Reading Romances Challenge 2012

Ahh . . . another challenge, this one is being hosted at Reading Romances.  And it's the Reading Romances Challenge 2012.  Put in her words:

The Reading Romances Challenge is not about the amount of books you read, but the variety of titles you’ll have read when the challenge is over! Our goal is to read a bit of everything related to romance and open our minds to new genres we wouldn’t usually read.

Sound like fun?  I think so - I haven't been reading as much romance as I use to due to my reviewing schedule, but I am thinking of taking my reviewing schedule down a notch next year and working on some books on my tbr pile (some of those happen to be languishing review books) and a lot of those are romances.  I love a good challenge as well and look forward to seeing what challenges are thrown at us each month.  For the more specific rules, you can see the post at Reading Romances for the challenge here.

I can't wait, how about you?

Book Promo + Bookmark Giveaway: Shattered Dreams by Ellie James

Here's a book that's releasing tomorrow that looks like a great start to a new YA series, be sure and check it out!

Shattered Dreams by Ellie James

Publisher:St. Martin's Griffin

Publish Date: December 6th, 2011

Paperback, 352 pages
ISBN: 978-0312647025
Midnight Dragonfly #1

About the Book:
Sixteen-year-old Trinity Monsour wants nothing more than to live a normal life. But that isn’t as easy as it seems. Trinity is different. She is special. She sees visions, and for those she’s seen, it’s already too late.

Trinity arrives on her aunt's doorstep in New Orleans with virtually no knowledge of her mysterious heritage. She begins settling into life at a new school and even starts making friends. But all too quickly her dreams accelerate; twisted, terrifying visions of a girl locked in a dark room. And when the head cheerleader, Jessica, goes missing, Trinity knows she has no choice but to step forward with what she's seen.

But people believe that Trinity has information about Jessica's disappearance not because of a dream, but because she is involved. She is kind-of dating Jessica's ex-boyfriend, Chase, and Jessica did pull a nasty prank on Trinity. Revenge seems like the likeliest scenario.

Nothing prepares Trinity for the dark odyssey that ensues while searching for Jessica, including the surprising romance she finds with Chase, or the shocking truths she learns, not just about the girl who has gone missing, but the past that has been hidden from her.

Find the book on Goodreads.
Ellie James' on the web
Midnight Dragonfly series on Facebook

Giveaway:
If you would like to win a signed bookmark of Shattered Dreams, just leave a comment with a way for me to contact you.   Open to US only, ends 12/10.

Guest Blog: How a Nasa Scientist's Theory Inspired a Paranormal Thriller

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of The Gaia Wars eBook edition has dropped to just 99 cents this week.

What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including a Kindle Fire, Amazon gift cards up to $100 in amount, 5 autographed copies of the book, and 5 autographed copies of its recently released sequel, Battle for Cascadia. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 9th, so you don’t miss out.

To Win the Prizes:

1. Purchase your copy of The Gaia Wars for just 99 cents on Amazon or Barnes &
   Noble
2. Fill-out the form
   on Novel Publicity to enter for the prizes
3. Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the
   book or a $50 gift card!
4. BONUS: If you leave a comment on this blog post, you have another
   chance at $100!

...And I can win too!

Over 100 bloggers are participating in this gigantic event, and there are plenty of
prizes for us too. The blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll
will win a $100 gift card as well. So when you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out
the contest entry form, don’t forget to say that I referred you, so I can get a point in
the poll.

The Featured Events include:

Monday, Blogaganza on Novel Publicity! We’re kicking-off on the Novel Publicity Free Advice blog. We’ll ask the writer 5 fun and random questions to get everyone talking. Leave a comment or question in response to the post, and you may win an autographed copy of The Gaia Wars or
its recently released sequel, Battle for Cascadia. Don’t forget to enter for the other contest prizes while you’re over there!

Tuesday, Twitter sharing contest! A tweet is tiny, only 140 characters. But on Tuesday, it could win you $50. Send the following tweet across the twittersphere, and you just may win a $50 Amazon gift card. Autographed copies of The Gaia Wars and its recently released sequel, Battle for Cascadia, are also up for grabs. The winner will be announced Wednesday morning. Here’s the tweet: Looking for a YA read that's full of adventure & intrigue? Check out The Gaia Wars. Reduced to just 99 cents http://ow.ly/7ywpZ #whirlwind

Wednesday, Google+ sharing contest! Yup, there’s yet another awesome opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card, and this time it just takes a single click! Visit Google+ and share Emlyn Chand’s most recent post (you’ll see The Gaia Wars book cover included with it). On Thursday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. Autographed copies of The Gaia Wars and its recently released sequel, Battle for Cascadia, are also up for grabs. Three chances to win! How about that?

