Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Blog Tour: Giveaway + Book Trailer The Progeny The Progeny Series, #1 By Ashlynne Laynne




The Progeny Series banner






The Progeny book cover

Book Title: The Progeny

Series: The Progeny Series, #1

Author: Ashlynne Laynne

Publisher: Novel Concept Publishing

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Erotica, Vampire/Wiccan

Paperback/Ebook:

Pages: 364





Purchase:

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paperback

Amazon Kindle UK

Barnes and Noble Nook

Smashwords

All Romance E-books

Sony e-book




Book Description:




“No fate other than the one I choose.”

The timeless creed, and tattoo, bore by the Rousseau’s— a vampire clan with the purest bloodline of any vampire family. Out of this clandestine group came one who was different, yet the same: Ascher-a half-bloodling— half- human, half vampire.

Ascher questions the purpose for his existence and which world he truly belongs to: the human world or the vampire world. Two months from sealing to Ursula— a prearranged union to a woman he abhors — he’s at his wit’s end. He knows if he calls off the sealing, the Romanian clan will strike with deadly force, but he cannot see eternity with a cold empty shell of a woman like Ursula.

Just when he thought life was complicated enough, he meets Shauna— a beautiful, bi-racial human Wiccan — and immediately develops an unshakable attraction to her. She makes him feel alive and vital despite his origins and Ascher makes a decision that turns his immortal world upside down.







Blood Bonds book cover

Book Title: Blood Bonds

Series: The Progeny Series, #2

Author: Ashlynne Laynne

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Erotica, Vampire/Wiccan

Publisher: Novel Concept Publishing

Release Date: July 2012

Paperback/Ebook:

Pages: 320





Purchase:

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Kindle UK

Smashwords

All Romance E-books




Book Description:




“Forever. For always. For eternity.”

The ties that bind two hearts are powerful. For Ascher Rousseau and Shauna McCutchin, it’s more than just a blood bond. Their union is that of vampire legend. Their love is a predestined prophecy foretold centuries ago.

It’s a week before Ascher and Shauna's sealing and the couple is making final preparations for their eternity, but Ascher's ex has other plans. Ursula is hell-bent on revenge—revenge fueled by lover's scorn and her father's death—and she begins breeding a fresh army of newborn darklings to do her bidding.

When Ursula finds a new weapon—an ally with the capability to dismantle the Rousseau clan— Ascher and Shauna's bond is tested and they must stand together against Ursula or lose each other for eternity.




Book Trailer link:




Book Trailer:







Giveaway:




a Rafflecopter giveaway






Tour Schedule:



Please be sure to check out all the other tour stops

July 30th:



Kristy Centeno

The Bunny's Review

Sweeping Me

I HEART BOOKS

Tricia Kristufek

Kaidans Seduction




July 31st:



The Avid Reader

A Bibliophile's Thoughts on Books

Heart Of A Wolf

Musings of a bookworm

A Bit of Dash

RedHeaded Bookworm

The Steamy Side




This tour was put together by FMB Blog Tours

Top Ten Tuesday #19




Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and would LOVE to see your top ten lists! the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.




For future Top Ten Tuesday topics, check them out here!

This weeks Top Ten List

Top Ten Characters I’d Like To Switch Places With For 24 Hours







Hollowland (The Hollows, #1)

Hollowland (The Hollows #1) by Amanda Hocking

Remy: She is a very strong woman that can kick ass and isn't afraid to go after what she wants. She will do what she has to to keep herself and everyone in her group safe.









Burned (House of Night, #7)

Burned (House of Night #7) by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast

Stevie Rae: She is just a plain old country girl who likes her cowboy boots and jeans. She will stand behind her friends and help them anyway she can. She is also a very strong leader.









Darkness Falls (Darkness Falls, #1)

Darkness Falls (Darkness Falls #1) by Jessica Sorensen

Kayla: She is immune to the virus that is turning people into vampires. She is a strong willed person and can fight better than anyone else in the book.











Children of the Gods (A Chosen Novel)

Children of the Gods (A Chosen Novel) by Monica Millard

Reka: Upon entering the ship she learns that she will be the host body to their queen. They place an alien worm inside of her that is the queen. Reka is a very strong person; she is the stronger of the two between her and the queen inside her body. Reka tries to make the lives of the people on the ship better for them. She changes some of the rules that were applied by the queen herself.





Starters (Starters and Enders, #1)

Starters (Starters and Enders #1) by Lissa Price

Callie: She losses her parents and her home but she doesn't let it take over her life. She picks up the pieces and moves on. She puts her own life in danger so that she can make enough money to take care of her little brother and best friend.







Wanted Nightmares

Wanted Nightmares: Battle For Love by Pura Preis

Amaya: A very strong willed girl she knows who or what she wants out of life. She is strong enough to stand up for what she wants and fight for it if that is what it takes. She learns that she is far stronger than she ever realized. She puts her own life in danger so that she can save her family.







Betrayed (House of Night, #2)

Betrayed (House of Night #2) by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast

Zoey: The vampyre goddess, Nyx bestows her with an enormous amount of power. She can call upon all five of the elements. like the earth, fire, air, water and spirit. Besides all that she has 3 boyfriends.








