Blog Stop for mini interview and giveaway.

If you have a spare few minutes, pop over to this page for a mini interview with me and the chance to win a copy of Bloodlines. International Giveaway!

Review by Lindsay, The Falcon and His Desert Rose

5 Stars

I knew I was going to enjoy this book as soon as I saw the cover. I have always loved anything and everything related to Egyptian lore, myth and history. This book has it all. From the first page I was sucked in and I was almost heartbroken when I reached the end.

The Falcon and His Desert Rose is nothing short of an amazing story. I don’t give out 5 star ratings that often anymore, but with this, if I could give it 6 stars, I would.

In some parts it kinda reminded me a little bit of The Mummy, which is also a Film I love.

George Lashers writing style is very easy to follow, descriptive to the point that still allows you to use your own imagination a little, and that of an experienced writer. He keeps you glued to the pages. As people know, I don’t delve into storylines unless necessary as I hate spoilers.

The story is a mixture of genres, including action, mythological, paranormal, political and more. The author merges these genres into a fantastic story which will have you on the edge of your seat until the very last word.

George you have a fantastic imagination!

Review by Jane, Wandering stars by Marlon Pierre-Antoine

4 Stars

One stormy night while walking her dog; Indigo, Alice witnessed an argument between two men under the pier. For some unknown reason she was drawn to them and found herself edging closer to see if she could hear what they were saying. It was no use though because they weren’t speaking English and she didn’t recognise the language. One of the men made quite an impression on Alice and she couldn’t get him out of her head, he appeared in her dreams while she slept and one night she even saw him in the store where she worked, but before she had chance to speak to him he disappeared into thin air making Alice begin to doubt whether he was actually real or just a figment of her imagination.

Lucas:- aka Lucifer, is ‘the’ fallen angel turned Devil, after seeing Alice he also feels a connection. At first he’s unsure if she is being used by his enemies to lure him, or if what he feels for her is genuine. Against his better judgement he can’t stay away from her, he pops in and out of her world on and off until eventually he approaches her while she is watching the sunset and the relationship begins.

Obviously it’s not ideal to fall in love with the ‘devil’ himself so this relationship has a few issues to over come….. but to be honest Lucas doesn’t come across as the ‘bad ass’ you’d expect him to be, he cares for Alice, his intentions are always good and his actions are too ’nice’ to be devilish!!!!

I was immediately drawn to this book by the cover art, I love it its so pretty and appropriate to the story which is the ultimate conflicted romance with the paranormal/Angel twist. Overall it was well written, the characters were fully developed and likable and the scenes are described beautifully. It was an interesting enough plot though it didn’t scream of uniqueness. I would recommend this to PR lovers and I will be looking out for more work by Marlon Pierre-Antione.

Copy supplied for review.

Review by Jane, Timeless by Amy Richie

3.5 Stars

Eva’s whole existence is for one thing…. to kill Dominick Letrell, a cruel and manipulative vampire who becomes stronger with age. To make his murder possible Eva must travel back in time 900 years to when Dominick was younger and weaker. She has been trained and strengthened since childhood through gruelling and painful sessions with David under the orders of Neleh, but when T-day arrives she begins to doubt her trust in David and has concerns over her own safety. Upon landing in the past her companions Max and Sols turn on her and inject her with a ‘memory cleanser’, at that moment all her fears are realised and she tries to escape. With a knife that Neleh had secretly given her, Eva manages to stab Max and Sols slowing them down allowing her time to run, but as the effects of the drug take over her body she becomes confused and falls into unconsciousness………..When Eva wakes up she’s in the home of a stranger, Nickolas, she feels safe with him and soon the pair fall in love. Constant nightmares of wolves and an angel confuse Eva more, are they just dreams or is it her memory coming back?

The book held my interest for about two thirds of it but after that it didn’t, it seemed to jump around a bit and though I wanted to see the outcome I found it a struggle to get to the end. Once back in the present there were many new characters introduced and it all felt a bit too busy. I became frustrated by the fact that Eva was constantly getting hurt. Dominick the ‘powerful vampire’ had claimed her as his and was always telling her she was safe with him, no-one would hurt her because he was there; yet she was stabbed in the stomach and she was tied to a table almost having her hands sawn off etc. Dominick really was not a good protector!

