Thursday, January 31, 2013

Contagion

I first had it when I was a child. I was unable to shake it in my teens and it stayed with me into adulthood. It interfered with my school work, sleep, social activities and my responsibilities in the home. When I started seriously writing, like a slumbering giant, it lay dormant. Now it's back with a vengeance. I have every fear it's terminal. Yes, I have a contagion that is prevalent among the writing community. Though, as readers can attest, you don't have to be a writer to catch it. I've succumbed to the dreaded bookwormitis.
Hm, writing and reading, they go hand in hand. Should be a good thing, right? No. Sob. Not when you're reading and supposed to be writing.
I don't want to stamp it out, just contain it. You know, set the book down after breakfast and blog, write, do the laundry, clean the house, not just keep reading.  Do you think there's a reader tranq out there that takes the edge off, lets you walk away and come back later?
I know everyone who stops by here, no doubt, has the same contagion. How do contain your voracious appetite for books?

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

SBB:Holding Off For A Hero


BLURB:

Beautiful, vivacious Emma Prescott has a love-'em-and-leave-'em reputation.  Fact is, Emma's holding off for a hero.  When she moves to a cabin at wilderness Loon Lake and meets her one neighbor biology professor Frasier MacKenzie, he's still just another guy, even with his killer blue eyes and body that just won't quit...until he rescues her and her Pug from one danger after another.  Then he definitely falls into hero territory.  But the professor has no intention of filling the role of white knight in Emma's life.  All he wants is to be rid of her and her annoying little dog so he can get on with his research. In fact, he's ordered to get rid of them whether he wants to or not.  Looks like Emma may have to go on holding off for a hero...

Excerpt :

She floored the gas, and they took off with a squealing of tires.

 “Hey, hey!” he yelled. “Slow down! The speed limit is 100 km. You’re heading to 130!”

“Look, I told you, I’m in a hurry!” she exploded.

“I’ve got a ton of things to do back at the cabin. You see,” she continued, quieting and sounding sly, “I’m having a party tonight. I have to get ready.”

“A party? You’re having a party? At the lake?”

Ah, man, that just about tears it.

“Actually, a bachelorette bash. One of my teacher friends is getting married next week, and a
bunch of us decided we’d give her a real whing-ding of a sendoff…up at my cabin where there’ll be no witnesses. Teachers and the likes of myself have reputations to think of, you realize.”

She cast him a wicked glance.

“So there’ll be music and a lot of noise and…”

The Professor’s blood pressure would skyrocket when he gave him this information.

“Oh, y-e-a-h.” She dragged out the last word.

“Couldn’t you have it somewhere else? Like a male strip joint in town?”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said about teachers and others of that ilk? We can’t be seen parading into one of those places. Our superintendent would suspend every last one of us. Anyway…” She looked over at him. “I don’t see why it should be such a big deal for you. You don’t have to keep banker’s hours. If the noise bothers you, stay up, watch a video, and sleep in on Sunday morning.”

“Okay, okay, but will you please keep your eyes on the road? And slow down! There’s a speed trap somewhere along…”

Behind them a siren wailed.

“Quick!” she ordered, pulling over as the police cruiser rolled alongside. “Hunch over and clutch
your chest!”

­
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Gail MacMillan is a three-time Maxwell Award Winning writer and author of 26 published books.  A graduate of Queen's University, she lives in New Brunswick Canada with her husband and two dogs, Fancy a Little River Duck Dog and Bruiser the cover guy and hero of Holding Off For a Hero.

Gail's web site is www.gailmacmillan.ca    

 Holding Off for a Hero is available in both print and e-book from:


Print - http://www.amazon.com/Holding-Off-Hero-Gail-MacMillan/dp/1612174396/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355876388&sr=8-1&keywords=Holding+off+for+a+hero

The Wild Rose Press:  

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=175_133&products_id=5004
 

Gail will award two $5 Amazon GCs and three digital copies of "Lady and the Beast" to randomly drawn commenters during the tour.

The tour dates can be found here:


Tuesday, January 29, 2013

SBB: Revenge Of The Mad Scientist



Blurb:
 When Lady Arabella Trunkett’s father, the High Lord Minister of Urbannia is kidnapped, all clues point to the mysterious country of Gandiss and the world is thrown into political upheaval.

