Today's featured author is PENELOPE CROWE   you can read about her here

12/17
Today's featured author is Terry Callister, You can read about him on our featured author page

Bookish: 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge

Bookish: 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge:

Kids'n'books: OK everyone--We have decided to post the 5 top kid...

Kids'n'books: OK everyone--We have decided to post the 5 top kid...: OK everyone--We have decided to post the 5 top kids' books Lucas liked for 2011. One or two of these books were written prior to 2011, but ...

12/15
Today we welcome KAREN POKRAS TOZ  author of  NATE ROCKS THE WORLD.   For her guest blog, my review and a picture or two, please go to the featured author page here

12/14/11 Check out our featured author Stacey Rourke, author of THE CONDUIT
You can find our review of the book as well as some info about the author HERE

Today's featured author is Anthea Sharpe, author of the soon to be released FEYLAND.  She offers a guest post.  I've left my review of the book after the guest blog.  BTW, it's a 5 star book!
The post and review can be found HERE

BOOK BLOG TOUR

AIR

BOOK TWO IN THE ELEMENTAL SERIES

BY SHAUNA GRANGER

Product Description

It was a rough start to the school year for Shayna and her friends, Jodi and Steven, but thankfully summer break is near. Trying to sort out her feelings for the new guy in town, Shayna agrees to let Jensen join her on a group date with her friends. While out they end up at a local coffee house where their classmate, social outcast Jeremy McCormick, is humiliated by his baseball star brother. When Jeremy runs away from the jeering crowd, Shayna and Jodi hear the unmistakable sound of a thousand wings chasing after him, but no one else seems to hear them. These are not like any air elementals that Shayna or Jodi have ever encountered before and they fear Jeremy has gotten himself tangled up in something too dangerous for him to handle. But when Shayna tries to help Jeremy control his magical abilities she realizes it might be the biggest mistake of her life.

REVIEW

What a great story.  Friendship and Magic with a little romance thrown in.  

Shayna, Jodi and Steven are learning to use their elemental powers.  Shayna (Terra) Earth mother, Jodi (Fae) air power and Steven (Drake) fire power.  Fairy creatures are part of this story! Both good and bad fairies.   The story centers around Jeremy, a disturbed boy who is attached to 'faeries'.  They create all kinds of problems with an already volatile character.  

The characters in this book are strong and loyal.  

My laugh out loud moment from this book

"Deb's Jedi mind trick convinced him I wasn't the droid he was looking for"

Cool, huh?  

I would not recommend this book for YA under the age of 16 due to some of the content, but if you are over 16- go for it- read this book.  

NOW FOR THE GRAND PRIZE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BLOG TOUR:

To enter the Grand Prize each participant needs to comment on every blog post on the tour. You can enter on the last stop. entering later than your post date can easily find your post. Grand Prize winners won't be receiving their ebook until after Dec. 26.

Grand Prize: Signed copy of Air with a matching bookmark, a holiday candle, a Christmas ornament, Solstice sun sugar cookies and snowflake peppermint bark candy.  US ONLY for Grand Prize. 

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Click here for the AIR Tour Schedule

The Katerina Trilogy, Vol. I: The Gathering Storm

by Robin Bridges

Publisher Random House Children's Books 

available January 10 2012

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue. An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines-and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men-George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn. The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose-and to whom will she give her heart?

The Katerina Trilogy/Gathering Storm

 Necromancers, vampires,faeries dark and light,  royalty...This book has it all!!  What an incredible book!  Loved it! A ride through Russian history in the time Tsar Alexander.  The story focuses on young Katerina Alexandrovna, daughter of a minor aristocrat.  She possesses the supernatural power of necromancy.  She sees it not as a gift but as a curse.  Her 'gift' becomes known to the family of a smaller, but powerful kingdom.  They are a family of dark vampires!  They want her power any way they can get it.  Poor Katerina is stuck in the middle.  Don't feel badly for her, though, she is a very strong character. She knows how to take care of herself. She also has the love of one who can provide her safety.  This is the first in a series.  It ended with a bang...cannot wait to read the next in the series.

Announcing the In Leah’s Wake Social Media Whirlwind Tour! As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the In Leah’s Wake 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 Amazon gift cards of up to $500 in amount and 5 autographed copies of the book. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 16th, so you don’t miss out.  

