Yes, a giveaway. My first! I am giving away two hardcover books this Memorial Day weekend.  One winner will get both books! 

First up is Swoon by Nina Malkin

From the book flap:

Sin is coming … Prepare to swoon.

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut … until Dice’s perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly  dies in a fall from an old tree and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She’s intensely drawn to him – but not at all crazy about the havoc he’s wreaking.

Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent – and irresistible – adversary before the whole town succumbs to Sin’s will. Only trouble is, she is in love with him.

What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?

And the next book:

From the book flap:

When we first meet Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven.  As she looks down from this strange new place, she tells us, in the fresh and spirited voice of a fourteen-year-old girl, a tale that is both haunting and full of hope.

In the weeks following her death, Susie watches life continuing without her – her school friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her family holding out hope that she’ll be found, her killer trying to cover his tracks. As months pass without leads, Susie sees her parents’ marriage being contorted by loss, her sister hardening herself in an effort to stay strong, and her little brother trying to grasp the meaning of the word  gone.

And she explores the place called heaven. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. There are counselors to help newcomers adjust and friends to room with. Everything she ever wanted appears as soon as she thinks of it – except that thing she wants most: to be back with the people she loved on Earth.

With compassion, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie sees her loved ones pass through grief and begin to mend. Her father embarks on a risky quest to ensnare her killer. Her sister undertakes a feat of remarkable daring. And the boy Susie cared for moves on, only to find himself at the center of a miraculous event.

 

How to win these amazing books:

Leave me your email address in the comment box below. That’s it! You don’t have to follow my blog, but it would be lovely if you did. I told you it was easy. Good luck!

One Lovely Blog Award

Posted: May 26, 2012 in Uncategorized

After an exhausting day at work, I came home to find a wonderful comment on my blog from Constance Wallace. Connie is a published author of fantasy and horror and a soon to be History teacher. I enjoy visiting her blog and reading her fun and imaginative posts. Her comment said that she had mentioned me on her blog and when I went to visit, my tired face broke out in a silly grin. She had nominated me for The One Lovely Blog award. Thank you Connie, you made this tired old gal feel rejuvenated.

 

The rules to the award:

1. Thank the person/people who nominated you and link back to them.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Nominate 15 or so bloggers you admire.

4. Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know.

 

Here are 7 things about me.

1. I live on Mobile Bay on the Gulf Coast of Alabama just minutes from the shore.

2. My reading companion is my dog Quigley, named after Tom Selleck’s character in the movie Quigley Down Under.

3. My favorite movie actors are Johnny Depp and John Cusack.

4. I have one teenage son. Don’t see much of him. He stays in his dungeon!

5. If you don’t know already, I LOVE to read books. All books. I enjoy reviewing almost as much.

6. I like to grow things. Green things. My dream is to some day have my own greenhouse. It would be lovely to sit out there and read.

7. My best friend is my mother. She is an angel and my inspiration. When I grow up I want to be just like her.

 

And the Nominees are!

Roberta: http://www.geminiwitching.com

Beckie: http://www.bittersweet-enchantment.com

Emily: http://emilyscrammedbookshelf.blogspot.com

Alyson: http://for-the-reading.blogspot.com

Amy: http://amydenim.blogspot.com

Cricket: http://littlelibrarymuse.blogspot.com

Valerie: http://www.stuckinbooks.com

Laura: http://laurasmagicday.wordpress.com

Katharine: http://kaos-storyaday.blogspot.com

Clotilda: http://clotildajamcracker.wordpress.com

Vicky: http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk

Kristin: http://www.booksniffersanonymous.com

Ashley: http://www.bookish-brunette.com

Jenn: http://momzunas.blogspot.com

Krystle: http://www.krystlejonesbooks.com

I could list so many more!

 

Thank you again Connie for this wonderful award.

Visit Connie at: http://legendsofgreenisles

 

 

 

I am rereading Zed by Stephen Herfst in order to refresh my memory before I do my review. I feel that if I am going to do this story justice, I need to pick Zed’s brain for thoughts.

 

Written from Zed’s point of view, he tells his own story about survival, which I find very unique and fun. Ever wonder what a zombie thinks?  This book will definitely make you wonder some more.

Prologue

The gun barrel points at me; no mention of surrender accompanies it.

Well that is just dandy.

He does not intend on taking me prisoner and who can blame him? I have given them many for mercy to be an afterthought. It seems only fitting that I would be shown the same level of empathy.