Fire Baptized (Habitat, #1)

Fire Baptized (Habitat #1) by Kenya Wright

Lanore: She has the ability to create fire which she does not reveal except under extreme emergencies. Lanore is a very strong and independent person she doesn't need and especially doesn't want any one to fight her battles for her. She can and will fight for herself.







The Witching Pen (The Witching Pen Novellas, #1)

The Witching Pen (Witching Pen Novellas #1) by Dianna Hardy

Elena: She is the most powerful witch on the planet. Besides being the most powerful witch, she has a pen that allows anything she writes to become true.











Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon, #1)

Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1) by Anna Banks

Emma: I would love to trade places with Emma any day she has a drop dead gorgeous boyfriend Galen. He is a very nice guy but he would kick any bodies ass if they messed with Emma. Just ask his best friend Toraf.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Blog Tour: The Perses Effect By R.E. Robinson Jr




The Perses Effect banner Bewitching Book Tours.






The Perses Effect Book Cover, Bewitching Book Tours.

Title: The Perses Effect

Author: R.E. Robinson Jr

















Blurb:




The world has been changed forever. Death and mutation have swept across the planet leaving some of the survivors altered into non-human races and gaining powers that would take time to comprehend. Always thinking ahead Evan Root invited family and friends to live on his farm shortly before the comet that started it all was destroyed.

 

As the remaining population rebuilds Evan Root and his wife Jordan are producing bio-fuel to use and trade. On a routine trip to the market murmurs of disappearing town’s people span the crowd. While at the market Evan’s group is ambushed and when he finally makes it back to the farm he finds out his wife has been abducted. Evan feels her abduction has everything to do with her power.

 

Hoping it will lead him to his wife Evan and his companions must discover who or what is behind the disappearances while defending themselves at every turn.




Excerpt




“How long ago did we lose contact with them?” the voice echoed inside Cord’s head as if it came through his two-way communication headset. Cord concentrated and thought; we haven’t heard from them in a couple of days. He didn’t like not knowing where his neighbors were. Cord knew that Richard’s telepathic powers would pick up on his response but if he concentrated it was easier for Rich to hear what he was thinking.

Crouched just inside the tree line of their neighbor’s yard Cord looked down the barrel of his ACR rifle scanning the property. The composite bodied rifle was light and felt reassuring in his hands.

The ACR was a prime candidate to replace the venerable M-16. It was versatile and adaptable to various conditions. Having multiple calibers on a single platform it would meet different demands. Cord had the pleasure of field testing the rifle in the desert.

After serving as an Army officer for fifteen years Cord Tranum decided not to reenlist but instead remained in the Middle East working for a private security company. The pay and benefits were far better than active duty and there was none of the bullshit associated with being Government Issue. Cord would have worked over seas longer but with the negative press from the rising civilian casualties he decided it was time to come home. Even after he was back in America his skills remained honed and those skills kept him and his pacifist wife alive as they traveled to join their friends. The journey to the Root farm was treacherous. They traveled over some unfamiliar territory while the world was being turned on end. Cord grinned as he reminisced.

Being late August in Georgia the heat and humidity are still unbearable even at this hour. What he wouldn’t give for some Air Conditioning right about now. During the summer months the AC in his old house could barely keep up with the temperatures. It meant a big power bill but there was no way to cope without the AC. It’s not as if opening a window or turning on some fans would stifle the heat so he sucked it up and paid the damn bill. Maybe when they got back Evan would let him run the AC a little while tonight. He slept so much better when the room was cooler. Those creature comforts were always a good motivator for completing the mission.

Now because of things hiding and waiting in the dark, everyone knew they needed to keep in touch. The members of this community were always in communication. Even though this neighborhood was a group of farms spread out over miles in the rural part of the county.

Neighbors used to help each other out but as technology grew and people moved farther and farther away they started becoming more self-sufficient. Tractors with satellite navigation did the work of several farm hands. Now with technology taking a backseat to survival helping out your neighbor is important again.

People forgot how to care for one another. They became materialistic and spent their time trying to outdo one another. Racing from one of their children’s sport practice to the others ballet practice and all the while bragging about how their child was accepted to this college or that university. People were selfish, self-centered and self-serving. That way of life had become the norm.

Perses changed everything. Now the people who were left had to work together if they want to survive.

Sweat poured from Cords brow as he scanned the yard waiting for Tim Lavin to return from scouting the perimeter. The night was still and without a sound. One hundred percent humidity made the air thick so it stuck to the skin. A full moon hung in the evening sky and bathed their surroundings in a warm blue/white light.

Wiping the sweat from his brow he could hear the buzzing of mosquitoes in his ear. They would be one more nuisance he could do without but at least they were still small here. He had heard stories of some giant mosquitoes that would literally carry people off. Every state in the south claimed they had the biggest mosquitoes. No one wanted to claim that prize any longer.

He looked to his wife Violet. He could see her ivory skin glisten in the moonlight and her blue eyes glowed slightly absorbing all the light they could which allowed her to see in darkened conditions. He could tell by the look on her face that she was nervous; this wasn’t the sort of thing she liked. Violet was a pacifist and disliked the use of violence to solve problems. It took her a while to get comfortable enough with a gun to shoot it much less use it in a firefight. She stuck mainly to pistols often needing a free hand to heal someone.

