7 reasons to spoil yourself with the Sullivans

Novel Publicity offers you 7 reasons to spoil yourself with the Sullivans: Awesome reads and crazy awesome prizes

 Did you get a new eReader for Christmas, and are now looking for something awesome to read? Or, maybe you didn’t get anything good and want to spoil yourself a little with the chance to win that coveted eReader, some major gift cards, or other awesome prizes. Maybe you just need to relax after hurry-scurrying around all season. Well…

Wouldn’t it be nice to take a long hot bath or snuggle under your favorite blanket with a great read? Sounds like the perfect day, right? Hey, we can offer you something even better than that.

In fact, we can offer you something seven times better!

For starters, we can offer you up to seven review copies of Bella Andre’s New York Times and USA Today best-selling contemporary romance series The Sullivans.

We’ll introduce you to—not just one, but—each and every member of the Sullivan family on their quests to find happiness. Even though most of them aren’t even really looking for love, it has a way of finding them anyway. These sexy, emotional and funny novels will nurse all your literary and metaphorical desires. You’ll laugh and cry right along with the characters, and get hooked into these great stories right from the very first page. They even take place in lovely California, giving you the opportunity to travel by proxy and escape the windy winter doldrums.

Bluff by Lenore Skomal

I'm proud to be participating in Novel Publicity's blog tour for Bluff by Lenore Skomal.

Book Blurb:

To the medical world, I was a host body, surviving only to bring a new life into the world. And while I wanted to die more than anything in the world, I never wanted this. No, I never wanted to cease to exist. This was the worst death of all.”

Jude Black lives in that in-between, twilight place teetering on death but clinging to life in order to bring her baby into this world. Only she knows the circumstances surrounding her mysterious fall off the bluff that landed her in the hospital being kept alive by medical intervention. Only she knows who the father of her baby is. In this poignantly crafted literary novel, the mystery unfolds and the suspense builds as the consequences of Jude’s decisions threaten to reveal everyone's deceptions, even her own.

Fate = Write Here Write Now Mount Gambier

Hello Readers!

A week or two ago I told you about my NaNoWriMo experience. What I didn't tell you was one of the side benefits of that experience.

I live in a small farming community. We are about five hours away from the nearest city of any size. Because of this, there was really no local NaNo support here. No community. No write-ins etc.

However, through fate (I love fate - don't you?) I found that one of my acquaintances that I know through a Textiles and Fiber Group also happened to be doing NaNo this past November. I didn't know she wrote. She didn't know I wrote. We began supporting each other with our writing experiences. We have become friends.

As time has gone on we started to explore writing groups for continued support. It turns out that even in our small town there is an existing writer's group. The downside to that is that the location the group uses is inconvenient and uncomfortable. 

So my new friend and I have decided to form our own writer's group. If you live in the Mount Gambier area or know anyone who does, and are interested in writing, we'd love you to become part of our group. There is no fee and we meet twice a month. The first and third Thursday of each month from 1.00 to 2.30 pm at the Mount Gambier Library. 

Come one, come all, come join us for our very first meeting of the Write Here Write Now writer's group, Thursday 20th December, 2012 at 1 pm. All interested in writing are welcome.

Score one for fate and new friends!

Brilliant Prey by Brenda Wallace

Book Blurb:

Even a genius can be played for a pawn by a cunning and deadly manipulator.

Lauren James is a former psychiatrist, still reeling from her husband's suicide and the subsequent miscarriage that swept away her tidy life the year before. On the anniversary of his death, she opens what she 

hopes to be a "Welcome to Mensa" envelope and pulls out a threatening puzzle along with the identical suicide note she had burned the previous year.

Unraveling the twisted clues, Lauren embarks on a harrowing journey drawn in by a child's neglected grave, a professor from the island of St. Croix, and a U.S. Supreme Court nominee.