I attempt to find peace as the barrel stares me down. I feel like I have every right to exist, even if my existence contradicts their traditional view of life. It is funny that the gun also contradicts: from its meticulous clinical creation to its final purpose to mindlessly destroy. The gun involuntarily triggers flashbacks of earlier days.

I remember the first time I was almost killed:

The buckshot pierces my shoulder, although the brunt of the shot hits my brother. He flies backwards with most of his face missing. I am unfazed by the loss – I have many brothers left to fill the void. I shrug off the shot and turn back to the bloods that look tired and vulnerable although their guns still have bite.

Ya cotton-pickin’ zees. We ain’t gonna let -”

We silence their noises and then we all fight for a share of the prize – it feels good to be back with my own kind. I remember the horrible food and tests they subjected me to. It is sheer luck that I am free, although my mind is now infected by demons that agitate to be unleashed. I attempt to quell their restlessness by claiming my share of the spoils.

My brain quivers.

A wave of nausea overcomes me as I lose control of my world. I am a captive to these proceedings – the demons rule my mind now.

They scheme together as they massage new thoughts into being. I cannot help thinking why, as I look over the drama that unfolds. I wonder why just a few moments earlier I would have given anything to be among my own kind. Why was I so fixated on blood and brains just moments earlier?

Why do I think?

The demons whisper and now I hunger for something else.

Here is a synopsis borrowed from Goodreads

The story revolves around a teenage girl’s promise to save Zed from the human hordes.

Zed is not your typical zombie. He is cursed with the affliction of thought … although he tries to make the best of a bad situation. The goals for his unrest are simple: to improve his stride, to taste a lightly-seared pork loin once again and avoid Activists at all costs.

His life was predictable, controlled and good until chaos crashed the party. In just one day his world is destroyed and his ability to survive is tested. Would he be able to get through this in one piece? And would he somehow be able to survive the unstoppable force that goes by the name of Chase?

Now I am off to finish reading about Zed. You are not going to believe what happens!

A fantastic book trailer

Posted: May 24, 2012 in Uncategorized

Reblogged from That Fantasy Blog:

  • Click to visit the original post

It is becoming more and more common for independent authors to produce a trailer to showcase their book to a huge audience through sites like youtube and vimeo. Most however, should never be made. More often than not they are a simple slideshow affair simply describing the blurb.

Every now and then however, you can find a diamond in amongst all the boring old coal.

Read more… 61 more words

Amazing book trailer

Reblogged from The Flip Side of Julianne:

Click to visit the original post

 “Childhood Nightmares: Under the Bed”

What crawls through a child’s terrified mind in the darkest moments of the night? We asked twelve different authors to reach deep into their own imaginations and spin for us twelve tales so disturbing that any child would cringe at the thought of having to turn off the light before going to bed…

Those whispered tales of monsters hiding under the bed, or of the demons lurking in the shadowy corner where we dare not glance for fear that seeing them will make them all too real.

Read more… 697 more words

Another scary good one from Julianne

Well, I am back to update my review schedule. Looks like another busy one for me.

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Books reviewed for last week

Aftereffects: Zombie Therapy by Zane Bradey

The Emerald Quest by Renee Pawlish

The World Clicks by K. M. Breakey

Taken by Charlotte Abel – Pending

Gathering Clouds by  James Field

Books up for review

Zed by Stephen Herfst

Fire with Fire by Penelope King

Killings in Boulder Valley by Brenden Siebel

Martin Little, Resurrected by Ella Medler

Books I finished reading

Burning Bridges by multiple authors

Progeny by R T Kaelin

Books I am reading to review

Hope’s Betrayal by Grace Elliott

Sun Island Heirs by Kramer Hendricks

Five by Christie Rich

Books I am reading for A Knife and a Quill

Peaceable Kingdom by Shauna Klein

Make A Wish by Shauna Klein

Hansel and Gretel 2 (The Reckoning)

Looks like another very busy 7-10 days for me.

How is your week? How many books do you have?

Reblogged from A Knife And A Quill:

Okay, don’t look at me like that. Just keep reading, it’s very relevant to A Knife And A Quill.

Entangled In Romance is “Calling for Submissions”. They have four different “calls” mostly on romance, but two caught my eye.

Zombie Fairy Tales (Ever Afters) : 20k-40k piece with a strong romantic element, scraping along side a fairy tale with a twist.

Read more… 58 more words

just keep reading