Friday, October 31, 2014

Halloween Recommendations

Happy Halloween, Fellow Readers!

It's that spooky time of year, and I figured I'd give my recommendations for what to read!

The Haunting Season and Don't Fear the Reaper by Michelle Muto. They are not part of the same series, this author is just very good with all things creepy and other worldly!
 
The Haunting Season:
Siler House has stood silent beneath Savannah’s moss-draped oaks for decades. Notoriously haunted, it has remained empty until college-bound Jess Perry and three of her peers gather to take part in a month-long study on the paranormal. Able to talk to ghosts, Jess quickly bonds with her fellow test subjects, who have their own “gifts.” One is possessed. Another just wants to forget. The third is a guy who knows how to turn up the August heat, not to mention Jess’s heart rate…when he’s not resurrecting the dead. 
The study soon turns into something far more sinister when they discover that Siler House and the dark forces within are determined to keep them forever. To escape, Jess and the others must open themselves up to the true horror of Siler House and channel the very evil that seeks to hold them in.


Don't Fear the Reaper:
A dark and emotional tale of love and loss. 

Haunted by memories of her murdered twin, Keely Morrison is convinced suicide is her only ticket to eternal peace. 

But in death, she discovers the afterlife is nothing like she expected. Instead of peaceful oblivion or a joyful reunion with her sister, Keely is trapped in a netherworld on Earth with only a bounty-hunting reaper and a sarcastic demon to show her the ropes. 

When the demon offers Keely her ultimate temptation--revenge on her sister's killer--she must determine who she can trust. Because, as Keely soon learns, the reaper and demon have been keeping secrets and she fears the worst is true--that her every decision changes how, and with whom, she spends eternity.


What are your Halloween recommendations?

Press Release: Para-Dreaming


United Kingdom – Meredith Lugiai’s skills as a dream intuitive and dream guide are unique to say the least. She has spent the past two-decades studying the dreams of thousands of people and, having become acutely aware of science’s inability to answer even the most basic of questions, has uncovered a ground-breaking new concept now being made public for the first time.
‘Para-Dreaming: An Otherworldly Window into Paranormal Dreaming’ goes beyond traditional psychology into a world that has previously been unexplainable.

Synopsis:
Our dreams are perhaps one of the biggest mysteries. While science has taken us great strides through many ‘unsolved’ mysteries of the human psyche, there remains much to be learned. Meredith Lugiai has spent the past twenty years researching dreams from various standpoints to include the philosophies of Jung and Freud. Meredith’s discoveries, through her own experiences and those of others, have led her down a road yet to be paved into the wild nature of our dreams. In fact, Meredith is the first researcher to introduce the name of this new concept of dreaming....Para-dreaming.
page1image14568

So what is the definition of ‘para-dreaming’? The root word ‘para’, derived from the Greek language meaning ‘near, alongside, beyond, beside and abnormal’. In other words, para-dreaming is dreaming in the beyond or paranormal dreaming. Many of us have had dreams that have yet to be explained through the mainstream concept of dreaming. We search out experts to explain our experiences and are left with more questions than answers. Perhaps you too have been left with questions.


Questions like:
Why do I experience meeting beings that appear to be very real and convey concepts yet undiscovered? How can I explain dreaming about an event before it actually happens?
Why do I dream about people that
I’ve never met who still seem familiar to me in my dream?
I’ve heard our souls travel when we are dreaming, but where are they going and what are they doing?

These questions are only a sample of the questions Meredith answers in her upcoming book, Para- Dreaming: An otherworldly Window into Paranormal Dreaming. In her previous book: DreamWorkers Behind the Veil: Nightshift Dreams, Meredith provides a glimpse into the other dimensions our souls travel within while our bodies sleep. Through her research she has made discoveries of what our souls are up to and why.
“Everyone knows that dreams are powerful. They can predict the future, provide fresh perspective on existing events and even make life-changing decisions. The issue is that most people don’t understand why this is the case, with existing science and psychology confusing matters,” explains Lugiai.
Continuing, “To get answers, we must look beyond the normal, to the paranormal. When we enter that realm, it’s amazing what we can actually discover. In fact, when you understand the concept of para- dreaming, there’s very little you won’t understand!”
The author sees wide application for her book.
“We all dream, creating a huge market for my work. Confused individuals will be able to shed light onto their own dream experiences by reading the book, while science, psychology and medical professionals will benefit from new insight that can assist their research and clients. This is an all-encompassing text, and it is powerful stuff,” she adds.

