Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Blog Tour: Red Stick Diaries by @uplandpublish #review


Fiction / Political Drama
Date Published: March 1, 2015


A criminal drama that reveals the power and control that state and local justice system has over its residents. A young woman finds herself enthralled in a romantic love affair after rebuilding her life from a previously traumatic relationship. She soon learns that the man of her dreams is abusive, controlling and untouchable. He uses his network to enable his behaviors while he finds his next victims. Betrayal is a page directly from the diary of one of his victims.

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Review

It is important to note that this is a serial and only the first installment. You will want to read more about this as soon as your done, so thought I would give that warning. 

This novel deals in a theme that I am not wholly familiar with, politics. I think that the way that Diamond Ryan has written the novel really helps people like me understand the ins and outs enough to not miss anything in the novel.


This is a quick read, but there is a lot of Drama laced throughout. I was amazed by how much information and meat we got from a shorter novel. 




Pen Name: Diamond Ryan, Maya Pinyon
Born: 1958, Los Angeles, California.
Published author and poet.
228 243­0331
Published: The National Library of Poetry 1998 Anthology. Poem: A Tear Falls.
Selected for Anthology; Sound of Poetry. 2002.The Day The Angels Cried.
Nominated for Poet of the Year 2003; International Society of Poets.
Author/Speaker/Youth & Women Advocate/Marketing & Promotions ∙ Baton Rouge and New
Orleans, Louisiana ∙ The Red Shoes.org. 2011 – 2012


Monday, March 30, 2015

Blog Tour: Omari and the People by @xhosa60 #review



Action/Adventure - Historical Adventure
Date Published - October 2014

In an ancient time, a people made homeless by a devastating fire are led across a treacherous desert by a thrill-seeking thief, to a land he doesn't believe exists - and he started the fire. 
In a squalid ancient city on the edge of a desert (based on descriptions of the African Sahara’s Empty Quarter,) a weary, thrill-seeking thief named Omari sets his home on fire to start anew and cover his many crimes. When the entire city is unintentionally destroyed by the flames, the cornered thief tells the displaced people a lie about a better place to which only he can lead them, across the desert. With the help of an aged, mysterious woman who knows a better place actually does exist, they set out. The disparate people must come together to fight their way through bandits, storms, epidemics, and more. As a result of Omari's involvement with Saba, a fiercely independent woman who is out to break him in the pay of a merchant whom he has offended, his ability to lead - his very life - is jeopardized.



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Review

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this novel. It is classified as an action/adventure and that is not a lie. It really is a read that will have you on the edge of your seat til the end. The characterization was very well executed and helped me as a reader feel even more invested in the novel. I loved the pacing. When dealing with a novel like this, you can have ups and downs and I liked that the author was able to keep the pacing throughout. Wonderful writing style and even more wonderful storyline. Definitely a great read.


Chicago-born Stephen Whitfield began writing as a Marine Corps print journalist. His writing has appeared in military publications, as well as the Kansas City Star and the Jersey Journal. He holds degrees from from Loyola University Chicago, Chicago Theological Seminary, and Indiana University. Stephen currently resides near Orlando, Florida.


Friday, March 27, 2015

Blog Tour: Family Secrets by @72Zadunajsky #review



Women's Drama / Suspense / Mystery
Date Published: December 2014

Alexis has had big dreams all her life, and she’s worked hard to make them happen! After college she married and had a beautiful baby boy, living her dream as “Mommy” until Colton was safely entrenched in grade school. She lands her dream job at NASA, and her supportive husband, Jay, takes the lead on raising their son. The perfect family, right?
Twelve years later with no warning and no reason, Jay commits suicide. Colton goes into denial and blames his mother; Alexis buries herself in her work.
Seven months later, Alexis’s biggest dream comes true. She’s going to be on the next space shuttle! Her victory is short-lived when she finds out she has breast cancer. As her health declines, Colton delves into the dangerous circumstances of his father’s death.
“Family Secrets” crept into Alexis’s life when she wasn’t paying attention. Will she and her son ever find out the truth? Or is it too late?

Review

This is an extremely emotional family drama. There is a lot that goes into this and it can really hit home for so many people. I do think that it could be a difficult read, but it is so worth it. Donna Zadunajsky has written a very compelling novel. The characters are so captivating and readers will be invested from the get-go. Make sure to have a tissue handy! But there is so much more to this novel and it will keep you on your toes to the end.