Chicago Stories: West of Western by Eileen Hamer

Book Blurb:
One wounded ex-Marine starting a new life as an architect in Chicago. An abandoned workshop west of Western Avenue. Smashed windows, death threats, a dead body on the doorstep and a crazed ex-nun next door. A mysterious Ukrainian, a principled gang leader, a 350 lb Haitian baritone. Bodies in a vacant lot. A secret garden, actors living in a church, a pregnant teenager dying in a back room. Looking for a home, architect Seraphy Pelligrini hunts a killer in a neighborhood on the verge of change.

My NaNoWriMo Experience

Hello lovely readers - and how are all of you?

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? If you haven't, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It is a program designed to get people writing.

It is held every November and the goal of the NaNoWriMo is to just write - every day - for 30 days - in an attempt to get at least 50,000 words of a novel on paper. If you manage to write 50,000 words you are a NaNoWriMo winner! 

Second Chanced Grill by Christine Nolfi

Book Blurb:

Dr. Mary Chance needs a sabbatical from medicine to grieve the loss of her closest friend. But when she inherits a struggling restaurant in Liberty, Ohio she isn’t prepared for Blossom Perini. Mary can’t resist falling for the precocious preteen—or the girl’s father. The bond they forge will transform all their lives and set in motion an outpouring of love that spreads across America.

Phone Kitten by Marika Christian

Book Blurb:

Marika Christian's Phone Kitten introduces an absolutely unique, first-time-ever kind of female sleuth-a totally lovable, intelligent, downright hilarious down-home girl who happens to earn her living as a phone sex worker.

Shy, slightly overweight Emily would die if she had to talk dirty face-to-face-especially to her hot cop boy friend. She sure didn't set out to do phone sex-she wanted to be a writer. But when her BFF framed her for plagiarism, she got in a tiny financial hole and saw this ad for "phone actresses" . . . Hey, it's not nearly as bad as it sounds.

Ruby Blue by Julie Cassar

Book Blurb:

Meet Ruby. She’s your average (somewhat dorky) ice-cream eating, garden-loving teenager, who is constantly being annoyed by her little brother, is best friends with possibly the only Goth kid in town and, oh yeah…she sees fairies.

After Nick Martino (possibly the hottest guy she’s ever known) finally asks her out, she can barely manage a two-word sentence when a bizarre incident strikes their lakeside town.Stumbling bare-foot through some interesting dates, will she ever find love? And what does Ruby do when more strange events continue to occur? Will she keep her gift of Fairy Sight a secret?

Moonlight by Tim O'Rourke

Book Blurb:
When eighteen-year-old Winter McCall is offered a chance to leave her life of poverty behind on the streets of London, she moves to a remote part of the South West of England. Here she takes up the job as housekeeper to the young and handsome, yet mysterious, Thaddeus Blake.

Warned that he has some curious habits, Winter soon realises that not all is as it firsts appears at the remote mansion where she now lives and works.

Blind to the real danger that she is in, Winter finds herself becoming attracted to Thaddeus, and with nowhere and no one to run to, she slowly succumbs to his strange requests. But none of them are as strange as asking Winter to stand each night in the moonlight. 

An Appointment with Murder by Jennifer L. Jennings

Book Blurb:
It’s a quiet Friday evening in Bridgeport, New Hampshire and massage therapist Sarah Woods is working late at her office. She checks her room. Everything is ready as she waits for her client Jeff Gardner to arrive. However, things start to spiral out of control when a dead body is discovered. Terrified, Sarah finds herself caught up in the middle of a murder investigation. Who can she trust when it becomes apparent the crime is not what it seems.

The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney

Book Blurb:
As girls growing up in Clare Valley, Australia, Anna, Bett, and Carrie Quinlan were childhood singing stars known as The Alphabet Sisters. The unbridled enthusiasm of their flamboyant grandmother Lola was the glue that held them together. As adults, though, the women haven’t spoken in years–ever since Bett’s fiancé deserted her to marry the younger Carrie. Now Lola is turning eighty and she is determined to reunite the girls for a blowout bash. And no one ever says no to Lola.

