Thursday, April 19, 2012

I got an Award

 I got the Versatile Blogger Award!!!


My blog was awarded the The Versatile Blogger Award by Lindsay and Jane at http://lindsayandjaneviewsandreviews.blogspot.ca
Thank you so very much!




According to the rules, we are to nominate other blogs and list seven things about
ourselves. So, here goes:
 The blogs we're passing the awards to are...

Seven things about me.
1. I'm a best selling author
2. I love music
3. I have three children
4. I live in Alberta, Canada
5. I used to be a nurse
6. I believe in the laws of attraction
7. I'm a uber positive person



Lindsay and Jane's Views and Reviews: We got the Versatile Blogger Award!!!

Lindsay and Jane's Views and Reviews: We got the Versatile Blogger Award!!!: Our blog was awarded the The Versatile Blogger Award by Donna at http://mylife-in-stories.blogspot.co.uk/ Thank you very much! Acc...

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Review Bloodlines by Lindsay Anne Kendal



Keira Jameson used to lead a normal life, she just had a gift, passed down through the generations of her family. 

Now, after hearing voices, having strange dreams of others calling out to her, and her grandfather's last words haunting her, she sets out to find other families like hers. Along with her best friend Lily, the only person outside her family to know about her gift, Keira begins a hunt for her ancestors. A chance meeting with a young man, Lucian Turner, sets them on the right track, but their discoveries change the way Keira will see herself for ever more. 

Fear, superstition and heritage are shaping Keira's future and she must face her enemies, even if this could mean losing her life. 

Through loss and love her destiny becomes inescapable. 

Part Buffy-style horror, part tender romance, Bloodlines will have fans of the genre on tenterhooks waiting for the next instalment of this gripping and hell-raising tale.



My Review - 4 stars


I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but have been wanting to read it for a while now. I got sucked in right form page one and never let go. Bloodlines is an exciting story about some young adults that are in the process of discovering their magical powers that have been passed down from generations before them. Now they need to find out where the power originated from and what to do with it.


Bloodlines has so many interesting plots and twists I can't even begin to name my favorite. The author has you cheering for one romance and then ten pages later wondering if another route would be better. I love stories like that. 


When I first started reading I thought "Secret Circle", but WOW I was so wrong. This book has everything and any paranormal lover would love it. The author is great with her action and leaving the reader saying 'just one more chapter'. 


For those readers that are picky about editing, you will be pleased. This book is very well edited with only one or two typos. Now I did have a few little grips, but really nothing major. I found that some of the terms/slang used were not suited for this book. The story takes place in Salem and the author is from the UK. Now not that there is anything wrong with the words used, I just think they are more commonly used in the UK than in the US. I haven't met many Young adults/teens that use words like rubbish, or fancy. Some of the other words are right, set off and cuddle. All perfectly good words, just used a little different here. Sometimes I found this distracting and it would pull me out of the story a little. Not a huge deal though because one sentence later I was sucked back in.  


Lindsay Anne Kendal  has done an amazing job of creating her own world and making the vision come to life on the page. There were a few spots I wish she had used more description, but that could have made for a very long book. The flow was perfectly paced and when I did have to put this book down, all I could think about was when can I read more.


Lastly, I love first person narrative but it can be difficult to pull off sometimes. The author has done a great job of pulling this off. I did find a few areas where I felt the story was being told rather than shown to me, but really who cares? This was a great story and I loved it so much I had to begin the second book Torment the following day.


This is a great book you don't want to miss out on. The story Ms. Kendal has created is amazing and I love her visions on magic, heaven, hell and friendship. Pick up Bloodlines today and get swept away into a new realm you probably never wanted to visit before.   



Sunday, April 15, 2012

Book Review - Cain The Waite Family Series by Kathi S. Barton



Cain Waite watched the girl beneath his lashes. She was skinny he thought but very pretty. He wondered at the conversation she and the nurse was having enough that when the nurse left he followed. He wanted to help the girl and asked for permission to do so.


“Damon Grant knows me. He can vouch for me as a doctor. I just want to see if I can help.” It didn’t matter really once he got back to the girl as she was lying in a pool of her own blood and unconscious. 


The girl went by many names. Julie was the one the nurse called her, Shade and also Miss Rocky was just a few more. But it was her real name that she held to her. No one must know who she was or they’d try and kill her. And the good doctor was someone she decided that she didn’t want to see get hurt.


Being homeless helped. Her friends around the streets helped her keep her secret but only until Cain stepped in. And no matter how hard she tried to fight him and his five sisters, the arrogant man got under her skin.