Timeless was a romance with a twist. There was action, intrigue and suspense. The whole business of time travel messes with my head though. If someone travels back in time, is the present as it is now because they travelled back in time, or will them travelling back in time change the now? But if them travelling back changes the now then why would they go back in time to change it? But if they don’t it wouldn’t be changed so how do they know to go back???? I’m still trying to work out if Neleh picked Eva to train because she already knew of the relationship between Dominick and Eva or if the relationship happened because she was picked??? Yeah you see what I mean….confusing!! My brain just isn’t good enough to get round it all!!!

Anyway, confusion aside overall this was a fun read, it definitely got my mind working overtime!!!…. It was well written and flowed easily, give it a go and see what you think.

Copy supplied for review.

Review by Jane, From the Herald’s Wearied Eye by Jessica McHugh

 4 Stars

From the grim prison of Malay, the renegade Shal plots her revenge. Once the daughter of a proud monarch, her life has been destroyed by the craven despot Rojer Doa. But Shal answers to a greater destiny that calls her to the amarinthine door and an inevitable meeting with the Capesman, the dark figure who shadows every deed in a cold and forbidding world. A reckoning is coming and Shal will be it's master, or she will lose her soul trying.

Shal considered herself protector of the weak and did whatever she had to in order to succeed in her self appointed task. She became so intent of revenge over her step fathers ill treatment of people, especially her family that she lost sight and became bitter and unable to love. She was blinded by anger to the point where she was a fool to herself, not really thinking things through before she did them or realising that her actions had consequences for other people as well as herself.

I became quite angry at the character at some points, wanting to scream at her to just stop for a minute and think. I suppose the abuse she had suffered at Doa’s hands and the deaths of so many of her loved ones was actually to blame for her blind rage so perhaps I should have pitied her more than I did.

The story did put me in mind of another Jessica McHugh book, ‘Rabbits in the garden’. Although the stories were different there were similarities,…the main character was a girl, locked away in an abusive prison/institution some of the abuse that goes on in these places is quite imaginative and not very nice……….Where do these ideas come from???!!!

I think what fascinates me about JM’s books is the variety, and the strangeness of them, there’s no way to predict the out come, she invents all kinds of different species and worlds that you have nothing in your memory bank to apply to them so can’t imagine what could possibly come next.

As usual I have been left with things to think about, there was a definite moral to this story, and it was nice to see that Shal did infact find peace even though it was not in the way I could ever have foreseen.

Copy supplied for review

Review by Jane. The incredible Heidi Wasabi by Helgaleena

4 Stars

Heidi finds it difficult to communicate with people and decides to keep a blog so she can tell people about her relationship with Rufus and Steen. This is the only way she can really let people hear her thoughts. Rufus and Steen are musicians but that is one area of their life she finds it hard to share with them.

OMG this is the strangest story I ever read. Rufus has a penchant for rubber dolls, Heidi is the ‘soul’ of his rubber dolls (there is more than one he has to keep replacing them because they often spring a leak!!). Written in the first person from Heidi’s POV we follow her as she tries to ‘grow’ into herself. How she learns to start feeling as her own essence rather than feeling through the doll………which oddly she ends up doing!!!….. At first only Rufus is aware that Heidi is ‘around’ but Steen soon starts to ‘feel’ her too and they both delight in her ‘sparkles’…..together!!

Although this book is clearly laced with sex, I wouldn’t call it erotica. There is talk of ‘cum’ and ‘wanking’ but it doesn’t contain ‘graphic’ scenes. It’s a romance and it’s all about love and emotion and at times is very touching.

I’m not sure if I liked this book, I definitely didn’t ‘not’ like it, I find it a bit surreal. It’s such an original piece of work that I have to admire the authors imagination. It is written in such a way that I started to feel for Heidi, I felt sorry for her, I felt happy for her I liked her and I didn’t like her…. I really am going to have to think about this book for a while before I can decide which pile I can put it in!!