Donna M. Zadunajsky was born and raised in Bristolville, Ohio, and resides in Homer Glen, Illinois. She has written seven children’s books that are about her daughter and all the adventures she has done in her young life. They are currently on the Barnes and Noble website, at Amazon.com, and at www.littletscorner.com. Available in eBook and paperback. 
She spends her time writing short stories as well as novels. She published her first novel ‘Broken Promises,’ in June 2012 and has currently finished her second novel ‘Not Forgotten.’ Besides writing, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and husband, their dog and two cats. She enjoys reading and working on crafts and scrapbooking. She graduated from The Institute of Children’s Literature in spring 2011.


Thursday, March 26, 2015

Blog Tour: The Dead Room by @sm_erickson #bookreview



Post Apocalyptic 
Date Published: March 11, 2015

322 years after the apocalypse, the world has changed, but her people have not. Secrets, lies, and manipulations endure among a small group of survivors taking refuge on an island in the Northern Pacific.   

 No one knows what claimed so many lives over three centuries ago, and no one asks, except Ashley Wortham. She can feel the secrets all around her, begging to be uncovered.   

But the nine elders who govern the island guard their secrets jealously. They believe the islanders know what they need to, and they hide their secrets behind a ruse of peace. But when Ashley, and her best friend Mason, go down the rabbit hole, no one is prepared for truths they uncover. What will they do when they discover the downfall of humanity lies within their own island, deep inside the dead room?




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Review

This is the epitome of a Post Apocalyptic novel.Stephanie Erickson has done a fantastic job of highlighting the characters and their personalities and motives.



This story had a lot of heart and a lot of action. Ashley is an wonderful lead. She was easy to understand and be captivated by. 




Plenty of twists and turns, drama, and much more along the way. I am glad I began this journey with Ashley and Mason and can't wait to see where it goes next.



Stephanie Erickson has always had a passion for the written word. She pursued her love of literature at Flagler College, in St. AugustineFL, where she graduated with a BA in English. She has received several honors in her writing career, including recognition in the 72nd Annual Writer's Digest Competition. 



After graduation, she married and followed her husband in pursuit of his dream. The Cure and The Blackout were written to reignite Stephanie's passion, when she found the time. Now that he is settled in his career, it's her turn to devote more time and energy into writing.

Stephanie currently has 4 projects planned for 2015. Her latest release, The Dead Room, is a post apocalyptic set on a lonely island 300 years in the future. 

Stephanie, of course, loves to read and write. She also enjoys living on the beach on the Florida's Treasure Coast. Most of all, she and her husband are in love with their baby girl.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Blog Tour: Chasing Shadows with bracelet #giveaway


A Brita Madison Paranormal Mystery

Paranormal Mystery/Crime Drama/Police Procedural
Date Published: January 26, 2015


"Only the living are so persistent. The dead seem to understand that time is no longer an issue for them."

Brita is at best a reluctant psychic, and Chief of Police James Weston is the "poster boy for conservative." Can he accept the unimaginable?

Brita Madison has found a sanctuary in Williams, Arizona, a refuge from the multitude of visions and voices that have chased her all her life. Then one vision touches her soul, and she finds herself embroiled in the middle of a missing person's case with a woman’s life at stake. Little does she know that this is only the beginning.

Brita's visions uncover a trail of murders centered around the historic Route 66. As Brita steps deeper into the world she has been trying to escape, she and Weston are in a race against time to identify the serial killer. This journey threatens to tear apart their lives as well as those closest to them.

"Chasing after the shadows left behind by sick minds is damaging to one's soul when you are just following the clues. Vicariously experiencing the trauma through visions like Brita's would have to tear at the very fabric of your being." – Chief of Police James Weston


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Dannye Williamsen

Paranormal abilities related to the mind intrigue me because they draw attention to the possibilities that lie outside the acceptable range of thinking for most people. Stories that embrace the paranormal make the reader want to dig deeper and reach higher to partake of such miraculous experiences, to step outside the humdrum of one's normal life. Whether the stories are mysteries, suspense, or romance, the paranormal element allows a writer to present a unique perspective.


As an empathic writer, I experience an altered state when I sit down to the keyboard. I am not able to daydream about my story or work it all out in my head when I am away from the keyboard. Once my fingers are on the keys, I step into the characters emotionally. In writing the story, I experience intensely personal relationships with them, despite their being fictional. I feel their pain, their joy, and allow them to lead the way in unfolding the story. In writing all my books, including the nonfiction, it has been a dedicated investment of energy, and I am truly grateful for the experiences.
  

Sandy Wolters 
I started writing paranormal romance relatively late in life. I was fifty-years old when I published my first book. Many would ask why it took so long to start a writing career that I was so compelled to do, and I really only have one answer. Life experiences finally brought me to the place where I felt I had something to offer. 