But when it was known that she wasn’t homeless at all and in fact a billionaire, the grounds seemed to open with people trying to get to her. She would only escape one disaster only to be thrown into another. Until Quinn got hurt.


Roscoe wanted the girl’s money and he was willing and quite capable of killing his own daughter to do so. Could she help save the girl and win the man? Did Cain stand a chance against all her money and his family?




My Review 5 Blazing stars 


Kathi Barton has done it again and sucked me right into her world. The trials and tribulations her characters go through just to find love makes her stories all the more real. I just wish my story would end the way hers does.


Cain introduces us to the Waite family and from there we meet some wonderful characters and then a few not so wonderful. This story had me in tears a few times, but the ending OMG the ending ....AMAZING! Another great thing is we get to see what has been happening to another family of Barton's we have come to love...the Grant's make an appearance. I recommend this to anyone who needs a little romance but enjoys a little action. You will not be disappointed.


I can't wait for more books from this phenomenal author. Thank you so much Mrs. Barton :)

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Meet Author G.R. Holton

I am proud to introduce you all to G.R. Holton a wonderful author from Wolrd Castle Publications. Thank you for joining us today, I’m so excited to have you hear and know my readers will enjoy it as well.

About You:
Can you tell us a little about you? Well I am 50 years old and happily married to my soul mate Charlotte. I have 3 children and four step children. I am also the proudest Grandpa Fuzzy of four beautiful little granddaughters.

What quality do you most value in yourself? I would have to say the fact that I go out of my way to please others. I get true satisfaction by hearing those two special words “Thank You”.

In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about? I am very passionate about my volunteer work in my town here. I am on just about every board and  am always looking to find ways to make the town better.

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life? Actually, winning three awards for my writing is what I am most proudest. That and surviving to be able to say I am 50.

Why do you write? I write as a therapeutic way to combat my severe Bipolar disorder. It allows my brain to escape and be in places that I have never been before.

What is your greatest strength as a writer? My greatest strength is also my greatest weakness. I don’t read much and on one hand that makes all my writing very fresh unlike anyone else’s style, but it hurts me in learning sentence structure and usage.

Is there any new or established author whom you feel deserves more attention, and what is it that strikes you about his or her work?  Sorry on that one... I don’t really know this answer. I have a couple great friends in World Castle that are excellent writers and can’t pick one above the other. I would say that they really spend the time describing their stories and characters until you become one of them.

What book(s) / author(s) have influenced your life and writing? Of course the Bible... Stephen King’s Needful Things.... George Orwell...Isaac Azimov... But those were required readings in High School, but they really stuck with me.


About Writing:
What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine? My writing is usually done at 5 – 8 hour spurts...one day I will write until I drop and the next few days won’t write a single word. Those are my marketing days and town volunteer days.

What are the most important elements of good writing? According to you, what tools are must-haves for writers? A thesaurus is highly necessary. You cannot write a good and interesting chapter reusing the same old dead words. The other is patience! Take your time and do it right.

What motivates you to write? I am motivated to see what the next weird thing I can come up with. The stories motivate me to do something completely out of the box.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it? Writer’s block is when my voices refuse to speak with me. When that happens I usually just stop writing, go into Facebook and start working on promotion.

Do you have any advice for other writers? Three key words: Faith, Focus and again Patience. Have faith in what you are doing. Keep your focus on what you are trying to accomplish, and patience to wait to have it right.

What are your current / future projects? I am in heavy edit on a second edition of Guardian’s Alliance and Dragon’s Bow. I am also beginning to work on the screenplay for Deep Screams and the sequel to it called “Silent Screams”.

About your book:
Can you tell us a bit about your book?  My latest work is called “Dragon’s Bow”. It is a fantasy classic about good vs. evil, sister vs. sister. What happens when a Dark Wizard impregnates a White Witch? You get a set of twin girls that until they are 16 are the epitome of good. That is until one is touched by the wizard’s stone turning her pure evil. The only way to change her back is to kill the dark wizard with the dragon’s bow. But can you get it in time...stop your evil twin...and then have to kill your true father in the process?

What is the message in your book? What are your readers’ reactions to it? Good will always defeat evil...as long as the heart is in the right place.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? I had to do a lot of research on the monsters and characters for this one...something very foreign to me in my other works.

What do you think readers will find most notable about this book? The descriptiveness. I am really going into great depth to describe the characters and surrounds. Something I have felt I lacked in some of my other works.
Have you acquired any good anecdotes surrounding this book? If so, could you share one? Beware what you don’t know to be true. Fight for what is truly right.

