Friday 31 May 2013

Follow & Feature Friday #14







Increase Blog Followers, gain Book Blog Followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers — but you have to know — the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Rachel of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

This Friday's question :

 What blogger would you most like to meet in real life? Tell us about him or her.


Aye carumba !

If I could, I would love to meet all of the blogger's I follow. Every single one out there in the world. Wouldn't that be like one huge awesom party?!

But yes there are a few special bloggers out there that I'd like keep on the top of my To Meet list.

Rachel @ Parajunkee
Alison @ Alison Can Read
Wendy @ The Midnight Garden
Rachel @ Fiktshun

Gosh there are sooo many more........

Like I said I'd meet everyone if could. Ofcourse meeting all the Indian bloggers out there. I have a greater chance of meeting them so yeah!

It's really interesting to see pictures of all the various bloggers meeting up at the BEA. 

*Sigh* I wish I could just apparate to the BEA.


Leave a link to your Follow Friday post or let me know your answers in the comments below!
Happy Friday!


post signature

Thursday 30 May 2013

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #4




This is a meme hosted by Leah Woods over at Uncorked Thoughts. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related!  This weeks is:


Favorite character history (from the books, Pottermore etc.)


Who's the most badass professor we know??



Minerva McGonagall !



God this woman is exceptionally brilliant.


There was never much we knew about McGonagall's past, so yes I was curious. Very curious indeed. But along came Pottermore which let us know soo much more about her!! 

Her father was a muggle who didn't know anything about the wizarding world, she had a love life ( *gasp!* ok, kinda... sorta...) , her husband died of a venomous Tentacula bite, three years into their marriage.... 

Oh just read about her yourself would ya!! Pretty Pleaseee!


All in all, she was one wicked, kickass witch, who wasn't afraid to fight it out.

post signature

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Teaser Tuesday #15





Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!





This Week's Teaser:

“I roll my eyes. 'Are you trying to find some sort of reason that I've become such an asshole? The reason is... I'm an asshole. There are some things in life that can't be explained. Period. Assholes are assholes. Rainbows are pretty. Kittens are cute. Chic flicks are sad. It's the way of things, no explanations.” 

Courtney Cole If You Stay (Beautifully Broken #1) 


This book is a nice read really. Not great but not bad either. I enjoyed Pax's POV while as Mila just seems to be.. Meh.....


Please leave a comment with a link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your teasers in a comment!

post signature

Monday 27 May 2013

Author Interview : with Jamie Marchant


The Goddess' Choice
Author:
 Jamie Marchant

Publication date:April 18th 2012
Publisher: Reliquary Press
Genre: YA Fantasy
Purchase from: AmazonB&N



Book Blurb



The crown princess Samantha fears she’s mad; no one but she sees colors glowing around people. The peasant Robrek Angusstamm believes he’s a demon; animals speak to him, and his healing powers far outstrip those of his village’s priests. Despite their fears, their combined powers make them the goddess’s choice to rule the kingdom of Korthlundia.

In my sword and sorcery novel, The Goddess’s Choice, Samantha’s ability enables her to discern a person’s character through their multi-colored aura, and Robrek’s makes him the strongest healer the kingdom has seen in centuries. But their gifts also endanger their lives. Royals scheme to usurp the throne by marrying or killing Samantha, and priests plot to burn Robrek at the stake. Robrek escapes the priests only to be captured by Samantha’s arch-enemy, Duke Argblutal; Argblutal intends to force the princess to marry him by exploiting Robrek’s powers. To save their own lives and stop the realm from sinking into civil war, Robrek and Samantha must consolidate their powers and unite the people behind them.



About the Author


Jamie Marchant lives in Auburn, Alabama, with her husband, son, and four cats, which (or so she’s been told) officially makes her a cat lady. She teaches writing and literature at Auburn University. Her first novel The Goddess's Choice was released in April 2012 from Reliquary Press. She is hard at work on the sequel, tentatively titled The Soul Stone. She also has published a novella, titled Demons in the Big Easy. Her short fiction has been published in Bards & Sages, The World of Myth, and Short-story.me.

Interview with Jamie Marchant !


1.     When did you decide to become a writer?

I was about six when I started writing stories about the Man from Mars for my older sister, and I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since. I got sidetracked for awhile working on a Ph.D., but I’m back to what has always been my true love.

2.     Tell us about yourself—outside the world of writing.

I have a Ph.D. in American Literature, and I teach literature and writing at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. I’m married with a sixteen-year-old son and four cats. 