To Win the Prizes

1. Purchase your copy of In Leah’s Wake 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, Radio Interview with Novel Publicity! We’re kicking-off on the Novel Publicity Free Advice blog. We interviewed Terri on our radio show Sunday night and have embedded the full podcast and blogged about its highlights. Give it a listen and then leave a comment on the blog post. This is a great chance to get to know more about this inspiring and friendly author. One commenter will win an autographed copy of In Leah’s Wake. 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. An autographed copy of In Leah’s Wake is also up for grabs. The winner will be announced Wednesday morning. Here’s the tweet:  In Leah's Wake has taken the publishing world by storm. Get the book for just 99 cents   http://ow.ly/7WP5H #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 In Leah’s Wake book cover included with it). On Thursday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of In Leah’s Wake is 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 In Leah’s Wake book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of In Leah’s Wake is also up for grabs. Friday, special contest on the author’s site! Win a $500 Amazon gift card, simply by leaving a comment on Terri’s most recent blog post. Yup, you read that correctly—$500! How easy is that? An autographed copy of In Leah’s Wake is also up for grabs.  

Remember, it’s all about the books!

About In Leah’ Wake:  The Tyler family had the perfect life – until sixteen-year-old Leah decided she didn’t want to be perfect anymore. While her parents fight to save their daughter from destroying her brilliant future, Leah’s younger sister, Justine, must cope with the damage her out-of-control sibling leaves in her wake. What happens when love just isn’t enough?  Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. About the Author:  Terri Giuliano Long grew up in the company of stories both of her own making and as written by others. Books offer her a zest for life’s highs and comfort in its lows. She’s all-too-happy to share this love with others as a novelist and a writing teacher at Boston College. She was grateful and thrilled beyond words when her award-winning debut literary novel, In Leah’s Wake, hit the Barnes and Noble and Amazon bestseller lists in August. She owes a lot of wonderful people – big time! – for any success she’s enjoyed! Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.  

What’s the Story, Morning Glory?

The Importance of Music and how it Inspired In Leah's Wake

  Although I find it too distracting to listen to music while I write, inspiration for my stories often arises from music. While I was writing In Leah’s Wake, songs brought me into the emotional state necessary to write difficult scenes. Songs set a mood, which helped me envision places, and songs helped me to identify and shape the book’s themes. The novel opens with Zoe and Will listening to the Van Morrison song “Tupelo Honey,” a sweet love song that gives their relationship context by suggesting happier, better days. “Showdown at Big Sky,” which Will puts on the stereo next, foreshadows the problems on the horizon, and “Face in the Crowd” speaks to the profound loneliness Will feels as he waits up for Leah that night, imaging all the unthinkable horrors that might have befallen his daughter. Later in the book, the song “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” from Evita, gave me a glimpse into Zoe’s fractured emotional state—remorse compelled by abiding love—as she drives home, wondering what to expect next from her rebellious teenage daughter: “I still need your love after all that I've done . . . I love you and I hope you love me . . .” “Stardog Champion” from Stardog Champion by Mother Love Bone, suggests power, so appropriate to the post-fight euphoria felt by Todd and Lupo after a showdown with Will. Often, songs transport me to a place. Listening to Miles Davis one evening brought me, in my mind, to the coffeehouse Zoe visits with the policeman, Jerry Johnson. Music also helps me to clarify themes. One night, on our way home from dinner, my husband, Dave, played the Bruce Springsteen album Greetings From Asbury Park. The song “Growin’ Up” struck a nerve and I insisted on listening to it over and over. I saw Leah, a good kid, just trying to grow up and make her way in the world. I heard “Champagne Super Nova,” from the Oasis CD What’s the Story? Morning Glory, when I stepped out of the shower one morning. Our house was wired for sound and Dave was playing the new CD he’d just bought. As with “Growin’ Up,” I insisted that he replay the song, and then replay it again. The pivotal scene, where Justine asks Leah for a cigarette and Leah allows her little sister to smoke, blossomed as I listened to the music. As I wrote, music came to play a defining role in the book, and I would often search for the right music after writing a scene. The Liszt piano solo “Hungarian Rhapsodies” mirrors Zoe’s frenzied mind as she drives home from her motivational workshop, the day after Leah shows up drunk at 3:00 a.m., after a wild party. The same happened with “Paranoid Android,” from Okay Computer by Radiohead, “I’m On Fire,” from the Bruce Springsteen album Born in the USA, “Stardog Champion,” from Stardog Champion by Mother Love Bone, “I Loves You Porgy” from Porgy and Bess, and “Misguided Angel,” from The Trinity Session by the Cowboy Junkies. Without music, In Leah’s Wake would be a very different – and for me, the writer, much less compelling book. For those of you who, like me, find inspiration in music, here’s the soundtrack. Enjoy!