She was still as beautiful as ever. When the metamorphosis started neither one of them knew what was going to happen. Violet mutated physically into what would later be called the elven race. Her skin didn’t turn gray like Lavin’s but turned lighter almost like ivory. She gained elven vision and heightened senses.

No one knew what the outcome of their friends and loved ones once it all started. After those changes were complete friends and families were divided some even became enemies. She was one of the lucky ones that when they changed physically they weren’t disfigured; turned into monsters. Some didn’t survive at all.

Violet gained the ability to heal wounds with her touch. It took her a while to learn the concentration part of her healing touch while being shot at but on the trip to Evan’s farm she became proficient. Cord would have died on the trip if she hadn’t kept her wits about herself. Unlike others in the medical field she did not require the use of gloves. First of all she had to have contact with the skin to be able to heal but what kept her immune to germs and disease was her new race.

Her blue eyes met his and she gave him a reassuring smile. Returning the smile Cord then looked to Evan’s group about thirty feet from his position. They all scanned their surroundings as they had been trained.




Book Trailer: Youtube




Buy Links:

Amazon

Amazon Paperback 

Barnes and Noble Hardcover   

Nook




Find the Author:




Facebook: The Perses Effect

Goodreads: The Perses Effect




Bio:




 Author pic The Perses Effect Bewitching Book Tours.

Ronald E. Robinson Jr. served in the US Army and has a criminal justice degree. He lives in Georgia with his family.












Bewitching Book Tours

Blog A Quote #11







Blog A Quote is weekly meme hosted by Michelle Chew Writes. Each week we will be sharing a quote from our favorite books. For more info and to sign up visit Michelle Chew Writes.





My quote for this week is from To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee



To Kill a Mockingbird



“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”





As I always say you can never know what you would do in any given situation unless you have been through that exact same situation yourself.





What is your favorite quote?

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Stacking The Shelves #11




Stacking The Shelves, A weekly Meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Blog about the books we got in the past weeh.



Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Where each week we share the books that we have added to our shelves during the past week. This includes books that we bought, borrowed from the library, received from the author for review, books that we won. They can be either physical books or ebooks.

You can find out more about Stacking The Shelves from the official launch page.




More Amazon Freebies. But hey, I love Amazon Freebies.





Forgotten (In the Shadows, #1)

Title: Forgotten (In The Shadows, Book One)
Author: Catherine Gardiner

Katrina Harvey is a senior at a new school, Sycamore Heights High. Several months before she was attacked and now she has no memory of the attack or who she is. Katrina's younger sister Suzanne Harvey has been looking for her. Her search for her sister has lead her to Katrina's new school. Someone is stalking both girls to make sure no one finds out about the attack on Katrina and to keep the reasons for the attack secret.






Freeze

Title: Freeze
Author: Daniel Pyle

Tess and Warren are stranded in their mountain home with a raging snowstorm going on outside. Tess has a very bad accident which cause her to start coughing up blood. Warren is afraid to take Tess out in the storm but he doesn't have a choice. But the storm may not be the thing that he should be worried about. What he doesn't know is that what he should be more worried about it is the creature's that is watching their ever move.






Craved (Gwen Sparks #1)

Title: Craved (#1 in the Gwen Sparks Series)
Author: Daniel Pyle

Witches are being murdered in the supernatural town of Flora. Gwen Sparks has the ability to read the memories of the dead so she volunteers to help find out who is behind all the murders. While she is trying to help find the murderer she has to fight off sexual advances of a very hot vampire.






Judgement of Souls

Title: Judgement of Souls
Author: Margarita Felices

Rachel has to find a sacred book to redeem her parents and to kill Max the man that is responsible for her parents pushishment. While Rachel is trying to find this book she runs into Daniel a pureblood vampire that is tossed into the mortal world. She is in love with Daniel but she tries to fight off the feelings that she has for him. But she will do what she has to to protect the one she loves.





I Am Alive (  I Am Alive #1 )

Title: I Am Alive ( YA Dystopian Novel )
Author: Cameron Jace

Sixteen-year-old Decca Tenderstone lives in a dystopian future in Los Angeles where every sixteen-year-old are forced to attend the Monster Show, a worldwide tv show that is broadcast live. They have to fight in deadly games to prove that they are deserving and merit the gift of life.





Title: The Psychic
Author: Margarita Felices

Beryl Parker and her husband Charlie are con artists. When Charlie dies leaving her without any money. Beryl desides that being a fortune teller would be the greatest con ever so she sets up a boothe and five years later she is living in a grand house with money in the bank. The one fall back to the perfect con is that sometimes the fortune's of the people that she reads will come back for more.









What did you get this week to add to your shelves?

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Review: The Aslaric Vampire (Eternal Death #1) By David Weaver




The Aslaric Vampire (Eternal Death, #1)

Title: The Aslaric Vampire (Eternal Death #1)

Author: David Weaver

Published: October 17th 2011

Kindle Edition

Pages: 84








Goodreads Synopsis:




An Aslaric Vampire is not affected by Holy Water or garlic beads.

He or she is not affected by sunlight or crosses.

They do not sleep in coffins or create other vampires by biting humans on the neck.

~They are the new rulers of the vampire kingdom. They are Aslaric.~

18 year old Bristol has to go without love for 225 years in order for her and her family to receive all of their powers. It has been 220 years, and she has just met a 17 year old human named Marvin. Can Bristol go the extra 5 years without falling for Marvin?

