0 A Bad Day For Voodoo vs. The Hunger Game: Jeff Strand Guest Post by

Q: Is A Bad Day For Voodoo as good as The Hunger Games?

A: Well, I wouldn't say that. I guess it's up to the reader to decide.

Q: Did you really just compare your book to The Hunger Games?

A: No! All I said was that it’s up to the reader to decide.

Q: But apparently you think that A Bad Day For Voodoo is worthy to be in the same sentence as The Hunger Games.

A: Um, no, I’m not the one who put them in the same sentence. You did that,

Q: But did you stop me? Did you say “Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s stop this Q&A right here!”? You most certainly did not. You were just going to let it happen. That disgusts me, sir. Your book is not worthy to be mentioned in the same sentence. In fact, the word “voodoo” is not worthy to be in the same sentence as “hunger.”

A: I’m sorry.

Q: The Hunger Games is 100% pure awesomeness and I resent you saying that your book reaches those heights. The Hunger Games is kind of violent, though. If they could get rid of the violence, it would be even better. I should write my own version that doesn’t have any kids killing each other. That would be sweet. Is A Bad Day For Voodoo a wholesome tale that contains no violence?

A: Yes.

Q: Are you lying?

A: Yes.

Q: For shame.

A: The book isn’t...I mean, there’s some violence...but it’s funny violence.

Q: So you’re basically saying that your book represents everything that’s wrong in today’s society?

A: No, I wasn’t basically saying that. Look, you asked if it was as good as The Hunger Games, and I just said that readers can decide for themselves.

Q: Everybody knows it’s not, though. I mean, duh.

A: Have you even read it?

Q: I skimmed the back cover. Do you have anywhere to be for the next few hours? I could read it right now and tell you what I think.

A: Could I maybe go get some lunch or something and come back?

Q: No.

A: Okay.

[A Few Hours Pass...]

Q: Well, shut my mouth. A Bad Day For Voodoo is way better than The Hunger Games. In fact, it makes The Hunger Games look like somebody just slobbered on some paper and called it a book! If I had a copy with me, I’d punch it!

A: Thank you.

Q: I should have said that I’d shoot it with an arrow. That would’ve been a better Hunger Games reference. Lots of arrows are shot in that book.

A: Oh well. Too late now.

Q: Yeah. Anyway, everybody should go read The Hunger Games, and then if they want to read something better, they should read A Bad Day For Voodoo. Don’t read A Bad Day For Voodoo first, because it will ruin The Hunger Games for you because you’ll spend the whole time thinking “This isn’t as good as A Bad Day For Voodoo.”

A: No, it’s okay. They can read it first. I’m cool with that.

Q: Okay, so everybody should read The Hunger Games and A Bad Day For Voodoo in whatever order works best for their own personal schedule. Buy them both today!

0 Q&A with S.R. Ellis

1. Please tell us about your novel, After Life, Inc.
The After Life program was created to defy death. People no longer die, instead they are chipped and uploaded into a computer program to live out an eternally blissful existence.
Joshua has been confined to the After Life program for over 100 years and is put in charge of showing new arrival, Clara Jean, the ropes of living and surviving in the program. Clara Jean soon realizes The After Life program is not the peaceful utopia she was promised. Anyone under the age of 30 is a Minor and forced into slavery, expected to obey the Elders' every command without question or complaint. Joshua and Clara live in Pod 223 with 5 other Minors who now are the closest thing Clara Jean has to family. Together, Pod 223 begins the revolution to dismantle the most tyrannical corporation in Earth's existence and in doing so discover themselves and what they truly stand for.
2. What would be your ideal After Life program?
My After Life program would consist of the most beautiful beach on some weird planet in another galaxy. I would have access to a spaceship and be able to travel around wherever and whenever I wanted to. I would also have access to every book and comic book ever written, as well as every television show ever aired. It would be a geek's paradise.
3. Do you have a favorite character in this book?
My favorite character is Henry. I loved writing for him and I loved his personality. I feel like Henry and I would be best friends in real life. He is just so hilarious and lovable.
4. How many books do you have planned for this series?
I have three planned. But I don't like to deal in absolutes, so it is possible for only one more, or many more.
5. What's next for you?
Well, NaNoWriMo is coming up, so I will be partaking in that. I'm unsure which project I will be focusing on but there will be writing, that I can be certain of. My goal is to have my next full manuscript done by the end of the year. I think I can make it happen.
6. What's the scariest book you've ever read?
The scariest book I've ever read was Cujo by Stephen King. I had night terrors thinking about that dog attacking me. I was also 12, which might make more sense as to why I freaked out so much.
7. What's your favorite Halloween treat?
I love caramel apples. They are the absolute best. I even decided I would try to make my own this year. AHAHAHA. NEVER. AGAIN. It was a huge mistake. I need supervision when dealing with candied substances. Give me a cake recipe or brownies or frosting and I can whip them up in a heart beat. But caramel, candy things, or peanut brittle, I just can't do. It is embarrassing.
8. Are you going to dress up this year?
I'm going to be Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd! I'm so excited. AND I got all the parts of my costume for 16 dollars at Goodwill, including shoes!
9. What are you afraid of?
Everything. I'm one of the most phobic people on the planet. Birds. Bugs. Crawly things. The dark. It's an absolutely disaster. Yet, I love horror movies.
10. What's your favorite monster/supernatural creature?
Bigfoot. Hands down, he is the most terrifying.

My author's bio is as follows: S. R. Ellis resides in Charleston, SC. She is a television nerd, movie fanatic, sci fi geek, comic book enthusiast, and general follower of all things awesome. She likes hippie music and rap. www.facebook.com/srellisauthor
twitter @shaylawesome
www.ellisrae.blogspot.com

0 “Bake me I’m Yours” Cupcake Recipe

“Bake me I’m Yours” Cupcake

Raspberry cupcakes
Makes 12
1 pint of raspberries, reserve 12 for cupcakes
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 stick butter, at room temperature
¾ cup + 3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup cake flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin pan.
2. In a small bowl, smash the raspberries with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar. Strain and set aside.
3. Mix the butter and remaining sugar together until light and fluffy. (If using an electric mixer, cream for three to four minutes and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed).
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
6. Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture in three parts alternating with milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until combined after each addition.
7. Add in the raspberry mixture. Mix until combined.
8. Fill lined muffin pans 2/3 full with cupcake batter.
Place a raspberry in the center of each cupcake.
9. Bake for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
10. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool. It’s very important not to leave warm cupcakes in the pan or the cupcakes will become soggy.
Pink Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
Makes 1 ½ cups frosting

½ pint of rasperries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
A pinch of salt
2 cups + ½ tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream
Red food coloring

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, smash the raspberries with the lemon juice and ½ tablespoon sugar. Strain and set aside.
2. Beat the butter until smooth
3. Add the confectioner’s sugar and salt. Beat until most of the sugar is moistened, scrapind down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
4. When the mixture is fully combined, add the vanilla and the milk
5. Add the raspberry mixture and a drop of food coloring.
6. Increase the speed and beat until light and fluffy.
7. Frost Raspberry Cupcakes.