Arabella is convinced the more sinister nation of Carabarras is to blame, urged on by a mad scientist seeking revenge. So, she sets out on a perilous airship journey across a variety of exotic locales to save him, and halt the potential world war.

But airship pirates, secret assassins and slave traders aren’t her only trials. The fickle hand of fate has made the captain of the only airship available for charter, the man who left her at the altar. For eight years she's wished him dead. Now he's her only hope. 
 Excerpt:
 Another scream sounded and then another. A group of people blocked her view and she didn’t hesitate in pushing them aside. She gasped when she reached a body sprawled on the floor and noted a trail of red blood tracking from a side room. She recognized the injured man as Conrad Bellows, her father’s assistant. Horrified, her champagne glass slipped from her fingers and shattered on the marble.

She pushed another man out of her way. What the hell was wrong with everyone standing around like statues while a man needed help? She knelt at Conrad's side. A knife protruded from his back but when she put her fingers on his neck she found him still alive, thank God. He struggled to his side and blinked as he looked up at her.

“Gone,” he whispered. “So…sorry, My Lady…gone.”
“Who is gone, Conrad?” She put a hand on his shoulder as panic shot through her.

“You’re, fa, fa, father…they took him.”

“What? Who took him?”

“Ahh, all in black, don’t know…” He closed his eyes and then slumped on the floor, unconscious.

Belle sucked in a sharp breath. She jumped to her feet and spun around. “Someone call for a doctor and help Mr. Bellows. Where’s my father?”
 AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 Lara Nance grew up and lived in many cites throughout the South. She loves to write in a variety of genres, but the basis of all of her stories is a great tale that will take you on an adventure of imagination.

If you want to escape and lose yourself in a novel, you've come to the right place. Choose your genre and settle in to be entertained. From thrilling mysteries and steampunk tales, to paranormal romance and adventure, she's willing to explore a variety of compelling stories full of danger and suspense, along with a touch of romance.

Having been on the fencing team in college and now living on a sailboat convinces her that she was a pirate in another life, or possibly kin to Errol Flynn… However, due to the unfortunate demise of the romantic pirates of the past, she lives out her fantasies, thrills and adventures in her stories. Lara loves to weave interesting true historical tidbits into her fiction which invite the reader to explore further after the novel is finished.

Currently docked in Norfolk, Virginia (until the wind changes) Lara enjoys living on her sailboat and spends time reading, of course writing, indulging a variety of artistic endeavors, cooking and sailing with her husband, Joe and their Yorkie, Rio.

Link to Website: www.laranance.com
 Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Lara_Nance
 Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lara-Nance-Author/164262596944196?ref=hl

Buy link at Amazon:
 
 Lara will be awarding an autographed original map of Arabella's steampunk world to a randomly drawn commenter at each stop, and a $50 Amazon gift card and an original steampunk necklace to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. 
If people sign up for her newsletter on her website from Jan 29 - Feb 3, they will be entered for an autographed copy of her book as well as an original steampunk necklace.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Friday, January 25, 2013

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Shameless Self-Promotion

Whew! I finally finished formatting Power Stones.
Like most folks, I have always loved crystals. But I really got interested in them several years ago when I started writing The Amulet Series  and needed power stones. I researched and found what stones were associated with healing, beauty, creativity and power. While researching, I discovered many stones' associations overlap. For instance: Bustamite is known for health and protection; Cat's Eye-Beauty and health; Emerald-love and mediation; Lapis-fidelity and serenity and so.
Power Stones is broken down into several different categories and talks about the stones associated with: color, beauty, careers, health, love, relationships, prosperity and meditation.
If you'd like a copy you can purchase it at Amazon for $6.00.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Stones-Sandra-Cox/dp/1481827618/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358713624&sr=1-1&keywords=Power+Stones+by+Sandra+Cox
It's also available in e for $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Stones-ebook/dp/B007NDLDCG/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358714337&sr=1-1&keywords=Power+Stones+by+Sandra+Cox
Or...you can enter the contest at Goodreads. I'll be giving away three copies.
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/42382-power-stones
And that's it for my shameless self-promotion. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

ET:Seven Point Eight


BLURB:

Seven Point Eight:

'The Truth Will Set You Free'

In the second installment of the Seven Point Eight series, the legacy of the OOBE project weighs heavily on the conscience of Dr. Paul Eldridge. Tahra Mamoun needs to muster all her courage and venture back into the alternate dimensions of reality. Through a series of challenging, surreal and frightening experiences, she comes to comprehend the destructive power she can yield and must face her own demons in the process.