***A riveting tale of love, betrayal, and discovery. David Weaver has crafted a brilliant paranormal romance!***- Starred Review

***The ending will BLOW you away!"***

*Approx. 27,150 word novella.*

*Ages: (All) from 13 years old to adults.




My Review:




The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I got this book as a free download from Amazon.

For a short read The Aslaric Vampire was written like a full length novel. In my opinion it was an amazing story with a lot of detail to Bristol's back ground. Bristol a vampire that has lived for 200 years with out falling in love. She had to live without loving anyone or being in a physical relationship to protect her family. When she meets Marvin everything that she has been taught to believe and the life that she has had to live may just go right out the window.

I loved the whole new twist of the way that humans were turned into vampires. I have read a lot of books with vampires in them but this is a first for this particular way of turning. Even though the ending was out of this world I just couldn't believe it. The next book in the series just has to pick up where this one left off. I just know that it will be a better read than this. I mean there is no way it could be worse. Theres just got to be more books that has not been written or may published yet. I hope David Weavers doesn't leave us hanging like this with that ending.







Look for David Weaver on the web:


Goodreads - David Weaver

Goodreads - The Aslaric Vampire (Eternal Death #1)

Twitter - @BankrollSquad

Facebook - Malcolm Powers Bawss





The Aslaric Vampire (Eternal Death #1)

Amazon

Friday, July 27, 2012

Blog Tour: Night School Vampire Hunter By Michelle Cornwell-Jordan




Today on The Avid Reader I am featuring Michelle Cornwell-Jordan author of Night School. Thanks Michelle for visiting The Avid Reader today. I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Night School in May. If you would like you can read my review here.







Night School tour poster Bewitching Book Tours






Night School

Title: Night School Vampire Hunter

Author: Michelle Cornwell-Jordan

Genre: Paranormal YA

Rating: PG13














Book Description:






Fifteen year old Dasheen Bellamy’s world is turned upside down, when she is accused of killing her father and godmother. Dasheen cannot remember the events of the night her world is destroyed, but she feels inside that she is innocent; due to lack of evidence against her and with no other family; Dasheen and her younger brother Jordan, are sent to the elusive and mysterious Ame’ Academy ; a residential school where all is not what it appears. There all goes well, until Jordan, begins to become distant and behave strangely as if he is afraid of something or someone. Jordan is transferred to Ame’ Academy’s Night School track, which is usually only open to special cases. In order to discover what is happening with her brother, Dasheen is finally allowed to also transfer, attending classes in the evening while the rest of the world sleeps. Soon Dasheen’s world changes again as she discovers that things out of fairytales and horror stories exist, that she has ancient powers and is the major player in a mystical prophecy; and then she falls in love with a boy, whose mission is to see that she is destroyed before her destiny is fulfilled.





Excerpt





Prologue


He smelled her before he saw her, that sweet, spicy aroma that appealed to those of his kind. His tongue tingled at the thought of the warm blood flowing down his throat. He moved as the anticipation of his next meal caused him to draw near. The uncontrollable thirst beat at him as he watched the girl, alone, walk towards her car in the empty parking lot. He chuckled to himself. He had heard many of the Day Walkers’ stories speaking of how unsettling and creepy, he believed their exact words were, Ame Academy’s parking lot was after dark. This was especially true of the Day Walkers’ lot, which was the furthest one from the school, made so to prohibit after hour attendance, unless of course you attended night school. But they came, those foolish Day Walkers who wanted the thrill, the rush, to say that they had dared to break the rule.

He chuckled again as he moved closer. So they came and usually there were no occurrences. But every once in a while, the school would have to report a disappearance, sadly, a tragedy where one of Kincaid, Texas’s most hallowed young ones would meet with an unexpected and violent end.

He watched the girl as she walked towards a silver/black PT Cruiser convertible. She swiftly pulled from her jeans pocket a set of keys, and he saw what looked to be a small charm decorated with a skull emblem. The skull had a large pink bow. He smiled; this one had backbone, and he liked a little fire in his meal. Hunger drove him, made him a little more reckless than usual, and he forgot to notice small details such as the set of the girl’s shoulders, which were determined and ready. Even as she opened the door, placing her bag into the back seat, she showed no fear. But he didn’t see these insignificant details. It had been too long since he had hunted. Having to exist off that vile concoction of Phoenix blood, which supposedly had all the nutrients of the real thing for his kind to exist! Ha! It couldn’t take the place of the heady feeling he got from the hunt, the sinking of teeth into tender skin and drinking that life force that couldn’t be replaced; that was what they, his kind, were really meant to be, predators.

It was time. He moved closer as the girl stood with her back to him, leaning half-way in the car. He moved up with preternatural speed.

He said, “Hello, didn’t anyone ever tell you a lovely girl like yourself shouldn’t walk out here alone?” He laughed as he grabbed her, twisting her to face him, looking forward to the fear in her eyes. “There are scary things in the night!” But he stopped and his red eyes widened. No! he thought to himself, not her! Not the slayer!

The girl, facing him fully now, smiled with her dark eyes shining.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?” she said, a wicked smile crossing her angelic face. So lost in her eyes, the vampire didn’t see the stake coming towards his heart.