Thursday, Facebook sharing contest! Stop by Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share their latest post (you’ll see The Gaia Wars book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. Autographed copies of The Gaia Wars and its recently released  sequel, Battle for Cascadia, are also up for grabs.

Friday, special contest on the author’s site! Win a Kindle Fire or a $100 Amazon gift card, simply by leaving a comment on Kenneth’s most recent blog post. How easy is that? Autographed copies of The Gaia Wars and its recently released sequel, Battle for Cascadia, are also up for grabs.

Remember, it’s all about the books!

About The Gaia Wars: DEADLY SECRETS have been
buried in the Cascade mountain wilderness for centuries. Hidden. Out of sight and out of mind. Until today… Warren Wilkes, age 13, doesn’t like what a greedy housing developer has done to his peaceful mountain community, so he vandalizes the developer’s property, flees into the wild, and stumbles upon an ancient human skeleton revealed by torrential rain. More than old bones have been exposed, however, and the curious artifact Warren finds makes him question his own identity, and his connection to an ancient terror. A terror destined to rise again and annihilate all that Warren loves. He must fight or see his whole world destroyed. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About Battle for Cascadia: When Warren Wilkes, age 13, stumbles upon a mysterious relic deep in the Cascade Mountains, wonder reigns. Brimming with secrets and sentient energy, the relic leads Warren to a fantastic chamber, and to shocking revelations about his identity. Now wonder has turned to dread. A forgotten terror—a demon that knows Warren better than he knows himself—has risen again and is assembling an army; gathering power with a singularly evil goal in mind: to capture and enslave the wild spirit of the Earth itself. As war erupts and the planet slips into chaos, Warren embraces his destiny and finds help where he least expects it. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the Author: Kenneth G. Bennett is the author of the Young Adult novels The Gaia Wars and Battle for Cascadia (the second book of The Gaia Wars), as well as the forthcoming Exodus 2018, a paranormal thriller set in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. A wilderness enthusiast who loves backpacking, skiing and kayaking, Ken enjoys novels that explore the relationship between humans and the wild. He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and son. Visit him on his website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.
 

Now please enjoy this guest post from the author...

HOW A NASA SCIENTIST’S THEORY INSPIRED A PARANORMAL THRILLER


THE GAIA WARS is fiction, but it was inspired—at least in part—by The Gaia Hypothesis. This hypothesis, proposed by NASA scientist James Lovelock, states that the Earth—the entire Earth—is a living thing. A vast, “super-organism.”

I read an article about Lovelock’s theory a few years back and thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever heard.

The Earth is alive. Think about it. If Lovelock’s correct, the Earth isn’t simply a chunk of interstellar rock hosting a collection of random ecosystems; it’s a cohesive entity. An organism. A being. I daydreamed about this idea, mulled it over; wondered how it might be incorporated into a novel. And in my imagination, I took the theory to the next level: What if the Earth is not simply alive, I asked, but also sentient?

I did some reading, and discovered that a lot of so-called primitive cultures believed this very thing. Understood it in their bones. Our ancestors were in tune with the planet in ways that we’ve forgotten. They could feel her heartbeat. Interpret her rhythms. They created Earth Goddesses to worship and celebrate.

Gaia (pron. guy-uh) is one of the principal deities of the Greek Pantheon. Other cultures used other names: the Tibetan people called the deity Chomolungma—Goddess Mother of the World. The
Sumerians knew her as Ninhursaga. To Mesoamerican peoples she was Tlazolteotl.

A fictitious Pacific Northwest culture called the Denelai is at the center of THE GAIA WARS. As readers learn, the ancient Denelai people believed in the Earth goddess so profoundly that she would sometimes appear to them in human form.

At the start of the novel, troubled 13-year-old Warren Wilkes unearths a treasure deep in the Cascade Mountains while fleeing the law, learns about the Denelai and Gaia’s periodic visits, and finds that on one such occasion in 1550 AD, the tribe was attacked and the Earth Goddess wounded. The Indians were slaughtered and Gaia lost her memory and vanished into the wild.