The romantic influence of my writing career came easy because I married my high school sweetheart, and we’ve been together ever since. I thank the stars above for him every day of my life. I’m living the romantic dream, people, with the man I was destined to be with, and it feels wonderful! Every romance I write, he is right there in the forefront of my mind. 

The paranormal influence of my writing also came at a young age but was much more subtle. My books have always contained hints of the supernatural, anything from ghosts of loved ones to psychic abilities. My personal experience with the paranormal started at a young age and blossomed over the years.








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PROMO Blitz: Seams in Reality and Cracks in Reality by @GraySpear with a #giveaway






Young Adult Fantasy / Thriller
Date Published: Sept 26, 2014 & December 25 2014

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SEAMS IN REALITY is the first book in the Seams in Reality Series.

As a freshman in a suburban college near Chicago, Andrew leads a mundane life until he meets a professor named Tonya. She is secretly a master sorcerer, and she invites him into a conspiracy of magic. Only those few who possess exceptional talent may join. A resourceful young woman named Charley has the same supernatural gift. She accompanies Andrew on his journey into a dark profession, and romance quickly blooms between the young apprentices. When Andrew meets Blake, a sorcerer who knew his grandfather, Andrew becomes embroiled in a game of lies and treachery. Blake's thirst for power leaves a trail of casualties, and in the end, only Andrew can stop him.

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CRACKS IN REALITY is the second book in the Seams in Reality Series.

The Vault is a fortress in the desert protected by the United States Army, and it contains the most dangerous, forbidden secrets of sorcery. Blake, master sorcerer and fugitive from justice, has a plan for robbing the place. He will create a tangled web of lies to trick the Army into delivering the treasure into his hands. He intends to use the stolen knowledge to destroy his enemies and become the most powerful sorcerer on Earth.

Two apprentices are on a mission to kill Blake. Andrew is a war mage, a genius at psychic combat. Charley is a young woman who commands physical sorcery. Their instructor, Tonya, will turn the two teenagers into warriors capable of defeating Blake, if they can endure the extreme mental and physical tests.

Tonya's training is just the beginning for Andrew and Charley. They must discover Blake's hidden objectives, and they don't have much time. A government agency called the Bureau of Physical Investigation has the same assignment, but the agents are unprepared for the dangers they will face. Other surprising threats await the apprentices as they pursue their enemy along a trail of bloodshed.




About the Author


Alex Siegel grew up a math and computer geek. At the age of twenty-five, he received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell. He continues to make a good living as a software developer in Chicago. In his late twenties, he took up creative writing as a serious pastime with the intention of eventually making it his career. This goal has been elusive, but failure is not an option. In 2001, his wife gave birth to triplet boys. People often ask him how he still finds time to write. In 2009, he began the Gray Spear Society series, and he hopes it will be his key to literary fame.

Author Links


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Amazon


Giveaway
$10 Amazon Gift Card


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Blog Tour: Finding Fisher by @karenmbryson #review & #giveaway



New Adult Contemporary Romance
Date Published: March 2. 2015

Finding Fisher is a short novel about love, lies, loyalty and what it means to be truly alive.
Franklin Smith was the perfect fiancé. He was at the top of our class at Stanford and had been recently accepted to Harvard Law. But Spring Break our senior year of college changed everything. He went back home to New Jersey and never returned. At his funeral I discovered a guy I never knew. His secret past. And a twin brother, Fisher, I didn’t know existed.
Author’s Note: When I learned about the tragic death of cover model Josh Nicholson and saw the wonderful photos that Eric McKinney of 6:12 Photography had taken of Josh I just knew I had to write a book in his memory. This is the novel that Joshua Scott Nicholson inspired.

A portion of the profits from the cover and book sales will be donated to Joining Hearts, Inc., a 501(c)(3), all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to providing housing support to people living with HIV and AIDS in Atlanta, in memory of Josh.

Purchase Link




REVIEW

I have loved Dakota Madison's writing every since reading her Wilde Riders novels. She brings her characters to life in such a way that the reader becomes invested in them immediately. 

There is a lot of mystery in this novel. Chloe is left to seek answers and finds more than she ever expected. This novel will definitely keep you on your toes.

The relationship was a bit quick moving for me, but it is a shorter novel so I understand there wasn't as much time to let it unfold slowly. 


USA TODAY Bestselling author Dakota Madison is known for writing New Adult and contemporary romance with a little spice and lots of heart. She likes to explore current social issues in her work. Dakota is a winner of the prestigious RONE Award for Excellence in the Indie and Small Publishing Industry. When she’s not at her computer creating spicy stories Dakota likes to spend time with her husband and their bloodhounds at their home outside Phoenix, Arizona. Dakota also writes under the pen names SAVANNAH YOUNG, SIERRA AVALON and REN MONTERREY.