Recipe developed by Jessi Walter, Founder & Chief Bud at Taste Buds Kitchen (www.tastebudskitchen.com)

0 Review: Recipe For Trouble

Title: The Cupcake Club: Recipe for Trouble
Author: Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Published: October 1, 2012
paperback, 192 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-6452-8
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Suggested ages: 9 and up
Source: Publisher


Goodreads Summary:

Meet Lexi Poole. To Lexi a new school year means back to baking with her BFFs in the Cupcake Club. But club president, Kylie, is mixing things up by inviting new members. And Lexi is in for a not-so-sweet surprise when she is cast in the school's production of Romeo and Juliet. If only she was as confident on stage as she is in the kitchen. The icing on the cake: her secret crush is playing Romeo. Sounds like a recipe for trouble!
Can the girls' friendship stand the heat, or will the Cupcake Club go up in smoke?

My thoughts:
Recipe for Trouble by Sheryl and Carrie Berk is a cute book about a group of girls who are in a cupcake club. This is actually the second book in this series. I haven't read the first book, but I was able to follow along really well. Recipe for Trouble starts a few weeks before the new school year. Lexi is scared that the girls will grow apart during their separate vacations. She's also worried that the cupcake club will suffer as well. Lexi's fears are put to rest when everyone comes back together. However their sweet reunion is short lived when the girls have a disagreement. The girls' personalities are as different as the cupcakes they bake, and they have to find a way to resolve their issues before it destroys everything they've works so hard for.
This is a cute book with very likable characters. I think young girls of every age will enjoy reading about the Cupcake Club. This book is a big hit for me and my daughter. At the end of the book are a few cupcake recipes that is a great mother-daughter activity. The next book in this series is The Winner Bakes All.

My rating:

0 Review: Horrid Henry's Monster Movie

Title: Horrid Henry's Monster Movie
Author: Francesca Simon
Publisher: Soucebooks Jabberwocky
Published: Sept. 1 ,2012
paperback, 91 pages
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Ages: 7-10
ISBN-13:978-1-4022-7737-5
Source: Publisher


Goodreads Summary:
Contains four stories - Horrid Henry's Monster Movie, Horrid Henry's Horrid Weekend, Horrid Henry's Grump Card, Horrid Henry's Olympics.

My thoughts:
Just in time for Halloween, Horrid Henry gets into all sorts of trouble. Horrid Henry's Monster movie is a collection of four stories by Francesca Simon. The stories include: Horrid Henry's Monster Movie, Horrid Henry's Horrid Weekend, Horrid Henry's Grump Card, and Horrid Henry's Olympics. Each story follows the misadventures of Horrid Henry. It's fully of funny events that will leave kids giggling and probably new ideas of how to pull one over on their parents. The book contains illustrations by Tony Ross that fit the scenes perfectly. I think kids will get a kick out of Horrid Henry and his shenanigans.

My rating:

5 To Kill A Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Give@way

You’ve read the book…now see it come to life on movie screens nationwide!

For one day only on Thursday, November 15th, select movie theaters nationwide will show the award-winning film version of Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, in an event in honor of its 50th anniversary. In partnership with Fathom Events, Harper Perennial is offering YOU a chance to win 2 tickets for this event, plus a copy of the book!
PRIZE PACK: 2 tickets to the event at the movie theater nearest you and a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird
TO PARTICIPATE:
First: Click here for a list of participating theaters to confirm there is a screening of the event near you.
Second: Comment on this post and share it with your friends on your own blog/Facebook/Twitter! Please leave your twitter/facebook handle in the comments so I can be sure to contact you if you win.
**A winner will be selected at random by end of day Sunday, October 28th.
**To participate, first CONFIRM there is a movie theater in your area.

Good luck!
*Update: I used random.org to pick a winner. Congrats to Jason Bruce I'll be tweeting you :)

10 Sound Give@way Release Event

To celebrate the release of the 3rd book of the SOLID series,
Shelley Workinger has put together a giveaway game!
EVERY ENTRANT who COMPLETES the task will win
ebooks of BOTH “Solid” (Solid #1) AND “Settling” (Solid #2).
The GRAND PRIZE WINNER will win SIGNED COPIES of ALL 3 BOOKS,
including “Sound” (Solid #3) just as it hits the shelves on Nov. 1st!

The rules are simple:

1. Visit each blog on the list
2. Leave a quick comment to show you were there
3. Copy the image fragment and paste it into a Word .doc
There are 18 stops to visit, comment on, and collect pieces from;
once you’ve hit all 18 stops and assembled* all of the pieces to complete the image,
email your entry to the author at: SolidNovel@gmail.com.
4. Visit the author’s blog: But What Are They Eating?
and leave a comment letting her know you’ve sent in your completed entry.
ALL 4 STEPS are important because she will choose the Grand Prize Winner
from her blog comments (using Random.org) and then check her email to verify the entry.
*Don’t worry; the pieces are in order, so if you follow the list, it’ll be easy. :)

The Game runs from Oct. 25th through Oct. 31st;
last day to enter is Oct. 31st and winner will be chosen Nov. 1st.

Good luck and get gathering!
Here’s my piece:

And the rest of the stops:
1.  Books Devoured
2.  I’d So Rather Be Reading
3.  Paromantasy
4.  Book Lovers Inc.
5.  Magic of Reading
6.  Paranormal Indulgence
7.  Katie’s Book Blog
8.  One Book at a Time
9.  To Read or Not To Read
10. Wanted Readers
11. The Itzel Library
12. My Reading Room
13. Reading Teen
14. Confessions of a Bookaholic
15. Royal Reviews
16. Books with Bite
17. Skyla 11377
18. Me, My Shelf & I

THANKS FOR PLAYING!

0 Heaven Should Fall Guest Post by Rebecca Coleman

HEAVEN SHOULD FALL

Guest Post by REBECCA COLEMAN

What is your advice to other writers on how to effectively write from multiple points of view and still make each character sound genuine?