Paul continues his quest to understand the ancient knowledge of the cosmos, while dark forces seek to hijack his research to further a secret agenda. With their lives in jeopardy, Paul and Tahra confront their enemies against an international backdrop featuring the pyramids of Giza and the peaks of Switzerland.

Meanwhile, Sam and Ava endeavor to uncover their past, even though it may irrevocably change their lives.

In a tale of courage and tragedy, love and betrayal, their lives are interwoven around the demons of one man, Max Richardson, who'll stop at nothing to achieve his objectives.

Written in the style of a TV series, Seven Point Eight draws together quantum physics, psychic powers, alternate dimensions, time travel, past lives, ancient wisdom and conspiracy in a soap opera for the soul.

It’s the ideal read for lovers of sci-fi, contemporary fantasy, paranormal, metaphysics, ‘Lost’, ‘Fringe’, ‘Touch’, and Dan Brown books.

EXCERPT:
Seven Point Eight: The Second Chronicle
Excerpt 3

Through an archway to the left of me, a figure I barely recognized emerged. Her energy body was dark like old red wine and her limp hair hung around her sallow face, accentuating her black eyes, and the dark circles beneath them. She looked emaciated, and her energy body appeared scarred and somewhat distorted. I realized in horror who this sad creature may be.
 “Emilie?”
She didn’t respond to her name, and at that moment, I felt simply confused.
“This isn’t Emile,” I protested.
The torture master relished my shock and disbelief.
“Oh, but it is. I promised you Emilie, and Emile you have.”
I felt out of body tears well up in my eyes in frustration.
“You lied, this isn’t Emilie. You tricked me into returning, coming back here for nothing. You cheated!”
He laughed, and I hated him for his sense of superiority.
 “As I said, let’s hope there’s still something for you to save.”
She walked over to me, but not in friendship or as someone pleased to see me. Her red pupils locked onto mine, an unexpected deep hatred for me lurking behind her eyes.
“What have you done to her?” I asked the torture master.
He grinned again, and I wished I could knock the smile off his face as it made me feel nauseous.
“We have merely shown her the power that comes from pain. Pain cuts deep; it reaches our innermost fears and desires. You should hope that Emilie does not carry any grudges against you, what lies in the subconscious will now emerge, to be gloriously embraced.”
At this point, I began to worry.
The background noise in the arena quietened now, as if someone had rapidly turned down the volume control. I couldn’t back out, however disgusted I felt with the whole thing. While the torture master hadn’t been entirely truthful, I still had no choice, because there was a chance, the smallest chance that there was something worth saving.
A rumbling sound filled the air and as it reached a crescendo, I distinctly heard a drum roll. Looking around for the drummer, I eventually spotted a giant skull with the top cut off. Skin had been stretched over the space, and one of the thresher dwarves beat it with all four arms.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
He struck it hard, and the vibrations reached into my extra-dimensional bones.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The audience banged their staffs on the ground, in time to the rhythm.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Let the first rite begin,” the torture master said. “This is the essence of rivalry and competition. It is a battle to attain dominion with the utmost violence, and subjugate the opponent into a painful submission. The rite will teach you to give and receive the ecstasy of pain, so that you may taste its fruits for the first time.”
I didn’t want to fight Emilie, but to get her out of here I had no other option. Someone threw an array of weapons into the arena: spiked clubs, long spears, skewers, long and circular saw blades, leather gloves studded with razor blades, spiked knuckle dusters, and hooked knives. She almost salivated over the selection of implements, while I looked at them in horror.
“Fight!” came the call.


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Marie Harbon has worked in both the retail and fitness industry. She has a degree in sport and fitness, and taught group exercise for several years, delivering aerobics and Pilates. For two years, she delivered BTEC sport courses and has also instructed dance and sport with children.