3.     Any quirky habits?

I write lying back on the couch with my laptop propped up on my legs.

4.     To what extent do you draw on your own experiences and personality to create your worlds and characters?

I know they say to write what you know, but what do “they” know. Very little of The Goddess’s Choice is taken from my experience unless you count listening to fairy tales as experience. King Solar’s thought about age are taken from my grandmother, and the bare bones of the plot are taken from a Norwegian fairy tale, but most of the story comes squarely from my imagination.

5.     Where do you get your inspiration?

The Goddess's Choice originates deep within my childhood. My sister Jalane--she is ten years older than me--told me stories, fairy tales mostly:  "Midas and His Golden Touch," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Hansel and Gretel." But my favorite was always "The Princess and the Glass Hill" or "The Glass Mountain" as my sister titled it. I had her tell that story over and over again. I was captivated by the bold hero on his magical horses of bronze, silver, and gold. 

When I had a child of my own, I wanted to pass that fairy tale on. My son, Jesse, loved it every bit as much as I had. One day after telling it to him, it came to me that the story could be so much more than five pages and sparse details. However, I didn’t want to write a children’s story but the type of epic fantasy I enjoy as an adult. I upped the dramatic tension, villainy, and sexuality of the piece to create something far different than the original fairy tale. The Goddess’s Choice is intended for an adult audience.

6.     Favourite character from this book and/or any other.

My favorite character is probably Robrek, the peasant sorcerer of the novel, although the Princess Samantha is a close second. I’ve always been a fan of the underdog, and Robrek faces a major uphill battle. His father blames him for his mother’s death and beats him regularly. He lives among people who think he’s cursed with demon blood because of his foreign appearance. The priest thinks he should have been exposed at birth. To top it all off, he learns that in order to access his full power he must truly forgive all those who treated him vilely.

Samantha is the woman I’d like to be: strong, confident, and powerful. She ends up with her share of problems, but she starts at the top while Robrek has to claw his way up, somewhat literally.

7.     Favourite books/authors as a child?

I don’t remember what I liked as a young child, but as a teenager, the novels of Piers Anthony, Roger Zelazny, and Stephen R. Donaldson introduced me to the realms of fantasy; that has affected the direction of my reading and writing since.

8.     How did you come up with the title of your book?

I didn’t. I have a hard time with titles. I had a few tentative titles to The Goddess’s Choice—The Glass Mountain, Gloine Torr—but they didn’t seem to grab me or illustrate the essence of the story. A member of my writers’ group suggested The Goddess’s Choice, and it immediately seemed right. I hope it grabs readers as well.

9.     What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?

Write a review and tell their friends.

10.Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book.

It’s based on a Norwegian fairy tale. The names, holidays, and the goddess Sulis are all Celtic in origin. It includes three magical horses—bronze, silver, and gold—who teach the peasant hero, Robrek, the skills needed to be king.

11.What’s next for you?  What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m almost finished with the sequel to The Goddess’s Choice, titled The Soul Stone, in which Samantha struggles to solidify her rule, and Robrek must confront a bigger threat to the safety of the joined kingdoms. I’m also working on an urban fantasy novel, The Bull Riding Witch, which has a princess from a parallel realm switching bodies with a rodeo bull rider.

12.Do we get to see more of  Korthlundia ?

Yes, but when is in question. The sequel is basically finished, but my publisher is suffering from cancer and doesn’t know if or when he’ll be publishing it. I don’t find out from him until August, and if he isn’t going forward with the publishing business, I’ll have to decide whether to self-publish or look for another publisher.

13.And now, before you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and tantalize us:

“Please, no!” Robbie Angusstamm screamed as his father’s heavy strap came whistling down on his bare back. He tried to yank his hands free, but his brother Boyden held them tightly against the dining room table. Sulis curse it! Why do I have to be such a worthless weakling? He promised himself he wouldn’t scream again, but he screamed just as loudly the next time the strap hit.

“Sleeping by the river in the middle of the goddess-cursed afternoon! How many times must I beat you before you learn responsibility, boy?” His father brought the strap down even harder.

“I didn’t mean to!” But Robbie’s explanation turned into screams of pain as the strap landed again and again.

Robbie let out a humiliating whimper when his father finally stepped away and Boyden let go of his wrists. Robbie clutched a chair for support and struggled to hold back his tears. By the goddess, don’t let them see me cry.

His father towered over him, red-faced and scowling. “Learned your lesson, boy?”
“Yes, sir,” Robbie said, ashamed of how pathetic he sounded.

