Friday, September 30, 2011

Guest Blogger: Sarah King



For today's guest post, I'm doing things a little differently. Today, my friend Sarah King who is not only an amazing person, but also an independent author, is here and will be doing an interview. You can visit her website HERE (have patience, the page can be slow to load) for more information and links to her books. Put down your bags, pull up a chair and tell me a story!


1. When did you first start writing, and was there something in particular that inspired you?

I first started writing many years ago. When I was younger I hated writing. But over the years I somehow enjoyed putting ideas on paper for others to read. The thing that inspires me to write is situations, events or even a photo that inspires me to write. Most of the time I write non-fiction but I have started my first few fiction books.


2. What first attracted you to the fiction and non-fiction realms when it comes to writing?

When writing about non-fiction its harder as most of my work requires research into subject matter and lots of background. But I find non-fiction more fun to write about as it also gives a better learning insight on certain areas. Fiction on the other hand allows me to be more creative with my mind. It allows me to write things down that a normal person would never understand.


3. In regards to your own characters, who is your favorite and why?

In one of my fiction books “In The Darkest Night”, the character of “Jessica” is a unique creation. She Is a budding teen trying to survive on her own while trying to learn to harness supernatural powers while still grieving over the loss of her family that were murdered years before in an unexplained accident. She tells a story of how one with so much complications can overcome obstacles in life and still manage to help others.


4. What other genres (besides your own) do you enjoy reading?

I enjoy reading a lot of teen fiction. It allows seeing a side of writing that brings a better understanding of a world we only live once in. For my own, writing about sociology and social interest it gives me the chance to educate others.


5. If you could not be a writer, what would you be?

Ruler of the world with my army of pink fluffy bunnies in all their cuteness.


6. As a reader I know how difficult it can be to name a ‘favorite’ book, would you mind listing your top three? (Past or present authors)

“Luna” by Julie Anne Peters
“The Faerie Path” series by Frewyn Jones
“Late Nights on Air” by Elizabeth Hay


7. What are some must haves when you sit down to write?

My daughters' stuffed bunny rabbit, sushi, music (depending on what I am writing) and eggnog.


8. If you became trapped as a character in a book or series, which would you choose and why? (Any book, any series, new or old)

I would live to be trapped as a character in one of my other books called “The Journeyman Project”. A story of traveling through time and preventing the destruction of the future by preventing someone to alter the past.


9. What are your current 3 writing projects?

“Return to Eden”
(genre: religious fiction) The concept of the Holy grail as a woman of Jesus blood line and the history behind the Illuminati tell a religious tale that follows the life and times of Jesus Christ, but what if the one of the biggest myths of all times was found to be more true than the world ever new...

- What if the garden of Eden was found again. Could man finally return?

“Chimera” (genre: romance/supernatural) Story of a young girl who was born in a small isolated community in the mountains, but had one major difference than other residents. She was born with a prehensile tail. Amber, a small girl in an isolated town, was kept hidden away from the community. But like most little girls, curiosity always got the best of her. And now the town knows the secret she was hiding.

- How do we deal with the differences of someone when they are born differently than most.

“The Child Inside” (genre: sociology) is a concept used in popular psychology and Analytical psychology to denote the childlike aspect of a person's psyche, especially when viewed as an independent entity. Frequently, the term is used to address subjective childhood experiences and the remaining effects of one's childhood. As we age, we seldom pay attention to how inner child is and for most, that inner child grows as we do. But what if your inner child never grew up and was still a child. How can you talk to your inner child as if talking to a person in front of you.

- This book will explore how one can get back with your inner child and help you de-stress from the everyday life. By being able to talk, and play with your inner child also can help you through some very difficult times when you need support and no one else is there.


Sarah's most recent release:

Genre: Non-Fiction, Sociology

Parental alienation is a social dynamic, generally occurring due to divorce or separation, when a child expresses unjustified hatred or unreasonably strong dislike of one parent, making access by the rejected parent difficult or impossible.

This book looks deep into the effects of one of a parents worst nightmares. The loss of a child not by death, but by death of personality. Parental alienation is classified as child abuse as it destroys the emotional and psychological aspects of childhood and how children can be caught in the middle of a parents quarrel.



Thank you for stopping by today Sarah, and giving everyone a chance to get to know you a little better!



Friday 56...The Darkest Surrender (62)


Go to page 56 of the book CLOSEST to you (not the coolest, the closest) and find the fifth sentence.


The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter


Relief bombarded her.





Thursday, September 29, 2011

Theme Thursday (32)


Theme Thursdays

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event hosted by Reading Between Pages that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:
  • A theme will be posted each week (on Thursdays)
  • Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
  • Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
  • It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
    Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.