Marie is a member of Nottingham Writers Studio, Her future plans include not only completing the 'Seven Point Eight' series, but involve writing YA, children's and adult books, short stories, novellas and scripts.

Aside from writing, Marie is a self-confessed fabric geek and purveyor of beautiful, often ostentatious bags, bustiers and clothing. She lives in the town of Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, which is in England.


Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/marie.harbon
Twitter - @marieharbon

Marie will be awarding a free copy of Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle via Smashwords and a 12 ebook swagbag including, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal and YA titles to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

The tour dates can be found here:



Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Janis Joplin

Janis Joplin was born January 19, 1943. If she were still alive, she'd have recently celebrated her 70th birthday. And no doubt have celebrated in style. Like millions of others, I loved to hear anything she belted out.  I don't think I could pick a favorite, but it would probably come down to either Me And Bobbie McGee or Cry Baby. She was with Big Brother and The Holding Company from 1966-1968. Solo from 1969-1970. She appeared at Woodstock and Madison Square Garden in '69. Wherever she's currently at in her cycle of life, I'm guessing she's still singing.


Monday, January 21, 2013

SBB: A World Apart



BLURB:  

Demetrius makes his first mistake when he lets his best friend Halcyon marry Eleyna, the love of his life, without saying a word. On the day of the wedding, he walks away from the Elencheran town of Dove's Meadow and joins the army.

He makes his second mistake when the pirate Black Iris tricks him into letting dozens of men, women and children die in a fire. Demetrius is imprisoned in grief and disgrace.

But he can atone. The Black Iris is dead. The Ivory Rose has risen to the top of the pirates and is leading brutal raids on the coast. If Demetrius can capture and kill her, he'll win his pardon.

And then Demetrius discovers the Ivory Rose is Eleyna. He must decide which will be his third mistake: losing his last chance at a pardon or destroying the one woman he's ever loved.

EXCERPT:
From Chapter 6: Eleyna & Halcyon (29617)

Demetrius made no response, he was lost in a battle all of his own making now. The challenge of Halcyon was forgotten, he had overcome that, but he now had to succeed in a new struggle – to be a soldier. Demetrius had decided to turn his back on the shepherd life that his father desperately wanted for him in favour of following and emulating his grandfather. Deep down, Demetrius hoped that if he made his grandfather proud then Granicus would reveal the most sought after secret in all of Dove’s Meadow – why Granicus had chosen not to join the Order and bring untold fame to the town.

Demetrius heard another rumble of thunder and between the Green and Pirels Mountains he saw lightning strike briefly. His clothes were now sodden and his feet were uncomfortable in his shoes but Demetrius was beyond such constraints. Dove’s Meadow didn’t feel like it was just below him to the left. Instead, it was almost as if just the narrow walk along the perimeter wall existed and that losing his balance either way would see him fall into a void of nothingness. Everything hinged on Demetrius’ continued steps.

Granicus had once told Demetrius of one of the rebellions he had fought when he was in the army. The rebels had lined up to take on the might of the Himordian army on a sodden battlefield with rain, thunder and lightning doing nothing to turn any man or woman from the conflict. Demetrius imagined he was in that moment now, facing the same dangers that his grandfather had faced.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:
David Brown could be considered a fantasy fanatic, especially since he has spent the last 10 years developing a 47,000-year history for his fictional world of Elenchera. When converting his obsession into literary form, David commits himself to a rigorous writing and editing process before his work can meet his approval. Combined with the critical eye of his wife and a BA Hons in History and English, David's dedication leads him to his goal of inspiring readers through heartfelt stories and characters.
Although David is inspired primarily by fantasy fiction, he also finds his muse in the form of anime, world cinema, history, and biographies. His own books, Fezariu's Epiphany and A World Apart, and the in-progress Ansel's Remorse and The Stars Beneath the Parapets combine aspects from worlds both old and new into compelling tales of a world not soon forgotten. David himself certainly does not lack a spirit of adventure; in fact, he left his job in 2007 in order to spend a month travelling. Second only to meeting and marrying his wife, David counts this as one of the most amazing experiences of his life.
LINKS:

Twitter - @elenchera
Facebook - davidmbrownauthor

 


David will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tours.
The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/11/super-book-blast-world-apart-by-david-m.html