Mind Speak

(A blog dealing with the crap that is my life)

Blog post#1

Okay, so this is the first post in my diary. Ms. Griffin says that this will help me to own all the negative emotions I have been suppressing since the incident. That’s what she calls the event that changed my life. First, I probably need to introduce myself, Ms. Griffin says (yeah, she says a lot of things…) that speaking formally as if I am talking to strangers, introducing them to myself, my life, and eventually the events surrounding my “problem” will help me have the distance to deal with all the details without the emotional baggage… (Whatever), anyway, here goes...

My name is Dasheen Bellamy, but everyone always calls me Angel. I am 15 years old, have one brother, Jordan, who’s 12 years old and we are both students and residents of Ame Academy. Actually, I’m staging a mini-rebellion. Ms. Griffin was opposed to the blog format, believing the old fashioned method of pen, pencil, and leather-bound journal would be better for me…keep me in reality, I suppose. I will do what she says to a point, for my sake and that of my little brother Jordan. I will do whatever is needed to keep us together.

That’s why I see Ms. Griffin three days out of the week for 50 minutes each time since coming to Ame Academy, but I will still have to hold on to a part of the old me, even if it’s as silly as how I journal. I was a blogger back at my old school, and that’s who I am now. So bite me, Griffin! Oh, well (now I feel a small twinge of guilt…Dad and Jocelyn would be disappointed with me for speaking that way). But I guess it doesn’t really matter, does it? Dad and Jocelyn aren’t here, are they? Well, not since I killed them…

Post #2

Guess, I left that last post a little dramatic, didn’t I? I didn’t actually kill Jocelyn and Dad; at least I don’t think I did. It all began a year ago, the night of my 15th birthday, October 31st (yep, I know, there are just TONS of implications that can be suggested with my being born on that day! Trust me, I have heard them all: devil, spawn, witch etc.). Especially after I began having the visions, like I said; the first came on my birthday. We were all finishing up Jocelyn’s to-die-for Black Forest cake, a sinful concoction of cherries, kirsch( cherry water) and devil deep chocolate! Hey Squirrel... (That’s my way of saying I have a little back history to add); Jocelyn Hernandez, is or was like a mother to me and Jordan.

I never knew my mother growing up, and well, Jocelyn had been there forever. She was a friend of my mom and dad’s from when they were in college, and my dad says that when my mom left, he was alone with small children and a broken heart and he asked Jocelyn for help. She had just gotten out of a bad marriage (I know, too much information right?). Anyway, she also was heartbroken about her husband and about my mom disappearing, and apparently nothing else was going on, so she stepped right in to help. She eventually moved in and took care of me and Jordan because Dad had a private security company and he traveled a lot for clients. Okay, I know that sounds REALLY convenient, but it isn’t like that. For as long as I can remember, my dad and Jocelyn always acted like best friends; in fact it seemed until Jocelyn and Dad disappeared, that he still missed my mother…Wow, I’m all over the place, good thing this blog is really for my eyes only…

So-o-o…like I said, we had just finished the cake for my birthday and tricksters wanting treats started blowing up the doorbell. Jordan was jumping around like worms were in his pants; as he got older, it became harder and harder for him to deal with the rule…this is Angel’s birthday first; we celebrate THEN go out trick or treating. So he shot up out of his seat saying, “I’ll get it…I’ll get it,” running down the short hallway that led to the front door, with Jocelyn’s “no, running in the house!” at his back. We still lived in North Carolina then, Winston Salem to be exact; and I loved our house, all the gleaming wood edgings, and hardwood floors that I sock-skated across on rainy days. The large back yard that I loved seeing filled with burnt orange and bruised banana yellow leaves in the fall, that was home, not Kincaid, Texas. This is prison.

Anyway, I yelled, “You’re still helping with the dishes, twerp!” As I watched his lanky form disappear down the hall, I gave him a hard time but I really don’t believe there is anyone in this world I love as much as Jordan. He’s as tall as I am; really he’s about to sprout taller than me soon at 12 years old! He’s handsome with skin the color of coffee with tons of cream in it; he has short, springy curls that he wears cut short, and he’s slender.

We’re basically opposites. I am more the color of warm cocoa, almost shorter than Jordan, but I guess normal for a girl, and I wear my hair in braids, because well, then I won’t have to deal with my unruly hair. Anyway, wow, this post is SUPER long! I guess, I just like thinking about when we were happy and normal; it changed when Jordan opened that door that night. I remember I was helping Jocelyn pick up dessert plates with left over smudges of chocolate crumbs and cherries.

Dad had received a call and was in his office, and Jocelyn was running back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen, taking dishes to load the dishwasher. I was picking up the last plate when suddenly extreme nausea hit me. It seemed like my stomach was literally turning inside out. I sorta stumbled, instinctively lunging towards the dining room table, in order to give the dessert plates a safe landing. I began feeling hot and cold, and when I looked around it was as if I had double vision; two tables, two ugly as sin paintings that my next door neighbor Mrs. Partridge had made for us one Christmas, hung on the wall directly in front of me. I wanted to cry out, but it was as if my tongue had grown two sizes too large for my mouth. I felt as if I would choke on my own tongue.

Then things really started getting strange. I could see the door that stood open, where Jordan was standing, digging through the candy bowl, picking the choice pieces for himself, one or two candy bits went in a trickster’s bucket; the other three or four in his pocket. My attention suddenly went to a little girl who stood in the doorway.