Soundtrack from In Leah’s Wake

  “Growin’ Up,” Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ, Bruce Springsteen, Sony Records, 1972 “Tupelo Honey,” Tupelo Honey, Van Morrison, Polydor/Pgd, 1971 “Showdown At Big Sky,” Robbie Robertson, Robbie Robertson, Universal Int’l, 1987 “A Face In The Crowd,” Full Moon Fever, Tom Petty , MCA, 1989 “John Barleycorn,” John Barleycorn Must Die, Traffic, Island Records, 1970 “Not A Pretty Girl,” Not a Pretty Girl, Ani DiFranco, Righteous Babe, 1995 Hungarian Rhapsodies, Franz Liszt, Leslie Howard solo piano, Hyperion, 1999 “Testify,” The Battle of Los Angeles, Rage Against The Machine, Sony Records, 1999 “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” Evita (Music From The Motion Picture), Madonna, Warner Bros./WEA, 1996 “The Ride of the Valkyries,” Wagner Without Words, Conducted by George Szell, Performed by the Cleveland Orchestra, Sony Records, 1991 “Chase The Blues Away,” Morning Glory: The Tim Buckley Anthology, Tim Buckley, Elektra/ WEZ, 1966 “Champagne Supernova,” (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis, Sony, 1995 “The Candy Shop,” The Massacre, Fifty Cent, Aftermath, 2005 “Vital Transformation,” Inner Mounting Flame, The Mahavishnu Orchestra Jazz, Sony 1971 “Strawberry Fields Forever,” Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles, Capitol Records, 1967 “Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5,” Mozart: The Five Violin Concertos by Itzhak Perlman violin, Weiner Philharmoniker and James Levine, Deutsche Grammophon, 1995 “Surrey With The Fringe on Top,” Steamin, Mile Davis, Prestige, 1956 “Come As You Are,” Nevermind, Nirvana, Geffen Records, 1991 “Paranoid Android,” Okay Computer, Radiohead, Capitol Records, 1997 “I’m On Fire,” Born in The USA, Bruce Springsteen, Sony, 1984 “Stardog Champion,” Stardog Champion, Mother Love Bone, Mercury/Universal, 1992 “I Loves You, Porgy,” The Melody At Night With You, Keith Jarrett, EMC Records, 1900 “Hasta Siempre, Witchi-Tai-To, Jan Garbarek and Bobo Stenson Quartet, EMC, 1973 Records “As The Years Go Passing By,” Born Under a Bad Sign, Albert King, Stax, 1967 “Misguided Angel,” The Trinity Session, Cowboy Junkies, RCA Records, 1988 “Davidian,” Burn My Eyes, Machine Head, Roadrunner Records, 1994 “Here I Am, Lord,” Wonder, Love, and Praise, Daniel Schutte, New Dawn Music, 1981

Guest post and giveaway

courtesy of author E Van Lowe

and 

Bewitching Book tours

 

today we are hosting the

Earth Angel Book Tour

I apologize for my tardiness posting this information.

I've had a chance to read this book Earth Angel, as well as

Boyfriend from Hell- I have to say, they are amazing books. 

You are going to LOVE both books.

I want to introduce to you author E Van Lowe and the incredible books

Boyfriend from Hell

By E Van Lowe

Genre: Paranormal YA

Book 1

Aww, Hell No!

Fifteen year-old Megan Barnett and her single mom, Suze, have a special relationship—they are friends, close friends, who do almost everything together.

“But come on, guys, she’s my mother… Can I really tell her that while we’re snuggled up on the sofa watching Spider Man Three, I’m secretly undressing James Franco with my eyes?  Of course not…”

The special bond takes a turn for the worse when Suze decides to start dating again.  She hasn’t had a man in her life since Megan’s father left ten years ago.  

Enter two mysterious young men, Megan’s new classmate, sinfully attractive bad boy, Guy Matson, and the dangerously handsome art dealer, Armando.  Before long Megan and Suze both wind up in steamy relationships.  But neither of the handsome guys is quite what he seems.  In fact, one of them is Satan, with his sights set on a new bride.  Megan has precious little time to figure out how to stop him.  If she doesn’t, either Megan or Suze are quite literally going to HELL. 

