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Friday, December 28, 2012

Undertow by Kiri R Newton Blog Tour Guest Post



Author Kiri R. Newton has stopped by today 
with a guest post for the Undertow blog tour.

Josiah vs Nox


When I began developing the conflict in my head, Undertow was initially going to be a protest against the pollution of the ocean and the wanton killing of its inhabitants. When I was about twelve I watched someone spear a full-grown turtle through the throat and then leave it to suffocate. I guess that left an impact on me because I get filled with a rage when I see whales being slaughtered or coral reefs being destroyed or the vast stretches of waste floating in our oceans. This is why the initial conflict in the story is that of mer-folk dying due to pollution.

Then I developed it further, tracing the source not to the likely culprit of humans but instead fellow mer-folk. That I felt was much more of a twist because no one expects these happy, songbird creatures to be willingly killing one another right? Trouble is by the time I figured out what Nesoi and Nox were up to I realized I had a problem.

You see Nox and Josiah spawn from the same person, an ex-boyfriend who had clinical split-personality disorder, among other things. He had the dominant side that most people saw; happy, bubbly, life of the party and everyone’s best friend. But then as I began to get to know him I realized something else lurked under the surface. The ‘Josiah’ side of his personality would build and build and then he would crash and ‘Nox’ would come out of hiding. It was like dealing with two vastly different people, he wouldn’t even remember what he said most of the time. ‘Nox’ as I started calling him was dark, moody and temperamental and yet that’s when his musical talents would shine.

In our relationship I was constantly being pulled between both sides. While ‘Josiah’ was hilarious and the kind of person you always wanted to be around ‘Nox’ had an intoxicating darkness that I thrived on. When I came to writing in the two characters Zoe had to be pulled both ways but as I realized the full extent of Nesoi’s plots I realized there was no way Zoe could be in love with someone who was willingly involved with Nesoi’s plots. This is why I wrote Nox the way he is, a tortured soul who can see no way to escape his mother’s influence.

Nox had to be the polar opposite twin of Josiah; they had to be essentially wired the same way, even looking similar in a completely opposite way. It turned into the ultimate battle of light and darkness for Zoe’s heart. I then also discovered a local band, the lead singer of which who just so happen to provide a perfect vessel to put ‘Nox’ into and the whole thing fell together like a sinister jig-saw puzzle.

By the time I finished writing Undertow I had split up with owner of these two characters. For at least six months the book ended at Chapter 28 but in a spat of anger and egged on by the notion that there’s no such thing as a happy ending, I wrote the epilogue. At the moment I am regretting ending the book the way I did because it’s a cliff-hanger that has to be followed up. I left too many loose ends that need to be explained and at the time I thought I was very clever doing so but now, faced with writers block I’m regretting it. I will one day write the sequel but don’t hold your breath.


Title: Undertow 
Author: Kiri R. Newton 
Publisher: Bookpal Austrailia 

Blurb: For far too long these sailor-drowning, ship-sinking sea sirens have been portrayed as happy, peaceful creatures who want nothing more than to fall in love with a prince and live happily ever after. Undertow is an unconventional twist on one of the oldest mythological creatures known to man. Buy 

Links: 
Media Links: Website



About Kiri R. Newton
Its weird right but as an author I could tell you about my characters inside out and yet when people ask me to talk about myself I go all quiet. Anyways, here I go. I am a child of ‘91 born in Jandowae, a tiny little town out past Dalby. When I was five my parents decided to pack everything up and move to Tonga in the South Pacific after Dad visited there and mum fell in love with the place after reading a book about it. So I grew up in a third world country, fluent in a second language by the time I was eight and lived amongst the locals who I was friends with. When I was thirteen my father passed away and due to the fact that the government refused to pay my mum a pension over there like they did my father, we were forced to move back to Australia. 

As for my writing career, I started writing progressively longer short stories in Grade 5 where one teacher noted on my report card that ‘I had unique ideas and an unusual talent’. By Grade 7 I had completed my first novel a post-apocalyptic fiction where cats are the highest life form and live basically as we do and follows the lives of a litter of cats, the characters based on a litter of cats belonging to my neighbour. I continued writing different things from horsey stories to Phantom of the Opera fan-fiction right through my teenage years, nothing serious, mostly just a lot of scribbling. 

In Grade 12 I realized that if I was going to be serious about being a writer I needed to finish stories, not just have a lot of random scribbles to my name. So forgoing all my assignments I finished my second book called Dynamite which is an Australiana tale about a racehorse. Two years later I went on holidays to Fiji, came home and three months later Undertow was completed. In the middle there I wrote a Tolkien-esque fantasy epic called The Dark Assassin with my now ex-boyfriend. The year after that I completed Hazardous, which will be my next published title. 