“I’m not going to have to send your brother looking for you again, am I, boy?” Angus Camlinstamm loomed over Robbie, making him feel even shorter than he was.

“No, sir.”

“All right, then. Stop lazing around like a fool and get your chores done.” Angus hung the strap on its peg by the door. “If you finish before dinner’s over, I may consider letting you join us.”

Like that will ever happen! Robbie clutched at his empty stomach, knowing he’d get nothing to eat before breakfast. He pulled his shirt carefully over the welts on his back and stumbled toward the back door.

As he passed through the kitchen, one of the servants quickly drew the star of Sulis in the air to ward off his evil. He hated it when people did that, but how could he blame them? He caught his reflection in the shiny pots that hung from the kitchen wall. Dark black hair, the color of night and demons. Green eyes, unlike those of the children of the goddess. Skin, darker than natural. He was also so short his brother called him a worm.

Robbie stepped outside and drew two large buckets of water from the well. He staggered toward the barn, the weight of the buckets bending him forward and pressing his shirt against his back. Praying none of the servants or farmhands would see him, he set the buckets down and emptied some of the water. His father would beat him again if he knew, and Boyden would laugh at his weakness. Boyden could carry hundred-pound sacks of grain as if they contained feathers. Boyden was everything their father wanted in a son.

Boyden hadn’t killed their mother.

When he reached the barn door, he shouted for Allyn or Darien to open it, but no one came. The two farmhands were supposed to help him with the animals, but this wouldn’t be the first time they’d used Robbie getting in trouble as an excuse for taking the night off. They knew he wouldn’t risk another beating by telling on them.

Robbie sat the buckets down to open the door. The barn was large, with plenty of room for the dozen cows, ten horses, and four mules as well as for the large pig and her half-dozen piglets. When he entered, the cows mooed happily. The horses and mules neighed and stomped their feet in greeting. A bird whose wing he’d mended flew down from the rafters and landed on his shoulder. It nibbled his ear affectionately. The animals’ joy seeped into his body like a warm, living current, strengthening him against both exhaustion and pain. Animals couldn’t sense the evilness in his soul. Only here was he loved. 


Get in Touch



post signature

Friday 24 May 2013

Cover Reveal : Kiss It Better




Kissing It Better

By Linda Kage


Republishing July 2013


Contemporary Adult Romance
61,000 words


Book Blurb

A PAST TO PLAGUE HIM...

When his sister is sexually assaulted, memories of his miserable childhood haunt Reed Walker and interfere with his perfectly structured life. To add to the chaos, just when dating becomes the last thing on Reed’s mind, Sophia Eschell, the very woman he’s been dreaming about for the past three years, barrels into his life.

AND A WOMAN TO HEAL HIM...

After hooking up with too many troubled men, Sophia is determined to find a normal, average guy sans baggage. She turns her attention to Reed, only to discover he has more issues than anyone. But if he can learn to open up to her, can she honestly reject him or will she kiss it all better?








About the Author


Linda grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight children. Now she lives in Kansas with her husband, toddler daughter, and their nine cuckoo clocks. She works a day job in the acquisitions department of a university library and feels her life has been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love. Writing's always been a major part her world, and she's thrilled to finally share some of her stories with other romance lovers.


You can find Linda on the web at:
Website - 

FB Fan Page - 




Cover Reveal hosted by 

Thanks readers for stopping by .
Leave  Linda and Tasty Book Tours a comment  on their blog to let them know you were here!
post signature


Follow & Feature Friday #13







Increase Blog Followers, gain Book Blog Followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers — but you have to know — the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Rachel of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

This Friday's question :

The #FF is 150 weeks old! And we want to hear from you! What would you change about the hop? What do like about it? Or just suggest a question to be used for next week!


Awesome would be an understatement wouldn't it ?

I love Follow and Feature Friday. It's not just a means to gain followers. It's a great way to meet new bloggers, make friends and be involved and finding out a little more about a blogger by their answers to the weekly questions.

I love the fact that bloggers are featured and brought to the limelight and answering all those weekly questions. Though I find some reallyy hard to answer. ;)

This is only my 13th week and am enjoying it thus far. Kudos to Rachel and Allison for keeping this running! I'm glad I found you guys!

Here's a virtual kiss and hug! Mwahzz!


Leave a link to your Follow Friday post or let me know your answers in the comments below!
Happy Friday!


post signature

Friday 17 May 2013

Blog Tour : To Stand Beside Her





Author: B.Kristin McMichael 
Publication date: January 24th, 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Edition: E-book
Purchase from: Amazon, B&N


Book Blurb




To be the best courier in the world, eighteen-year-old Benét Leila follows three simple rules: always work alone, never stay in one place too long, and never fall in love. Too bad she didn't follow her own advice.