Bett, who fled to London after the scandal of losing her fiancé, is hesitant to face her sisters and her hometown–especially since she has yet to find another man. Sophisticated Anna, the eldest sister, isn’t too keen on the prospect either, though she’s secretly grateful for any excuse to leave her crumbling marriage behind in Sydney.

Dead Case in Deadwood by Ann Charles

Book Blurb:

"Nothing good ever happens at the butt-crack of dawn. No doubt, the headless corpse on the autopsy table in front of me would agree."--Violet Parker

Real estate agent, Violet "Spooky" Parker stumbles upon a body-part theft ring at the local funeral parlor and suspects her caustic coworker has a hand in it--or maybe a foot. Can Violet discover what's in the crates the crooks are sneaking out of the mortuary in the dark of night? Or will she end up in one of them herself ... in pieces?

My review:

This is the 3rd book in Ann Charles' Deadwood series and I regret to say the next book doesn't come out until 2013. Sucks for me.

The Fortune Quilt by Lani Diane Rich

Book Blurb:

Carly McKay's life is going just fine until she produces a television piece on psychic quilt maker Brandywine Seaver and receives a quilt with an enigmatic reading telling her that everything is about to change. And it does. She loses her job and her best friend (who proclaims his unrequited love for her). And her mother, who deserted the family seventeen years ago, returns, sending Carly into a serious tilt.

Convinced it's the quilt's fault, Carly races down to the small artists' community of Bilby, Arizona, to confront its maker, and ends up renting a cabin from her. Carly even starts to enjoy her reimagined life, until her old life comes calling. Now Carly has to decide what parts of each world she wants to patchwork in...and how much she's willing to leave to fate.

Scary Mary by S.A. Hunter

Book Blurb:
Mary just wants to be left alone, but the cheerleaders, jocks, guidance counselors, and ghosts won't stop harrassing her. When a new boy starts school, he surprises Mary by befriending her. That's a rare thing for the school freak, but her unusual abilities put a rift in their budding friendship when Mary has to tell Cy that his home is haunted and not by Casper, the friendly ghost. 

My review:
Another one just in time for Halloween!

This is the perfect YA (Young Adult) ghost story. Not too scary but just scary enough. It's clean too! Safe for teens and even tweens.

Mary is a clairaudient. She can hear ghosts - not see them. She also seems to give them energy. Mary's Grandma is a fortune teller/medium. All the kids at school think high school junior Mary is a freak.

Cowgirls & Vampires by Tim O'Rourke

Book Blurb:

Samantha Carter believes that a vampire is responsible for the brutal deaths of four women in her hometown.

Desperate to prove this, Samantha accepts the friendship of a Preacher, two Cowgirls, and a Cowboy. Together, they are hired by the mysterious Englishman, Spencer Drake, to travel by steam train into the mountains in search of gold. It’s on this journey that Samantha finds romance with a man who keeps a dark and terrifying secret and discovers that vampires are not only very real, but are far more dangerous than she ever imagined. In order to stay alive, Samantha needs to figure out why things have gone so terribly wrong for her. But more importantly, why is she out of time?

Poisoning Sylvie by Christina Westover

Book Blurb:

It starts with forgetting to lock the refrigerator door, with the letter received from the mother who abandoned her twenty-five years earlier, in a whirlwind of awakening which will force Sylvie out of the predictable life she has come to know.

Poisoned in a nearly fatal accident as a child, Sylvie now exists in a world where strict self-imposed limitations are never to be questioned. Sometimes, though, entire empires are forced to crumble, and hers is no exception.

After learning she occupies the apartment of a once murdered woman, Sylvie uses news reports about the murder to create another identity--a dual identity capable of accomplishing anything.

