Short interview with Jackson Pierce

Hi Everyone welcome Jackson Pierce to my blog today. She is the author of As You Wish and Sisters Red    (which I have and can't wait to read!).

Tell me something fun about yourself that is not mentioned in your author bio.


I collect My Little Ponies. I am not ashamed of this. They are the BEST toy.

How much research went into writing Sister Red as a new version of Red Riding Hood?

I read just about every version of Little Red Riding Hood out there-- French, German, Chinese, you name it. I also researched a lot on the Grimm brothers themselves, as well as into Norse mythology (the Fenris werewolves are largely based on the Norse Fenrir, a monstrous wolf creature).

How do you like your werewolves: Scary or nice?

Scary! That's what they're SUPPOSED to be! And although I like the "misunderstood monster" thing, I wanted to see some old school, face-eating monsters back in action.

Do you have a favorite writing space? Anything special you have to be munching on to get those creative juices flowing?

I write at home, though occasionally I venture out to a cafe or the like. I HAVE to have something to drink at all times-- it used to be Diet Coke, but I've cut back and have been trying to drink more water lately.

Do you have a current project that you are working on?

Currently, I'm working on a historical piece that's my "just for fun" book. I'm writing it for kicks, and don't really know if it's any good yet...we'll see!
 
 

Weighing in on Wednesday: Body Gospel workout

Yesterday I received my body gospel package to review from the folks at beach body. I am sure a lot of you are probably familiar with turbo jam or P90X that is a huge seller for beach body. I have been trying to lose weight for a long time and I am about at the end of my rope, so when I seen a pitch to review body gospel I just had to try and see if I could be one of those select people to review it and I got in!!

I thought what better way to try and lose weight and get fit than to listen to some great uplifting gospel music while I try and work out. (Try being the BIG word here..lol)  So I slipped in the first DVD that has a 35 minute workout, it didn't look very hard until I started and then my butt started to cramp up..LOL. So I only did about ten minutes, but I am extremely overweight (not saying my weight yet but just think of it as needing to lose a person..lol). So I am thinking that even ten minutes is better than no minutes, so I will attempt it again tomorrow and as long as I keep trying I know I can make it to the whole 35minutes and then maybe I can move to another DVD, I viewed them all a little this morning and they only get more intense..ugh..lol.

My package came with 3 DVD's and one walking CD, resistant bands, and a nutritional guide with a 30 day meal plan, but I wasn't just going to stop at that because I figured if I was going to do it then I must go all the way..and I signed up for http://www.teambeachbody.com/ so that I could have at hand some buddies, and recipes, new workouts, etc. It has a place to help you keep track of your workouts, etc.

So I may talk about this a little every Wednesday or it might be every two weeks I am not sure, but I do know that I am suppose to post a review about this product every 15 days for 90 days, so I thought again..what a great way to try and keep motivated by having to post reviews about this product online. :)

So wish me luck!!!!!  I know I am going to need it. :0)

Review of Wereling

Wereling by Steve Feasey
Pages: 288
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

One day Trey is a ordinary boy, then he wakes up and his room is wrecked and he doesn't remember anything that happened. A man has come to pick him up claiming to be this uncle, though he isn't. Lucian was a friend of Trey's father and wants to help protect Trey and tells him that he is a werewolf. Trey is not just any werewolf but the last of his kind and the only one that is powerful enough to take down the most evil vampire of the netherworld.

I was really wanting to read this book so I was a little disappointed when the beginning took on a familiar theme. I had read something similar to it before, called Werewolf Rising by R.L LaFevers. Both books start out exactly the same though they are two different books it just sort of took away a little from Wereling.

Though it was a interesting book I just couldn't really get into it as much as I would have liked. Trey was not my favorite character I couldn't really connect with him very much. I loved Lucian the vampire that is helping protect Trey (now isn't that just funny a vamp protecting a werewolf), Alexa is probably my favorite character, she is half vampire and has a lot of spunk. Tom is Lucian's human friend and he is pretty cool too.

If you love werewolf books then I would recommend this book to you I have heard a lot of good things about this book, I just couldn't get past the similarities of the other book so it sort of just zapped the sizzle out of the book for me, but it was a decent book.