Monday, March 23, 2015

Blog Tour: The Breakthrough




Non-Fiction / Self Help
Date Published: Originally 2007 - Revised 2015

Dr. Hartman tells the story about our vulnerability to painful emotions, which flare up from the depths of our minds, casting spells over us. As the book unfolds, he develops two powerful ways to strengthen our consciousness enough to break these spells: one, by recognizing and grappling with the two surprisingly simple thoughts that lie at the heartand generate the painin each of our negative emotions, and two, by learning to stay focused on the present momentthe single moment we spend our entire lives inwhose mysterious, unexpected nature he describes in vivid detail.

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Review

A novel that really does what the genre states. It is a Self-Help and will have the reader evaluating themselves and learning things they never anticipated. Wonderfully written and thought provoking while easy to follow. 


About the Author

I'm a clinical psychologist in private practice and make my home on Long Island, New York.




Friday, March 20, 2015

Blog Tour: Murder, Mystery, & Dating Mayhem by @denaehaggerty #excerpt #giveaway



Humorous Chick Lit with a Dash of Murder/Mystery
Date Published: March 1, 2015


My name is Izzy. I drink too much, am clumsier than a newborn foal, and my brain-to-mouth filter often malfunctions. My daredevil husband killed himself in a parachuting accident five years ago and my best friend Jack has decided it’s time I jump back in the dating pool. He’s perfectly happy to throw me in if I don’t listen. Just when things in the dating world start to heat up, my grandma dies. Only her knitting group of Jessica Fletcher wannabes is sure it’s murder. I’m not convinced but I’m always up for a bit of excitement as long as it doesn’t lead to a night in jail. Well, more than one night anyway. Will I miss my chance at love because I’m chasing imaginary killers? Did someone really kill grandma or am I and my merry band of geriatric thieves imagining things?


Purchase Links



Excerpt




“Excuse me,” I say as I try to catch the bartender’s attention. The bartender, however, is more interested in the young girls prancing around than in me. I sigh and lean onto the bar ensuring that the girls are visible. “Excuse me,” I say again, but this time I use a sultry voice – or at least that’s what I’m going for. The bartender finally looks my way and I smile when I see his eyes immediately lured to my cleavage. Gotcha! “Tequila shot with a beer chaser, please.” He jumps to fulfill my order, but nearly trips as he attempts to maintain eye contact with my bosom and reach for the tequila bottle at the same time.
I hear someone chuckle beside me and turn to see a hotter than hot piece of male specimen staring at me. I immediately feel my face burn. The bartender saves me by slamming my drinks down in front of me. I grab the tequila shot and quickly down it before latching onto the beer to soothe my burning esophagus. Good thing I have lots of practice or I would probably spit the beer out like a college freshman during rush week, although I may have coughed just a teensy bit.
Sufficiently fortified, I turn to the man again and notice him watching me. He raises an eyebrow. “I tried that trick earlier,” he says, tilting his head towards the bar, “but the bartender didn’t seem impressed with my assets.” I look him up and down. “You look pretty hot to me,” I say and then slap my hand over my mouth when I realize my comment probably sounded like some lame pick-up line.  “Sorry.” Is it possible for my face to spontaneously burst into flames?  “Sometimes my mouth opens before my brain can stop it.”
The man laughs and shakes his head. He reaches out to shake my hand just as a loud, obnoxious bell rings. “That’s my cue,” I say as I jump off the barstool. I wobble a bit, and hottie reaches out to steady me with his hand on my elbow. I gasp as a current of pure electricity moves through my arm. I startle and nearly trip in my heels.
I manage to steady myself and smile at Mr. Dreamboat before going off to search for Jack. Before I can find him, I catch sight of another cocktail waitress. I grab a glass of red before locating Jack, who is surrounded by women who are obviously on the prowl. To the casual observer, he seems to be reveling in the attention, but I see his eyes frantically search the room before landing on me. I immediately stalk forward, grab his hand, and pull him away. 




I was born and raised in Wisconsin, but think I’m a European. After spending my senior year of high school in Germany, I developed a bad case of wanderlust that is yet to be cured. My flying Dutch husband and I have lived in Ohio, Virginia, the Netherlands, Germany and now Istanbul. We still haven’t decided if we want to settle down somewhere – let alone where. Although I’ve been a military policewoman, a commercial lawyer, and a B&B owner, I think with writing I may have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. That’s assuming I ever grow up, of course. Between tennis, running, traveling, singing off tune, drinking entirely too many adult beverages, and reading books like they are going out of style, I write articles for a local expat magazine and various websites, review other indie authors’ books, write a blog about whatever comes to mind and am working on my fifth book.