‘Para-Dreaming: An Otherworldly Window into Paranormal Dreaming’ is available now: http://amzn.to/1pUiEE5.
United States customers: http://amzn.to/1zequ3S
Author’s official website: http://ispeakindreams.com.

About the Author:
Meredith Smith is a dream intuitive and dream guide with a very down-to-earth persona. Her work with dreams answers questions we've all had about some dream experience almost never talked about. She has been researching dreams for 20 years and through her own experiences and those shared by others, she has been able to put together some of the most complex puzzles in the dream realm. 

Guest Post: Connie L Smith, Enscrolled


Guest Post:
Here I am at the end of my intended guest blog posts, and I come to what is one of my favorite ways of promoting a series – soundtrack! I think a list of songs can give potential readers an idea of what the story is about, provided they know some of the tunes, and music is something that’s been a part of my life since I was kid. I never learned to play anything fully (unless you count something like playing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on the recorder), but I grew up in a family where sitting around a record player – yes, record player – could easily be a group experience. Listening, commenting. Good memories.

So, with that in mind, I give you a list of twelve songs that I’m labeling as the soundtrack for my latest book, Enscrolled (The Division Chronicles: Book Three). There have been lists for the other two books as well, so it seems fitting to give this one its own set. This is not a playlist. I didn’t necessarily listen to these songs while writing or editing. These are songs that just fit with the story. And yes, I know Seether’s on here twice. Both songs suit the story well :)

  1. Fuel – Die Like This
  2. Matchbox 20 – Disease
  3. Seether and Amy Lee – Broken
  4. Shinedown – Miracle
  5. Pink – Beam Me Up
  6. Seether – Remedy
  7. Guns & Roses – Don’t Cry
  8. Bon Jovi – Livin’ on a Prayer
  9. Poison – Be the One
  10. Megadeth – Crush ‘Em
  11. Daughtry – Home
  12. July for Kings – Normal Life

Thanks for reading! If you want to enter a giveaway for a paperback copy of the first book of this trilogy, you can here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/111090-essenced.

Also, you can add my upcoming NA Romance novel, Tail Lights to your to-read list here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23267803-tail-lights.



Blurb: In the aftermath of the latest battle, the stakes are higher than ever before, time hardly an ally to Nicholai’s army of paranormal soldiers. The Tomes remain hidden, and the clock is ticking for the Essenced tainted with the demon’s incurable toxin. And beyond those worries, reason exists to suspect that magic might be vanishing, a twist that could insurmountably cripple the army’s capabilities prior to the war’s conclusion.



Never has the conflict felt quite as desperate, danger escalating and hope lessening with the slow drain of each issue’s hourglass.



Will the answers to these dilemmas surface in time, or will the efforts of the band of warriors fail to prevent the ruin of the world?




Author bio: Connie L. Smith spends far too much time with her mind wandering in fictional places. She reads too much, likes to bake, and might forever be sad that she doesn’t have fairy wings. And that she can’t swing dance. Her music of choice is severely outdated, and as an adult she’s kind of obsessed with Power Rangers. She has her BA from Northern Kentucky University in Speech Communication and History (she doesn’t totally get the connection either), and is currently working on her MA.


Links:

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Storytime Event: Excerpt: Firedragon


StoryTime is a tri-annual event created by Glass House Press.  All proceeds from the StoryTime events will be donated to SDDAS Spirit Fund, a nonprofit society dedicated to giving homeless animals the medical care they need. For more information, visit their website at sddac.com/donations.asp.

In Mary Fan’s second novella from Glass House Press, a teen girl wakes up in an icy cell, alone and frightened. She has no memory of who she is or how she came to be there.

She does know that she must get out, at all costs. And that escape must start with remembering the simple things – her own name. Her place of origin. Her possible powers.