Read this book as a part of Book It Forward Book Tours.

Interview with Monica Burns + giveaway

Please welcome Monica Burns to my blog today she is the author of several books. The first book I ever read of hers was Assassin's Honor and I loved it. She has a new one in the series coming out in September, Assassin's Heart (I can't wait), and another book called Pleasure Me coming out in Feburary. Monica will be giving away a copy of Assassin's Honor.

Tell me something interesting about yourself that is not in your author bio.


Well, I like to collect things. I have six swords hanging in my house now. My pride and joy is the French Rapier I bought in Walt Disney World way back in 2000 or thereabouts. I also collect Star Wars and Star Trek memorabilia. One of my prized possessions is an autographed picture of Ray Parks as the Dark Sith Lord. My only regret is that I can’t find the great photo of me and George Takei that was taken at a Star Trek con in the early eighties. Grrr

 How did your interest in the Sicari assassin group come about?

Amazingly enough the Sicari assassins that everyone finds references too on the Internet didn’t even hit my radar screen until the first book came out. When I developed the Order of the Sicari series, I was completely focused on ancient Rome and the background portion of the story. Since Latin was the language of choice in Rome, I searched for the Latin word that meant assassin, which is Sicari. I had no idea an actual group existed. But it doesn’t surprise me, because I have this habit of knowing things without having any prior knowledge of them. I’m a huge believer in past lives, and I have this ability to write something in my work with plans to research it later. When I do, I often find that what I wrote is accurate. So discovering that the Sicari actually existed in some form back in ancient times is pretty cool.

Did it take a lot of research to be able to make your characters believable. (I looked up Sicari to see they existed and was surprised to see that they did)

I did do a tremendous amount of research. I love learning new things, and building a backstory for the series required learning about ancient Rome and their lifestyle, traditions, religion, and all manner of information. When I learned during my research about the disbandment of the Praetorian Guard by Constantine I and his conversion to Christianity, I knew I’d found the perfect wedge to split the Guard into two factions providing one faction with a hiding place and the other faction being the hunted.

 Assassin’s Heart is due to come out in September, and you are working on book 3. Could you let us have a little insight into what will be going on in the next two books?

Assassin’s Heart finalizes a story line in Assassin’s Honor related to the Tyet of Isis. It also shows how the Sicari came into being with a past life theme that I had an absolute blast writing. With each book I write, my craft develops and improves, and I think that improvement really shows in Assassin’s Heart. There are three different romance story lines as well as the adventure piece. Two of the romances are actually one due to the past life aspect. The third will be resolved in Book 3, which has no title and is just now forming solidly in my mind. I can say that Book 3 will resolved Atia and Marcus’s story, it will feature Cleo who makes a very brief appearance in Assassin’s Honor, and who’s role is expanded in Assassin’s Heart. The book will also expand on the Sicari Lords even more than is done in Assassin’s Heart.

 If Assassin's Honor was turned into a film, who would you cast to be the main characters?

I get asked this a lot, and my answers always varies because I tend to use a composite of different images for the visual inspiration of my characters.

Could you tell my readers where they can find you on the web?

I’m all over the place, but Facebook is the best connection because I post almost every single day on my fan page and chat a great deal with my readers.

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMonicaBurns

Website
http://www.monicaburns.com/

Google Group – Announcements Only
http://groups.google.com/group/monica-burns-announcements

Monica and the Muse – I post as I can to my blog, but I’m on Facebook more. http://www.monicaburns.blogspot.com/

Here are some excerpt links:

Assassin’s Honor
http://www.monicaburns.com/BookshelfAssassinsHonorExcerpt.htm

Assassin’s Heart
http://www.monicaburns.com/BookshelfAssassinsHeartExcerpt.htm
 
Here are some buy links if you are interested in purchasing a copy of Assassin's Honor.