I take it as a high compliment when readers tell me I write a very convincing sexual predator. A good teenage boy, too. One of my most triumphant moments, pre-publication, was when my beta readers highly praised a scene in which the protagonist puts on contact lenses for the first time. I've never worn glasses. My vision is 20/20. That "write what you know" stuff? Bugger that.
One of the trickier aspects of writing a novel that makes use of multiple points of view is distinguishing the voices from one another-- and somehow silencing your own "accent" among every one of them. Ever read a story where each first-person character sounds suspiciously like the same actor wearing a different stick-on mustache? I hate that. Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible was a revelation for me because I could open the book up to any page-- any page-- and know exactly which of the women was speaking. My own challenge, with Heaven Should Fall, was to be a 21-year-old man turned homegrown terrorist. And his girlfriend. And his mom.
Some of this is ephemeral: an ear for dialogue, a sense that it "sounds right." But other tricks are honest-to-God gadgets in my writer's toolbox. Men use fewer pronouns than do women, and more directional terms: that's what I learned from the "Gender Genie," an online tool for analyzing whether a writing sample is the work of a male or a female, and I have to admit that generalization bears out. Regional speech patterns, now only a search-box away thanks to YouTube, are another good marker. In Heaven Should Fall, two of my point-of-view characters are from rural New Hampshire. Entire days of my writing process went into watching "Regional Dialect Meme" videos on YouTube and researching colloquial slang. Getting these things pitch-perfect, so far as we are able, can't be underestimated. I loved Emma Donoghue's Room, but when her American character jokingly calls her son "slowcoach," my suspension of disbelief dropped me right into the abyss. When have you ever heard an American say "slowcoach"? They don't. (Though they don't say "bugger" either, so I suppose I make an unconvincing American author.)
The crucial point is to seek variance among the voices. My character Cade is more apt to focus on mechanical details, employ profanity, break into snarky asides and use an adverb at the end of a sentence; his mother Leela peppers her speech with the religious leanings that are never far from her mind, apologizes for herself, and will speak a whopper of a truth in five small words. Each of these qualities distinguishes them from Jill, the protagonist, who carries the burden of the unfolding narrative. None of that is an accident, because outlining in your mind how a character will speak is as important as outlining the story.
And finally, never lose sight of each character's motivation, because motivation is the last word in informing voice. Every character wants something different, and each speaks from a place of seeking it. Bear that in mind always, and you can be confident that their voices and yours will not sound suspiciously alike. Which is a good thing, since I write a mean sexual predator.

Excerpt:
Cade unlocked the door, and Elias stepped inside. He set his pack down on the floor beside the futon and looked around: at the mannequin head with the dart stuck in it, the poster of
a trio of blonde girls in bikinis posing on a beach, the dryerase board above the old metal desk that was the central piece of furniture in the living room. He caught sight of the photo clipped to Stan’s computer monitor—of Stan in a black suit and tails, popping out his lapels with his thumbs and flanked by two transvestites in full regalia.

Be sure to check out the other stops on the tour by visiting http://booktrib.com/blog-tour-heaven-should-fall-by-rebecca-coleman/

1 T. Lynne Tolles Guest Post

Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,
Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"
- Dexter Kozen
Now days we think of Halloween as a time of candy, kids and "Tom-Foolery", but that wasn't always the case. Take for instance in medieval times when people foraged and harvested until their bones ached in hopes that they had gathered and stored enough food for their loved ones to survive the long winter months. Halloween was the beginning of the worrisome times to come and I think Dexter Kozen quote conjures up that sentiment.
We forget just how hard life was back then for all our favorite Halloween characters. Witches for instance were once respected people with great knowledge of herbal medicines and remedies. In fact the Old English wicce, means "wise woman". But as we all know that was all changed by the narrow views of the church and the superstitions they promoted about such people.
Soon black cats got a bad rap, because it was believed they were witch's familiars who protected their master's dark magic powers. Although, in England it is the white cats, not the black that are believed to be bad luck. It was even said that if you saw a spider on Halloween it it was the spirit of a loved one watching over you. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have a black cat next to me than a spider. Some believed in Medieval Europe that owls were witches and if you heard a owls call, someone was about to die - Yikes!
I came across something in my reading that might account for why people associate witches with flying on broomsticks. Aparantly in England when new witches were initiated into their coven, they were blindfolded, smeared with some sacred "flying ointment", and placed on a broomstick. The ointment would confuse the new witches mind, speed up the pulse and numb the feet. They would then tell the new witch, "You are flying!" The new witch taking the elder witches at their word believed them - Talk about hazing!
My hope, from this blog post, that you might walk away with a new respect for witches, cats and our ancestors and Halloween as a whole. For we would have never made it here without our ancestors and Halloween would not be the same without our beloved witches.
Happy Halloween - be happy and safe.

Book Description:

Ella McKaye returns home for her grandmother's funeral to find she's inherited a ton of money and a run down mansion she never knew existed, called Grey Manor. Her greedy mother is appalled when the will stipulates specifically that Ella can't give her any of the inheritance.  She quickly throws Ella out of her home forcing her to take up immediate residence in the spooky old mansion.

Within minutes of entering her new home she has a strange interaction with a creepy old mirror in the main hallway and the ghostly inhabitants of the past get more and more agitated the longer Ella's there. Nearly fatal back to back accidents make Ella start to wonder if she's angered some ghost or if there is something more sinister at work.

Will Ella unravel the deadly mystery before she becomes a ghost herself? Or will fate take another one of the Grey ancestors to the grave.

Short Excerpt:

It was a perfect day for a funeral, if there is such a thing—gloomy, gray, and cold. With steady tears of rain, the heavens seemed to be mourning along with the funeral guests. Though Ella stood strong as the pastor droned on, she would never be consolable for the loss of her beloved grandmother, Rose Grey McKaye. Ella had known for a while this day was coming as her grandmother combatted bouts of cancer, a stroke, and dementia, but all of that was not enough to prepare her for the overwhelming loss she now felt.

Ella heard no voices of condolences from those who one by one took her hand in sympathy. She only heard the rain tapping on the shiny mahogany casket covered in a blanket of chrysanthemums and peonies in front of her. Occasionally she would nod her head to the speaking sympathizer but she never took her eyes off of the coffin. Instead, she watched as a drop of water hung to the tip of a fern frond, gathering more volume until it could no longer hold on and dropped down the curved lid of the casket, and then meandered down the side stopping only for a moment by one of the carrying handles. It continued down to mingle with other drops at the base of the aluminum stand. It lingered and swelled until it could no longer resist the relentless tug of gravity and it fell to the fake green grass carpet laid out to disguise the recently excavated mound of dirt from the grave into which her grandmother would soon be lowered.

The long line of umbrella-toting guests passed before her then scattered among the graveyard to their warm, dry cars to go on with their lives. How odd, Ella thought, that time doesn’t stop for a moment to acknowledge the passing of one so loved. She felt sure that she hadn’t taken a breath since she had received the call two days before, notifying her that her grandmother had died. How would she ever survive life without her grandmother?