When a group of dark magicians reveal themselves to be her captors, she finds herself in the clutches of those who will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets locked within her lost memories. With her life fading under their merciless spells, the need to escape becomes dire.

But can she get out when she doesn’t even know who she is? Can she count on one unlikely ally for help? Or is it already too late for her, a girl without a name?

Tell Me My Name introduces the main characters in Mary’s new fantasy series, Fated Stars, with the first book, Windborn, due in late 2015.
Purchase on Amazon: http://amzn.to/Zjgx5F







Telepaths, torture, mindwipes ... the Institute has it all, and they use each of their brainwashed children as weapons, the way they see fit. To control society, repress its people. To make certain that they stay in power, no matter the cost. Serena’s baby brother Damon is one of those children, and these days he’s so altered that he doesn’t even recognize her.

When it comes to getting Damon away from those who kidnapped him, there's nothing Serena won't do. Even if she has to kill him to save him. First, though, she must prove to her father that she has what it takes to be a soldier against the insidious threat of the Institute. Her first mission has to be perfect.

But with inaccurate intelligence, unexpected storms, and Gav Belias, people’s hero of the Watch, on the prowl, will she even survive? If she doesn't succeed, they'll never let her go after her brother.

And that would be unthinkable, when it was her fault that he was taken in the first place.

Slam is Tash McAdam’s first work with Glass House Press, and serves as a prequel to her series The Psionics, with the first book, Maelstrom, due in 2015.

Purchase on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1z1XHk1


Almost a hundred years ago, the Enchanters defeated the Lord of the Underworld in one of the most fearsome wars the world had ever seen. The public thinks that this victory means the people are safe. But they’re wrong. The supernatural beasts the Lord unleashed remain on the earth, multiplying and ravaging what’s left of civilization. As long as these monsters exist, mankind will be in danger. And though the government, ruled by the magic-wielding Enchanters, seeks to protect their people, they are too few in number. They need the Defenders – a special class of non-magical humans – to fight the monsters. The Defenders are an elite force, and mankind’s only hope against the horrors that live beyond their gates.
Fourteen-year-old Aurelia “the Firedragon” Sun has been training since she could walk to become a Defender, and her extraordinary combat skills have earned the attention of the powerful government. In fact, she’s been tapped to represent her nation in an international monster-fighting competition, which pits champions from across the globe against creatures of the Underworld in a violent spectacle. If she wins, she will become a full-fledged member of the Defender force.
But as Aurelia moves deeper into the competition, she realizes that all is not as it appears. There’s something sinister behind the competition, something that could change the way she sees everything … and the Enchanters, it seems, are not the heroes she thought. Aurelia begins to ask questions.
But before she can discover the truth, she is pitted against the most dangerous monster in the competition
– one that will take her life if it can .
                                                     
Purchase on Amazon: http://amzn.to/ZLXtNx


Ash never thought going to a party could be dangerous. He certainly never thought it would change his life. But when a man with red eyes begins following him – and his sister – he realizes he was wrong. Soon they’re running, leading the man on a desperate chase over icy roads.

When Ash crashes his car, nearly killing his sister, the red-eyed man offers Ash a choice – save his sister, but pay the highest price possible. Bring Grace back to life, at the cost of his own soul.

Suddenly, Ash is facing a choice he never sought. But will he use that choice to save his sister? And if he does … what will it mean for Ash himself?

 Purchase on Amazon:http://amzn.to/1sY6tK3



About The Authors

About Mary Fan

Mary Fan is a hopeless dreamer, whose mind insists on spinning tales of “what if.” As a music major in college, she told those stories through compositions. Now she tells them through books—a habit she began as soon as she could pick up a pencil. Flynn Nightsider and the Edge of Evil follows a well-received debut novel, a space opera titled Artificial Absolutes (2013), and is the first in the Flynn Nightsider series. Mary would like to think that there are many other novels in her bag, and hopes to prove that to the world as well.

Mary lives in New Jersey and has a B.A. from Princeton University. When she’s not scheming to create new worlds, she enjoys kickboxing, opera singing, and blogging about everything having to do with books.