This week's theme is - SORRY/FORGIVENESS


She sighed, thinking that it was highly unlikely he'd kept the wedding vow he made to her when she was sixteen, but she didn't say it. "I expect she was sorry for what she did to your father."

Lawless by Diana Palmer





Wednesday, September 28, 2011

My Book Boyfriend (37)


My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader, in which we swoon over boys in books!
(I--as in me, Amy--don't like to use commercial photos, I like to use the authors' descriptions and my imagination.)


Ashallyn'darkmyr Tallyn
(A.K.A. Ash)
Book: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey

Prince of the Winter Court, he is tall and lean. His face is young, pale and strikingly handsome; high cheekbones and dark tousled hair falling into his eyes that are silver-blue. He hides his heart behind a cold exterior in order to survive the Unseelie Court. He is skilled with a sword, forever loyal and will defend those he loves with his life.










Quotes:



Strong fingers wrapped around my wrists and gently tugged my hands down. I shivered and looked up into glittering silver eyes. "I will keep fighting for you," Ash said in a low, intense voice. "Do what you must. I'll be here, whatever you decide. If it takes one year or a thousand, I will keep you safe."



He ran his fingers through my hair, brushing it from my cheek. "If I'd thought I would regret it," he said calmly, "I never would have made the oath I knew what becoming a knight would mean. And if you asked me again, the answer would be the same." He sighed, framing my face with his hands. "My life...everything I am...belongs to you."



Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Future Favorites (52)


Future Favorites is an awesome blog feature over at Electrifying Reviews. I post about a book that is yet-to-be-released and that I can't wait to read!





Clockwork Prince
by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: December 6, 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.



Monday, September 26, 2011

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (70)


This is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.



Books I read last week:
Shades of Midnight by Lara Adrian
If I Die by Rachel Vincent
Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright



The book I’m reading now:
Crescendo:
Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn't been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.

Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperately searches for answers. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.



Books that spark my interest this week:
Taken by Midnight by Lara Adrian
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
The Scent of Shadows by Vicki Pettersson



Sunday, September 25, 2011

In My Mailbox (75)


In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.



The newest transition in my Dirk & Steele series by Marjorie M Liu:

Old:


New:

The Fire King by Marjorie M. Liu




Saturday, September 24, 2011

On My Wishlist (70)


On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where we list all the books we desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - a linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.




The Sight by David Clement-Davies:
In the shadow of an abandoned castle, a wolf pack seeks shelter. the she-wolf 's pups will not be able to survive the harsh Transylvanian winter. And they are being stalked by a lone wolf, Morgra, possessed of a mysterious and terrifying power known as the sight. Morgra knows that one of the pups born beneath the castle holds a key to power even stronger than her own—power that could give her control of this world and the next. but the pack she hunts will do anything to protect their own, even if it means setting in motion a battle that will involve all of nature, including the creature the wolves fear the most—Man.





Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore:
Nimira is a music-hall performer forced to dance for pennies to an audience of leering drunks. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to do a special act - singing accompaniment to an exquisite piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets stir.

Unsettling below-stairs rumours abound about ghosts, a mad woman roaming the halls, and of Parry's involvement in a gang of ruthless sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing young fairy gentleman is trapped inside the automaton's stiff limbs, waiting for someone to break the curse and set him free, the two fall in love. But it is a love set against a dreadful race against time to save the entire fairy realm, which is in mortal peril.



All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab:
Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School’s most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed.

Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn’t answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can’t get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.

Audrey: She’s the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton’s fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it—especially since she’s convinced the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is.

As reluctant allies Neily and Audrey dig into their shared past with Carly, her involvement with Brighton’s dark goings-on comes to light. But figuring out how Carly and her killer fit into the twisted drama will force Audrey and Neily to face hard truths about themselves and the girl they couldn’t save.


Friday, September 23, 2011

Love That Line (18)

Love That Line is hosted by Jessica Rabbit's Corner, it's a little thing where we post a favourite quote or two from the book(s) currently on our night stands.


The Fire King by Marjorie M. Liu


"Ah," she said. "So long as I pique your interest, you will keep me alive."



"I cannot tell if your bravery is born from ignorance," Karr whispered, searching her gaze, "or if it is true from the heart."



"Forget science," she muttered in English. "I'm donating my body to magic."









THIS HALLOWEEN: MEET US AT THE CROSSROADS




A CHILLING TALENT POOL

From small to big-gun presses, debut novels to New York Times bestsellers, we’ll offer your teen book club participants unprecedented (and free!) access to more than a dozen amazing YA authors. This October, 15 paranormal writers will embark on an exciting blog tour that will hook young readers up with books, cool swag and a chance for their library to win a Skype author visit with best-selling author, RACHEL VINCENT.

To follow the tour go HERE.

Here’s who we’ve lined up:

Rachel Vincent – Mira / Harlequin Teen - Soul Screamers series, Shifters series
Judith Graves – Leap Books – Under My Skin, Second Skin, Skin of My Teeth
Joy Preble – Sourcebooks – Dreaming Anastasia, Haunted, Again and Again
Stacey Kade -Hyperion – The Ghost and the Goth, Queen of the Dead
Angie Frazier – Scholastic Press – Everlasting, The Midnight Tunnel, The Eternal Sea
Linda Joy Singleton – Flux - Dead Girl Walking, Dead Girl Dancing
Amanda Ashby – Speak – Zombie Queen of Newbury High, Fairy Bad Day
Lucienne Diver -Flux – Vamped, Revamped, Fangtasic
Kiki Hamilton – Teen / Macmillian – The Faerie Ring
Jackie Morse Kessler – Harcourt Graphia – Hunger, Rage, Loss
Kitty Keswick – Leap Books – Freaksville, Furry & Freaked
Carrie Harris – Delacorte Books for Young Readers -Bad Taste In Boys
Shannon Delany – St. Martin’s Griffin – 13 to Life, Secrets and Shadows, Bargains and Betrayals
Dawn Ius – Leap Books – Spirited Anthology: Thread of the Past
Jeri Smith-Ready – Simon Pulse - Shade, Shift


A FREAKISHLY LOW COST

This dreadfully interactive author/reader program is FREE for libraries.

So, what does free get YOU?

- increased author/reader interaction
- increased literacy promotion
- opportunity for libraries and patrons to win swag / ARCS / signed copies of books
- opens doors for Skype author visits, opportunities to approach authors for teen book club chats in future, etc.
- gain a bit of “cool factor” as you feature authors in a popular genre
- authors are from across North America and libraries are therefore promoting local talent


TARGET AUDIENCES

Participants of public library fall reading program or teen book clubs.


HAIR-RAISING PROMOTION

THE BLOG TOUR

Throughout October, participating authors will answer blogger questions, write guest posts and offer cool prizes for young readers. By linking to these blogs – and learning more about the 15 authors on the tour – young readers will have a chance to win prizes like cool author swag or signed book copies, as well as an opportunity to win a Skype author visit from one of the participating authors.


LIVE CHAT

A two-hour live chat with Crossroads authors is being hosted on the popular Mundie Mums BLOG on Friday, October 28th from 9pm EST. All are welcome to participate and special SWAG giveaways will occur during the chat.


PROMO ITEMS

We’ll create a promotional poster you can download and print off or e-mail to your teen book club participants. Have a TV in your library? We’ll provide a high-quality, engaging trailer that will get kids talking. The trailer can be linked to your library website or blog, and will be posted to YouTube and each of the participating author websites.


TWITTER / FACEBOOK

Link to the Crossroads Twitter and Facebook pages for “teaser” tweets and updated event and contest information. Through these sites, your teen readers will have an opportunity to interact with the authors, and link up with other readers of the genre.


BOOK CLUB

Select one of the books from the participating authors and you could win a Skype (or in-person) author visit!


RACHEL VINCENT Skype Visit:

One, thirty-minute Skype visit with best-selling author, Rachel Vincent is up for grabs to public libraries only! Interested libraries are to promote the Crossroads tour (put a link up on their website, in library newsletters, etc) and forward proof of promotion efforts (take a pic or email us a link) to: bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com BEFORE midnight on October 31st to be entered in the draw. The winning library will be notified by email on November 1st.


READER REVIEWS

Teen readers will be invited to review the books by participating authors, or ask questions about everything from where inspiration comes from to writing a first draft of their own paranormal stories.


THE BRIDGE TEAM

We work creatively to provide a strategic plan that is less complicated and more fun than a big brand agency experience. Bridge is an independent company with two founding partners and no other hierarchies. That's right. We'll see your project through from start to finish -no passing you around to some intern like you're a hot potato. We're personable...heck, we'll even try and meet you in person. Huzzah!

Judith Graves is the smart and sassy author behind the young adult paranormal trilogy SKINNED. Librarian, singer, songwriter, author, and book club haunter, Graves loves all things a bit creepy. Thankfully, her sidekick, and lick-the-boogy-man-to-death Labrador retriever, Weeping Willow, is always nearby.

Dawn Ius is the brainier yet equally sassy author of adult thriller and paranormal romantic suspense fiction. She’s all heart and her soon-to-be blockbuster character, Jagger Valentine, is just the Cupid to prove it. Watch for HEARTLESS on bookshelves before you can say “Be mine.” Ius can be found at creepy crossroads with her family and three bull mastiff hounds. You know, just skulking around.

Bridge: where you want to go



Thursday, September 22, 2011

If I Die by Rachel Vincent


If I Die:
The entire school's talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee's no ordinary high-school junior. She's a banshee—she screams when someone dies.

But the next scream might be for Kaylee.

Yeah—it's a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee's going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend's needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren't quite human, either.

But Kaylee's borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life.

Anything.



Wow...just...WOW! With each new addition to the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent, the books become even more incredible. Honestly, if there was a way to give this book more than five stars, I would. This was definitely the best of the series so far, and if the series were to end with this book I would be completely fulfilled. But I know there is another book coming and I'm just as excited to read it as I was gratified by this one. This was the kind of book that makes reality fade to the background as you turn page after page, things in the "real" world became forgotten as I delved into Rachel's world. Each and every character is unique and in this book I felt a strong connection to every one of them. Throughout the entire novel, my emotions were running on high and it felt as if I was tearing off one of my own limbs every time I was forced to put the book down. Kaylee has to deal with some pretty intense personal issues in this book; and that includes looking closely at her relationship with Nash. In If I Die Kaylee reaches a turning point in her life, and whatever she decides will change not only her life, but that of those she cares about as well.






Theme Thursday (31)


Theme Thursdays

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event hosted by Reading Between Pages that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:
  • A theme will be posted each week (on Thursdays)
  • Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
  • Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
  • It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
    Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.


This week's theme is - SOUND/MUSIC

Tori couldn't breathe as she heard Ash sing. He had the most amazing voice. Low and deep, it sent shivers over her.
Good gods of Olympus...
She'd never heard this song before but the lyrics were beautiful...
Heaven's gate won't open up for me.
With these broken wings I'm fallin'
And all I see is you.

Acheron by Sherilyn Kenyon




Wednesday, September 21, 2011

My Book Boyfriend (36)



My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader, in which we swoon over boys in books!
(I--as in me, Amy--don't like to use commercial photos, I like to use the authors' descriptions and my imagination.)




Tod Hudson
Book: My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent
Series: Soul Screamers

He's a Reaper with the looks of an angel; blond curly hair, bright blue eyes, sexy thick boy-lashes, a strong, square jaw sporting a small goatee and perfect full lips always ready to quirk up into a lopsided grin. He can materialize wherever and when ever he wants, appearing only to those he chooses to see and hear him. He's practically immortal, so he'll never look older than the age of seventeen. Personality wise he's mischievous, clever, witty, sarcastic, passionate, kind and loyal. He'll do anything to protect those he loves, even if that entails telling harsh truths.




Quotes:


Tod didn't torment his mother or me much because he couldn't get such a rise out of us. My father and Nash were his favorite targets because they took themselves so seriously.


But Tod was watching me, and I could tell from the angry line of his jaw that he'd been listening long before he showed himself. He'd heard what Avari had done to me. What Nash had let him do.

"You want me to go?" Tod asked me, his back to his brother.

Nash implored me silently to say yes. Tod waited patiently.

"No, I said, looking right at Nash. He scowled and his shoulders sagged.

"Good." Tod stood and kicked the rolling chair out of his way.

[...]

Tod's very solid fist slammed into Nash's jaw. Nash's head snapped back. He stumbled into the wall. Tod shook his hand like it hurt. "That's for what you let him do to Kaylee."

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright


Red Riding Hood:
The blacksmith would marry her.
The woodcutter would run away with her.
The werewolf would turn her into one of its own.

Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.

After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town.

It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.



I originally began this book back in February of this year, and initially wrote it off as a DNF (Did Not Finish) post here, but I think I'm glad that I picked it up again and finally finished it. I think what truly bothered me most before was the marketing scheme they came up with to entice people to see the movie; by not revealing the identity of the wolf in the book. I still stand by my original thoughts of the characters as being dry and one-dimensional, but after having seen (and loved) the movie, I found it easier to visualize the story. Sarah Blakley-Cartwright was unfortunately lacking in the strength of "show don't tell." The strongest voice in the book was not that of the characters or their emotions; but instead was that of the narrator. I enjoyed the little bits of information that weren't in the movie. And though I knew the book didn't have an "ending," if it weren't for the blurb at the end of the book telling you to go to this website, I might have been satisfied.






Future Favorites (51)


Future Favorites is an awesome blog feature over at Electrifying Reviews. I post about a book that is yet-to-be-released and that I can't wait to read!





Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder:
Release Date: December 20, 2011 by Mira

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes 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 Territories, 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....