Ella’s childhood had been hard and she’d grown up fast and insecure in herself. The only happy memories she’d had as a child were in those blessed, short-lived visits to Grandma Rose’s house where Ella knew without a doubt she was welcome, safe, and loved.

Ella’s mother had not been a bad person, but Ella had learned at an early age that she was an anchor to her mother’s freedom. Patricia had been widowed when Ella was a toddler. She had no family of her own to speak of, and found herself a single mother with no job and no real skills. First the parade of men came, none of which ever seemed to measure up to her late husband, and then came the drugs which made the unhappy, lonely woman lost and unstable. Needless to say, this brought about a rather turbulent life for Ella’s early years.

A warm hand touched Ella from behind, guiding her away from the men now lowering the casket into its new home. They cleared away the fake grass carpet, revealing the reality and finality of what was happening. Goodbye Grandma Rose, Ella said without speaking. I love you so...and the car door shut on Ella’s words and pulled away from the curb as its wipers slapped the sides of the windshield with a squeaky but constant beat.

 

About the Author:

T. Lynne Tolles is a lifelong avid reader of all things paranormal and now is a writer of young adult paranormal romances for readers 15 to 115. She grew up in the sunny California San Francisco bay area. She's the mother of two, wife to one and pet mom to three cats and Newfie dog.

Blood of a Werewolf is the first of five books in a series called, the Blood Series. Other titles include Somber Island and Mirror of Shadows - both unrelated to the series.

Website:  http://tlynnetolles.netfirms.com 

Blog: http://tlynnetolles.netfirms.com/blog/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/tlynnetolles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T.LynneTolles.Author

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4132968.T_Lynne_Tolles

LibraryThing: http://www.librarything.com/home/tlynnetolles

Kindlegraph: http://kindlegraph.com/authors/tlynnetolles

Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/tlynnetolles

0 Review: Wisdom of the House of Night Oracle Cards

Goodreads Summary:
For the fans of the best-selling House of Night series, the Wisdom of the House of Night Oracle Cards provides a unique interactive experience with the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Packaged in a keepsake box with a guidebook, the deck contains fifty gorgeously illustrated cards, many of which are based on characters in the books.

To begin, simply ask Nyx a question: What should I do in this situation? What is going on with my relationship? What will result from my next action? Then select a card and consult the guidebook to discover the message that Nyx intends for you. Just like Zoey Redbird and the other fledglings of the House of Night, you will be encouraged to trust your intuition and make powerful decisions about your life!

The Wisdom of the House of Night Oracle Cards is an original divination system, created by P. C. Cast and oracle expert Colette Baron-Reid. It draws inspiration from the Tarot, Norse runes, and the I Ching, but no special expertise is required to use these cards. The illustrations are by digital artist Jena DellaGrottaglia.

My thoughts:
If you're familiar with the House of Night series, you'll know who the Goddess Nyx is. She's the one Zoey seeks guidance from constantly. Now anyone can get guidance from Nyx by using the Wisdom of the House of Night Cards. The cards are beautifully illustrated. They come with a guidebook that is easy to understand. It explains the meaning of the cards, how to ask your questions, and gives the story of the oracle, Nyx. This is perfect for the ultimate House of Night fan.

0 Review: Samantha Sutton and the Labyrinth of Lies

Title: Samantha Sutton and the Labyrinth of Lies
Author: Jordan Jacobs
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Published: October 1, 2012
Paperback arc, 352 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7560-9
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Recommended Ages: 9 and up
Source: Publisher


Goodreads Summary:

A legendary ghost, an ancient treasure, a mystery only Samantha Sutton can solve.
What happens when Indiana Jones meets Nancy Drew? You get Samantha Sutton, twelve year-old archaeology buff with sharp wit and an insatiably curious personality. SAMANTHA SUTTON AND THE LABYRINTH OF LIES is the incredible page-turner about a young girl from California who is given the chance to follow her archaeologist uncle to the excavation of an ancient Peruvian temple.
What she doesn’t expect, though, is the legend haunting this ancient site. When important artifacts begin to disappear overnight, Samantha must navigate the disapproving eye of her uncle’s acerbic assistant, the bungling boyishness of her annoying big brother, and the ever-present stories swirling among the locals of the hysterical spirit that wanders through the town late at night. Using her keen sensibility and her knack for mapping the unknown passageways of Chavín de Huántar, Samantha uncovers a mystery far bigger than she could have ever imagined. This is a novel for children (and adults!) who love history, mystery, and heart-stopping plot-twists.

My thoughts:
If the child me could have been a character in a book, I would have been Samantha Sutton. Samantha is a twelve-year-old girl who has a love for all things that have to do with archaeology. She also has a cool uncle who is an archaeologist who has agreed to take her on one of his digs in South America. However it's not as fun as Samantha thought it would be. First of all, her brother has to come with them. They don't get along. Second, she has to work with her uncle's moody assistant. Third, artifacts start to disappear from their work site, and people are blaming, el loco, a local legend.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I am fascinated by archaeology and history. I love that Jordan Jacobs didn't skimp and gloss over those aspects in the story line. She really took care to mold this story into one people who love adventure and mystery would appreciate. The age suggestion is for ages nine and up. While I think some nine-year-olds would love this book, I think it would be a better fit for kids ten and up. This book deals with some issues that might go over the heads of younger children. I am also thrilled to know that this book isn't the end of Samantha's adventures. I can't wait to read more by this author in Samantha Sutton and the Stronghold of the Warrior Queen.

My rating:

0 Jordan Jacobs Guest Post & Give@way

Scary Stories

There may be some truth to the saying that some things are best left buried.  But that’s a luxury we can't always afford.

I was one of a team of archaeologists brought in for a quick study near a big American city, where a major freeway overpass was to be expanded.  When the original road was built in the 1930’s, an ancient cemetery had been discovered and partly destroyed. Development rules had changed since then, thank goodness, and this time proper study would be done.

Before the project began, we were shown the grainy old photos of construction workers, holding up the skulls they’d found.   A seasoned archaeologist can still feel uncomfortable disturbing the dead, even if only to save the remains from destruction.  But we had other concerns, as well.

Some came from the sky.  According to the construction team, some 200,000 cars used the overpass each day, 70 feet above our heads. Several seemed to shed a piece or two as they raced across the skyway.  A few times a week, a hubcap would come spinning towards us through the air likely a deadly UFO, shooting up showers of sparks on its impact with the pavement.  Bottles and cans were more common, raining down several times a day.