Website    Facebook    Twitter  


About Tash McAdam

Tash McAdam’s first writing experience (a collaborative effort) came at the age of eight, and included passing floppy discs back and forth with a best friend at swimming lessons. Since then, Tash has spent time falling in streams, out of trees, learning to juggle, dreaming about zombies, dancing, painting, learning Karate, becoming a punk rock pianist, and of course, writing.

Tash is a teacher in real life, but dreams of being a full-time writer, and living a life of never-ending travel. Though born in the hilly sheepland of Wales, Tash has lived in South Korea and Chile and now calls Vancouver, Canada home.

Maelstrom, the first book in The Psionics, is Tash’s first published work. Visit the website or facebook for news, gossip, and random tidbits about Tash’s adventures.



About Linda Foster

Linda Foster was born and raised in Colorado, where she still lives with her (very patient) husband and four (very spoiled) ferrets. Linda became an avid reading enthusiast the moment she picked up her first book, and has grown steadily worse. By the time she was 15 years old, her library had become too big for her shelves, and she was forced to donate all her books to the local school, just to make room for new ones. She started writing short novellas for her friends in middle school, and expanded into full-length novels several years later. Soul Bound is her first published novel.


Excerpt:

Aurelia stepped into the light. Though she’d fought hundreds of vicious supernatural beasts during her two years at the Academy of Supernatural Defense, she’d never faced stakes this high before.
The judges of the International Challenge, the first worldwide monster-fighting competition ever, stared down at her from one of the arena’s boxes. If she impressed them, they would let her enter the contest. And if she made it past their screening, and then through the qualifying round, and ultimately took the prize … her life would never be the same. She’d have the chance to do something much, much bigger than just taking home a trophy.
She could change the world.

Suddenly, a man’s voice boomed out from above. “Aurelia Sun. Age: Fourteen. Classification: Norm. Nation: Triumvirate of North America.”

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Review: Rocket Ship

Title: Rocket Ship
Author: C.O.B
Page Count: 268
My Rating:  2.5 TURTLES: An okay read. It had its ups and downs, more downs though. Probably don't recommend.

Description:
Lincoln and Gary are best friends planning a simple trip to the night rock in the sky. However, they quickly find out that “easier said than done” is far more than just an outdated adage; it is a reality, for the dreamers face obstacle after obstacle in trying to gather the materials they need to build their ship. Not only that, but when their plan is discovered, their two-man field trip becomes much more than that. Now, the captain and the general will have to lead a rescue mission, one of far greater importance than they ever imagined. What would you do? Save only yourself or risk it all to save the lives of others as well as your own?

Rocket Ship is the miraculous, thrilling story of two friends, a tale of two hopefuls, two dreamers, two rescuers and the extremes they go through to save one another and others like them, before the world they live in destroys them all.


Review:
I received Rocket Ship in exchange for an honest review.
When I first received this book for review, I could not tell a whole lot about it from the synopsis other than that it seemed to be somewhere between Middle Grade and Young Adult. Was it science fiction, dystopian? The reason I was so confused is that it is actually surrealism, which is not my favorite genre, so part of the reason that I did not like this book so well is due to that personal preference, although that is not the only thing.

I'm a bit torn of whether this is a 2.5 or 3 star read for me. I appreciate the difficult topics that the author addresses, shedding light on the hard lives so many lead, but on the other hand for a relatively short book, it took me a very long time to get through because I was just not motivated to read it. One of the big things right from the get go that made it difficult was the lack of immediacy. I have nothing against third person in general, some of my favorite books are in third person, but a danger with it is that it is much easier to loose immediacy - the feeling of being in the book - while using it. This lead me to feeling that even though I was reading the story, that I was reading a very detailed summary instead, that's the best way I can think to describe it. This was further exacerbated by the amount of telling, not showing that went on in the book.

Another thing that started detracting from my experience after a while was the amount of inner reflection that went on. Due to the third person omniscient narration, I could not tell if the contemplation was supposed to be going on within a certain character, or if it were the narrator trying to impart wisdom into the pages. I felt like this was the author further trying to get his or her (I haven't been able to find anything out about who the author is other than the initials C.O.B.) point across about children having bad lives, but coming together and rising above the struggles society places before them. The amount of this somewhat tangential musing was that it felt convoluted and not horribly original. either.