She was the height of an eight or nine-year-old; she seemed separate from the childish hum of energy that surrounded her, standing there, staring directly at me. She was bundled in the long sleeves and jacket required in October in North Carolina, the frilly pink plastic skirt of the Halloween costume peeking out from under her furry brown jacket. She also wore a princess mask, the kind with the holes that looked like blank, dead eyes. The blonde curls that framed the white pale mask looked like engorged worms that began moving and squirming, inching their way into the eye holes of the mask. Down…down the worms slithered while the girl stood still, seeming completely oblivious that worms were going to gnaw her eyes out. Soon the stark white mask was streaked with red with rivulets of blood running down it. That’s when I cried out and the world went black.





Night School Vampire Hunter by Michelle Cornwell-Jordan

Interview

1. What inspired you to write Night School Vampire Hunter?

MCJ: To be honest, the idea came about due to the town where I live. It isn’t really considered a small city but it is quiet…normal really. But one day while driving, I began to imagine what if in this all American city; Vampires were actually the ruling class????Well, that started my thoughts swirling, and one day I saw the Pythian Children’s Home which is located locally. It is designed as a medieval castle… which I thought somewhat unique, since we’re dead smack in a Southwestern town? So, that is where I limited the story…instead of a ruling class of Vampires, I made a class full of them?;so, within this murky clay of thought is where the idea originated?

2. When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

MCJ: That’s a difficult question…because I cannot remember an age when I didn’t wish to write! But I will say 4th grade, this was the grade where I would try to impress my teachers with my poetic ability…, lol

3. What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

MCJ: 3 or 4 years old

4. What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

MCJ: My favorite even now is YA…the novels in this genre tend to be full of magic and possibility? But whether YA or Adult reads I enjoy paranormal/fantasy the most!

5. What is your favorite book?

MCJ: I truly enjoyed the Twilight series. It satisfied my very romantic soul? But really I tend not to have ONE fav…I like many different books.

6. You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

MCJ: Hmmm. That’s difficult, because really in my personal reading I am ALL over the place at times…genres…yes, I have favorite genres…but specific authors? I enjoy all I have read…but let’s see I would have to say…I guess I would have to say…Stephanie Meyers...because my favorite play was Romeo&Juliet when I was younger, and I have ALWAYS been a romantic…and she with her Twilight series…just touched and satisfied that part of me...

7. If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

MCJ: I actually think I would remain in this time, but would like to travel to the Mountains (Redwoods) enjoy the beauty and solitude, for awhile at least, then I would need to be back in the mix of things!:)

8. When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

MCJ: Well, that is a tricky question for me? it is difficult at times for me to sit down and write! I do many other things; have multiple items to check off before I feel I can get to the perfect point of writing…well, this is an incorrect way to think. So I am adjusting this and tweaking priorities… But when I do sit still, hook up to my music…I fall into the character and basically “tell” what I am seeing, dictating the events, then it feels easy?

9. "Dark Angel", the second book in Night School Vampire Hunter Trilogy, tentative release date October 2012. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

MCJ: Dark Angel, the second novella in the series, I hope answers many of the questions left in the first novella…answers regarding Angel’s heritage, what happened to her parents?, what happened to her brother?…who Rafael really is? And what does he mean to Angel? More details regarding the other girls, Angel’s new friends at Ame Academy and their real agenda for being at the school? Also, the story will take a twist at the end…

10. What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?

MCJ: This will sound very strange…but I enjoy breakfast foods…such as eggs, bacon, and grits (okay, I am from the South:)…pancakes etc. I can eat this type of food anytime of the day! I also enjoy comfort foods…chicken, biscuits etc…yep, real down home gal!:)

11. Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

MCJ: Pray a lot… believe in yourself….step out and take a chance…and try! There are some really great people in this community(Indie writers), who are willing to lend a helping hand, to help show you the ropes…and always be willing to learn…and use the lessons to better what you love, why you are doing what you are doing…to tell a good story?





BOOK TRAILER: Youtube

Goodreads: Night School

Smashwords: Night School







About the Author:



Michelle Cornwell-Jordan

Michelle Cornwell-Jordan is a book lover, with YA paranormal adventures as her favorite genre,although she can be a glutton for any young adult title. Michelle’s other love is writing, Michelle has been writing about as long as she has been a bibliophile! Losing herself in a fantasy world that she, or others have created is how she loves spending her spare time...

One last thing about Michelle, she believes that she has her own secret powers:)

Next Night School Vampire Hunter (Bk#2) "Dark Angel" tentative release date October 2012




LINKS




Blog: Indiewritersreview

Goodreads: Michelle Cornwell-Jordan

Twitter: @mcjordan37

FaceBook: Indiewritersreview

Blog Talk Radio: IndieReview Behind The Scenes (Indiewritersreview's radio segment):






GIVEAWAY (Tour Wide)

Grand Prize: 1 $25.00 Amazon GC

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter: Giveaway Link  










Bewitching Book Tours

Friday Recommends #20




Photobucket

Friday Recommends is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper. This a weekly book blog hop where we as bloggers choose a book that we have read and recommend it to our fellow bloggers. We can then visit each others blogs to see what other bloggers recommend and find new books to add to our TBR list. Hopefully we all will have new followers from visiting each blog on the linky list.