As Warren soon discovers, Gaia is still alive and still trapped in human form. What’s more, the beast that attacked the Indian village 500 years earlier is on it’s way back with an army bred specifically to capture Gaia, unlock her secrets, and seize control of the planet. Warren must fight or see his whole world destroyed.

Readers seem to like the idea of a paranormal thriller with a thinking, feeling Earth at its heart. The feedback has been tremendous. Humbling. Yesterday (November 24, Thanksgiving Day) THE GAIA WARS rose to #17 on Amazon’s list of Top 100 Best Sellers in Children’s Action & Adventure. The Second Book of The Gaia Wars, BATTLE FOR CASCADIA, (just released) is also doing well. A huge thank you
to all the wonderful readers giving these books a try!

Around the World in 80 Kisses: Smooch Stop #7 (This or That list + Giveaway chance)

The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams is the story of four best friends: Piper,
Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy--the misfits of Paris, Texas. Their whole lives, they’ve dreamed
of escaping small-town life and seeing the world. So when Piper is the victim of an
embarrassing prank that goes viral online, she gets the idea that the girls should escape
via the school’s international exchange program, in search of fun, love and internet
redemption.

Shellee Roberts along with writing partners Emily McKay and Tracy Deebs writes under
the pseudonym Ivy Adams. They shop, gossip and watch movies in Austin, Texas.

Fruit or Veggies?
Definitely veggies--I crave savory over sweet.

Sports car or sedan?
I like to drive (really) fast, so I’m sports car all the way. My dream car is an Astin Martin Vantage in silver, like a bullet. I’ll have to sell A LOT of books to get it!

Color for car: red or black?
Haha—I have a definite opinion on this depending on the car. For instance, a Ferrari is sleek and sexy, like a Versace evening gown-- it should always be red. A Lamborghini, on the other hand, is all barely restrained power, leonine. Black is its color. If my hubby had his way, though, all of our cars would be black. That’s why my car is red.

Vampires or werewolves?
Vampires, old school scary ones. I was a huge Angel fan, but all these vampires with a soul just don’t have the same bite. My Ivy Adams writing partner, Emily Mckay, has a book coming out in Dec 2012 called the The Farm where the vampires are actual villains again. I can’t wait to read it!


Football or soccer?
Well, I’m from Texas and I attended the University of Texas so college football is kind of in my blood. Hook’em! But if I had to pick between football boys or soccer boys—soccer boys, no contest.


Pop Tarts or Cereal?
I know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but there’re few things tastier than a strawberry Pop Tart hot out of the toaster. Did y’all see they have a new pumpkin pie flavor for the holidays? Yum!


Out To Eat or Takeout?
Out to eat. I’d rather have someone else clean up.

Sunrise or sunset?
I am not a morning person, so if I’m seeing the sunrise it’s only because I’ve stayed up all night to meet a deadline. Sunsets, preferrably into the ocean as I watch from a lounge chair on a white sand beach, are best.

Math or English?
Well, since I’m a writer, English, obviously. Math is not my canvas. I even picked my major in college based on the fact that it required me to only take one semester of math. Then I graduated and fell into a career in the financial arena for over a decade. Algebra every day. Irony.

Dog or Cats?
Dogs. I have two Australian Shepherds, Zeus and Juno.


Toddlers or Teenagers?
Hmm, this one is tricky. I’ve had a toddler and I’ve been a teenager. Both have their hair-pulling-out challenges, but I’m actually looking forward to doing stuff with my daughter in her teen years. Also, we’ll be able to read the same books together!

Facebook or Twitter?
I have both, but I really like the real-time advantage of Twitter.

Flip flops or tennis shoes?
Since it’s over eighty degrees here nearly nine months out of the year, I’m always in flip flops.

Giveaway:
Now I have one for y’all: chapstick or lip gloss? Tell me in the comments and
be entered to win the Around the World In 80 Kisses daily and weekly prize and also
become eligible to win the Grand Prize, a Kindle Fire. For a list of all our Smooch Posts
you can visit and earn more entries to win, visit us here.