Widow by Billie Sue Mosiman

Book Blurb:

A chilling novel by the Edgar Award-nominated author of Night Cruise. After the shattering murder/suicide of her children and husband, Kay Mandel seeks out abusive men and fatally poisons them. Soon she puts her past demons behind her and vows never to kill again. But someone has been watching Kay--and takes up where she left off.

My review:

Great story. Complicated but not hard to follow.

Sold and A Promise to Nadia by Zana Muhsen and Andrew Crofts

I've actually written two reviews in one this time folks. I've never done this before and may never do it again, but this time I feel it is justified.

Book Blurb for Sold:

Zana Muhsen, born and bred in Birmingham, is of Yemeni origin. When her father told her she was to spend a holiday with relatives in North Yemen, she jumped at the chance. Aged 15 and 13 respectively, Zana and her sister discovered that they had been literally sold into marriage, and that on their arrival they were virtually prisoners. They had to adapt to a completely alien way of life, with no running water, dung-plastered walls, frequent beatings, and the ordeal of childbirth on bare floors with only old women in attendance.

Sara's Game by Ernie Lindsey

Book Blurb:
Two years ago, Sara's husband left for the gym one morning...and never came back. His car was found. He wasn't. Unbelievably, the police report said, "No foul play suspected." There were a few unreliable sightings over the following months, but little else.

Now, on the last day before summer break, her three children have gone missing from their schools, all at the same time.

And the note under her windshield wiper asks one simple question: Are you ready to play the game?

Becoming Jolie by Monique O'Connor James

Book Blurb:

Jolie Bourque is trying to finish her thesis and get on with her life. She wanders into Folette, Louisiana, a place plagued by ghost sightings, convinced the residents are all crazy. No one wants to help her, no one except, Hutch Landry and his brother, Tucker.

Will she find the monster that is preying on the town's children? Can she stay sane surrounded by madness? What are her ties to the small town? How will she choose between the brothers?

This is the nightmare that is her life and all just a part of Becoming Jolie.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Book Blurb:

“It still amazes me how little we really knew. . . . Maybe everything that happened to me and my family had nothing at all to do with the slowing. It’s possible, I guess. But I doubt it. I doubt it very much.”

Luminous, haunting, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles is a stunning fiction debut by a superb new writer, a story about coming of age during extraordinary times, about people going on with their lives in an era of profound uncertainty.

On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, 11-year-old Julia and her family awake

The Prophet Motive by Eric Christopherson

Book Blurb:

San Francisco Homicide detective John Richetti spent part of his childhood living inside an infamous cult known as the People's Temple. As a boy he'd lost his parents to cult-instigated mass suicide. The memories come flooding back when he investigates the bizarre suicide of a former member of Earthbound, a New Age cult--and suspects murder instead. To uncover the truth he infiltrates the group, along with police psychologist Marilyn Michaelsen.

The new recruits find themselves pushed to their physical and mental limits by a series of sophisticated brainwashing techniques as well as by a cult leader, known only as The Wizard, who appears to possess psychic and paranormal powers.

The Grave Artist by Paula Lynn Johnson

Book Blurb:
16-year-old Clare can't stop drawing the bizarre, winged skulls she calls "Sammies". Her psychiatrist assumes the compulsive drawings are just expressions of Clare's grief over her father abandoning her. But then Clare discovers that her Sammies are exact matches for the Death's Head on the grave of Samantha Forsythe, a teen who reportedly fell to her death over two centuries ago.

Before long, Clare's drawings morph into cryptic writings that urge her to uncover the truth behind Samantha's death. Together with Neil -- the friend she might be falling for -- Clare scours the local history for clues. She finds that, although Samantha was engaged to a wealthy landowner, there were whispered rumors of her involvement with a younger, biracial man.