B&N

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Assassins-Honor/Monica-Burns/e/9780425234167/?itm=4#TABS

Borders
http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0425234169

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Honor-Monica-Burns/dp/0425234169/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265678558&sr=1-8

Drawing for book

Rules by the author:

Drawing is open to residents in US and other countries. Void where prohibited. Shipping/handling fees for shipment of book outside the US is responsibility of winner. International winners may pay the required postage via PayPal. To ensure as many readers as possible have a chance to win a copy of the book, Monica awards only one book per reader, per household.

My rules:

must be a follower

leave a comment with a way to contact you.

Extra Entries:

tweet, facebook or sidebar about this contest +1 each

Blog Follower Appreciation Month giveaway #4

As July comes to a end so does my Blog Follower Appreciation Month celebration. Today's giveaway will be the last for my BFAB month. Today I have six books and I will have one winner who can pick three of the books. Open internationally. All books linked to amazon so you can see what they are if you haven't heard of them.

Today's books:

Beneath a Southern Sky by Deborah Raney (Christian)
Calculated Revenge by Jill Elizabeth Nelson (Christian Suspense)
Wolf's Trap by W. D. Gagliani (general fiction)
Fallen by Lauren Kate (ARC, YA)
Dead Guy Spy by David Lubar (middle grade)
Thicker than Blood by C. J. Darlington (Christian)

Rules:

Leave a comment with your email address.

Must be a follower.

extra entries:

Follow me on twitter +1

Tweet, facebook, or put up a link on your sidebar +1 (for each that you do)

Review The Wild Irish Sea

The Wild Irish Sea by Loucinda McGary
Pages: 320
Publisher: Sourcebook

Drawn to a force he can't resist...


Former police officer Kevin Hennessey is running from his past-choosing to battle smugglers instead of dealing with his personal demons. When a desperate, rain-drenched American woman appears on his doorstep with wild tales of danger, Kevin is drawn to helping her, despite his reservations...

She never saw him coming...

Amber O'Neill knew without a doubt that her brother was in mortal danger. Rushing heedlessly to the rocky shores of Ireland, Amber was stunned to find her rescue mission derailed by a gorgeous, but deeply flawed Irishman...

The tumultuous sea, the intertwined fates of the coastal villagers, and unearthly tales of a hidden selkie prince bring Kevin and Amber together in a connection of mind, body, and soul that neither can deny...

I love a good book surrounded by Irish culture and this book did not disappoint. It has the perfect blind of Irish culture and myth, along with a great romance.

Amber and her twin brother Parker have a very special telepathic connection, so strong that while she was in America she knew he was endanger and traveled all the way to Ireland to his last known destination. The only help she can find comes from Kevin the local inspector who is very reclusive and doesn't really claim to be the inspector anymore. Amber has a wild tale and he just can't seem to let her go back out there and look for her brother alone.

From the very beginning there is a attraction between the two, but because of tragic past it doesn't seem possible for them to be together. Its a slow moving chemistry that turns steamy through the story that brings the story along its course as well as the mystery surrounding her brother, a band of smugglers and the selkie legend.

All the characters in this story were great from the main characters to the secondary characters. It was a very well-rounded love story. I have never read much about the selkie folklore so it was refreshing to read about a aspect of the paranormal that I haven't read a lot of already.

I recieved this book from Sourcebook for review.

Guest Blogger Review: White Cat + giveaway

Stormi has asked me to take over her blog for the day. You are probably wondering who I am. Well, I am Liz from Cleverly Inked. It's book reviews amongst the chaos. Now on to the reason I am here...

White Cat (ARC) by Holly Black
Reading level: Young Adult
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)
Synopsis

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers—people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn’t got magic, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail—he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to outcon the conmen.
My Review

I am so thrilled to learn White Cat is going to be a series. I am in love with White Cat. It's so unique. A world like ours yet magical. I felt like I was in a backwards world. Gloves we worn everyday just to prevent magic being placed on you. Some clever people learned to use other parts of their bodies. I couldn't believe the twist in this plot. If I were you I would run out right now and get this one! Thats what I said right now!!! I did get a chance to met Holly at a book signing. I asked her if the White Cat was like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. She explained it came from a french novel of poetry. If I get this wrong please tell me. The book is called White Cat. (obviously in french though) Back to the book review. Cassel to me needed some beefing up. He got pushed around a bit. I can't wait to see if he come more into his own. I can't rave enough about this one.