So in a nutshell, The incredible Heidi Wasabi is an original unusual well written book that leaves you with lots to think about!

I'll be updating as much as I can over the next few weeks. We'll have more author interviews and possibly some giveaways and competitions. I'm just a little bit busy at the moment working on Revelations, the second part of Leticia and a secret project, but I'll post as much as I can.

MEET CHARLOTTE BLACKWELL

Hi Charlotte, thanks for stopping by today. Let's get started...

Can you tell us a little bit more about your novel?

The Embrace Series combines vampire, witches and a whole lot of supernatural in to the life of high school students. They learn to overcome adversity, and face danger head needing to prove courage. The characters go through many of the same issues that teens face today and learn how they can overcome these challenges by working together and staying true to themselves. Just because they have supernatural powers doesn’t mean life is a walk in the park, which also proves to be challenging. Yet through everything they also learn the importance of friends, family and love. 

What brought you to this genre?

What inspired you to write this particular book? My children inspire me on a daily basis. Not only to do my best, but to prove that you can do anything if you work hard and put your mind to it. I wanted to teach them this by succeeding at fulfilling my dreams and give them a few life lessons along the way. My books allow me to do so and show them that everyone has struggles but there is always a way to work things out.

 

Are any of your characters based on either yourself or people you know?

Nearly all the characters I write have some bit of someone I know within them. I use bits of personality, or appearance anything that I feel works with that character

How do you react if/when you get any negative reviews?

I won’t lie, it hurts, but I know that not everyone is going to love my books as much as I do or others do. I take what I can from the review and try to learn from it. A good review (positive or negative) will have something that will help me to improve my writing. That is what I like to take from a review. Although it is nice to have the ones that love it and can’t say anything bad about it too.

Where can people find out our more about you and your books? (eg blogs, websites etc)

charlotteblackwell.blogspot.com, twitter – CharBlackwell, FB – Charlotte Blackwell – Author, FB – Embrace Series

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Shopping

Chocolate or Ice Cream? 

Chocolate

You’re in a horror film. You’re in a house and a bad guy is chasing you. Do you run up the stairs? 

Well if I was in a film, yeah I guess so...they always run upstairs. In reality though, I would get out the door as fast as I could.

What’s your favourite music?

I like everything, but absolutely LOVE Marianas Trench, they are my fave band and can’t wait to see them live in February.

What are your pet peeves?

Bad drivers, why is it every winter people forget how to drive in the snow and ice. I mean really we have like 7 months of winter every year...SLOW DOWN people.

Do you believe in ghosts? Why?

Yes! While working on the Embrace Series there was times my bed would just start shaking. I sit there at night with my lap top and out of nowhere the bed would move like someone was pushing on it to get my attention. My oldest daughter was also a witness to this. Still gives me chills to think about it.

Thanks again for stopping by, best of luck with your series.

MEET SCARLET BLACK

Thank you so much for coming here today, it's a pleasure to talk about you and your work. Lets get started...

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes, since I was a child.

What brought you to this genre?

I write in multi-genres, I like the challenge of doing something different all the time.

Are any of your characters based on either yourself or people you know?

Yes, especially in The Wisdom of Evil., which I wrote while going through a very traumatic period in my own life.

How do you react if/when you get any negative reviews?

You can't please everyone. Some will like your work, others won't. However, if the negative reviews all focus in on a particular issue with the book, I look at them and see if I need to make changes regarding those issues in the future.

Where can people find out our more about you and your books? 

 

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobel as well as World Castle Publishing

Are you working on anything else at the moment? 

I'm working on the sequel to: Salem Moon as well as submission process with agent for a non-fiction memoir.

If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

To read minds. It would just be cool!

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Watching low budget horror films

Chocolate or Ice Cream?

Chocolate

 

Who would you pick to date? The bad boy or the perfect gentleman? Why?

I would prefer the perfect gentlemen who is a bad boy in the bedroom :)

Thank you again for joining us today. I wish you all the very best with your novels. 