Riversong by Tess Hardwick

Book Blurb:

Author Tess Hardwick assembles a colorful cast of endearing small-town characters and takes you on a journey that will make you believe in the possibilities of life - even in the face of overwhelming adversity and unimaginable grief .Lee Tucker is the kind of woman you find yourself rooting for long after the last page is read. When her husband commits suicide, he leaves her pregnant and one million dollars in debt to a loan shark. Out of options, she escapes to her deceased mother's dilapidated house located in a small Oregon town that, like her, is financially ruined, heartbroken and in desperate need of a fresh start. Lee's resilience leads to a plan for a destination restaurant named Riversong, to new chances for passion and love, and to danger from her dead husband's debt as her business blooms.A surprising mix of romance, humor, friendship, intrigue and gourmet food, Riversong entertains while reminding you of life's greatest gifts.

Edwina Downs by Wendy Altschwager

Book Blurb:

The powerful Thornton family have owned this magnificent property: 'Edwina Downs', for over a hundred years. Robert and his wife Lavinia live a very wealthy prestigious life as socialites.

Robert is a ruthless and manipulative businessman, often engagingin exploitation and blackmail to expand his empire.

Robbie together with Maggie, takes over the management of the property. Following a freak accident, Robbie offers his mate Jake the position of the new overseer, and inadvertently the two discover Robert Thornton's devious past.

For those who live and work at Edwina Downs, life is never dull....Things are not always as they seem, and life throws up new challenges...

Everyone has a secret... Especially those looking for love..

Blood Born by Kathryn Fox

Book Blurb:

For pathologist and forensic physician Dr Anya Crichton, the death of a gang rape victim hours before she is due to give evidence at trial is a double tragedy. The violent Harbourn brothers, the girl’s accused attackers, now look like they will escape prosecution. But the Harbourns’ trail of destruction doesn’t end there. When two sisters are brutally assaulted and one of them is killed, Anya begins working round the clock to catch the Harbourns and nail their ringleader, the deviously clever Gary. With the help of Detective Kate Farrer and the surprise involvement of star litigator Dan Brody, she begins to discover just how twisted this family really is, and what they’re capable of. In Dr Anya Crichton’s most difficult case yet, she must piece together the evidence before a killer’s attention is turned on her…

Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles

Book Blurb:

Someone is spreading rumors around Deadwood that Violet Parker likes to chat with dead folks.

With her reputation endangered, her bank account on the verge of extinction, and her career at risk of going up in flames, Violet is desperate. When the opportunity to sell another vintage home materializes, she grabs it, even though this "haunted" house was recently the stage for a two-act, murder-suicide tragedy.

Ghost or no ghost, Violet knows this can't be as bad as the last house of horrors she tried to sell, but sexy Doc Nyce has serious doubts. Her only hope of hanging on to her job is to prove that the so-called, ghostly sightings are merely the eccentric owner's optical delusions.

A Blogger's Tale - a.k.a. Why do I blog?

As a participant in Terri Giuliano Long's Celebrating Bloggers Blog Hop I was asked to write a little piece about why I blog about my book reviews and why I support authors, especially independent authors. Oh! And don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter drawing at the bottom of this post for the chance to win great prizes!

Crazy in Paradise by Deborah Brown

Book Blurb:
When Madison Westin, the main character, inherits her aunt’s beachfront motel in the Florida Keys, or so she thinks. Tarpon Cove is not your typical sleepy beach town: Seduction, drunks, ex-cons and fugitives are not the usual fare for someone looking to start a new chapter in their life. Wrestling control of the property from both the lawyer and the conniving motel manager will be no easy feat. But Madison likes living on the edge so she feels right at home. Bullets fly, a dead body turns up, a kidnapping and blackmail. Madison really has to learn not to leave home without her Glock or it could get her killed.

My review:

I'd rate this book 4 of 5 stars. It is chock full of quirky characters, our heroine is fun and relatable if a little slower on the uptake than I might have expected. And it was an enjoyable read - great as a beach or holiday read. Lots of light fun.