(Yep, thats Holly and Liz)


On to the contest:

Prizes:

I have a hardback Signed Copy of White Cat by Holly Black and a signed White Cat postcard.
Rules:

Leave a Comment with your email addy (US Only)


Thanks you Liz for the review of White Cat and such a great prize!

Review of The Fire Lord's Lover

The  Fire Lord's Lover by Kathryne Kennedy
Pages: 384
Publisher: Sourcebook

If his powers are discovered, his father will destroy him...


In a magical land ruled by ruthless Elven lords, the Fire Lord's son Dominic Raikes plays a deadly game to conceal his growing might from his malevolent father-until his arranged bride awakens in him passions he thought he had buried forever...

Unless his fiancée kills him first...

Lady Cassandra has been raised in outward purity and innocence, while secretly being trained as an assassin. Her mission is to bring down the Elven Lord and his champion son. But when she gets to court she discovers that nothing is what it seems, least of all the man she married...

Then Dominic and Cassandra together uncover an unspeakable evil, one that threatens the destruction of the magical realm they would give their souls to save...


This is the first book I have ever read by Kathyrne Kennedy and I found it to be interesting. I have never really been one for fantasy novels but she has created a unique elven world that can capture the mind. It was full of great description, color and interesting characters.

Enter a world where cruel elven lords and ladies rule the world in sectors. Each one as cruel as the next and think humans are weak and mere play toys.

Dominic is the half human son of the elven Fire Lord and he has always tried to make Dominic as unfeeling as he is by destroying things that Dominic cares about. Dominic is none for his coldness and inhuman feelings. He found it better to be this way than to have his father destroy more things he cared about.

Lady Cassandra is part of the resistance and has been trained to assassinate Dominic. She is also to be married to Dominic. At first she sees him to be as cold and cruel as his father, but after a while she sees his human compassionate side and now she is tore. Could Dominic see how cruel his father is and want to put a end to his reign like the resistance?

It was a interesting romances filled with intrigue and a interesting elven world that grip anyone who likes fantasy romances. Since it is a adult romance I can only recommend it to those who are 17 and older.

Given to me by soucebook for a fair and honest review.

Interview with Alyxandra Harvey + giveaway

Please welcome Alyxandra Harvey to my blog today. She is the author of The Drake Chronicles Series. I loved both Hearts at Stake and Blood Feud and I can't wait for the next books to come out! I will be giving away 3 copies of Hearts at Stake so if you want to enter just leave a comment with your email address. Open internationally.

Tell me something fun about yourself that is not in your author bio.


I have 9 tattoos and counting. I can probably recite every word of Robin of Sherwood. I am planning to spend a weekend in my Victorian house pretending it's 1860: candles, cooking on the hearth, bustle skirts, weaving, food from the garden. I will pick a warm weekend in summer because I am a wimp.

Why Vampires? What is your attraction to them that has led you to write about them? (I personally love the werewolf, but I like my vamps too..lol)

I admit, vampires are not my only supernatural love. I do like a good shapeshifter/werewolf but only if they aren't horror-movie gooey. I prefer them to be actual wolves (and made sure of that in my werewolf book). But my favourite thing about vampires, besides the fact that after hundreds of years of kissing they'd be really, really good at it, is the history involved. I love having a character that might have taken tea with Jane Austen, whiskey with Bonnie Prince Charlie or ale with Robin Hood...with a little blood on the side, of course.

In Blood Feud we read about Logan and Isabeau. Isabeau is a Hound and you put her through the wringer, but she comes out a extremely strong heroine. I have noticed that in all your books the women are very strong willed as well as able to kick butt. So do you personally like your stories with strong, independent women, or did it just happen that way?

I am definitely fond of strong women. They are such fun to write about!

I don't mind boy-saves-girl but girl-better-save-boy right back! Which basically means I like to torture all of my characters equally.

 Do you have any hints for us on what will be in-store for us next in the Drake Series? More Drake men falling in love? Or more about Lucy and Nick, Solange and Kierran? (I personally love Lucy she is my favorite character so far.)