There was also danger from below.  Between its use as an ancient cemetery and the present day, the land had served dangerous purposes.  We were warned to look out for electrical wires as we dug through the greasy black sand--a near impossible task, given the wires’ greasy black color and the speed at which we had to work.  Some of these wires were still live, they told us. and if we accidentally severed them their contact with the damp soil could electrocute us all.

Worse, the area had once been a major military installation--used as terrain for training exercises, a weapons factory, and a munitions dump.  A similar site had been excavated nearby just weeks before, and an unearthed vial of poison gas from the First World War had sent archaeologists to the hospital with burns and blistered lungs.  But it was the naval mines we were supposed to be especially cautious of--those cartoonish, spiked, and floating balls designed to blow up ships.  They were known to have been produced here in great number, and their many decades underground had likely made their detonating mechanisms weak and unpredictable.  One wrong move was all it would take, the foreman warned us.  A misplaced poke of a shovel or trowel would blow us up, sky high.

When we weren’t dodging and ducking and fearing electrocution with every poke at the sand, we were working hard, illuminating the lives of the people who had laid their loved ones to rest here, five hundred years before.  I remember one burial especially well. It was a young woman, whose badly broken leg may well have led to her painful, early death.  Her agony was almost palpable still.  But the fine necklace around her neck spoke to who she was.  It was made of hundreds of tiny panels, a work of precious beauty, and I used tweezers to collect each bead for her reburial by a present day, local tribe.

This is the nature of the job.  For all the danger and adventure that can accompany archaeology, there’s a great sense of responsibility, as well.   We owe a debt to the people who came before us, and to any living people who hold a stake in a specific part of the past.  Archaeologists take this dual responsibility very, very seriously, and happily take on the occasional associated risk.

Giveaway

Thanks to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky I have a copy of Samantha Sutton and the Labyrinth of Lies to give away to a lucky reader. This giveaway is for US addresses only. You must be at least 13 years old to enter. Good luck! 

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0 A Spooktacular Give@way

Thanks to Sourcebooks I have a fantastic giveaway to offer to you. Four Spooktacular Books for every age! To enter, you must be at least 13 years old. This giveaways is open to US/CA addresses only. Good luck!

Horrid Henry’s Monster Movie by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross
Horrid Henry & the Zombie Vampire by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross
Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin
A Bad Day for Voodoo by Jeff Strand

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1 Elizabeth Kolodziej Guest Post

Hello everyone, I am Elizabeth J. Kolodziej and one of my favorite parts about writing is the researching involved. Especially when it comes to creatures of the paranormal design. Currently, I have finished up a novella for Sizzler Editions staring Sultrus from Demon Protection Plan (part of an anthology, The Sexiest Time of the Year: Erotic Encounters at the Yule Season).
I find demons to be mysterious because I haven’t written about them much and my mom is worried about me doing so (dark creatures should always be revered). Yet vampires she has no problem with! Go figure. Anyways, when writing about a new type of creature, as a writer, I am creating a brand new world with rules I have to follow, therefore, the research is very important.
For instance, I have to decide if demons are capable of love. What do I do to figure this out? I go to the library, which is also known as my living room. I have my own demon encyclopedia I got years ago. It lists hundreds of demons and their stories, which of course interests me since demonology isn’t a subject heard around the water cooler.
Certain books on the subject I would love to read and am not able to, but I digress. The stories, in the book I have, of actual demons don’t appear to ever involve love, however this is paranormal romance erotica, so I have to do something, but I want to stay true to what a demon actually is.
So my thought process takes me to the question: what are demons associated with? Lust! To solve my dilemma after looking at the pieces to this puzzle I end up with the following explanation. This is Sultrus speaking with Serena (both demons) about bonding and what it means for a demon:

“With a lingering suspicion she puckered her lips before making a smacking sound with her tongue. “Because demons are normally born as demons, and not at some point a human; they are incapable of bonding for life the same way vampires and humans do. As demons we are not born with the ability or knowledge of love, the closest emotion being that of lust. However, we do have an innate talent for protecting that which we believe to be our property. Do you see where the difference lies?”
“People who fall in love to create that strong bond don’t see the one they love as property?”
“Bingo, baby.” She pointed her finger at me like a gun and winked at me.”

TA DA! I have now created a rule I have to follow with demons unless of course I figure out some way to break the rule, which does happen in lots of books all the time. However, it’s normally good to stick to the rules I create so readers don’t find me wishy-washy.
At the end of the day, this is how and why I research, because I come up with amazing ideas like that! Not to toot my own horn, however, I was just really excited with that concept for the story. Don’t ask me why. I get excited about the oddest things sometimes! (Most times).
A big thank you to 2 Read or Not 2 Read for having me on their blog for a guest post. I really hope you enjoyed my ranting and if you liked that sneak peak at my novella, From Demon, With Love, I hope you will check out my other stories, not all of which are erotica. The Last Witch Series is pure PNR (paranormal romance), which you can check out at www.vampyrekisses.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ejkolodziej
Buy link for Vampyre Kisses: http://amzn.to/MipKE8
Buy link for Sexiest Time of the Year: http://amzn.to/NKVwpe
Twitter: @ejkolodziej
Like me: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vampyre-Kisses/121023447917851

0 D.J. McIntosh Guest Post and Give@way

The Antagonist

To deserve its name, suspense fiction hangs on how convincing the threat is. And that means an antagonist who’s worthy of the name. As a crime writer, bad guys are never far from my thoughts but they always seem to get short shrift, even though without them, the entire genre would disappear. In order to meet the constraints of the formula, they get their just deserts in the end, as they should, but that’s not what I mean. How much ink has been spilled to help writers develop a tight and racy plot, or formidable central character? But we hear much less about the antagonist(s) whose malevolent ways drive the book.
And yet, what wonderful villains literature has given us. It’s Satan who’s the truly gripping character in Paradise Lost, Moriarty who comes closest to matching wits with Sherlock Holmes, and Silas, the frightening monk in the Da Vinci Code who is the most memorable.
A common criticism is failure to create “depth of character” in a novel’s antagonist. The more one sided a character is, the less we are told about why s/he is evil, the poorer the quality of the book. Is that really true?  Mrs. Danvers in Daphne Du Maurier’s “Rebecca” is quite one dimensional – pure incarnate evil. It is difficult to think of her deep possessiveness as anything remotely approaching love, and we learn little about her background that would explain her motivations. It took a whole new book written over a hundred years later - Jean Rhys’s wonderful “The Wide Sargasso Sea” – to show us another side of the mad and violent Mrs. Rochester.  And yet both these characters are so grippingly real, they threaten, at times, to overwhelm the others.
I would say that the more powerfully drawn the antagonist is, the ‘scarier’ the plot, the deeper the sense of threat, and the higher are the stakes, for the novel’s leading man or woman. In The Witch of Babylon art dealer John Madison faces several enemies all of whom are modern day alchemists. In some cases, he doesn’t learn their identities until the end of the book.  If we can recognize deep within us, echoes of the same emotions that drive a villain’s actions, or find the author has mirrored experiences in real life about the damage such people can inflict, that is what makes for a great read.