Next Smooch Stop: Monday, December 5 at Down The Rabbit Hole

***I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  I do not receive money for my amazon links since I live in NC (something about some law), so they are up purely for my readers to have a place to check out the book.***

Book Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Publisher: Walker and Company

Publish Date: January 17, 2012

Hardcover, 272 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult
 ISBN: 978-0802723093

My Review:
First off I love stories where best friends finally figure out they love each other.  Fracture is one of these stories in a convoluted way.  But I like it that way.  This is one crazy story, but the craziness of it is what kept me hooked and kept me turning pages.  I started reading it during the afternoon, stopped long enough to start some spaghetti for supper, then started reading again.  Then I stopped long enough to field phone calls and texts from the husband and oldest son telling me the oldest son shot his first deer, then I dove back in the book (yes the deer moment was a proud moment).  But Fracture was a book that just grabbed me and sucked me in.  So I was glad that hubby and son were late getting home that night for more reasons than one!

What can I say about Fracture without giving anything away.  It's creepy, it keeps you guessing, there is romance, there is teen angst and confusion.  There are times you want to slap both Delaney and Decker, but you still love them.  They are not characters you hate.  They are just struggling and I felt their struggle.  I think Ms. Miranda does an admirable job developing the characters and making them likable and helping them to grow during the book.  I think she characterizes teenagers well, with the need to stay in a stagnant way because it is what is comfortable and there is fear to break out of what is comfortable.  I remember how that was.

The plot was stunning and mind blowing.  The fact that Delaney should be dead and that she seems to have this new gift or not really a gift, it depends how she looks at it.  The twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat and add in the teen angst and the potential romance and this book just had everything that made a great book to me.  I was hooked from page one until the very end and I honestly didn't want it to end.  But it did and now a week later I am still thinking about Delaney, Decker and even Troy.  That as I have mentioned before is a mark of a good book to me, when the characters stick with me after the book is done.  And these characters have.

If you are looking for a slightly different paranormal with a little romance then try out Fracture.  It held me spellbound and I will eagerly be awaiting more of Megan Miranda's books in the future.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0


About the Book:
By the time Delaney Maxwell was pulled from a Maine lake’s icy waters by her best friend, Decker Phillips, her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead.

But somehow Delaney survived—despite the brain scans that show irreparable damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be fine, but she knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney now finds herself drawn to the dying, and when she meets Troy Varga, a boy who recently emerged from a coma with the same abilities, she is relieved to share this strange new existence. Unsure if her altered brain is predicting death or causing it, Delaney must figure out if their gift is a miracle, a freak of nature—or something else much more frightening…

About the Author: 
Megan is a scientist - turned - teacher - turned - stay-at-home-mom - turned - writer. She is not nearly as indecisive as she sounds. She lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, where she volunteers as an MIT Educational Counselor, does the mom thing by day, and writes by night. 

Website
Twitter
Facebook
Blog

Purchase from The Book Depository and help My Reading Room earn money to continue to fund giveaways.

FTC Information: I received this book through Good Choice Reading ARC Tours an honest review. 

Giveaway: My Favorite Bible by Rondi DeBoer and Christine Tangvald

With the vibrant illustrations and engaging text in this Bible storybook, you can enjoy sharing the best-loved stories of the Bible with the children in your life and encourage a life-long love for the Word of God. My Favorite Bible is a book of exciting Bible stories and activity pages that guide children through the foundational truths of Scripture.

Each story is fully illustrated and includes a simple narrative full of things kids love: repetition, rhythm, and energy, along with a key biblical theme, a key Bible verse, and discussion questions to help adults introduce children to the Bible.

The colorful illustrations will capture the imaginations of children ages 4–8, and the stories will help adults to pass along the most important truth in life—the Gospel. Families will cherish this time as they read, listen, learn, and love, growing closer to one another even as they grow closer to God.

Thanks to the kind people at Revell I have one copy of My Favorite Bible to giveaway.  It will ship directly from the publisher and hopefully arrive in time for Christmas (if you are in the US or Canada it should, International, give it a little more time).  I will send my winners address as soon as I get it to hurry the process along for you.  This giveaway is open International.  It will end next Friday 12/9 so I can get the winner to Donna in plenty of time (her deadline is the 15th).  Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter.  The only required entry is your name and email.

Some other notes from questions that were raised:

• If you would like to view the inside of the book, you can view it on Amazon here.
• This is not a children’s Bible. It is a Bible story book that includes key verses and parent pages called “Family Talk” and “Family Fun” to assist adults in discussing the stories with children.

Guest Blog: Is It Hard to Get Published by David W. Huffstetler (Blood on the Pen)

Is it hard to get published? 

by David W. Huffstetler

I’m not sure “hard” is the right word, maybe “darn near impossible”, but that’s a phrase, isn’t
it? Seriously, it can be very difficult and often frustrating, but I’ve found a number of things
that seem to be common among agents and publishers, and I’ll start with the process. We will
assume that you have written a terrific story, but that isn’t enough.