TOUR SCHEDULE:

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Shades of Summer by Joy Elbel Promo Post


Title: Shades Of Summer (The Haunting of Ruby Series) 
Author: Joy Elbel 
Pages: 465 
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance 

Blurb:
Love…the only thing more powerful than death. Seventeen year old Ruby Matthews spent the last year of her life crippled by guilt and grief over the death of longtime friend and boyfriend Seeley “Lee” Lucas. Feeling that a change of scenery might snap her back to reality, Ruby’s father moves the family out of their home in the Philadelphia suburb of Trinity and into small town life in Charlotte’s Grove, Pennsylvania. Life is better here for Ruby—she quickly makes friends with handsome Zach Mason and his twin sister Rachel. Every moment spent with Zach makes life and love seem possible again. But passion comes with a high price. Things are not what they seem at Rosewood, the Matthews’ historic plantation-style home. Paranormal activity at the mansion intensifies as she draws closer to Zach. Is it Lee—coming back to claim her heart and maybe even her soul? Or is something more sinister hiding in the shadows? Ruby must delve into her own past and the history of Rosewood before it is too late. 


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

His Black Wings by Astrid Yrigollen Blog Tour Guest Post




SYNOPSIS:
Claren Maidstone has been forced to flee her childhood home after the death of her parents and a vicious assault from a sadistic young man who intends to marry her. Claren changes her identity and finds employment as an assistant to the handsome Fredrick Lowood, a generous yet mysterious benefactor. However, she soon finds out his generosity comes at a price. Fredrick wishes for Claren to befriend his disfigured son who resides in seclusion at their estate, Westwind.

Fredrick Lowood knows what the history books do not teach, that the Grand Council built this new world of peace and beauty on hidden blood and greed. He has plotted for years to bring down the family that enslaved his own people. Suddenly, he has the last living heir in his grasp.

Etrigan Lowood rejects the world that forces him to hide. He is powerful, plagued with a terrible dark beauty: WINGS. It is these wings that carry him out only at night to watch the unwanted intruder in his home. A creature of refined instinct yet little social grace, he is strangely captivated by Claren but knows nothing of how her family’s dark past is intertwined with his own . Through their blossoming friendship, Etrigan realizes he still retains his human heart and yearns for Claren’s love.

Kurten Wandsworth is the only son of the Mayor of St.Marhen. Kurten lives his life fueled by cruelty and lust. Whatever he wants he takes and he wants Claren to be his wife even it if kills her. Scarred by Claren he hunts her down mercilessly until he can set a trap which she will never be able to escape from.





GUEST POST:
Who is your favorite Author and why?

I have a lot of stories that I love and a lot of authors that I love, but if I break it down to one author whom I have read all of their works and loved them, it would have to be James Herriot. His real name is Alf Wight and was born October 1916 but passed away in 1995. James Herriot was a Scottish veterinarian who wrote short stories about his experiences in rural England. His tales are heartwarming and funny and some are heartbreaking. I would suggest reading his books in order since alone they are great, but when you read them as he wrote them you get a more complete picture of the man himself. I would recommend his books to anyone who loves stories about animals and their people!    





AUTHOR BIO:
Astrid started her writing career when she begun work for the international video game giant, Sega of America. Working her way up the ranks, she began writing companion guides for games. With a love for writing fiction since childhood, she took her short stories out of storage and had her first story ever written published. It was only after that she found out that first stories are never published!

She has resumed writing full time and has succeeded in putting out the titles, The Doughnut Tree, Mysterious Pootkins, and The Mosswoods to name a few. Her short stories have appeared in the literary Threshold Press␣ and Shock and Awe Magazine.
She finds writing for young adults both refreshing and challenging. She always wishes to provide examples of positive role models, conflict resolving methods and communication for young adults with their parents or guardians.


TOUR SCHEDULE:
12/1/2012 Captivated Reading  
12/2/2012 The Cover (and Everything In Between)  
12/3/2012 Cherie Reads  
12/4/2012 Self Publish or Die 
12/5/2012 All In One Place 
12/6/2012 Little Hyuts 
12/7/2012 A Soul Unsung 
12/7/2012 Geo Librarian  

12/8/2012 Just A Book Lover  
12/9/2012 Young Adult Book Addict  
12/10/2012 Bookish Whimsy 
12/11/2012 A Dream Within A Dream 
12/12/2012 Reading Away The Days 
12/13/2012 Mom With A Kindle 
12/14/2012 From The Bootheel Cotton Patch 
12/15/2012 Project Read and Review  

12/16/2012 One Day YA  
12/17/2012 Pinkindle 
12/18/2012 Magic, Immortals And Being A Good Monster 
12/19/2012 Book Worms Avenue  

12/19/2012 Howling Books And Design 
12/20/2012 A Readers Devotion 
12/21/2012 Reader Girls Blog 
12/22/2012 Joie De Lire 
12/23/2012 The College Crawl 
12/24/2012 My Seryniti  

12/25/2012 Girls *Heart* Books  
12/26/2012 Book Nerds United As One  
12/27/2012 Night Owl Reads 
12/27/2012 Life Ducks 
12/28/2012 QWERTY 
12/29/2012 Sweet Southern Home 
12/29/2012 Bibliophile’s Thoughts On Books  

12/30/2012 The Book Lovers Report 
12/31/2012 Book Lovin Mamas  

12/31/2012 909 Reviews  

Friday, December 14, 2012

Willow's Author of the Day--Eric White

Today we are spotlighting the uber cool Eric White!!!


Eric White FOREVER THE DAYDREAMER,

Eric White's imagination has always spilled over into reality, a penchant which feeds his art, poetry, and prose.  Answering his desire to never grow up, he fulfills his daylight responsibilities as a teacher's aide for children with special needs.  This assures him of recess and art every day and summer vacation each year.  He enjoys his greatest adventures with his wife of fifteen years and two sons in southern Illinois.

Eric's world of make-believe finds expression in his children's books, poetry, songs, and growing collection of fantasy/paranormal short stories.  He currently oversees construction as his first novel, One Running, the initial installment of his paranormal fantasy series Walking the Quay, wrestles its way out of his imagination and onto the printed page.


You can find him on:

Facebook
Twitter
His Blog
Book link for Forged in Flame anthology with Eric's story Birth Pains.
E-book link for Milk and Cookies featuring Eric's story I Love You Each, All, and Every Way.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Willow's Author of the Day--Alexia Purdy

Good morning!  The author of the day for Thursday December 13th is the fabulous Alexia Purdy!




Alexia currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada–Sin City! She loves to spend every free moment writing or playing with her four rambunctious kids. Writing has always been her dream and she has been writing ever since she can remember. She loves writing paranormal fantasy and poetry and devours books daily. Alexia also enjoys watching movies, dancing, singing loudly in the car and Italian food.

Links:

Websites:

FB Fan pages:
Alexia Purdy's page:

Reign of Blood Series:

A Dark Faerie Tale Series:

Goodreads:

Twitter:
@AlexiaPurdy
http://www.twitter.com/alexiapurdy

Here's a book review from Jennifer Warrick Davis-Mystical World of Books and Reviews
Reign of Blood
Alexia Purdy

Book Blurb:"Never tease anything that wants to eat you. My name is April Tate and my blood is the new gold. Vampires and hybrids have overrun my world, once vibrant with life, but now a graveyard of death shrouded in shadows. I fight to survive; I fight for my mother and brother. The journey is full of turns that I am quite unprepared for. And I'm just hoping to make it to the next Vegas sunrise..."


In a post-apocalyptic world, a viral epidemic has wiped out most of the earth’s population, leaving behind few humans but untold numbers of mutated vampires. April is a seventeen-year-old girl who lives in the remains of Las Vegas one year after the outbreak. She has become a ferocious vampire killer and after her family is abducted, she goes searching for them. What she finds is a new breed of vampire, unlike any she has seen before. Unsure of whom she can trust, she discovers that her view of the world is not as black and white as she once thought, and she's willing to bend the rules to rescue her family. But in trying to save them, she may only succeed in bringing her fragile world crashing down around her.

Jen's Review: 5 Stars
I was given an e-copy from the author in exchange for my honest review. I have been wanting to read the book for some time now, I have heard great things and love the cover, but I tend to let requested reviews come before my personal tbr pile. I had a total squeal moment when I was asked to review it. A win win for me.

The story is about a vampire apocalypse. A epidemic wipes out most of the human population. April, her mother, and younger brother, are the last known, as far as they know of, human race in Las Vegas. April is seventeen and finds herself having to fight for herself and her family to survive in this world, what is left of it anyway. She stumbles into some major obstacles along the way, and has to learn to cope, even if it is against her better judgement. She finds out that with everything she has learned over the past year may not be enough, she is still in the dark about a lot of things, stuff that might just make or break her.

A great read! Full of action, suspense, a little romance, and there is always something around the corner you didn't expect. I loved April's kick butt, ask questions later survival attitude. The end was satisfying, but also seemed to be left where the author could pick up and start writing again. I am in high hopes that it means there will be a sequel. A must read! The author has caught my attention and she will be one that I will continue to follow.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Willow's Author of the Day- Christy Sloat

Good Morning!!!

The Author of the Day for Wednesday December 12th is none other than the fabulous Christy Sloat!!!






Christy Sloat is a Southern California native who now lives in New Jersey with her husband and two daughters. She believes that reading is a passion and it should be embraced. If she is not reading or writing she is cooking or spending quality time with her children. She believes in past lives and love that can last lifetimes. She is huge Stephenie Meyer and J.K. Rowling fan. Some of her favorite vacation spots are Maine, Massachusetts and California.



Find her on her Blog http://christysloat.blogspot.com/
Facebook: Christy Sloat Author
Twitter: ChristySloat
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Goodreads
Smashwords
Web site

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Willow's Author of the Day- Alivia Anders

Good Morning!!!  

The Author of the Day for December 11th is the amazing Alivia Anders!!!  Alivia is the author of the hugely popular Illumine series.










Author Bio! 

Alivia Anders was thirteen when she fell headfirst into the world of internet fanfic and RPG-forum board sites that showed her the 'back door' into the world of writing. Four years and many hours spent glued to a computer screen later she found her true calling in writing. 

Alivia currently lives with her family in her hometown of Coopersburg, PA. She frequently admits that if she wasn't so intolerant to dairy she'd live at her local ice cream shop called The Inside Scoop. 





You can find her on:
Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Facebook

Monday, December 10, 2012

Willow's Author of the Day

Good Morning!

The Author of the Day for Monday December 10th is the fabulous Jennifer Malone Wright author of the best selling novella series The Vampire Hunter's Daughter.







Jennifer Malone Wright resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from fifteen all the way down to one year, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction.

When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel "The Birth of Jaiden," and her new series "The Vampire Hunter's Daughter."

In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last eleven years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long.

Please visit the website to learn more
www.jenniferwrightauthor.com


Jennifer's Amazon Author page is here.

You can find her on Barnes and Nobel here.


Check out The Vampire Hunter's Daughter!!!  Part I is always FREE!!!


Scarlet Woods by Brooke Passmore Release Day Blitz


Today is the release day of Scarlet Woods by Brooke Passmore!


Title: Scarlet Woods
Author: Brooke Passmore
Publisher: Self Published

Blurb:
 Past, future, and love all exist in the door through time. Modern and independent seventeen year old Morgan Westbrook thought she had seen all there was to her home town of Scarlet, Georgia, but one day while walking in the woods behind her house she discovers a mysterious door masked behind the trees. After admiring the door’s timeless beauty she walks through its entrance to venture into more woods, but what she doesn’t know is that the door is a gateway through time that takes her back to the year 1863 during the days of the Civil War in Scarlet.

 Without knowing that she had traveled back in time, she stumbles upon Danny Carson, an attractive young man who is appalled to see that Morgan is wearing skimpy modern clothes instead of a nineteenth century dress. Although they find each other completely different than anyone they’ve ever known, they cannot help but feel drawn to one another. After spending time in another century, she discovers that she's time traveled back to the year 1863 and that the door took her there. For months she and Danny journey back and forth through the door to experience the joys of traveling to both of their centuries. When dilemmas of unwanted marriage, slavery, and war are thrown at them, they must face the perils that time travel has delivered them in both the future and the past.

  Teaser:
March 14, 1863, 
Danny Carson was riding his black horse underneath the budding trees of the woods. He heard the crackle of rushing water hit against the pebbles and sharp rocks in the creek as the orange sun descended from the face of Scarlet, Georgia. Winter had disappeared and Danny was thrilled. He hated winter; it was always a cold and lifeless season. Dull brown trails and naked branches weren’t a welcoming atmosphere, but now since spring had finally arrived, color had returned to the trees. Spring brought out so much greenery and life in the woods with its ivy spiraling up trunks, weeds and wild flowers blooming at tree roots, and the sun tanning the leaves while birds zipped through the branches. 
People in Scarlet didn’t dare enter the woods late in the evening. They feared the idea of foul killers or fictional monsters haunting the trees at night. But when it came to the woods Danny was fearless. He’d visit at any time of day to get away from things just for a little while. He found the depths of the trees, the forever running creek, and the prowling Spanish moss to be an escape from his regular routine. Plus, he being practically the only visitor at any time of day gave him the full run of the place. The woods were his. As soon as the sun winked at the ground and was about to depart from the sky, the storm had begun. The dark night clouds began to mix with purring thunder. Noticing how gloomy the day had become, Danny tensed up in his saddle.
“Oh no…” He grumbled. His horse Nashville was a handful when it came to storms and was terrified of loud thunder. Then the lightning started ripping through the sky. Danny tightened his grip on the reins as the first set of thunder stung his ears. Nashville came to a halt on the dirt trail and let out a few worried neighs at the feel of raindrops plopping against his coat. Danny rolled his eyes. 
“Whiny baby,” He stroked Nashville’s neck to help calm him down. As more lightning nicked the gray sky, rain showered onto the forest floor. In a matter of seconds Danny and Nashville were drenched. Rapid rain pounded onto the creek and the thunder produced a drummed even beat that taunted the black horse. Skittish and now ill tempered from the storm, Nashville scooted his burly legs back in reverse and shuffled his hooves on the dirt path. Danny had a firm hold on the reins trying to control him. 
“Calm down Nash! It’s only a bit of loud noise. Toughen up!” The thunder became more prominent in the endless dark sky. Nashville gave out a loud neigh and began to buck in the air, unbalancing Danny’s weight on the saddle.
“Steady! Stop it Nashville!” He said to his horse as he began to feel his feet start to slip out of the stirrups. One large wave of lightning slashed through the clouds with a bright bolt. Thunder roared out like a hungry lion about to attack its prey, nearly shattering Danny’s eardrums. Nashville couldn’t take it any longer. His front legs kicked off the ground, arching his back into the air. Danny lost his balance and accidentally let go of his reins while being thrown off his saddle.
“No Nash!” He yelled as he fell into the wet mud below. The second he was out of the saddle Nashville took off running into the rain. Danny tasted chunky bits of mud as he sat up in a small pool of brown slush. He snarled seeing his horse run off into the distance. 
“Nashville! Come back you dumb horse!” Nashville didn’t show any signs of slowing down. Danny stood up cursing under his breath as he chased his horse down the trail he had taken. 
“Stop Nashville!” Danny yelled through the feverish raindrops. He darted through bushes and stepped on thorns with his wet boots. Every other step of his chase he spat out dirt that had crept in between his teeth. 
“Stupid horse, stupid horse!” He kept muttering to himself. With one last echoing neigh, Nashville took a sharp turn behind a hill and was out of sight. Danny ran a bit faster, hoping that he wouldn’t lose his horse’s tracks. After he took the same turn behind the hill, he came upon three possible paths that Nashville could have taken. He looked for hoof tracks in the mud but this area of the forest was rockier than the rest of the woods and left no footprints to be seen. There was no telling which way Nashville went. 
Placing the tips of his fingers to his mouth, Danny let out a high pitched whistle that screamed through the trees. Usually when he would whistle Nashville would instantly come to his side, but this time he didn’t show. Danny whistled three more times, but all that was around him were the trees and the rain. With his head hung low, he began to walk back the way he came, realizing that his horse wasn’t coming back to him. He was covered in mud and was expecting a plum colored bruise on his rear from being bucked off his saddle. Now that he lost Nashville in the woods, he had to walk back home soaked in the rain. 
Danny hoped that Nashville would be smart and find his way back home whenever the storm settled. He didn’t want his horse to go too far from home, but little did he know how far away his horse would run off to. 
Running as fast as his hooves could take him, neighs burst from Nashville’s lips at each strike of thunder. He dodged past the wooded trees with remarkable speed as the rain penetrated his sight. Feeling frightened, he wanted coverage from the rain and desired to escape the storm. He slowed down to a steady trot, but his legs were still fidgety. He needed to find shelter. 
Coming upon a hill he didn’t recognize, Nashville staggered up the hill in hopes of evading the thunder that seemed to loom over him. He came to find more green oaks and weeping willows with saggy limbs that suspended just inches off the ground at the top of the hill. His hooves left tracks in the mud as he jogged around to view his new surroundings. His hooves stomped on wild flowers that sprouted all over the ground. 
The rain seemed tamer up on higher ground. Even with the gloomy sky hanging overhead, this part of the woods felt like a more positive environment. The gallant trees that encircled him gave Nashville a strange comfort and made him feel safe for some reason. 
Nashville quickly stopped in his tracks to admire a massive object standing before him. It was a door, but not just an ordinary door. It was a rich chocolate brown that had two doors in one just like an entrance of a grand church. It didn’t belong to any building structure, wall, or fence and stood alone. One of its doors was partially open. Nashville inched up to it and nudged the opened door back further to create a bigger opening. 
What he saw inside the entrance was the exact same forest, or was it? The ground he stood on was wet and miserable with rain attacking the earth. On Nashville’s side of the door the sky was a lifeless color with drained out clouds, but looking through the door was the setting sun shining its warm rays on the dry ground. The grass wasn’t wet and the trees didn’t drip rain off their leaves. Everything through the door was light and calm. It was as if the other side of the forest was a completely different place and was free from the vicious storm. How was that possible? 
This other side of the door was definitely odd with its drastic weather differences, but since Nashville was a horse he didn’t think too much of it. He entered the peaceful atmosphere through the door’s opening. A warm wind blew a light breeze against his wet coat after his first step through to the other side. There was no harsh rain and no loud thunder ringing in his ears. He was positive that this was the better side of the woods. 
Nashville turned his soaked body back to face the door he came out of. It was ajar and he could see the unbearable rain continue to pour onto the grass on the side he just exited from. One final thunder erupted but it was contained inside the door sounding distant and far away, even though he stood only a few feet away from the entrance of the storm. Nashville shook his head from side to side, slapping his long mane against his neck trying to get every raindrop off of him. He neighed out a happy tune and trotted through the dryer parts of Scarlet Woods.
 

Buy Links: 

Media Links: 


About Brooke Passmore:
I live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and am a 22 year old young woman who probably will never fully grow up. As a kid I played with Polly Pockets, swam in my swimming pool practically every day during the summer, and went on vacations to Disney World with my family (favorite days of my life). I loved telling stories as a kid by playing with my Polly’s and dressing up like princesses with my friends. Eventually everything that went on in my busy imagination I wrote down on paper in the late hours of the night. 

When I was in sixth grade I moved into a new house with woods directly behind my backyard. I’d walk about the woods and loved trampling through the creek or getting lost in the trees. These trips through the woods gave me my inspiration for my book trilogy Scarlet Woods. My main character in my book is Morgan who lives in a house where the woods are right behind her backyard. My love for trees and anything woodsy definitely shows in my book and I hope I painted a pretty picture in readers’ heads about what Scarlet Woods looks like. My favorite candies are Skittles and M&M’s. I put ketchup on practically anything with meat (even with chicken quesadillas). I’m a great fan of Florence and the Machine, The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Birdie, and recently The Civil Wars. My favorite books are The Hunger Games, Shiver, and Wither. My favorite movies are Titanic and Gone with the Wind. The Vampire Diaries is the wonderful TV show I’m obsessed with (I’m a Delena lover!!). I hate ads on youtube that I repeatedly have to skip every single time I want to listen to the newest song from Glee. I love to smile, laugh, and purposefully sing loud and off key whenever my brother is around just to pester him. I have a cat named Phoebe who we named after Phoebe from Friends, a yorkie named Coco who we named because he likes to eat Cocoa Puffs, and a shih tzu maltese we named Indy after Indiana Jones. My favorite princess is Cinderella but I think my personality is a tie between Ariel and Belle so they’re all my ultimate faves. If I could choose a century to time travel to I’d probably choose the Victorian age, the roaring 20’s, the 1950’s, or the 1940’s. I think the Victorian age and the 1940’s were probably the most romantic eras in history and the 20’s and 50’s would probably the most fun!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Traveling Vlog-- Willow's Christmas Vlog

Welcome to this episode of the Traveling Vlog!  Today I'm talking a bit about getting rid of the Christmas Blues and cheap ways to enhance your holiday experience.





Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas from our house to yours!!!!


Friday, November 30, 2012

The Gifted Ones by PG Shriver Blog Tour Review



SYNOPSIS:
Thrown together by the cruelties of a modern day world in which genuine compassion is rare, evil abounds, and goodness is often tainted by the fight to survive, two unusually gifted teenagers discover they are linked by a fairytale told them repeatedly throughout their youth by their late mothers.

Destiny awaits them, but first they must locate the others, as the fairytale foretells, to defeat the evil monster who waits and change the lonely world in which they live. Only then will they find peace... and family.


JEN'S THOUGHTS:
This is the first installment to The Gifted Ones Series. Don't let the word fairytale fool you. Cheater and Jazz are far from living a fairytale life. The only thing that are keeping them going is each other and the fairytale that their mothers use to tell them when they were growing up. Knowing that their are others out there like them, they plan to find them and head towards where the fairytale leads them. Unfortunately, neither of them know how the fairytale ends and what lies ahead.

I look forward to the next installment of this book. I am curious to see if the series will have a fairytale ending or if it will be a nightmare for Cheater and the rest of The Gifted Ones. They have a big journey ahead of them. I am glad I agreed to the blog tour, I have found another new author to follow.

Originally posted on The Mystical World of Book Reviews.



About P. G. Shriver: 
Born in California, and raised in Minnesota and Texas, P.G. spent her early years writing poetry and winning poetry contests, while escaping the drama in her own childhood by reading great books for children. Ever since her earliest days, she loved story telling. She wrote numerous short stories in High School and her early college years, continually trying to relive that first experience at the age of seven of seeing her name in print in the local newspaper.

P.G. sought her education at the University of Texas, where she studied English, literature, and Education. During the entire process of earning her BA and M.Ed, she never stopped writing and trying to be published. It was during this time that her first children's book No More Stinkbugs! was accepted for publication by Castle Keep Press. Many of her stories develop from nature.

P.G. graduated college and began her career in education, another great world that offered real experiences to humor and delight through children's books. She watched children interact, bringing to surface her own experiences as a child and yet more events to write about. While teaching, she discovered many great books for young people, such as The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Maniac Magee, So. B. It and many more. She is a fan of Dean Koontz novels, too, and loves reading fantasy and paranormal books.

P.G. was married 20 years in March 2012 and has a bright, young daughter who has begun her own college career. She lives on a small farm in Texas with her family and animals. P.G. has experienced great love and loss throughout her life. Those her family has lost have dedications in her books.

P.G. has two young adult books published, Dead Perfect and The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale the first book in The Gifted Ones Trilogy. She also has several children's books written under Gean Penny, her pseudonym. P. G. has since dissolved her contract for her first book with Castle Keep Press and moved the title to her own imprint, Gean Penny Books.

Author Links:

11/2/2012 Magic Immortals and being a good monster
11/3/2012 The Cover (and everything in between)
11/4/2012 The Dark Heroine
11/5/2012 Young Adult Book Addict
11/6/2012 Night Owl Reads
11/7/2012 Michelle Shouts Random
11/8/2012 Writers And Authors
11/9/2012 Book Nerds United
11/10/2012 Geo Librarian
11/11/2012 Bound 2 Astound
11/12/2012 From The Bootheel Cotton Patch
11/13/2012 Reading Away The Days
11/14/2012 The READioactive Book Blog!
11/15/2012 Read Review Smile
11/16/2012 Pink Fluffly Hearts: Diary of a Coffee Addict
11/17/2012 Mom With A Kindle
11/18/2012 A Readers Devotion
11/19/2012 Girls Heart Books
11/20/2012 Joie De Lire
11/21/2012 Joie De Lire
11/22/2012 Reader Girls
11/23/2012 The Other Shelf
11/24/2012 Lost In Fictional Worlds
11/25/2012 Crossroad Reviews
11/26/2012 A Soul Unsung
11/27/2012 Captivated Reading
11/28/2012 Just Another Rabid Reader
11/29/2012 My Seryniti
11/30/2012 Jen’s Review Corner 


Sunday, November 25, 2012

A Part to Play by Jennifer L. Fry Blog Tour Guest Post




Blurb: 
When fifteen-year-old actress Lucy Carter loses her older sister in a car accident, her mother shuts down and her father can’t hold the family together. Their only choice is to ship Lucy off to the Edmond School for Performing Arts. But boarding school is no cure for Lucy’s grief. With failing grades, wooden stage performances, and curfew violations, Lucy is threatened with expulsion. For the once talented Lucy, it feels as though she has nowhere to turn.

One night, Lucy hears mysterious music drifting through the school’s old heating system. The music leads her to a troubled but passionate songwriter whose brilliance gives her the strength to perform like never before. Yet their intense relationship puts Lucy in a precarious position: if she follows her muse, will she lose herself? And if she breaks it off, can she stand on her own again?



Guest Post: 

Coming up with the story idea for 
A PART TO PLAY
In planning A PART TO PLAY, I started with the emotional journey I wanted my main character to experience. I knew immediately I wanted to write a young adult story, and I wanted my story to have a strong message – that is, the importance of believing in oneself. Then, to develop my plot, I thought of my most favorite stories of all time from movies, plays, and books. One of these happens to be The Phantom of the Opera. I didn't want my book to be a retelling of that classic story, but rather I wanted it to draw inspiration from what I considered the most captivating parts. I loved the mystery and the powerful role that music played in the story; I also found the dark side of the Phantom intriguing.

Once I had that basic premise, I needed something at the beginning of the story to make my character lose all self belief, which in this case happens with the death of her beloved sister and the subsequent breakdown of her family. As a writer, I explore big questions that I personally have about life. In A PART TO PLAY, I explore the death of a child in a tight-knit family. As I consider becoming a parent myself, I wonder how I could survive losing my child – it seems like one of the worst possible things that could happen in life. Lucy, the main character of my story, watches as her parents are consumed by grief, and she naturally begins to doubt her worth.

By the time she arrives at the Edmond School for Performing Arts, where our story begins, Lucy doesn't know what to think anymore. She hears music coming from underground, and eventually meets the musician who has helped her find something to focus on besides her grief. I explored the idea of both main characters in my story, Lucy and the musician, having the same flaw – how that brings them together, and how it drives them apart. It was important to me to show Lucy's gradual shift. I wanted the reader to come along on Lucy's journey, to feel what it is to be at the bottom and to experience with her the joy of first love and finally finding a way to cope with the loss of her family.

In later revisions, I felt that Lucy must confront her parents. It was part of the process for her to recover her sense of self. Then my story became something new. It wasn't just about loss, romance, and finding your own way; it was also about recognizing parents as fallible people who we can no more rely on for our self-worth than anyone else in life. Ultimately, no matter the parallels between my novel and the Phantom of the Opera, it is truly about the strength of a young girl who manages to carry on even though everyone around her seems to have given up. 

About Jennifer L. Fry:
Jennifer L. Fry is a writer, artist, and teacher in Marin County, California, where she lives with her wonderful husband, two adorable dogs, and orange tabby cat. Though she has been writing since she was young, A Part to Play is her first novel.







Links: 
Author website: http://www.jenniferlfry.com/home/ 


Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-L-Fry/394827827250769

Twitter: https://twitter.com/frygurl

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15835670-a-part-to-play

YABC: http://www.yabookscentral.com/component/content/article/28-young-adult-indie/13056-a-part-to-play

YouTube: http://youtu.be/f2_3Ha1hoyQ/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/A-Part-to-Play-ebook/dp/B008VSW614/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1344998757&sr=8-7&keywords=a+part+to+play

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-part-to-play-jennifer-l-fry/1112451468

Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B009MH10FG&qid=1349917179&sr=1-1

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/a-part-to-play-unabridged/id569381147


Title: A Part To Play

Author: Jennifer L. Fry
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Pages: 261


Check out the rest of the tour :)
11/1/2012 The Cover (and Everything in Between) 
11/3/2012 The Dark Heroine
11/4/2012 Reader Girls Blog
11/5/2012 Crossroads Reviews
11/6/2012 Reading Away the Days
11/7/2012 Fiction Addiction
11/8/2012 Sweet Southern Home
11/9/2012 Behind A Million And One Pages 
11/10/2012 Michelle Shouts Random
11/11/2012 Howling Books And Designs 
11/12/2012 Mom With A Kindle
11/13/2012 Night Owl Reads
11/14/2012 A Readers Devotion
11/15/2012 To Procrastinate
11/16/2012 Infinite House of Books
11/17/2012 Book Lovin' Mamas 
11/18/2012 From The Bootheel Cotton Patch
11/19/2012 One Day YA 
11/20/2012 Bookish Whimsy 
11/21/2012 Jen's Review Corner
11/22/2012 Bookishly Devoted 
11/23/2012 Young Adult Book Addict
11/24/2012 Girls Heart Books
11/25/2012 Magic Immortals and Being A Good Monster 
11/26/2012 Becky's Barmy Book Blog 
11/27/2012 A Soul Unsung
11/28/2012 Book Nerds United
11/29/2012 A Bibliophile's Thoughts On Books 
11/30/2012 My Miscellaneous BookShelf

Friday, November 23, 2012

Young Adult E-book SALE!!!!



 Tired of the malls and the stores? Looking for gifts without breaking the bank?

How about 20 Young Adult books each priced at 99 cents now through Monday on Amazon? 

Buy some books for yourself.

Gift books to others.

Books are still the biggest entertainment bang for the buck, and there's SO many great titles to choose from. 

 Like romance, adventure, humor, or contemporary? How about Sci-fi, fantasy, or mythology? We've got you covered!