About the book: Out of the searing heat and sandstorms of the infamous summer of 2003 in Baghdad comes The Witch of Babylon, a gripping story rooted in ancient Assyrian lore and its little-known but profound significance for the world.

John Madison is a Turkish-American art dealer raised by his much older brother, Samuel, a mover and shaker in New York's art world. Caught between his brother's obsession with saving a priceless relic looted from Iraq's National Museum and a deadly game of revenge staged by his childhood friend, John must solve a puzzle to find the link between a modern-day witch and an ancient one.

Aided by Tomas, an archaeologist, and Ari, an Iraqi photojournalist—two men with their own secrets to hide—John races against time to decipher a biblical prophecy that leads to the dark history behind the science of alchemy. Kidnapped by villainous fortune hunters, John is returned to Iraq, where a fabulous treasure trove awaits discovery—if he can stay alive long enough to find it.

Giveaway

Thanks to Tor/Forge I have a copy of The Witch of Babylon to give away to a lucky reader. You must be at least 13 years old to enter. This giveaway is for US addresses only. Good luck!

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0 Review: The Burning House: What Would You Take?

Title: The Burning House: What Would You Take?
Author: Foster Huntington
Publisher: !t Books
Published: July 10, 2012
paperback, 280 pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-212348-0
Genre: Non-fiction
Source: Publisher

Goodreads Summary:
Your house is burning. You have to get out fast. Suddenly you are forced to prioritize, editing down a lifetime of possessions to a mere handful. Now you must decide: Of all the things you own, what is most important to you?

My thoughts:
The Burning House: What Would You Take by Foster Huntington is a fascinating book that takes a look into people's lives when they answer the question: If your house was on fire, what would you take? This question is answered by people of all ages, professions, and nationalities. Every list is different. Some lists are long, some are short, some come with an explanation as to why the items are chosen. Each list is accompanied by a photograph of the listed items. This is a neat book to read. I enjoyed looking through it and discovering what people treasured most. This would make a great coffee-table book that would promote interesting discussions. The idea for this book started from the website: http://theburninghouse.com/. If you're interested in reading this book, you should check it out. It's fascinating.
After I finished reading this book, I asked myself what I would take if my house was burning down. It's not really an easy question to answer as I thought. There are so many precious memories that I'd like to save if I could, but I suppose as long as my family and pets were safe, that is all that would matter. I'd probably grab my Kindle on the way out too. What would you take?

My rating:

0 Review: Troll Hunters by Michael Dahl

Title: Troll Hunters
Author: Michael Dahl
Publisher: Capstone
Published: August 1, 2012
Hardcover, 320 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4342-4590-8
Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal
Source: Publisher



Goodreads Summary:
Evil and danger rumbles under the earth. Follow the adventures of a group of contemporary teenagers who discover that their town, and ultimately the entire world, is under attack by fierce creatures from deep beneath the earth. These creatures were known to the earliest humans as trolls or goblins, but they are much more dangerous than their fairy-tale versions. The teens make unlikely allies along the way, including a half-man, half-troll, as well as some legendary constellations that quite literally come to life. The young heroes will also discover their own untapped celestial abilities in an epic battle between good versus evil.
A thrilling, suspenseful fantasy novel
Set in an ordinary small town, a group of kids ban together to fight off mythical creatures

My thoughts:
The Troll Hunters by Michael Dahl is an adventurous story about a group of kids that have to save the world from trolls. It starts on the night of the meteor shower. From the beginning everything seemed kinda off. That was just the beginning. Four kids from the town of Zion Falls discover they have the power to stop the trolls from taking over the world.
This book is filled with some very interesting characters. Dahl did a great job with keeping up suspense and suspicion. The book has high adventure and action. It also has great illustrations that complement the story. I think this book would be great for kids that like a lot of action. It has some violence, but it's not overly done. This book would be great for both boys and girls, but I think boys would really like it.

A note of caution:for parents: a few characters in this book died. This might disturb some kids.

My rating:

0 Q&A with Debra Chapoton

1. Please tell us about Sheltered?
Living together unsupervised, five troubled teens confront demonic forces and are compelled to deal with their problems in distinctly different ways.
High school junior, Ben, hacks into his step-father's real estate holdings and provides rooms in an old two-story house to various outcasts: the schizophrenic kid, the angry Goth girl, and the homeless girl who worships him. When Megan needs a place to live she comes to the rooming house with a different set of problems and the ability to confuse and attract Ben.
One by one strange and mysterious occurrences stretch the teens’ beliefs in the supernatural. How they deal with demons, real and imagined, has tragic as well as redeeming consequences.

2. Which character was the most fun to write? why?
The angry Goth girl, Cori, was fun to invent. She is based on several different students I’ve had who projected hostility but were marshmallows inside. Cori gets to be smart, mean, clever, angry, and holds the power in the house.

3. Which character was the least fun to write? Why?
It was not fun to shape the schizophrenic kid. That required a bit more research though again I had a couple of former students for inspiration.

4. What made you want to write a novel for young adults?
I have spent nearly my entire life in high school. Who else would I write for? I am passionate about teen life - coming of age - that whole period of time is so exciting and at the same time so scary. What happens in high school stays with you forever.

5. What do you hope to say to people with your writing?
I hope people get a few hours of enjoyment from reading my books and that they think about consequences and mistakes. Mistakes are rarely fatal. I love mistakes. I think I’ve learned a lot from other people’s mistakes and even more from my own, so if I can pass on to others some thought provoking situations (what to do, what not to do) that would be great.

6. What is your favorite thing about the writing experience?
I absolutely love, love, love how the characters take over the action and leave me wondering what will happen next. I write by the seat of my pants, have a general idea of the direction I want to go in, and then hang on to the keyboard as words appear on the screen.

7. What is the last book you've read?
Immortal Mine by Cindy Bennett, my favorite indie author.

8. What do you do when you're not writing?
I read, play a lot of games, research, teach, watch TV and eat too much.

9. What's on your desk?
Books, carpal tunnel braces, remote controls, a camera, and the laptop.

10. What projects do you have planned for the future?
I am setting up the marketing for “The Guardian’s Diary” which will probably be out next spring. It’s about a teen boy who was born with a gruesome deformity that causes him to drag his foot. He faces some tough challenges and dangerous decisions. The story is told through the eyes of his guardian angel.
Right now I am working on a young adult novel in which the teen characters maneuver through a supernatural world, yet there are neither angels nor demons in this story.