Did researching and writing this book teach you anything or influence your thinking in any way? Yes I learned a lot about character description and that a good folklore makes a good monster.

What would you most like readers to tell others about this book? That it is truly a classic storyline that is also very imaginative.

Can you suggest one question readers might find interesting to discuss, concerning you, your writing in general, or this book? How can someone with such a severe disability write. I say that you need to channel your attributes and allow them to work for you.

How can readers help you promote this book? They can buy the book, the special Dragon’s Bow glasses that will be available before the book is printed, and tell their friends that a new fantasy author has come out of the depths of Science Fiction to write a truly inspiring fantasy.

Where can readers find you and more about your book(s)? Where can they purchase your book(s)? The best place to find all my books is on my website www.grholton.com or at www.worldcastlepublishing.com






Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Author Interview with Troy McCombs



Today I would like to introduce you to Troy McCombs a fellow WCP (World castle Publishing) author., Thank you for joining us today, I’m so excited to have you hear and know my readers will enjoy it as well. 


About You:
Can you tell us a little about you?
My name is Troy McCombs. I live to write and hopefully one day, I’ll write to live.
What quality do you most value in yourself?
My humbleness.
In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?
Movies, music, playing guitar.
What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?
I don’t know. That’s a tough question!
Why do you write?
I have to write. If I didn’t write, I’d go mad.
What is your greatest strength as a writer?
Another tough question. I’d say probably my raw imagination. I’ve always had a very very unique and vivid imagination--even more so than my peers when we were children.
Is there any new or established author whom you feel deserves more attention, and what is it that strikes you about his or her work?

H.P Lovecraft, just because his work wasn’t really sought when he was alive and because he has the most unique style. Then Eric Johnston for his clear, fast-
paced, awesome writing skills. I also read Brett Tallies’’ ’That Which Should Not Be’ which was great.
What book(s) / author(s) have influenced your life and writing?
Lovecraft.
About Writing:
What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine?
No regular routine, but I should. Some days my mind says BLAH and tells me NO. Sometimes music helps, sometimes not, though.
What are the most important elements of good writing? According to you, what tools are must-haves for writers?
Most important elements and tools... The ability to weave words together smoothly and coherently. The ability to write subplots. Realistic characters. Good vocabulary. If you write a lot and read a lot, you can be a great author.
What motivates you to write?
My spirit. That nagging internal part of myself that has to be heard.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
Writer’s block sucks the big one. The only way to get out of it is just to take a break and focus on something else, preferably something else artistic.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Practice reading, practice writing. Watch what other writers do that’s both good and bad. Learn how to construct good sentences. Create bad characters that do good things and good characters that do bad things.
What are your current / future projects?
Tooooo many to list/count.
About your book:
Can you tell us a bit about your book?
The House on Mayberry Road was my own take on the haunted house theme. I wanted to try something that was different than anything I have ever read haunted-house-wise. What if there were houses infested with beings not only scarier than ghosts, but also worse than demons?
Darkworld, which hasn’t been released yet, is about five British boys who unearth a treasure chest in a backyard. Struck by the sudden possibility of wealth, they open the box but get sucked into a time period somewhere between the past in the future, which is overrun by demons with a taste for blood and meat. Only one thing can stop them--fire. And it just so happens that one of the boys is a pyromaniac.
What is the message in your book? What are your readers’ reactions to it?
Message... I don’t know if there’s a specific message. There are, of course, but just little ones throughout. A reoccurring theme in The House on Mayberry Road is about learning how to let go.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I always learn something, but I’m not always sure what it is. lol
What do you think readers will find most notable about this book?
Hopefully they’ll make sure to check their closets and under their bed before going to sleep!
Have you acquired any good anecdotes surrounding this book? If so, could you share one?
I don’t know.
Did researching and writing this book teach you anything or influence your thinking in any way?
In writing Mayberry, I learned the human spirit is capable of some really unimaginable feats.
What would you most like readers to tell others about this book?
That it’s worth reading. That’s it’s creepy as all heck. Or just cool.
Can you suggest one question readers might find interesting to discuss, concerning you, your writing in general, or this book?
Can’t think of any right now, sorry.
How can readers help you promote this book?
Spread the word. I hope you enjoy it! That’s what really matters, isn’t it?
Where can readers find you and more about your book(s)? Where can they purchase your book(s)?
I mostly sell through Amazon, just because I love that company.

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