Leila is a courier. To the people she takes from, she is seen as a common thief; to the people she helps, she is a savior.

Nalick is your typical king. He's rich, powerful, and always assumed to be right. When Leila crosses paths with King Nalick, she finds herself trapped. In a rush to save her best friend Kay from a prison sentence for a crime Leila committed, Leila trades her hand in marriage in exchange for Kay’s freedom.

Tomboy Leila does not want to grow up, but in three months’ time, she will be married to King Nalick, if Nalick can keep his end of the bargain. First, Nalick must make Leila fall in love with him, a hard task since Leila is not ready to love again after losing her first love to a greedy king. Second, Nalick must keep her safe. He is not the only king trying to hold onto her. Leila has made many enemies over the years, and even more admirers that want her as a prize. Lastly, Nalick must convince Leila that ten years of love is better than a lifetime without. Unless Leila can trust her destiny, she might not reach her wedding day at all.






Check out my Review of To Stand Beside Her here.


Let's have a 
Sneak Peek!

Excerpt

“And where should we put her, Nalick?” one of them asked. Leila was surprised to hear the man address Nalick so casually.

“Leave her here,” he ordered.

“But, but . . .” the tracker sputtered. “If you just put my captive back in jail she will escape.”

“Don’t worry. She will not be going anywhere. She is not the ghost courier,” Nalick replied as Kay was escorted out of the room.

“Now, I’d like to be left alone with this one,” Nalick said, referring to Leila.

“Bring the seer,” he ordered. The men beside him rose and left the room. One of the men from earlier escorted the tracker out. The second man shut the door and stood at the back of the room.

“So everyone out did not include him?” Leila asked. She had no chance of leaving if both men stayed in the room with Nalick and her. One, she could possibly overpower, but two would be foolish to challenge.

Nalick rose and walked over to her. Leila stood her ground and did not move. Nalick circled around her, inspecting her like a wolf getting ready to pounce on its prey. Leila knew what was coming next. She had this same encounter with five other kings before. Though, in her opinion, they were all lesser men than the man in front of her. She still did not happily anticipate the next words out of his mouth. Leila stood in silence as he returned to his table and leaned against the tabletop. Just like all the other kings, he looked at her like she was a trophy. Leila refused to be a trophy to any king. Like any man in power, Nalick had committed acts against innocent people. Intentionally or not, Leila did not approve of hurting innocent people. She had been in several battles over the last four years, and luckily escaped with her life each time, but never once had she killed anyone who attacked her. Even those who would try to kill her did not deserve to die in her opinion.

As she stood there, the door in the back of the room opened and the seer, Gabor, walked in escorted by the man who had just left. Leila stared blankly at Nalick, trying her best to read his expression.

“I really don’t think you understand the word alone,” she commented to Nalick sarcastically, as the door shut and there were now five people in the room.

Gabor walked past her and bowed his head slightly to the king. Nalick nodded his head, and Gabor returned to Leila. Extending his hand, Leila knew what he was planning to do. Trying to stay in control of the situation, Leila gave the old man her hand. Surprised, he stopped, held her hand, and closed his eyes. After a few moments, Gabor returned to the king’s side. Nalick leaned over to the seer and asked him a question too quiet for Leila to hear.

“You don’t need to be hushed about this since you are discussing me,” Leila said before Gabor could respond. Nalick looked up at her. “I am guessing I can answer your questions just as well as he could.”

Nalick smiled. He had become the king when he was fourteen and then everything changed. Almost every person treated him differently, apart from his two good friends that were standing in the room with him now. In his years of being king, Nalick had yet to find a woman that would speak her mind to, or at, him. Here before him stood the woman who was a legend around the dinner tables he shared with neighboring kings. All told of encountering a lady so beautiful she would take your breath away and yet who was so cunning none could cage her long enough to make her into a wife. She was truly everything they talked about, and even more. Nalick didn’t need the seer’s opinion to know that this was the woman he wanted to marry.

About the Author


Originally from Wisconsin, B. Kristin currently resides in Ohio with her husband, two small children, and three cats. When not doing the mom thing of chasing kids, baking cookies, and playing outside, she is using her PhD in Biology working as a scientist. In her free time she is hard at work on multiple novels; as each day passes, she has more ideas for both current and future novels.