The last big thing that bothered me that I'm going to address in this review was plot based. The whole point of Gary, Lincoln, and co. building a rocket ship is because they know that their lives are so bad that there can't possibly be anything left of them on Earth. While this could be seen as a metaphor for these kids rising above their challenges and removing themselves from a toxic environment, but it came off to me like they were running away. This kids did not - from what the book said - try to confront their parents before they left, they only left letters assuring them that they would be fine. In the case that some of the parents were the abusers I found this more understandable, but in some cases the parents were just going through a hard time and the kid thought that they'd be better without them. In a book that tried to break down stereotypes and seemed to be geared towards imparting knowledge to kids - since that seems to be the audience - I was a bit disappointed that the end message seemed to be that taking off from your troubles and leaving a note is the way to go. Perhaps this wasn't the authors intention at all, but it is how it came off to me, so I'll guess it will come off that way to others as well.

I might recommend this to someone if they were a die-hard fan of surrealism and I'd be interested to see what they thought, but I don't know if I'd recommend it to kids. I know it is being marketed as a kids book and the main characters are twelve, but it did not feel like a book for children while I was reading it. I'm sorry I don't have more positive things to say, but I have to call them as I see them.

Check out Rocket Ship on Amazon

Friday, October 24, 2014

Crowd Fund for the Battle of Oz!

A crowd-funding project for a new YA novel set in the immortal world of Oz has just been brought to my attention. If you are interested in helping this author get the funds for editing and publishing her book, please go here!

About The Battle For Oz:

When the great world of Oz is taken over by a new queen from a foreign land, Dorothy Gale is summoned in hopes that she would save Oz once again. 
Unfortunately, Dorothy soon discovers that she is no match for this vicious intruder. Forced to uncover the truth, Dorothy has to travel through worlds to find the one the new queen fears. Only then, will Oz stand a chance at defeating this immortal enemy. 

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Release Announcement: Krampusnacht

“KRAMPUSNACHT: TWELVE NIGHTS OF KRAMPUS”
EDITED BY KATE WOLFORD

Alpena, MI (October 22, 2014) – World Weaver Press (Eileen Wiedbrauk, Editor-in-Chief) has announced the Christmas horror anthology Krampusnacht: Twelve Nights of Krampus, edited by Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine editor and publisher Kate Wolford, will be available in trade paperback and ebook Tuesday, November 11, 2014.
The joy and terror of the season. For bad children, a lump of coal from Santa is positively light punishment when Krampus is ready and waiting to beat them with a stick, wrap them in chains, and drag them down to hell--all with St. Nick's encouragement and approval.Krampusnacht holds within its pages twelve tales of Krampus triumphant, usurped, befriended, and much more. From evil children (and adults) who get their due, to those who pull one over on the ancient "Christmas Devil." From historic Europe, to the North Pole, to present day American suburbia, these all new stories embark on a revitalization of the Krampus tradition. Whether you choose to read Krampusnacht over twelve dark and scary nights or devour it in one nacht of joy and terror, these stories are sure to add chills and magic to any winter's reading.
With new stories from Cheresse BurkeGuy BurtenshawJill CorddryElise Forier EdiePatrick EvansScott FarrellCaren GussoffMark MillsJeff ProvineColleen H. RobbinsLissa Sloan, and Elizabeth Twist.
Krampusnacht will be available in trade paperback and ebook via Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Kobo.com, WorldWeaverPress.com, and other online retailers, and for wholesale through Ingram. You can also find Krampusnacht on Goodreads.
Kate Wolford is editor and publisher of Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine at fairytalemagazine.com and editor of the book Beyond the Glass Slipper: Ten Neglected Fairy Tales To Fall In Love With. She teaches first-year college writing, incorporating fairy tales in her assignments whenever possible.
World Weaver Press is an independently owned publisher of fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction. We believe in great storytelling.


Publication Date: November 11 • Folklore/Fantasy/Horror Anthology

$11.95 trade paperback, 205 pages  • $6.99 ebook

ISBN: 978-0692314746

Publicity/Reviews: publicity@worldweaverpress.com

Information:


# # # # #