The rules for Friday Recommends are:




  • Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
  • Please consider adding the blog hop button to your blog somewhere, so others can find it easily and join in too! Help spread the word! The code will be at the bottom of the post under the linky.
  • Pick a book that you've read, and have enjoyed enough to recommend to other readers. It can be a book you've read recently, or a book you read years ago - it's up to you - but make sure you tell us why you love the book (like a mini review). You make the post as long or as short as you like.
  • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of post on host site Pen to Paper after posting your blog post.
  • Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.
  • Visit the other blogs and enjoy!



My Recommend for this week:




The Near Witch (The Near Witch)

Title: The Near Witch

Author: Victoria Schwab

Ebook:

Pages: 282

Published: August 2nd 2011

Publisher: Hyperion Books CH






Goodreads synopsis:




The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.




My Thoughts




Victoria Schwab writes a beautiful story that keeps you guessing who it is that takes the children. You know along who it is but she still puts that little bit of doubt in your mind. I loved how Victoria Schwab kept you hanging on wondering who did it?





Look for Victoria Schwab on the web


Web site - Victoria Schwab

Blog - Victoria Schwab

Goodreads - Victoria Schwab

Goodreads - The Near Witch (The Near Witch)

Twitter - Victoria Schwab





Purchase The Near Witch

Amazon

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Review: Taming the Vampire (Blood and Absinthe #1) By Chloe Hart




Taming the Vampire (Blood and Absinthe, #1)

Title: Taming the Vampire (Blood and Absinthe #1)

Author: Chloe Hart

Published: August 5th 2011

Published by: Chloe Hart

Kindle Edition

Pages: 61








Goodreads Synopsis:




An unlikely partnership…

Demon hunter Liz Marlowe and vampire Jack Morgan have hated each other from the moment they met. But when a powerful enemy threatens their beloved city of Boston, they form a reluctant alliance. It’s supposed to be temporary—just one night, in fact. But as the tension between them builds to the breaking point, neither is prepared for what happens next.

Taming the Vampire is Book 1 of the Blood and Absinthe series.




My Review:




The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I got this book as a free download from Amazon.

Liz is a human with 8th of fae and a warrior that has been trained since early childhood. There is a demon lose on the earth that is killing anything that gets in its way. Liz is the only one that can kill him but she needs the help her friend Jack a vampire. Jack and Liz have been friends for a long time but have always hated each other. Even though they have always hated each other and told each other that they hate the other there has still been an attraction between them that they keep to themselves. They don't want to believe or admit that they are attracted to the other.

This attraction between them is what is going to help Liz fight the demon and win. Without it she will never be strong enough. She is not sure if what she needs from the Jack is what she wants or if it is worth having the power she needs to save everyone. Liz is a very strong warrior and is afraid that she will lose that if she lets her guard down even if just for one night. She is afraid of being weak and letting someone else be in control.

Taming the Vampire caught my attention from the very first page and I didn't like having to lay it down the few times that I did but I had no choise. It is a very great read although I wish that it had been longer. I would have like to know more about Liz and Jack and why they seemed to hate each with such intensity.







Look for Chloe Hart on the web:


Goodreads - Chloe Hart

Goodreads - Taming the Vampire (Blood and Absinthe #1)





Purchase Taming the Vampire (Blood and Absinthe #1):

Amazon
Smashwords

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Blog Tour: Guest Post with Jessica Penot Author of Circe




Circe banner, Circe






Circe book cover, Circe

Book Title: Circe

Author: Jessica Penot















Description:




Dr. Black is a good man with a few vices. He is willing to sacrifice his career for his wife, Pria. He takes an internship at a hick institution in Southern Alabama to make his wife happy, but once he is situated in this old hospital, he finds that old habits die-hard. He is sexually compulsive and easily seduced by his supervisor, Cassie, who takes him to the bowls of the institution and shows him its tragic history. As Dr. Black loses himself in his obsession with Cassie, he becomes convinced that she is the key to Circe's mythology and magic and a series of bizarre murders leaves him convinced that she has opened the gates to another world. Madness and sanity begin to blur for Dr. Black and he becomes entangled in the mystery at the heart of Circe. A mystery that's as old as the ancient hospital itself. A mystery that could incriminate Cassie, an old god, or Dr. Black himself.




Buy Links

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Print Book




Five of the Most Terrifying Haunted Houses




All ghost stories hold unending fascination for me, but the ones that contain the most mystery are the haunted house stories. In my novel, Circe, the story is driven by a haunted psychiatric hospital. The ghosts there are fictional, but the real ghosts that inspired the book are not. I’ve borrowed ghosts from many famous hauntings to make the novel’s haunting moments seem more real. Some of the hauntings that inspired me are house hauntings. The terror held by house hauntings is unique. You are bound to the haunted location by financial obligation, family, and sentiment. It is your home that holds the shadows and that can't be easily escaped. The ghosts or dark spirits can catch you in bed, with your children, and in the shower. There is a unique vulnerability to being in a haunted house. So here is my list of the most compelling house haunting stories I've heard. I've written about many of these haunted houses before, but revisiting them still sends shivers down my spine.

5. The House on Larabee Street: This haunting story has always been one of my favorites because it does not have a history. The haunting on Larrabbee Street has often been compared to the Amityville case; however, the house on Larrabee Street didn't have the history the Amityville house had. It is a haunting that is unexplainable. The spirit that haunted Allen and Deborah Tallman came from nowhere.