  

Get in Touch



Blog

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest
http://pinterest.com/bkmcmichael/

Available for Purchase at 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/b.-kristin-mcmichael


And now...*sounds trumpet* It's

Giveaway Time! 


B. Kristin is hosting a TOUR WIDE Giveaway for a $10.00 Amazon/or B&N Gift Card to ONE Randomly Drawn Commenter.  

To enter the giveaway leave a comment with a valid email address. For more chances to enter, click the link below for more tour stops.


So tell me what your fantasy career is? Ever wanted to be a Super-Spy/Robin Hood like Leila or is it something else you desire to be? Let me know in the comments below!!
If you'd like to comment about anything else feel free to do so!

 So go ahead what are you waiting for? Go ahead and click that link to comment on the other tour hosts!
 http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/02/now-booking-tasty-review-tour-for-to.html



Book Tour hosted by 

 Thanks readers for stopping by .
Leave  Kristin and Tasty Book Tours a comment  on their blog to let them know you were here!


post signature




Tour Review : To Stand Beside Her




To Stand Beside Her
Author: B.Kristin McMichael 
Publication date: January 24th, 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Edition: E-book
Purchase from: AmazonB&N




To be the best courier in the world, eighteen-year-old Benét Leila follows three simple rules: always work alone, never stay in one place too long, and never fall in love. Too bad she didn't follow her own advice.

Leila is a courier. To the people she takes from, she is seen as a common thief; to the people she helps, she is a savior.

Nalick is your typical king. He's rich, powerful, and always assumed to be right. When Leila crosses paths with King Nalick, she finds herself trapped. In a rush to save her best friend Kay from a prison sentence for a crime Leila committed, Leila trades her hand in marriage in exchange for Kay’s freedom.

Tomboy Leila does not want to grow up, but in three months’ time, she will be married to King Nalick, if Nalick can keep his end of the bargain. First, Nalick must make Leila fall in love with him, a hard task since Leila is not ready to love again after losing her first love to a greedy king. Second, Nalick must keep her safe. He is not the only king trying to hold onto her. Leila has made many enemies over the years, and even more admirers that want her as a prize. Lastly, Nalick must convince Leila that ten years of love is better than a lifetime without. Unless Leila can trust her destiny, she might not reach her wedding day at all.


Received as part of a Blog Tour !

Okay, let's get straight to it.

Kristin McMichael is an author to look out for. There I said it. *Yay indie authors!*

I'm not saying this book is the best out there, but is it the worst. It's got sooo much promise! Action, adventure, romance, humour its all there.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one I'll tell you that. The story of the courier and her encounter with Nalick, her skills as a courier were very well described. This is really good for a first (or second, I'm not sure if this is her first or not..) book and isn't that cover really interesting as well? I was captivate at the beginning itself which is important sometimes but can also mean that the story has potential to go downhill from there. This didn't go downhill so to say, it was more like heartbeats, there were high's and a few low's.

I enjoyed the character's Nalick, Leila, Antonio and even his two buddies. Leila is stubborn and won't change her mind very easily when she's set her mind to it. Nalick is said to be arrogant, and just like the other big bad kings he just wants to have Leila as a prize, a mere possession. So why is it that Leila accepts getting  married to him? And fairly easily at that. She's supposedly supposed to accept a wee bit grudgingly, but soon realizes that he is gentle and caring at heart.

Nalick changes a little too, but that was expected as he DID want her to marry him didn't he? Other than the fact that the changes in their demeanors from dislike to like was pretty quick, that Leila didn't try to cause any significant tantrums or disruptions to delay her wedding and the obvious fact that something was going to happen to Leila. I mean it should, it was certainly leading up to it. I just didn't enjoy the fact that I was waiting for it going "It's coming, any moment now".

It certainly was not that much of a problem as the other characters had important and significant mysteries to reveal that really covered the above peeves really well.
And that end!!! It was soo good that I was willing to forget all the things I didn't enjoy! And yes I am a bit macabre in situations but that end was just so ... Bittersweet really. I wished it hadn't happened but I also couldn't see it without it. But I really wish there had been an alternate ending. Those of who might read my posts would know what happens to characters that begin to grow close to heart.......

All in all a great read! There's action, adventure, romance and a bit of humour. What more could you need?! I might have given it a 3.5, but it is soooo very close to a 4 . It would have a 3.85 rating if I could do that. But then again I'm a nit-picker so go ahead pick this one up and find out for yourself.

Also check out the giveaways for this book here!


Rating: 3.5 Quills (a veeerry close 4)






quill design: QioDen
post signature