Boyfriend From Hell is the first book in the Falling Angels Saga from the author of the gruesomely hilarious, Never Slow Dance With A Zombie

www.whitewhiskerbooks.com

YouTube Trailer: http://youtu.be/39hI9rmwI5A 

Book #2, Earth Angel

Earth Angel

By E Van Lowe

Genre: Paranormal YA

Book 2

Heaven Can Wait!

Just because Megan Barnett recently defeated Satan, has a fantastic new best friend, and has won the love of deliciously handsome, Guy Matson, doesn’t mean her troubles are over.  Far from it.  For Megan doesn’t realize it, but in her possession is a powerful weapon, a weapon sought after by both angels and demons and everything in between.  They will do ANYTHING to get it.

In E. Van Lowe’s humorous, romantic and thrilling sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Megan winds up in a gripping life or death battle to save herself, the boy she loves, and all of mankind from unthinkable evil.

Megan Barnett has recently defeated Satan, found a fantastic new best friend, and has won the heart of deliciously handsome, Guy Matson.  But that doesn’t mean her troubles are over.  Far from it.  For Megan doesn’t realize that she is in possession of a powerful paranormal weapon, a weapon sought after by both angels, demons and everything in between.  

In E. Van Lowe’s romantic yet thrilling sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Megan finds herself in a gripping life or death battle to save the boy she loves, and all of mankind from unthinkable evil.

Aren't these covers just gorgeous?

About The Author

E. Van Lowe is an author, television writer, screenwriter, Playwright and Producer who has written and produced such shows as The Cosby Show, Even Stevens, and Homeboys In Outer Space.  He has been nominated for both an Emmy and an Academy Award.  Van Lowe recently stepped into the young adult fiction genre with his comedic novel, Never Slow Dance With A Zombie.  It was a selection of the Scholastic Book Club, and a nominee for an ALA Award.  Boyfriend From Hell is Van Lowe’s second YA novel.

www.evanlowe.com 

http://vanlowe.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/E-Van-Lowe/152364748167154

Now on to our guest post from

author E Van Lowe

Humor Me

When I was a boy growing up in the Bronx I loved making my older brother laugh.  I’d do anything: tell bad jokes, drizzle milk out of my nose, armpit farts, butt farts.  I was a real laugh riot.  However, as I got older, I grew more serious… and at some point in time the arm farts stopped being funny.  

Outside of performing for my brother, I’d never thought of myself as a funny person.  My early writing was dramatic, almost melodramatic.  As an undergrad I’d read Hubert Selby Jr.’s Last Exit To Brooklyn, an epithet-filled tale about the horrors of living in 1950s Brooklyn.   I decided these were the kinds of stories I wanted to tell.  The difference was, I wanted to tell my stories about growing up in the hard-scrabble streets of the South Bronx.  

I set out writing humorless tales about the underbelly of society.  I gave one of my gut-wrenching tales to my brother, and as he read it he started to laugh.  ”Hey, what’s so funny?”  I demanded.  “This,” he said pointing to the pages in his hand.  I loved making my brother laugh. However, I did not like making him laugh when I wasn’t trying.  I was insulted.  “Why is it funny?” I asked.  “Because this doesn’t sound like you.  This isn’t your life.”  I admit I had taken a few liberties, like my father holding up a liquor store at gunpoint and getting thrown in jail for trying to support his family.  My father was a cook.  And let’s face it, a cook isn’t nearly as exciting as a gun toting papa.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was on the road to writing humor.

Humor has served me well.  My first YA novel, Never Slow Dance With A Zombie, was a laugh-out-loud satire about high school life.  In that first novel I wanted to prove to myself that I could be funny in prose as well as in a script.  In  Boyfriend From Hell and Earth Angel there’s a good dose of humor, but is blended much better with action and drama.   This time I am not trying to prove anything to myself.  I am just trying to tell a good story.  I hope you enjoy it.

I would like to thank Bewitching Book Tours 

and now for the good news

the giveaways:

E is offering an ebook set of Boyfriend from Hell and

Earth Angel

as a giveaway to one lucky reader.

Just leave a comment with your email address

I will chose a winner using Random.org

E is also giving away 2 signed sets of 

Boyfriend from Hell

and

Earth Angel 

to  2 lucky winners tour wide. Just fill in the form below. 

Open to US shipping