The Tallman's found their dream home on Larabee Street and the house slowly turned evil. At first, the family began to get sick and sickness became nightmares and ghosts and monsters that crawled in and out of the woodwork tormenting the family and their children until they finally flee their home. For a more detailed write up on this fascinating haunting you can go to: Ghost Stories and Haunted Places

4. The Demon in the Shadows: This is a haunting I learned about during an interview for Haunted North Alabama. A young woman came forward and told me she wanted to talk to me and the story she told me was chilling. This young woman bought a lovely home with her husband and the house immediately showed signs of haunting. Doors opened and closed on their own. Light bulbs exploded. Phantom mists tormented the woman and her family. Finally, the woman would wake in the morning to find deep gashes in her back where the hostile entity had clawed her. She and her family had to flee their home. The complete write up for this haunting can be found in Haunted North Alabama.

3. A Haunting in Connecticut: This is one of the most famous hauntings. It was made into a movie that was not true to the facts of the actual haunting but was still an interesting movie. The real haunting in this case began with a house that had been a funeral home. The eldest son of the family that moved into this home was driven slowly mad by a hostile entity that lived in the house and when he went to an institution the entity turned to the rest of the family. Psychics involved in this case say an old evil lived in this house that preyed on the living. An exorcism was performed of the house and the case resolved, but the family still moved. You can read more about this case at: Dark Destinations

2. The LaLaurie Mansion: This infamous haunted house was home to the famous Madam LaLaurie. Madam LaLaurie was a sadist and the things she did to her slaves in this New Orleans Mansion are beyond horrific. She sewed slaves together and removed their appendages and reattached them to other places. After a fire, the community discovered Madam LaLaurie's sadism and she fled, leaving behind her a trail of ghost stories and a house that is so haunted it screams with ghosts. You can learn more about this ghoulish haunting at: Ghost Stories and Haunted Places

1. Hull House: This is another haunting that was so famous it inspired a movie. Hull House is tucked away neatly on a campus in Chicago. It was founded by Jane Addams as a refuge for displaced young woman. Jane Addams was a remarkable woman and the work she did for those in need is admirable on every level. That is why she hated that Hull House became most known as the house where Satan's baby was born. According to legend, one of the young women living in this house gave birth to a demon spawn in this house. Ever since then tails of ghosts and paranormal activity surrounding this location have proliferated. Hull House is a popular stop on the Chicago Ghost tours and is one of the few places I've photographed in which I got something that looked like a ghost on film. The story behind Hull House was the inspiration for Rosemary's Baby. Learn more about this one at: Ghost Stories and Haunted Places

I know there are many other house hauntings that aren't on my list. The Winchester House, Lemp Mansion, Whaley House, and The Myrtles Plantation all have wonderful haunted histories, but these five are my favorite and the they have stories that give me a chill every time. For me, these ghosts are an unending source of inspiration and Circe wouldn’t be the chilling novel it is without these hauntings to inspire me.

You can buy Circe in print or in eBook form at Amazon , Barnes and Noble, or at Lachesis Publishing .







Author Bio

Jessica Penot bio pic, Jessica Penot

I am a therapist and writer who lives in Alabama with my three corgis, children, husband, and other strange creatures. My short stories have been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies including CSM, Summer Gothic, Bound By Blood, and Outer Darkness. I have ghost story columns in theValley Planet and White Cat Magazine where I share my love for ghost stories that send shivers down your spine and keep you up at night. I also share my passion for all things ghostly and haunted at my blog, ghost stories and haunted places.

I am currently working on my next Haunted America Book for History Press, Haunted South Alabama.  Follow me at my blog to learn about the ghost stories I am chasing and collecting for this fascinating addition to Haunted America.  I'm also workng on the next book in my Circe series.  The demon is awake and waiting for my new heroine in the swamps of Southern Alabama.  




Jessica Penot Online:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Email: jessica.penot@gmail.com







Innovative Online Book Tours, Innovative Online Book Tours

Wishlist Wednesday #17




Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.







  • Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
  • Please consider adding the blog hop button to your blog somewhere, so others can find it easily and join in too! Help spread the word! The code will be at the bottom of the post under the linky.
  • Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
  • Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
  • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of the post on Pen to Paper.
  • Put a link back to pen to paper somewhere in your post.
  • Visit the other blogs and enjoy!






On My Wishlist:




Dearly, Departed (Gone With the Respiration, #1)
Title: Dearly, Departed (Gone With the Respiration #1)
Author: Lia Habel
ebook:
Pages: 382
Published: October 18th 2011
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group







Goodreads synopsis:




Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

From the Hardcover edition.





Why did I choose Dearly, Departed for this weeks Wishlist Wednesday?



The year is 2195 but looking at the cover you would think that it is set in the 1800's. Nora Dearly is fighting zombies, the undead then she meets Bram Griswold, a soldier who is brave and handsome and dead? A zombie that can fight and comunicate with you. I want to know about this. Oh yeah. The walking dead can love? Can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this one.



Look for Lia Habel on the web:


Web site - Lia Habel
Goodreads - Lia Habel
Goodreads - Dearly, Departed (Gone With the Respiration #1)
Facebook - Lia Habel
Twitter - Lia Habel