My guilty pleasure - Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard #amreading #bookreview

I'm letting you all in on a little secret today - my guilty pleasure TV show is Pretty Little Liars.

First just let me say - I hate, hate, HATE the covers on the books in the series. Every single one of them. They look like they are written for a six year old who loves Barbies. But I digress.

Pretty Little Liars (PLL to fans) - or as my husband calls them Pretty Little Lurkers (no he is not a fan of the show but he is an enabler who makes sure I get my fix) is a story of five teenaged girls who have skeletons in their closets. One goes missing and is assumed dead, but the other four start getting text messages with threats regarding information only the dead girl could know.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath #amreading #bookreview

I picked up The Bell Jar for a few different reasons. 

First, because a Facebook friend frequently shares quotes from Sylvia Plath that resonate with me. Second, because February 11th was the anniversary of Syliva Plath's death. And third, because it is one of those classics that I have never had occasion to read.

I have, at various points in my life, known great depths of despair that I have had to struggle mightily to overcome. 

Want to help me title my book? #amwriting

I've been working writing very hard since the release of The Beacon. I have two works in progress at the moment.

One is a psychological thriller - like my novella The Beacon.

The other is the sequel to my first book, the science-fiction/suspense story Lifeboat. 

I'm having trouble coming up with titles for both at the moment. I just decided on one I like for the thriller yesterday although it isn't set in stone and it may change.

For today, however, I am concentrating on my sequel which is about a quarter of the way written. Of course, there are many more steps to go. First, I need to finish it, then to do an initial edit, then an official edit with an editor, and on and on. But I'd really love to come up with a title to carry with me through the process.

If you've read Lifeboat you will know how the story ends. I don't want to go into that here, for those who haven't read it, because I don't want to give any spoilers. 

Suffice it to say Cassie has a child I am calling Tolo - a hybrid human/alien - and this sequel is his story. I'd really appreciate it if you would vote in my poll and help me give his story a name. Thank you Abites. :)

P.S. If you come up with a better name and I use it you might just get yourself thanked in the acknowledgements! ;)

Edit: There is a last minute forerunner to be added to the list. The aliens use the derogatory term "mockling" to describe hybrid aliens/humans. This potential title should be added to the list, but if you like it you are going to have to say so in the comments, okay?

Rise of the Mockling

What should I title the sequel to Lifeboat?
	Tolo
	Tolo's Story
	Cassie's Child
	Other - suggestion left in comments
pollcode.com free polls

Hard-hitting interview with Dying for a Living author Kory M. Shrum @koryshrum #interview

Kory M. Shrum

So Abites - not long ago I shared with you my review of Dying for a Living (click here for review) by Kory M. Shrum. 

The lovely Kory has been kind enough to take time out of her European tour to sit down and answer some hard-hitting questions for me and for you. Curious minds and all that. Are you ready to have your mind blown? You really need to read Dying for a Living. It is due to be released on March 4th.

Even though it is not available yet, if you are a member of Goodreads you can put it on your "to read" list by clicking this link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20645968-dying-for-a-living

And if you want to know THE MOMENT the book is available, you can sign up for Kory's mailing list here: eepurl.com/LCLu5

Welcome Kory! I'm just going to jump right in here, okay?

Dying for a Living rocks! What inspired this story? I loved the correlation you showed between Necronites and the hypnic jerk. Made perfect sense to me.

Thanks! It made sense to me too. Jesse was a character I had in my mind for a long time, but it wasn’t until 2008/2009 that her occupation, NRD condition, and her

Jonathan Gould shares an excerpt of his latest work - Scrawling! #excerpt

Abites - I'm privileged today to have Jonathan Gould stop by to share with us an excerpt of his latest book - Scrawling. 

One reader has said of Scrawling, "This story is witty and sharp, but also satirical; satire is something Jonathan does particularly well. I guarantee this third outing with Neville will amuse, entertain and charm you, and like me, you’ll be fidgeting in anticipation of his next book." 

Enjoy!

Neville waited expectantly for the class to begin. He watched as the Teacher Fish opened its mouth. He listened carefully as the Teacher Fish uttered two words:

“Swim away!”

Immediately, the rest of the class echoed the cry.

“Swim away,” they all screamed.

Neville looked around, trying to figure out what had caused such panic to descend on the previously well-ordered class. At first, he couldn’t see anything. Then he realised there seemed to be some sort of dark shadow approaching from directly behind them.

I live two lives. #amwriting

 I am A.B. Shepherd - and I live two lives.

As readers - and writers - we live many lives through the adventures of our characters, but that is not what I'm talking about today.

I am an introvert. I am reserved. I do not like being the center of attention - in real life.

Here online? Under the guise of my pen name? I'm fairly extroverted, only a little reserved, and I love being the center of attention. Why else would I write a blog for the world to see?

Yes, there are two distinct personalities living in my single body. Hidden behind my computer screen I can do and be anything. In my real life I have limitations.

While my friends and family know of my online persona they don't generally realize how introverted I really am. Because if you know me well and I feel comfortable with you my reserve is lifted and nothing is off limits. They know I need time to myself and I don't leave my house much, but that's just me and they accept that as the norm.

What if you died over and over again? Dying for a Living by Kory M. Shrum #bookreview #amreading

Okay so this book isn't even going to be released until March 4th, but I was very graciously provided a review copy free of charge from the author - who is a really lovely, friendly woman by the way. She also just happens to be from Michigan - where I grew up and lived most of my life.

For me, genre is sometimes hard to define. Someone called this a zombie book - another called it urban fantasy. Someone else called it science fiction. There is a strong mystery element. I guess it is all of those and probably even more - but I just call it awesome. This is Kory's first novel and she's knocked it out of the park.

YA Alien Abduction = awesome! The Taking by Kimberly Derting #amreading #bookreview

When my friend Kriss, the Cabin Goddess, told me about this book she said I would love it because it was about alien abduction in a Young Adult (YA) format. She wasn't wrong.

I read the blurb on Goodreads and my first thought was - that sounds a bit like Flight of the Navigator! I loved that movie. For those of you who have never heard of it, Flight of the Navigator was an 80s movie about a 12 year old boy who went missing one day and returned years later - still 12 years old. Similar concept and both that story - and The Taking - are very well done.

The book that made me love sci-fi. #amreading #Ilovescifi

This is NOT a book review. This is just a little post to give you a tiny bit of insight into my soul.

Many moons ago - YEARS ago - before ebooks and Kindles existed, before I discovered Indie authors - before the world of books became what it is today - I was a an avid reader

I've always been an avid reader from way back in my preteen years - and I am OLD now.


I started out reading sweet and innocent Harlequin romances, moved on to bodice rippers and stuck with those for many years. I think I was probably in my early 30s before I branched out to other genres.

That's when I discovered mysteries and I fell in love.