A TAIL SPUN - JOSEPH BEEKMAN

Review by Lindsay Kendal

5 stars.

OK, erm, I don’t really know what to say about this little story. When I first started reading it I thought “eh, what the... what am I reading here?” but I was so... weirded out, that I had to carry on.

This is definitely different and most certainly original. I’m not telling anything about the storyline, other than this, I don’t think I will ever look at a spider the same way again! (and that’s a really good thing.) I want my very own Muin! And, if you have a love of cats, you will adore this book and want your very own Jack!

A tail spun needs to be read by all. This author’s imagination is amazing, to be able to write something like this, and make it so intriguing – is bloody brilliant. The writing style is good, everything flows and makes this book a fascinating, but a quick and easy read.

A truly brilliant little adventure.

Meet Ashley Fontainne.

Thank you so much for coming here. It's a pleasure to have you, and as you know, I'm a big fan of your work. Let's play question time.

What brought you to this genre? 

I have always been drawn to mystery/suspense novels ever since I was a teenager and dreamed of writing one of my own, and actually shared some of my short stories with friends and family, but no one outside of that small circle.  It wasn’t until I took Creative Writing I & II in college that I shared my writing portfolio with my incredible instructor that things changed for me.  Her belief in my writing and constant prodding to seek this as a career is what pushed me to write publically and thus, Accountable to None was borne.  I wanted this book to be full of suspense and mystery, but also leave the reader asking themselves the question: “What would I have done?”

What inspired you to write this particular book?

While taking a class in college on World Literature Up to 1650.  So many of the classical texts incorporated revenge into their storylines: Beowulf; The Iliad; Hamlet and The Count of Monte Cristo.  The Count of Monte Cristo was my favourite in terms of the deep hatred that became Edmond Dantes’ world, and the extreme lengths he went to as he plotted his revenge.  After reading these incredible works, I realized that human nature, in terms of seeking retribution for wrongdoings perpetrated upon us has not undergone much change over the course of 2000+ years.  What has changed is the means to accomplish seeking personal justice.  I wanted to explore these guttural reactions in Accountable to None, but I also wanted to take the whole revenge motif to another level in terms of the cost of repercussions that surely follow, which will be addressed in the sequel, Zero Balance.  

Describe your novel in five words.

Modern twist on classic revenge.

Are any of your characters based on either yourself or people you know?

I believe that a truly rounded character is based upon a conglomeration of the author’s observations of not only themselves, but others as well, whether they actually know their “muses” personally or not.  Every conversation we have, every image we see, every person we pass on the street, possibly contains the next piece of the puzzle a writer needs to complete a character.  Although there are some underlying character traits of people I have come into contact with over my lifetime, they all truly are a mixture of many experiences melded together to symbolize the epic battle between good and evil.

Where can people find out our more about you and your books? (eg blogs, websites etc) 

Accountable to None is available as an ebook on Amazon.com as well as Barnes&Noble.com.  I am on Facebook and Accountable to None has a fan page.  My website is www.ashleyfontainne.com and I also have a book trailer on YouTube. 

Are you working on anything else at the moment? 

Yes!  I am about 75% finished with the sequel, Zero Balance.  My goal is to have it available for sale by December, 2011.

Chocolate or Ice Cream?

Ah, chocolate: lover of my lips and despiser of my thighs!

What’s your guilty pleasure? 

Chocolate covered strawberries and a glass of wine.

You’re in a horror film. You’re in a house and a bad guy is chasing you. Do you run up the stairs?

Horror movies!  Love them for their excitement and adrenaline rush, but detest them for their portrayal of women.  No, I do NOT run up the stairs, or run with heels on, constantly looking over my shoulder, thus tripping and falling!  I kick my shoes off, stand my ground, and nail the crazy bastard between his legs, then run out the door!

If you could visit anywhere in the world where would it be? Why?

Tahiti!  Need I explain why?

Thanks so much for sharing all this with us. I enjoyed having you here and I can't wait to see what happens next in your series.

Well, finally it seems I'm getting somewhere with this. More and more to be added over the next week or so.