The main story arc of the Drake Chronicles involves Solange (her life is going to get much, much messier!); she's in every book, along with Lucy and Nicholas, even if they aren't the main focus...(Lucy's the main focus in book 4!).

I also wanted to play with the different aspects of the vampire world so Hearts at Stake/My Love Lies Bleeding explores the Drakes, Blood Feud (#2) explores the Hounds, Out for Blood (#3) explores the Helios Ra and book #4 (untilted) explores the Hel-Blar. I hope to bring them all together in book #5.

Are you working on anything besides the Drake Series you can share with us?

I have a Victorian paranormal YA set to be out Spring 2011 which I'm really excited to share with the world!

After that, is a Faery novel and a paranormal YA with zombies in it (among other things!). All with the fabulous Walker Books/ Bloomsbury.

I also have an essay in the Vampire Diaries anthology "A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls" out this October.

Were can my readers reach out to you on the World Wide Web?

My website is http://www.alyxandraharvey.com/ and I'm on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads as well.
You can find all the latest about the Drakes at http://www.thedrakechronicles.com/

I personally can't wait  till her other books come out!!

Review of Touching the Clouds

Touching the Clouds by Bonnie Leon
Pages: 364
Publisher: Revell

Kate Evans is an adventurous and independent young woman with a pioneering spirit. She pilots a mail-delivery plane in the forbidding Alaskan wilderness, the lone woman in a male profession. But even that seems easy compared to finding true love. She likes a fellow pilot and would even consider marrying him--if it weren't for Paul, a mysterious man on her mail route with a gentle spirit and a past to hide. Can Kate break through the walls Paul has put up around his heart? And will her quest for adventure be her demise? Book 1 in the Alaskan Skies series, Touching the Clouds will draw readers in with raw emotion and suspense, all against the stunning backdrop of the Alaskan wilds.

Kate is a female pilot who breaks up her engagement to Richard the man she has none for a long time. She is carrying the burden of the death of a friend who she blames herself for the accident that happened. Kate decided that see needs to explore the world before settling down, so she flys off the Alaska.

While in Alaska, she battles the wilderness and relationships with two very different guys. One is the man she works with who is reliable and the other is a wilderness man, Paul who she makes deliveries to. Paul comes with a tragic past that Kate can sympathise with, but it can also make it hard for a relationship to move forward. 

Touching the Cloud has some great strong characters. I love a strong female character and any female who is willing to risk everything in the 1930's to run off the the Alaskan wilderness is a strong willed woman. I like her. The other characters are great as well and well developed. I know that Bonnie Leon puts a lot of time in to her research for her historicals and it pays off with a well rounded story.

This is a Christian book, but its not lined heavily in religion so I think anyone who would like to read a great story about a female bush pilot in the 1930's, then it would be a great read for you. I would recommend it to anyone who likes light romantic stories.

I was given this book by Revell for a fair and honest review.

Blog Follower Appreciation Month giveaway #3

So here it is another Sunday in July and along with it another BFAM giveaway! Today I have eight books to choose from and I will have two winners and they will get to choose from the eight books three books a piece.

Sorry I am not post pictures but I just got off work and I am very tired and ready for a nap so I am doing things the quick way..LOL. The books you can choose from are listed below and the link will send you to Amazon.com so that you can see what they are about if you don't already know them. This giveaway is open world wide.

A Touch of Scandal by Jennifer Haymore (genre adult)
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Young Adult)
You Are So Undead To Me by Stacey Jay (Young Adult)
The Silent Gift by Michael Landon, Jr and Cindy Kelley (Christian)
It Had to Be You by Janice Thompson (Wedding's by Bella Book #3, Christian)
Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy (Christian Suspense)
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (ARC, Young adult)
Try Darkness by James Scott Bell (Christian Suspense)

Rules:

Must be a follower of this blog (new or old)

Entries:

Leave a comment with your email address +1

Blog about this contest +5

Add to sidebar, tweet or post on facebook +1 each

follow me on Twitter @ladystorm33 +2

I am giving away a special prize to the two top commentors during this month so if you comment on any post during this month you could win something cool!