The dilemma we face with major publishing houses is that they only accept submissions
from an agent, and agents seldom want to represent someone who has not already been
published. It may sound unfair, but you just have to accept that as the world we live in. So,
for an unpublished author, you can approach agents and/or you can submit your work to
independent publishers. I found the website Preditors and Editors to be very helpful. It lists
and rates publishers and agents, as well as offering links to help with things like query letters.
Remember, you can always get an agent, but you may wish you hadn’t. There are those who
will represent you if you pay them a fee, and there are subsidy presses that will print your
book, if you pay them. Take care or you can find yourself with a closet full of books, trying to
sell them to your friends and family. If you’re considering self publishing, I suggest looking at
Amazon (Kindle) and Createspace.com (paperback). Their services are free, and they list your
book on Amazon.com; however, they don’t promote it.

If you choose traditional publishing, then the first communication is the query letter, and it
must be perfect, no typos and no errors in grammar. The one-page synopsis of your story
needs to be just as perfect. If they spark the interest of the agent or publisher, then they
will ask for a partial manuscript, probably the first 50 pages. Did I mention that needs to be
perfect? If it isn’t, you’ll never get past the gate keepers.

Now, you have thrilled them with your partial, and they ask for the full manuscript. Of course,
you want it to be error free too, but the first half is particularly important. By the time an
editor has read that far, he or she has probably decided if this is a story they want. There is
much more to say about the content of your manuscript and the craft the editors look for, but
I am running out of words. I am writing another blog to address that, and you can find the
schedule for this blog tour at bloodonthepen.blogspot.com. I hope to see you there.

*****

Book Summary
Jack Harden is a modern-day Texas Ranger haunted by his wife's death a year ago.

But when a murderer strikes, he is called into duty. Now he must battle the urge to kill the drunk driver responsible for her death and the hunger to kill himself as he hunts for a serial killer who wants him dead.

Elsie Rodriguez is assigned to report on the murders for her newspaper and ordered to stay with Jack Harden. He's old school, tough, and doesn't want her there, but, despite his gruff manner, the big Ranger triggers something inside her. Something more than just her Latin temper.

Can she pull him back from the edge of sanity? Or will death win again?

David Huffstetler's Bio:
Educated in Dallas, North Carolina, David Huffstetler holds degrees in Engineering and Business Administration. He has worked in the area of human relations and spent fourteen years weaving through the maze of politics, including participating in a Federal Law suit as Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Commission, with a sitting governor over issues of separation of powers. David has served on Boards of Directors for numerous professional organizations including Crime Stoppers, SC Workers’ Compensation Educational Association, SC Safety Council, the SC Fire Academy, and the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Workers’ Compensation. He has advised governors and legislators on matters of public policy and legislation. His wealth of experience is broad and brings deep insight to his writing.

David’s work as a senior manager with a major industrial concern took him to international venues and exposures that helped feed his urge to write Disposable People, a dramatic expose of the working conditions and politics that engulf undocumented workers. Disposable People is a top-ten “Suggested Book” at Tufts University in Boston, MA.

He turned the frustrations and rejection that plagues thousands of yet-to-be-published authors into the heralded mystery/thriller Blood on the Pen, with a serial killer disposing of literary agents. David, an avid history buff, led him to write Dead in Utah, the story of Joe Hill, the controversial musician and union organizer accused of a double murder in 1914.

His books receive praise from mystery readers across the globe.

As an editor, David edited a treatise on the South Carolina workers’ compensation laws, as well as, Shannon Faulkner’s novel Fire and Ice. Shannon was the first female cadet at the Citadel. She received national publicity for her federal lawsuit and was a guest on Good Morning America.

As an editor, public speaker, and seasoned professional, David has appeared on television and radio, and has lectured on the East Coast, California, Canada and Mexico.

David currently lives in Lexington, South Carolina with his wife, Trudy.

eBook
Price: $5.95
Amazon ASIN: B0041G6JC2
BN ID: 2940012599278
Release: August 2010

Amazon buy link ($5.95)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041G6JC2/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes&Noble.com buy link ($5.95)
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=QzmqkDfF8Ig&offerid=239662.2940012599278&type=2&subid=0

Wild Child Publishing buy link ($5.95)
http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=319