of years ago, but what Jack and Cora face is a definite déjà vu. The only question is, will their fate be the same as those who perished in 1612?
Keeley lives in the UK with her husband and rabbit. She has a BA Hons in English Literature and Language from the Open University. When she isn't writing and spending time with her "book friends" she also loves to read and keep fit, by keeping fit she means picking up chocolate and placing it in her mouth, then repeating the process. It's a very good workout!
www.keeleysmithauthor.com
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16078270-returned
https://twitter.com/Keeley_Smith1
http://www.facebook.com/#!/Keeley.Smith.Fan
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Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway
Welcome to the Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Maryann from Chapter by Chapter
Thanks for visiting my blog! As you can see, I love books in all shapes, sizes, lengths and genres and post reviews, giveaways, interviews and guest blogs, contests and more.
To win my Book Lover's Holiday giveaway, all I ask is that you follow my blog (make sure your email is associated with your profile). Earn a second entry by leaving me a comment with some of the YA/Middle Grade books you'd choose if you win (I always need help building my TBR pile)!
My prize?
One winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC!
It's so easy to enter! Just FOLLOW ME! And a comment with a book suggestion earns you another entry.
Good luck! And check out the other participants for more great prizes.
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