Debra's Bio:
Debra Chapoton has taught kids of all ages in her main career as a teacher. She has a BA in Spanish and a Master of Arts degree in Teaching English. She started writing in 2002 and was surprised to find out that the characters quickly take over the action and dialogue in the stories.
Her first YA novel, Edge of Escape, was self-published and then discovered by Piper Verlag Publishing and translated into German. Stalking and obsession get a sympathetic twist in this story of physical and psychological survival.
Her second YA novel, Sheltered, detours into a different genre as she writes about five teens who confront supernatural forces. Two boys and three girls all harbor secrets which make some of them susceptible to demon possession. Embracing all things supernatural might protect them, but are they ready for the consequences?
Chapoton has also written eleven chapter books for middle grade kids and a non-fiction work for adults, Crossing the Scriptures.
When she’s not writing Chapoton enjoys the quiet of the full log home she designed and built with her husband. They live in the middle of 62 acres of beautiful woods in northern Michigan.

Author: Debra Chapoton

Websites: www.edgeofescape.blogspot.com 

                www.bigpinelodgebooks.com 

Blurb for Sheltered:

Living together unsupervised, five troubled teens confront demonic forces and are compelled to deal with their problems in distinctly different ways. Paranormal meets psycho meets Goth in this story of a supernatural haunting and budding love.

High school junior, Ben, hacks into his step-father's real estate holdings and provides rooms in an old two-story house to various outcasts: the schizophrenic kid, the angry Goth girl, and the homeless girl who worships him. When Megan needs a place to live she comes to the rooming house with a different set of problems and the ability to confuse and attract Ben.

One by one strange and mysterious occurrences stretch the teens’ beliefs in the supernatural. How they deal with demons, real and imagined, has tragic as well as redeeming consequences.

Purchase Links: 

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008TQ0PB6 Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Sheltered-Debra-Chapoton/dp/1475249993/ref=sr

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sheltered-debra-chapoton/1112412513?ean=2940014940177 

0 Looking for a spooky book to read? Try one of these:

0 Excerpt: Iced by Karen Marie Moning

Iced: A Dani O'Malley Novel (Fever Series) by Karen Marie Moning

0 Sci-Fi Matters, Guest Post and Give@way by Harry Steinman

Want your writing to be read in 1,000 years? Look to Science Fiction for a Clue.
     Science fiction matters, but not as a forecast of future events. Where are the flying cars? Eternal youth? Meal-in-a-pill?
     The under-rated literary category offers top-notch entertainment—and an overlooked benefit. The success of certain sci-fi stories holds a key to your own writing success.
     Technical fiction—use that term if the rocket ships, ray guns, mages and alternate histories some associate with science fiction distract you—is an excellent barometer to measure society’s fears about technology-wrought change. Writers have employed the backbone themes of sci-fi for thousands of years. Tales involving hubris, the mad scientist, monsters, and playing God strike a chord with the reader, and have for millennia.
     Set your Way Back Machine and travel with me some 3500 years in the past to consider one of mankind’s earliest technical thrillers. You’ll recognize this tale immediately. You may be surprised to find that it appears, not only where you remember it, but also in ancient Sumerian’s cuneiform inscriptions, in Sanskrit seals, in the Koran, in Aztec and other native peoples’ stories. Most likely, you know the story from Genesis, Chapter 11: the Tower of Babel.
     Technical thriller? Indeed! The survivors of the Great Flood (another cross-cultural story) elect to build “a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven…” (as grand a goal for its time as H. G. Wells’s First Men on the Moon was for his).  The ancients fired “brick for stone”. That’s your disruptive technology. Bricks, which replaced sun-dried mud, permitted vertical building and gave rise to the city-state. Bricks placed nomadic life on the path to obsolescence and created social upheaval.
     The Tower of Babel account still resonates because it employs one of the oldest literary devices, metaphor, and one of the oldest themes in science fiction, playing God—hubris. “The Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this [building the tower] is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.’”
     The rest is history, or metaphor, if you prefer. Individual city-states produced individual cultures, languages and fragmented society. That accounting is uninteresting. Add metaphor, create a mythology, and the story has legs.
     Other early sci-fi writers used these tools successfully. Icarus’s ill-fated flight towards the sun or Belleraphon’s abortive flight to Mt. Olympus are metaphors that represent hubris.
     Fast-forward to modern times and you’ll encounter the stubborn persistence of the theme. Read no further than Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park and you’ll find technologists playing God with DNA. Monster stories are as old as darkness, but I believe that Crichton struck a vein when he married technology and mythology. That, and damned good writing.
     Another long-lived premise is that of the unhinged individual in control of limitless power, the Mad Scientist. I explored this subject in my novel, Little Deadly Things, the story of a scientist whose mastery of nanotechnology makes her the world’s wealthiest woman—and the most dangerous. Want an ancient version of the same story? Try King Midas, who, like other individuals in possession of unlimited power, comes to a bad end.
     I believe that the conscious use of our primal mythologies blended with modern technology produces great stories. If you want to call them science fiction, so be it.
     Literature’s answer to playing God (a term coined in the 1931 film version of Frankenstein) is technology in service to mankind. Think of Isaac Asimov’s beneficent robots, harnessed by the Three Laws of Robotics. Consider the second Terminator movie, in which a new cyborg must protect John Connor from an even more powerful and advanced Terminator, the T-1000. Look to Marta Cruz in Little Deadly Things, a character who melds nanotechnology with ancient rainforest medicines for the good of an ailing world.
     When writers grok the relationship between technical change and mythology, they add to their inventory of time-tested literary devices.  Imbue good writing with technical knowledge and mythology and the results just might be a damned good thriller that stays popular, millennium after millennium.
     I’ll tell you if it works for Little Deadly Things. Just look me up in a thousand years and we’ll compare notes.

