Rowena's Revenge Book Blast & Giveaway!!! #bookblast #amreading #giveaway

Title: ROWENA'S REVENGE (The Broadus Supernatural Society Series, #5)

Author: Theresa Marguerite Hewitt

Genre: Fiction | YA | Paranormal

Expected Release Date: 10/31/13

Rowena's life has never been easy. 

Being part Were and part Fae fire-starter she has learned to live a solitary life, depending only on her own instincts until one mistake throws her into danger. Now being chased by a psychopathic Warlock who is bound and determined to "own" her, Rowena must rely on her newly found mates and family. But is she ready to trust? Or will her damaged heart plunge her into darkness?

Comfy Cozy! The Big 5-0 (Mattie Mason Mystery Series) by Peggy Browning #amreading #bookreview

Peggy Browning, author of The Big 5-0 (Mattie Mason Mystery Series), is also a blogger. Her blog,  Fifty Odd - Viewing Life After 50 Through Rose-Colored Bifocals is awesome and I've been a fan of her blog for some time now.

She does a feature on her blog of women writers over the age of 50. I'm actually going to be featured on November 10th and am very excited about that.

I recently picked up The Big 5-0 eager to read about a heroine who is actually about my age - something you don't find too often in fiction.

First, this is a cozy mystery. A lovely, gentle mystery for the most part. Almost too cozy for me at first, and I nearly gave up on it in spite of the humor and great characters that Peggy had developed. When I got about 75% of the way through though, I really connected with Mattie and had to finish. I'm not sure why it took me so long. I think I'm just really cynical or something.

NaNo is calling my name. Is it calling you too? #amwriting #nanowrimo

NaNoWriMo
(courtesy NaNoWriMo.org)

If you have been following my journey you will already know that I've been a blogger for a few years now. 

Last November (2012) I happened across NaNoWriMo - the National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org) - which occurs in November every year. 

While I have always wanted to write, and had attempted it many times over the years, I had never managed to complete anything I had started - except my blog posts. ;)

The premise of NaNoWriMo, for those of you have not heard if it before, is to write a 50k word novel in 30 days. That might sound like a lot, but it isn't nearly as much as you might think. It equates to something like 1667 words per day. Basically, a long blog post.

Do you like your authors caged?

How do you feel when your favorite author switches it up and writes in a new genre? Do you prefer them to stay in the genre cage you've put them in?

J.K. Rowling, famous for writing the Harry Potter series - the young adult fantasy series - decided not too long ago to write an adult novel - a crime novel. To do so she used a new pseudonym. Why?

"...I was concerned that under my real name I wouldn't be taken seriously as a crime writer..." she has said.

Since she was known for writing a specific genre, she honestly didn't believe she would be well received if she tried something new.

Liked but not loved - Amulet of Elusion by Katie Lynn Johnson #amreading #bookreview

I was provided a free ebook copy of this novel by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Like the book I last blogged about, this is a YA novel. This one is a fantasy set in a period similar to the 1900s, where horses are the primary mode of transport, and technology doesn't yet exist. 

Alexa's parents and sister were killed in a fire when she was a child and she's been raised by Ivy, her (very young) guardian.

Don't let the title fool you! Anais Butt and the Hairy-Handed Gent by Kate Welshman #amreading #bookreview

You all know I am a fan of YA books, and from time to time I like to read something just a bit quirky. 

I'll admit this one intrigued me with it's title when I came across it on Netgalley.  I got a grabbed my free ARC copy from Netgalley, and...well here we are.

Don't let the title fool you - this is a YA story full of teen angst. There is no sex or pornography here.

Now here's the thing. I will fully admit that when I got to the part in the story where I figured out Shannon's deal, I was initially disappointed. That soon disappated, however. What Kate has done here is created a story that has a lot of great Aussie-ness about it, as well as some fun.

The Beacon is beckoning! #amwriting

Abites, if you liked Lifeboat you just might be anxiously awaiting my next work - The Beacon.

I have exciting news.  

The Beacon is on target for release in November! 

The rough draft is complete and the editing process is begun. 

Cover is being designed as we speak.

Are you excited? Because I am! 

Don't forget you can read an excerpt here.

And keep your eyes open - cover reveal will be coming soon. :D

The Last Clinic: A Darla Cavanaugh Mystery by Gary Gusick #bookreview #amreading

I got a free ARC of this novel from NetGalley.

Darla Cavannah is a fish-out-of-water Pennsylvania detective who moved to the deep south with her husband, the former pro athlete. This book starts six months after he was killed in a car accident. 

Darla has been on leave from work until she is called in to assist in a case because she is a "hate crimes specialist" and the murder in question is of a minister who was an anti-abortion protester.

The book had it's good points and bad points for me. On the good hand there was a pretty decent mystery that mostly kept me guessing trying to figure out what was going on and there was some humor in the secondary character of Tommy - the Elvis impersonator cop.

Omega Rising by Joshua Dalzelle #bookreview #amreading

You know when you are shopping on Amazon and you see on the page "people who bought this item also bought..." and there is a list of things there? Well it just so happens that when I looked at Lifeboat's Amazon page this book was on that list. I picked it up curious to see if it was in a similar vein to Lifeboat.

Omega Rising does have some similar elements. It has a space ship, and aliens. That's pretty much where the similarities end. 

Omega Rising is the story of Jason Burke, a former military paratrooper who chooses to live in isolation following his discharge, feeling as if he no longer fits in to the world he left behind.  This is very much a "buddy" book. What I mean by that is that Mr. Isolation joins up with a bunch of misfits to become the space equivilant of the A-team.