Swan Loch by Randy Mixter

Book Blurb:
She arrived on the wind.
It’s August 8th, 2012, more than four months after his wife’s murder. Sheriff Chris Hayward has made it his life’s quest to find her killer, but every lead has come to a dead end…until now.

A young girl has wandered into the town of Swan Loch, Maine. She seeks out one person, Emma Carson, a teacher at the local school. She claims the wind brought her there, and she has a message for Sheriff Hayward. Your wife is alive and I know where to find her.

Chris, Emma, and the girl with no name will now journey to a place where all mysteries will be solved, where one believed lost forever may again be found, and where evil has discovered the perfect hiding place. But they must hurry, because in less than 12 hours the killer will strike again.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Book Blurb:

Marriage can be a real killer. 

One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. 

Please help the bunnies! Books for Bunnies Promo Blitz!

 Book’s for Bunnies

Books for Bunnies is an event set up by Suzie over at The Bunny’s Review and coordinated with the help of Coral at Alchemy of Scrawl. 

The premise is simple. Make a donation to help the bunnies and enter to win one of the fabulous books that have been so generously donated for this cause! Just go to Books for Bunnies and there  you can follow the links to make your donation and enter the Rafflecopter.

Torch Ginger by Toby Neal

Book Blurb:

The island of Kaua`i is remote jungle, golden beaches and ancient culture—but the homeless are disappearing in paradise, and only Detective Lei Texeira notices.

Fleeing a failed engagement, Detective Lei Texeira transfers to the island of Kaua`i, where she uncovers a pattern of disappearances that may be related to a bizarre cult—or is it just one madman at work? In Lei's world, everyone is guilty until proven innocent.

In Blood Orchids Lei battled her personal demons and won—but now they've come roaring back with reinforcements, including charming real estate magnate Alika Wolcott and former fiancé Michael Stevens. In the midst of the biggest case sleepy Kaua`i has ever seen, Lei must also discover who she loves.

The Time Keeper (Timeways Book 1) by Barbara Bartholomew

Book Blurb:

Lost on the stepping stones through time, could Jeanette and her friends ever find home again?

The glowing stones seemed to throb with some unknown power. What were these stones and why were they here in this hidden cavern? All fifteen-year-old Jeanette Lacy and her younger brother Neil knew was that the stones were calling to them... and they couldn't resist!

But their first steps on this weird pathway took them whirling through time to Texas - one hundered and thirty years ago in another past. Texas, where two moons hung in the sky, where unicorns were only too real, and where a boy named Jesse became an unexpected ally in their quest to return home. Then, instead of home, the stones sent them off to a frightening future where travelling in time was the worst crime of all...

The Reading Room by Ruth Hamilton

Book Blurb:

Leanne Chalmers has made a career for herself presenting her own style of home decorating and design on the nation's screens. That was her past life, at least. For now Leanne has been forced to start again as Lily, leaving her name, job, and marriage behind. No one in the Lancashire village of Eagleton has a clue about Lily, save that she's come up from the South West with her best friend and a small child. But it’s hard to lead a solitary existence in a small place, and Lily and Babs are swiftly embraced by some of the local characters: Mike, the Catholic priest, who the girls can't help noticing is easy on the eye; Eve, a Liverpudlian, who has a big mouth but a heart of gold; the

Forgive Me, Alex by Lane Diamond

Book Blurb: 

Tony Hooper stands in shadow across the street, one amongst many in the crowd of curiosity-hounds gathered to watch a monster's release. Seventeen years after Mitchell Norton, "the devil," terrorized Algonquin, Illinois on a spree of kidnapping, torture and murder, the authorities release the butcher from psychiatric prison.

Tony longs to charge across the street to destroy Norton—no remorse—as if stepping on a cockroach. Only sheer force of will prevents his doing so.

"The devil" walks the world again. What shall Tony do about it? Aye, what indeed.

The Z Word (Apocalypse Babes) by Bella Street

Book Blurb:

The Z Word follows Seffy Carter and her longtime friends Gareth, Addison and Lani. The four besties share a past dysfunctional and dark enough to keep them bound together under do-over identities. But rends develop in their relationships from the flesh-eating pressures of ending up in 1980, in a Montana desert, surrounded by zombies wearing dated disco duds.

My review:

This is basically Zombie light. It is a lovely diversionary bit of Zombie fun. Nothing too gruesome. Nothing too scary. Seffy and friends somehow seem to have traveled back in time to 1980 Montana, but it is a very different Montana than you might expect. For one thing, there are Zombies and lots of 'em. Zombies who seem to like disco music.

The Turtle Boy by Kealan Patrick Burke

Book Blurb:

School is out and summer has begun. For eleven year old Timmy Quinn and his best friend Pete Marshall, the dreary town of Delaware Ohio becomes a place of magic, hidden treasure and discovery. But on the day they encounter a strange young boy sitting on the bank of Myers Pond a pond playground rumor says may hide turtles the size of Buicks everything changes. For it soon becomes apparent that dark secrets abound in the little community, secrets which come cupped in the hands of the dead, and in a heartbeat, Timmy and Pete's summer of wonder becomes a season of terror, betrayal and murder.

Guest Post by author David M. Brown

G'day readers! As a part of the Discover Fantasy Tour, I am proud to offer you today a Guest Post by my friend David M. Brown, author of A World Apart and  Fezariu's Epiphany. As part of this blog tour you can enter to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card and more! Just go here. Now read on for what David has to say about Elenchera.

Future of Elenchera?

Elenchera has been a part of me since 1999. Like a typical marriage, we’ve had our ups and downs have Elenchera and I but we’ve stayed together through it all, though I suspect I feel more aged than Elenchera does. After a decade of building my fantasy world alone, I finally opened the gates to tourists in late 2008 when I met my wife, Donna. She was the first to read the history and despite being a fierce critic her response was generally positive. 10 years of world building had not been a waste of time, after all. 

Whole Lotta Trouble by Stephanie Bond

Book Blurb:

One Woman is Furious - Tallie Blankenship is a small town girl out to make her mark on Manhattan's publishing scene, even at the expense of a personal life. She's thrilled to be working with a high-profile mystery writer, until sleazy super-agent Jerry Key threatens to yank the project unless she sleeps with him.

One Woman is Scorned - Felicia Redmon is an accomplished editor with the world at her beautiful feet. But behind closed doors, her former lover, Jerry Key, is making her life miserable. After she receives a taunting nude photo of herself at her office, Felicia becomes desperate.

One Woman is Ruthless - Jane Glass is an e-book editor with an identity crisis and an attitude. When she discovers Jerry Key stole material from one of her authors, she sees red.

Interview with author Tricia Steward Shiu

Please enjoy this interview with Tricia Stewart Shiu, author of the paranormal YA novel with a literary bent Moa. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including $600 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, 5 autographed copies of Moa, and 5 autographed copies of its sequel, Statue of Ku.

1. The Moa Book series has a metaphysical theme. Do you have any expertise in this area?

I am an energetic intuitive and have a talent for creating powerful healing essential oil blends and gem elixirs. The unearthing of these talents occurred as I embarked on a

Runaway by Wendy Altschwager

Book Blurb:

Abandoned as a tiny baby, Robbie, a young teenager is desperately seeking his birth parents. He is extremely naive, lacks self esteem and social skills and is down-trodden by his peers.

Robbie is emotionally shattered, realising his dream of being a real family will never be, given the truth of his parents situation. In his quest he learns new skills and experiences country life.

He meets Jake while working on a sheep station in New South Wales and the two become best mates.

Wild Goose Chase (A Quilting Mystery #1) by Terri Thayer

Book Blurb:

A computer techie by trade, Dewey Pellicano would rather swallow needles than be pinned down to a life of quilting. But when her mother passes away, Dewey must exchange code for calico as the new proprietress of Quilter Paradiso.

Between learning the business and dealing with a conniving employee who is also her sister-in-law, Dewey is ready to snap. During a national quilt show, quilting celebrity Claire Armstrong offers to buy the shop. But before Dewey can accept, she finds the famous quilter lying dead on the floor--a bloody

Thar Be Pirates Ahead!

Join the Argggh-some Launch Party for A World Apart - the pirate-themed novel written by my good friend David M. Brown and enter to win a $100 Amazon gift card here now through June 23rd!

Be sure to catch the code on the upper right side of my blog for extra chances to win.

Did you know there are lots of fun little web sites devoted to pirates?

Did you know that you can get your very own pirate name at the Pirate Name Generator? I got Pirate Sara the Sword Test Dummy. Not too flattering is it? But fun nonetheless.

And did you know you can get random pirate quotes at The Pirate Quote Generator? I think that be his pirate hook. Blimey!

You can also change your language on Facebook to English (Pirate)! I've done it. It is so cool! Just go to General Account Settings and look in the drop down box under language.

You can even find a page on Pinterest devoted just to Pirate Stuff! It's a great time to loving pirates!

You can learn more about, and pick up your own copy of, A World Apart here.

And don't forget to join the Argggh-some Launch Party for A World Apart and enter to win some great prizes!

Interview with Frederick Lee Brooke author of ghoulish delight Zombie Candy!

I hope you enjoy this interview with Frederick Lee Brooke, author of the genre-bending mystery Zombie Candy!

Then be sure to read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this Novel Publicity Blog Tour, including $550 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

1. What was the inspiration behind your novel, Zombie Candy?

There was a famous golfer whose wife chased him out of the house with a golf club in the middle of the night a couple of years ago. It was funny that she attacked her husband with his own weapon of choice. I got to thinking what must be going through a woman's mind in that situation? I thought it would be interesting to explore the thought processes of a woman who discovers that her husband is a serial cheater. After the denial comes anger, but there is also a phase of grief. There's guilt. Maybe she blames herself, rightly or wrongly. Candace oscillates between wanting revenge and wanting her husband back, and as the novel winds up she makes discoveries about herself that I thought a woman in her situation would be likely to make.

Zombie Candy by Frederick Lee Brooke

About the book:  

Weaving elements of mystery, horror and romance in a hilarious romp that starts in Chicago and ends in a quaint medieval town in sun-drenched Tuscany, Zombie Candy is a genre-hopping knee-slapper of a novel. Get it on Amazon.

My review:

Zombie Candy won't satisfy your sweet tooth, but it IS a ghoulish delight!

Awhile ago I reviewed Doing Max Vinyl by this author. The first in the Annie Ogden Mysteries series. I was a bit conflicted by that story. I loved the Annie character and the background Frederick has given her but the story was really complicated and sometimes a bit too much so.

With Zombie Candy, we still have Annie and her sister Allison and brother-in-law Todd, but we also have the addition of some new and well developed characters. Candace Roach and her husband. Salvatore the PI. This story is also a bit complicated, but it is much easier to follow than Doing Max Vinyl. I think Frederick is hitting his stride now.

12/21/12 by Larry Enright

Book Blurb:
The world ends for someone every day. One day it will end for everyone.

My review:

This is a short novella - just over 100 pages. The book blurb doesn't do it justice. It is timely, and whether it will remain relevant after December 21st is unlikely. It is an end of the world story based on the concept that the Mayan calendar ends December 21st, 2012. 

Basically this story is the author's imaginings of the end of the world. I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil the book for you and I'm afraid I would. It is an interesting story and I really enjoyed it. Sure there are plot holes, but it is all in good fun. One reader likened it to an episode of the Twilight zone and I can pretty much agree with that. Overall it was a quick read and I really enjoyed it, including the twisted ending.