About the Author  Harry Steinman's life experience includes stints as a box boy in a toilet paper factory, security guard, a recruiter in a toy factory, a hippie commune leader, a substitute math teacher, an accountant, a New Age religious community troublemaker, and dog trainer--the perfect pedigree of a novelist. Today, Harry is at work on All Dead Generations--the sequel to Little Deadly Things


About Little Deadly Things  What happens when abusive parents raise brilliant children? You might get a saint. You might get a killer. Or you might get one of each.
Nanotechnology made Eva Rozen the world’s wealthiest woman. Rage made her the deadliest. Only one-time friend Marta Cruz can stand between Eva and the death of millions. But will a crippling illness stop Marta first?
Published by Alloy Press. Available on Amazon or at www.littledeadlythings.com
“... a work of descriptive art, with a sense of futuristic realism. I was riveted, page after wonderful page.” - Thomas M. Cirignano, 67 Cents: Creation of a Killer

“... A union of art and science in this thriller ... marvelous characters amidst an age of nanotechnological advancement. Harry Steinman rips today's discoveries from the laboratory and into an emotion-laden thriller with the promise - and peril - of this emerging science.” - L. R. Drennan-Harris, Ph.D. Analytical Chemist

“... Little Deadly Things introduces the brilliant but psychotic Eva Rozen, a Boston scientist tormented by both her past and her present. Her mystery and madness propel the reader, revealing surprises at every turn.” - Deborah Swiss, The Tin Ticket

Giveaway

Harry Steinman is giving away three copies of  Little Deadly Things to some lucky readers. These are ARC copies. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is for US addresses only. Good luck!

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0 Q&A with Anya Wylde

1. Please tell our readers about The Wicked Wager.
The ‘Wicked Wager’ is a light hearted humorous romance and murder mystery set in the Regency era. It is difficult to slot the book under a particular genre. It has comedy, romance, mystery, and a whole lot of madness.
The book begins with Lord Richard Hamilton, the protagonist of the story, wanting to marry his fiancée Emma as soon as possible. But Emma’s uncle, the very powerful Duke of Arden, disapproves of a quick wedding. Richard makes a plan to fool the duke and move up the wedding date. His plan is simple enough, but as soon as he sets it in motion, a whole lot of obstacles crop up which end up culminating in a murder. He is one of the suspects and the trip to the altar turns into a possible trip to Gael instead.

2. You give Lord Richard Hamilton a rough time in this book. Was he a fun character to write? 
Richard was a lot of fun to write. He is not an alpha male but a normal fellow in love and desperate to marry his fiancé. He is easy to relate to, and his banter with Emma is something that one would find in real life relationships. He is fun, spoilt, and extremely naughty.

3. What made you decide to write a book set in the Regency era in England?
I love the Regency era. It has a romantic and gothic atmosphere that is a perfect backdrop for a mystery. The strict society, crazy fashion sense, and delicate sensibilities of the era gave me a lot of fodder for comedy and romance.

4. What is your favorite scene from this book? why?
 I love the mouse and cheese scene because even after so many edits it still manages to make me laugh.

5. Where is your favorite place to write? 
I live in Ireland in an old Georgian house with high ceilings. It is always cold, so I love to write snuggled under blankets on my giant black leather sofa with a steaming cup of tea.

6. Besides writing, what do you like to do? 
I used to love painting but lack of practice has made me rusty. I adore dancing. I put on music and dance like a mad woman while cleaning or cooking. It makes all the chores fun.

7. What's next for you?
I am writing a humorous Regency romance called Penelope. It is about a country bumpkin who along with Lady Bathsheba (her pet goat) arrives in London to catch a man. After that I am planning a Regency mystery series.

8. What's the last book you've read?
I read ‘Love amongst chickens’ by P.G Wodehouse.  It was delightful.

9. Who's your favorite author?
I have a lot of favourite authors. It is hard to choose one … perhaps Lewis Carroll.  I love how he created a chaotic yet a beautiful wonderland.

10. What's your favorite season?
Everything is gilded in autumn but mostly I love the fall season because my birthday is in October.
Thank you, Marcie, for having me on your blog.

About the book:

‘The infamous rake, Lord Richard Hamilton, has finally chosen his bride—the very appropriate Miss Emma Grey.
The ton approves, Lord Grey is pleased, Lady Grey delighted, and Emma is over the moon, but her uncle, (the blasted) Duke of Arden opposes the match, and Emma is ordered to move to the duke’s estate to think things over.
Richard Hamilton refuses to take things lying down and concocts a plan. A plan that should have brought the lovers together and had them married within a month. It was a simple matter of masquerading as the duke’s gardener, compromising the lady, and then having the duke rush them off to Gretna Green.
Alas, he underestimates the duke’s intelligence and the tangled situation on the estate—never had he imagined that compromising a lady could be so difficult.
His endeavours lead to a comedy of errors, charades, and knotty love affairs. Yet he forges ahead in spite of pesky house guests, a flea bitten mattress, his lovesick best friend, and a blackmailer.
Just when things seem to be going well, someone is murdered (very inconvenient), and he happens to be one of the suspects (extremely inconvenient).
His simple plan for winning the wager suddenly becomes … a tad complicated.’

Author Bio:
Anya Wylde lives in Ireland along with her husband and a fat French poodle (now on a diet). She can cook a mean curry, and her idea of exercise is occasionally stretching her toes.  She holds a degree in English literature and adores reading and writing. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UWBJB4

0 Audio Book Review: Mercury by Lesley-Ann Jones

Title: Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury
Author: Lesley-Ann Jones
Narration by: Jane Collingwood
Publisher: Simon and Schuster audio
Published: July 3, 2012
Length: 13 hours, 9 Minutes
Genre: Biography
ISBN: 1451663951 (ISBN13: 9781451663952)
Source: Publisher



Summary:
Revealing and intimate, based on more than 100 interviews with key figures in his life, this is the definitive biography of Queen front man Freddie Mercury, one of pop music’s best-loved and most complex figures.

My thoughts:
Mercury by Lesley-Ann Jones is the first biography I've listened to on audio. I wasn't quite sure what to expect-performance wise. I was pleasantly surprised. Jane Collingwood is the main narrator, but there are other voices that chime in for various interviews by various people. I liked this aspect of listening to a biography on audio. I think it broke up what could have been a potentially tiresome reading of another person's life.  Not that Freddie Mercury's life was boring at all, just someone reading the details of his life might be tiresome.
The title of this book indicates that it holds several intimate details of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer in Queen. Before I 'read' this book, I knew a few things about Mercury, and the life he led. After reading this book I think only a few people really knew the real Freddie. The books begins in Freddie Mercury's childhood. Jones spends a brief time in this area of his life before going on to the years when he met fellow band members and forming their band, Queen. Freddie was a larger-than-life personality on stage, and a brilliant musician. Off the stage, he was a more private person. He led the extraordinary life of a rock star. He worked with some of rock's greatest performers such as Michael Jackson, Elton John, and David Bowie. The book travels through these professional years with a closer look at Freddie's personal life. It takes you through to the end of his life, when he died from AIDS.
I enjoyed listening to this book and the different accounts taken from the people in his life. I think there is a side to Freddie that he only revealed to a few people. While this book goes into detail about Freddie's life, I don't think it paints a completely accurate picture of who Freddie Mercury really was. Freddie Mercury was and still is an enigma.

My rating: