tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11548051170461102012024-03-13T14:41:47.553+00:00From Pages to PagesQuality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.comBlogger688125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-25307068133717756312015-03-06T08:00:00.000+00:002015-03-08T04:22:15.482+00:00THE GIRL WHO CAME BACK TO LIFE #Excerpt by @YouMakeArtDumb #MGLit #MustRead #TweensAt the train’s next stop, a different child came to Sophie
and handed her another gift of food, and at the next stop a different
child still. At each stop, another mother stood behind her child and
insisted on the gift, and thanked Sophie for wearing her child out.<br />
<br />
When
the train moved forward, the children scrambled down the aisle and
handed her a little of whatever their families were eating amongst
themselves. Sophie felt embarrassed by the generosity the other
passengers showed to her and, increasingly, to her grandmother, who also
received small gifts of bread and cheese or whatever else the families
brought with them. The old woman never pushed the children away, but
simply thanked them with a touch of sweetness Sophie had never heard
from her before.<br />
<br />
Now, when their train stopped at a
station or broke down altogether, the old woman produced a deck of cards
from her bag and played games with the other women while Sophie
continued to occupy the children with her runs.<br />
<br />
As the
days grew longer and rain fell and the smell of spring flowers drifted
into the air, the two travelers slowly found themselves enfolded into
the life of their train. During boisterous moments Sophie and her
grandmother began to speak and laugh with the others. During quiet
moments the two remained still and peaceful, sometimes smiling,
sometimes sober, moods in tune with the warming air that thickened those
afternoons when children slept and adults enjoyed temporary peace.<br />
<br />
Gradually,
as the days passed and spring brought the world back to life, something
melted a touch between Sophie and her grandmother. They still rarely
spoke, and when they did they never said any word of consequence, but
the old woman began to comment whenever they received something
especially delicious, and after a stray question or two about the day’s
games escaped Sophie’s lips, the old woman began to teach her
granddaughter how to play cards—quietly, privately, lest the train’s
other women learned her secrets.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg"><img alt="The Girl Who Came Back to Life" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40597" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
you die, your spirit wakes in the north, in the City of the Dead.
There, you wander the cold until one of your living loved ones finds
you, says "Goodbye," and Sends you to the next world. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />After
her parents die, 12-year-old Sophie refuses to release their spirits.
Instead, she resolves to travel to the City of the Dead to bring her
mother and father’s spirits back home with her. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Taking
the long pilgrimage north with her gruff & distant grandmother—by
train, by foot, by boat; over ruined mountains and plains and
oceans—Sophie struggles to return what death stole from her. Yet the
journey offers her many hard, unexpected lessons—what to hold on to,
when to let go, and who she must truly bring back to life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Came-Back-Life-ebook/dp/B00JQRR0JM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402517344&sr=8-1&keywords=craig+staufenberg" href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Came-Back-Life-ebook/dp/B00JQRR0JM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402517344&sr=8-1&keywords=craig+staufenberg" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Middle Grade</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Staufenberg/e/B00J4CHMX8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Staufenberg/e/B00J4CHMX8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>with Craig Staufenberg through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/YouMakeArtDumb?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/YouMakeArtDumb?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/YouMakeArtDumb" href="https://twitter.com/YouMakeArtDumb" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://craigstaufenberg.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-DrQ3iDj9YlxIz66ffrjCdBEDC8Q" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://craigstaufenberg.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-DrQ3iDj9YlxIz66ffrjCdBEDC8Q" target="_blank">http://craigstaufenberg.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-67771390178657812002015-03-06T07:00:00.000+00:002015-03-08T04:17:14.768+00:00DARK CHEMISTRY #Excerpt by Kirsten Mortensen @KirstenWriter #AmReading #Suspense #Romance <i>This
excerpt is from Chapter 3 of the book. Haley Dubose—a spoiled, shallow
rich girl from Southern California—has reacted exactly as you’d expect
to the news that, in order to inherit her late father’s estate, she has
to move across country and run his company for two years. She threw a
temper tantrum and stayed out too late, drinking with her friends.<br /><br />Now
it’s the next day and she’s in the airport, getting ready to board the
flight to Amesbury, New York, that will change her life forever…</i><br />
<br />
<br />
Haley’s head hurt.<br />
<br />
She stood in front of the counter by Gate 7, waiting for the airline attendant to get off the phone.<br />
<br />
“May I help you?”<br />
<br />
Haley pushed her boarding pass across the counter like a note to a bank teller. “I’d like to upgrade to first class,” she said.<br />
<br />
The attendant shook her head. “I’m sorry. We’ve got a full flight. There are no first class seats available.”<br />
<br />
“I
have miles,” Haley said, but faintly. She wasn’t exactly sure if she’d
be able to use Sheila’s miles on a ticket paid for by Marla, the person
at her father’s company who’d actually bought it.<br />
<br />
The attendant,
in any case, didn’t seem to hear. “I’m sorry,” she said again, and then
picked up her microphone. “Okay folks, we’re now ready to begin
boarding. First class. Anyone serving in the military. People with small
children or who need special assistance—you may now board.”<br />
<br />
Haley looked down at her ticket. 23F.<br />
<br />
The printing pulsed slightly in the fluorescent light. Pulsed like her headache.<br />
<br />
And she gave up.<br />
<br />
At least it was a window seat ...<br />
<br />
She
pulled her rollerboard over to the rows of gray chairs near the gate,
and squeezed herself into an empty one between two other fliers to wait
for her turn to board.<br />
<br />
² ² ² ² ²<br />
<br />
The plane rose, tipped.
Haley watched the red tiled roofs north of downtown shrink and then the
plane tipped again and circled counterclockwise out over the bay. The
water looked like rippled glass from this height. Still climbing,
circling now back over land—over the mountains, the tawny desert
mountains that flank San Diego to the east ...<br />
<br />
She shut her eyes.<br />
<br />
With
her eyes closed she lost any sense that the plane was moving forward.
There was only the jiggling turbulence and the roar of the engines
humming through her body ... but that was people talking, too? How could
their voices be so clear with the engines that loud, she could hear
every word they said ... a woman telling someone about her son joining
the Navy ... a father promising a child that he’d get the iPad when the
seatbelt sign turned off ... now the jiggling and the vibration of the
engine made it feel like they were moving backwards ...<br />
<br />
I can’t believe my father did this to me.<br />
<br />
What had that lawyer told her?<br />
<br />
That
Richard Molnare’s entire estate was tied up in the company he’d
founded. And in two years—provided Haley met the terms of the will—she’d
be able to sell RMB, get her money, and go home.<br />
<br />
“So what you’re saying is, at that point I get my 70 million dollars,” Haley had said.<br />
<br />
But
the lawyer had waved her hand back and forth, a gesture signaling not
so fast. “Not exactly. RMB generates 70 million in annual revenue.
That’s not the same as the value of the estate. You understand the
difference, right?”<br />
<br />
And Haley had pretended that oh, sure, she’d understood the difference all along.<br />
<br />
And
the lawyer had gone on for a bit about how the company had been doing
well for quite a few years in a row. Something about how it was part of a
growth industry, and that a lot of other companies like it were buying
each other up, which meant that when Haley’s two years was up, chances
were good that RMB would be easy to sell.<br />
<br />
“Of course,” the lawyer
had continued—the lawyer had talked on and on for hours, it seemed
like—“what you take out will depend, in part, on how well the company
performs when you’re running it. If you can keep it on its current path,
it should be worth more, in two years, than it is today. Several
million dollars more, perhaps.”<br />
<br />
Whatever.<br />
<br />
Haley opened her eyes and leaned forward.<br />
<br />
A thick manila envelope protruded from the tote she’d pushed under the seat in front of her.<br />
<br />
Everything
she needed was in that envelope, according to the lawyer. Including a
Ziploc bag with a key inside—the key to her father’s house.<br />
<br />
She
turned and peered out of the window. The ground was gone, everything was
gone, they were inside a cloud—the cloud so thick, so uniformly white
that it didn’t seem like they were moving at all—they were suspended,
motionless except for that slight jiggling, they weren’t moving forwards
they weren’t moving backwards they were motionless ...<br />
<br />
She
pulled down the plastic shade and closed her eyes again, the sensation
growing again that she wasn’t moving anywhere ... she was suspended in
the air somewhere, suspended in a box ... in a box over which she had no
control, and what choice did she have but to sit here, to let herself
be jiggled and vibrated and hopefully go to sleep ...<br />
<br />
The
“seatbelt sign is on” bell-tone dinged and the pilot came on the
intercom to tell them the flight time to O’Hare would be four hours and
they’d be out of the turbulence soon and to enjoy the flight.<br />
<br />
What was it that Oliver said to me?<br />
<br />
She couldn’t remember it—not the words—only that he’d been ugly to her.<br />
<br />
The asshole.<br />
<br />
Her head hurt.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg"><img alt="darkChemistry" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41412" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A woman's worst nightmare</span></span></h1>
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Drugged by something...that makes her think she's fallen in love.</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All Haley Dubose has ever known is beaches and malls, clubs and cocktail dresses.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>But now her father is dead.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And if she wants to inherit her father's fortune, she has to leave sunny Southern California<br />for a backwater little town near Syracuse, New York. She has to run RMB, the multimillion dollar<br />chemical company her father founded. And she has to run it well.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Keep
RMB on track, and she'll be rich. Grow it, and she'll be even richer.
But mess it up, and her inheritance will shrink away before she gets a
chance to spend a dime.</span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Donavon Todde is her true love. But is it too late?</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He's RMB's head of sales – and the more Donavon sees of Haley, the more he's smitten.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure,
she comes across at first as naïve and superficial. But Donavon knew
Haley's father. He can see the man's better qualities stirring to life
in her eyes. And Donavon senses something else: Haley's father left her a
legacy more important than money. He left her the chance to discover
her true self.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Donavon has demons of his own.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b><br />He's
reeling from a heartbreak that's taking far too long to heal. But he's
captivated by this blond Californian, and not only because of her
beauty.<i> It's chemistry.</i> They're right for each other. But has
Donavon waited too long to woo this woman of his dreams? Because to his
horror, his beautiful Haley falls under another spell.<i> Gerad's spell.</i></span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A web of evil.</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gerad
Picket was second-in-command at RMB when Haley's father was alive. And
with Haley on the scene, he's in charge of her training. But there are
things about RMB that Gerad doesn't want Haley to know.</span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And he must control her. Any way he can.</span></span></h2>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Romantic suspense for your Kindle</span></span></h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will Haley realize that her feelings are not her TRUE feelings?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does Donavon have the strength left to fight for the woman he loves?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will the two of them uncover Gerad's plot to use RMB pheromones to enslave the world?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And even if they do – can they stop it?</span></span><br />
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Chemistry-Kirsten-Mortensen-ebook/dp/B00KEYP3QI/" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Chemistry-Kirsten-Mortensen-ebook/dp/B00KEYP3QI/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> &amp;<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/422146" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/422146" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Romantic suspense</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Kirsten-Mortensen/e/B001JP7X50/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Kirsten-Mortensen/e/B001JP7X50/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Kirsten Mortensen through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsten-Mortensen-Writer/195344590544496?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsten-Mortensen-Writer/195344590544496?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>&amp; <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/Kirstenwriter" href="https://twitter.com/Kirstenwriter" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://kirstenmortensen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29OlqrTvuWJGs0Xbb3RDK_7VviC8A" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://kirstenmortensen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29OlqrTvuWJGs0Xbb3RDK_7VviC8A" target="_blank">http://kirstenmortensen.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
</div>
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<br />Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-65011959916989235882015-01-16T12:00:00.000+00:002015-04-10T23:59:35.047+01:00Aggie's Assignation from MAKING WISHES by Marilyn Holdsworth @M_Holdsworth #AmReading #Women<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AGGIE HAS AN ASSIGNATION...</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>from the novel MAKING WISHES by Marilyn Holdsworth</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
guests continued their speculations on Elloree and Tom’s marriage, and
Aggie glanced across the room to where Brian Coleman was just sitting
down with two other men. He looked over at her, a slow sensuous smile
spreading across his handsome suntanned features, and she felt an
immediate stab of excitement. Yes, this luncheon was going to be very
pleasant. After the salad and seafood crepes had been served and
enjoyed, Aggie and her friends lingered over coffee.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brian
Coleman exchanged more glances across the room with Aggie, and when at
last he’d finished with his tiresome clients, he ushered them outside to
their cars. He waved and smiled as they drove off. It had been a very
profitable afternoon. He was satisfied that both had bought his pitch
for a substantial raise of their insurance coverage. He glanced at his
watch impatiently. She should be coming out at any moment and if he knew
women, those looks only meant one thing. Damn, he wished she’d hurry.
He had an early evening appointment, but there might be just enough
time.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Minutes
later, Aggie stepped through the door, and she looked even better to
him than she had from across the room. She had been teasing him for the
past month with chance encounters and seductive looks. Maybe this
afternoon he’d get lucky. At last she had bidden her friends
good-bye, and he walked over to her.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aggie
watched him approach, her eyes eagerly devouring his trim, athletic
good looks. She greeted him, “Brian, what a surprise! Did you enjoy your
lunch?” she asked coquettishly.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Very much. Especially the view.” He smiled, allowing his eyes to travel down her sleekly clad, curvaceous body.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aggie felt a warm tingle. The glow of the wine, the afternoon sun, and his deep,husky voice made her feel pleasantly aroused.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’ve
been admiring you all through lunch,” he said easily. “Do you have
plans for the rest of the afternoon?” He leaned closer to her, and she
caught his musky, masculine scent.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Nothing that can’t wait,” she answered, smiling.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For more, please see Making Wishes by Marilyn Holdsworth at <a data-mce-href="http://marilynholdsworth.com/making-wishes/" data-mce-style="color: #1155cc;" href="http://marilynholdsworth.com/making-wishes/" target="_blank">http://marilynholdsworth.com/making-wishes/</a></span></span></i></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Making-Wishes.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Elloree
Prince is an attractive, creative young woman who marries a wealthy
businessman, Tom Randall. After courting his bride with unrelenting
determination, Tom moves her into old-moneyed Oak View, where
generations of Randalls have lived for years. Outwardly, Elloree appears
to settle into raising their two sons within Oak View’s stifling social
structure, but inwardly, she yearns for her artistic work. An
unexpected phone call from Mark Williams, her former employer, offers
her the career opportunity of a lifetime, and she must make a choice.
She is torn between her devotion to her sons and her love for her work.
Her decision to return to Wishes, Inc. brings dramatic life changes to
her and the people she loves.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Making-Wishes-Marilyn-Holdsworth/dp/1481707523/ref=sr_1_3_title_2_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369262924&sr=1-3&keywords=Marilyn.+Holdsworth" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Women’s fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/beautifulAmerican.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div id="outer_postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Abby
Long is thrilled when she offers the winning bid for an antique desk at
an auction. With its intricately inlaid woods and elegant style, the
desk is perfect for Abby; it is the gift she promised herself to finally
celebrate her thriving antique business. She has no idea that the
antique desk holds a secret that will lead her on a fascinating,
life-changing journey back in time.When Abby discovers a hidden diary
stuffed inside a secret compartment in the desk, she can hardly wait to
read the spidery, faded script. As she carefully turns the tattered
pages, she reads the captivating story of two remarkable women from
opposite backgrounds who somehow manage to form an unforgettable bond
against the backdrop of a fledgling America struggling to find its place
in the world. Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, the wife of James Monroe, and
Jasmine, a young slave girl, develop an extraordinary relationship as
they are united by pivotal historic events, political intrigues, and
personal tragedies.</span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From
a bucolic Virginia plantation to the bloodied, starving streets of
post-revolutionary Paris, this powerful tale follows the lives of two
courageous women from the past as they quietly influence—and inspire—a
woman of today’s world.”</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-American-Marilyn-Holdsworth-ebook/dp/B0080D41BI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-4&qid=1402430694" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Historical fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/pegasus.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div id="outer_postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Widowed
at thirty, Hannah Bradley is a successful journalist focusing on animal
abuse issues. An accidental meeting introduces her to lawyer, Winston
Caughfield III. Drawn to Hannah’s gentle beauty and fierce commitment to
her work, Win joins her in a fight to save wild mustangs from
slaughter. Together they rescue a badly injured horse with a mysterious
background. Hannah’s search to discover the animal’s true identity leads
them into a web of black marketeering and international intrigue.
Action packed with crisp colorful dialogue the story propels the reader
to a race against time conclusion. Marilyn Holdsworth delivers a
gripping tale of mystery, adventure and romance guaranteed to hold the
interest and capture the heart. She brings true-life characters together
with real-life issues to create a fast-paced irresistible story.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pegasus-Marilyn-Holdsworth-ebook/dp/B004S2LVYA/ref=la_B006LTHMZK_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405682556&sr=1-2" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Contemporary fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Holdsworth/e/B006LTHMZK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Marilyn Holdsworth on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.holdsworth.7" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="http://twitter.com/m_holdsworth" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><b>Website </b> </b><a href="http://marilynholdsworth.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://marilynholdsworth.com/</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Blog</b> <a href="http://marilynholdsworth.com/blog/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://marilynholdsworth.com/blog/</a></span></span></div>
<br />Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-65800464543009742802015-01-03T09:00:00.000+00:002015-01-04T10:43:53.011+00:00LOCK READY #Excerpt by James Rada Jr. @JimRada #AmReading #HistFic #Family <div style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This excerpt provides a view of what life around the Cumberland Basin on the C&O Canal was like.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">David
stepped into the large warehouse at the southern end of the canal basin
in Cumberland. The bay doors had been swung open to allow sunlight to
shine on the work going on inside. However, it also meant that the
warehouse stayed cold inside. It was nothing more than a very long barn.
The difference was that this barn housed canal boats not livestock. The
Lewis Boatworks was one of a handful of boat yards in Cumberland that
built and repaired canal boats for canallers.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">During
the summer, some work could be done outdoors if the warehouse had a
large enough yard, but there was a greater risk of sabotage from
Confederate sympathizers, railroaders or simply hooligans against the
exposed canal boats. Confederate raiders or sympathizers had burned the
bridge from Cumberland to Ridgeley, West Virginia, and torn up the
B&O Railroad track outside of Cumberland early in the war. Because
of that, Amos Lewis preferred to construct his boats indoors and them
roll them on logs out the warehouse doors that opened onto the
Cumberland Basin.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">David
saw three men hammering boards that would become the roof of the family
cabin onto the cabin frame. The boats on the C&O Canal were all
roughly the same shape and length in order to fit into the seventy-four
lift locks along the canal. The boats were each ninety-two feet long.
Most were made of Georgia pine, though new boats being built were
understandably made of trees harvested in the north. The largest area on
a canal boat was the cargo holds, which made up about eighty percent of
the space on a boat. The remaining space was taken up by three cabins; a
family cabin and a mule shed sat on opposite ends of the canal boat,
and a hay house was located in the middle of the boat.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">David
could smell creosote and wood and hear men talking and laughing as they
worked on the canal boat. He had once been surprised that Cumberland,
which was a city in the mountains, had a reputation for shipbuilding,
but after working on the canal, he knew it was deserved. From here, the
canal boats could be ordered by individual captains or the Consolidated
Coal Company and launched at the canal basin to be filled with coal.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cumberland
was an important shipbuilding city because the C&O Canal was the
lifeline for getting coal from the mountains of Western Maryland to
Washington City. Access to coal was one of the reasons that the first
destination for both the C&O Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad had been to reach Cumberland.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
C&O Canal and the B&O Railroad both began construction on July
4, 1828; the canal from Washington and the railroad from Baltimore. In
the following years, the canal was delayed by an extended legal battle
at Point of Rocks, fighting for the right of way and by Mother Nature
near Paw Paw, Virginia, to dig the Paw Paw Tunnel. By the time the canal
reached Cumberland in 1850, the railroad had already been there and
operating for eight years.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
need for coal had allowed both businesses to survive and grow. It was
particularly important now because portions of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad kept changing hands between the Confederacy and the Union. Part
of the railroad’s right-of-way ran through West Virginia, which still
had strong Southern sympathies despite the fact the Unionists had
gathered enough support to break West Virginia off from Virginia to form
a new Union state. The C&O Canal had proven to be fairly reliable
in getting much-needed coal to the capital city, despite the
Confederacy’s efforts to stop boating on the canal.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/lockready.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
Civil War split the United States and now it has split the Fitzgerald
Family. Although George Fitzgerald has returned from the war, his sister
Elizabeth Fitzgerald has chosen to remain in Washington to volunteer as
a nurse. The ex-Confederate spy, David Windover, has given up on his
dream of being with Alice Fitzgerald and is trying to move on with his
life in Cumberland, Md. Alice and her sons continue to haul coal along
the 184.5-mile-long C&O Canal. It is dangerous work, though, during
war time because the canal runs along the Potomac River and between the
North and South. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Having
had to endured death and loss already, Alice wonders whether remaining
on the canal is worth the cost. She wants her family reunited and safe,
but she can’t reconcile her feelings between David and her dead husband.
Her adopted son, Tony, has his own questions that he is trying to
answer. He wants to know who he is and if his birth mother ever loved
him. As he tries to find out more about his birth mother and father, he
stumbles onto a plan by Confederate sympathizers to sabotage the canal
and burn dozens of canal boats. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He
enlists David’s help to try and disrupt the plot before it endangers
his new family, but first they will have find out who is behind the
plot.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Ready-A-Canawlers-Novel/dp/0692211454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400758482&sr=8-1&keywords=lock+ready+rada" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Historical Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=James+Rada+Jr.&search-alias=books&text=James+Rada+Jr.&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with James Rada Jr. on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jim.rada" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/jimrada" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://jamesrada.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28d4iaix3UBtVx6pNwPpNkw3GcEKA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">jamesrada.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-62819041942541684052015-01-03T08:00:00.000+00:002015-01-04T10:44:41.574+00:00Pendelton Wallace's Thoughts on the Rocky Road of Getting Published #AmWriting #SelfPub #PubTip <div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This
is a heart-breaking tale. I finished my masterpiece and was sure that
the world was clamoring to read it. I had a moment of humility and hired
an editor to take a quick look at it. After all, it was my first work
and it might need a tiny bit of polishing.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well,
she cut it to pieces. After I recovered from the shock that someone
might not immediately fall in love with every word I wrote, I went back
to work.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
cut over a hundred pages from the original manuscript, then started
writing again. My editor was much kinder to my second draft. By the way,
the first draft took me about three months to write. The second draft
took two years.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now that I had my masterpiece ready to unleash on the world, I needed an agent.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being the organized person that I am, I got a copy of 2003 Guide to Literary Agents<i>.</i> I
searched though this book for every agent that accepted memoirs. If
they also represented mysteries and thrillers, they got bonus points.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
then researched the agents on the Internet and ranked each one as an A,
B, or C. The A’s I needed to query today. The B’s I would query if none
of the A’s came through. I never expected to query the C’s. By the way,
I saved all of this information in an Excel spread sheet so I could
organize it anyway it needed.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
those days, most agents were still requiring a paper query letter, so I
wrote my first ten and shipped them off. There was one agent who
accepted electronic submissions, so I shot off an email to him.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To my amazement, I received a return email from him the next day asking to see the first fifty pages of my manuscript.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A
couple of weeks later, I got another email from him. He wanted to see
the whole manuscript. I hadn’t even heard back from the other agents I’d
queried yet.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A week or so later, I was at work when my cell phone rang. It was my agent.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I can sell this book,” he told me. I jumped for joy.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We
worked together for a year trying to sell the manuscript. He pitched it
to all of the publishing houses in New York. The general response was,
“This is a really nice little book, but I don’t see how it fits in our
lineup this year.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally,
an editor at one of the major publishing houses fell in love with my
book. (I think it was Random House, but my memory may be faulty here.)
She pitched the book to the editorial committee and they signed off on
it.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She prepared a pro forma and took it to the publisher. He looked it over and said “Present it to Barnes and Noble.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
those days, Barnes and Noble was king. Twice a year this publisher took
a list of books they were considering to Barnes and Noble buyers. The
B&N buyers gave a thumbs up or thumbs down. If it got the thumbs up,
it was published, otherwise, no.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My editor had thirty seconds to convince the B&N buyers that <i>Blue Water & Me</i> should be published. She gave it her best shot.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
buyer said “This sounds like an interesting book. I like it, but I
don’t see how we’ll market it. I don’t know what shelf we will put it
on.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That was it. <i>Blue Water & Me </i>was dead. My agent pitched it to several Hollywood studios, but they don’t want to touch a book until it’s a best seller.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, he told me that I would just have to set it aside and write something else. It was not going to be published.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Flash forward six years. I have written three other books and have had no luck in getting them published.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
was at the Write on the Sound writers conference in Edmonds,
Washington. I went to a presentation by an author who had written a
memoir. It was similar to my book. He talked glowingly about his
publisher, Aberdeen Bay Press. I decided to query Aberdeen Bay about <i>Blue Water &Me.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
sent in the query and never heard anything back. Then, over a year
later, I got an apologetic email from an editor at Aberdeen Bay Press.
She had just found my query letter under a pile of paper on her desk and
she liked what she saw. Would I like to send her the whole manuscript?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
was off that day. A week or so later, she contacted me again and said
she loved the book and wanted to publish it. We wrote back and forth a
few times, then she dropped off the face of the earth.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn’t hear from her again. I emailed her every few weeks to see what progress she was making.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More
than a year passed and I got an email from her. Once again, she was
very apologetic. Her brother had died and she had to go to New Mexico to
take care of his estate. She was no longer working for Aberdeen Bay
Press. I should contact the publisher and see if he was still
interested.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But she gave me no contact information for the publisher.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
went to their web site and sent a query to their “contact us” address. A
couple of weeks went by and I heard back from their chief editor. She
had assigned my book to another editor and he would be back with me
shortly.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At
this point we got back on track. It took about a year from the time the
third editor got in contact with me to the time the book was published,
but I finally had a book in my hand that I had written.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/hacker.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If Clive Cussler had written Ugly Betty, it would be Hacker for Hire. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hacker for Hire, a suspense novel
about corporate greed and industrial espionage, is the second book in a
series about Latino computer security analyst Ted Higuera and his best
friend, para-legal Chris Hardwick. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The goofy, off-beat Ted Higuera, son
of Mexican immigrants, grew up in East LA. An unlikely football
scholarship brought him to Seattle. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chris, Ted’s college roommate, grew
up with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father is the head of one of
Seattle’s most prestigious law firms. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ted’s first job out of college leads
him into the world of organized crime where he faces a brutal beating.
After being rescued by beautiful private investigator Catrina Flaherty,
Ted decides to go to work for her. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Catrina is hired by a large computer
corporation to find a leak in their corporate boardroom when the
previous consultant is found floating in Elliot Bay. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ted discovers that Chris’s firm has
been retained by their prime suspect. Now he and Chris are working
opposite sides of the same case. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ted and Catrina are led deep into
Seattle’s Hi-Tech world as they stalk the killer. But the killer is also
hunting them. Can Ted find the killer before the killer finds him? </span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hacker-Hire-Ted-Higuera-Book-ebook/dp/B00KH3Z53W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1405401192&sr=1-1&keywords=Hacker+for+Hire" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Mystery, Thriller</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Pendelton%20Wallace&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Pendelton Wallace on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/penn.wallace" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.pennwallace.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-lvi4hquGvTx3TTco7IMaVQe7wYA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.pennwallace.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-50545684569786428672015-01-03T07:00:00.000+00:002015-01-04T10:03:47.020+00:00#Excerpt from THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ICE by @TheobaldSprague #Memoir #Adventure #Family <div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Four
people, my three children and myself, who were separated more than a
decade and a half ago were now being given the rare opportunity to
reconnect and perhaps start anew. June 16, 2009, dawned with a deep blue
New England sky. A fresh, morning breeze out of the northwest played
about <i>Bagan </i>and gently bumped her up against what might be one of
her last secure resting places for the next five months. Her tired crew
quietly stowed last-minute items and double- checked deck lashings and
safety devices for events and places no one could predict or, as of yet,
imagine. As the small crew scurried about silently, an invisible
transition was occurring. After waiting for two years, <i>Bagan </i>was now ready to lead the way into a vast and deadly unknown.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The docks at Goat Island were virtually empty. Those few who did saunter by took little notice of <i>Bagan </i>or her crew. At 11:00 a.m., 103 years to the day after Amundsen’s ship <i>Gjoa </i>left Oslo, <i>Bagan</i>’s 325-horsepower Lugger diesel engine was fired up in earnest and, with little fanfare, she slipped her lines.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
we slowly powered through Newport’s inner harbor, I picked up my cell
phone and called Pierre Irving, a very dear sailing friend in Newport.
Pierre and I had shared many hard-fought miles together, The Two Man
Transatlantic Race in particular being some of our toughest. I wanted to
call and simply say good-bye to him and his wife, Kathy.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Bagan </i>made
her way out of the harbor entrance, past Ft. Adams and Goat Island
landmarks that I’d known and honored for years, landmarks that I was
starting to realize I may never see again.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not
near his phone, Pierre’s outgoing voicemail message played. As it did,
the enormity of what lay ahead of us hit me—8,500 miles through some of
the world’s harshest maritime environment. The concept of navigating un-
charted waters and as yet unknown perils to cross from the Atlantic to
the Pacific swept over me and I couldn’t speak.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
Pierre’s voicemail beeped, my tears kept me from leaving the simplest
of messages. I merely wanted to say that I’d see them in five months and
wanted to wish them a wonderful summer.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I couldn’t.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
overwhelming thought of what my summer and fall held choked off any
words. I wasn’t ready for it but unintentionally I’d severed the last
connection to home and could only pray that we were ready for what lay
ahead.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/TheOtherSideOfIce.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A sailor and his family’s harrowing and inspiring story of their attempt to sail the treacherous Northwest Passage.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sprague
Theobald, an award-winning documentary filmmaker and expert sailor with
over 40,000 offshore miles under his belt, always considered the
Northwest Passage–the sea route connecting the Atlantic to the
Pacific–the ultimate uncharted territory. Since Roald Amundsen completed
the first successful crossing of the fabled Northwest Passage in 1906,
only twenty-four pleasure craft have followed in his wake. Many more
people have gone into space than have traversed the Passage, and a
staggering number have died trying. From his home port of Newport, Rhode
Island, through the Passage and around Alaska to Seattle, it would be
an 8,500-mile trek filled with constant danger from ice, polar bears,
and severe weather.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What
Theobald couldn’t have known was just how life-changing his journey
through the Passage would be. Reuniting his children and stepchildren
after a bad divorce more than fifteen years earlier, the family embarks
with unanswered questions, untold hurts, and unspoken mistrusts hanging
over their heads. Unrelenting cold, hungry polar bears, and a haunting
landscape littered with sobering artifacts from the tragic Franklin
Expedition of 1845, as well as personality clashes that threaten to tear
the crew apart, make The Other Side of the Ice a harrowing story of
survival, adventure, and, ultimately, redemption.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">( <b>TO WATCH THE OFFICIAL HD TEASER FOR “The Other Side of The Ice” [book and documentary] PLEASE GO TO:</b> <i><b>VIMEO.COM/45526226) </b></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Ice-Treacherous-Negotiating-ebook/dp/B008QD8OTC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1396289433" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Memoir, Adventure, Family, Climate</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Sprague%20Theobald&search-alias=digital-text" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Sprague Theobald on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheOtherSideoftheIce" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/TheobaldSprague" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.spraguetheobald.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-hqap-1OaYQfgpmkVVaj6tZwQK7A" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.spraguetheobald.com</a></b></span></span></div>
</div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-84549160883792033622014-11-11T07:30:00.000+00:002014-11-29T12:08:13.247+00:00John E. Wade II on Inspiration & #SelfHelp During These Troubling Times - #AmReading #NonFiction<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">For those looking for some inspiration during these troubling times, look no further than<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Glimpses of Heaven on Earth</i>.
The four co-authors and I have scoured the globe for eloquent
quotations about issues regarding such diverse topics as peace to gender
harmony. Following a dozen or so quotes on these topics is a brief
essay by one of the co-authors. Many involve the theme of education, and
how we can all improve our lives through education—and by helping to</span></span></span> provide for the education of others, especially those in developing countries and places of conflict.<br />
<br />
One of my personal favorite essay is by Charlotte Piotrowski, on the <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">topic
of freedom. She touches on the obvious freedoms that most American’s and
others enjoy, such as speech, but goes on to talk about the importance
for everyone to enjoy the freedom of association (including marriage—a
strong argument for allowing same-gender marriage). Charlotte quotes
Dwight D. Eisenhower as saying, “To be true to one’s own freedom is, in
essence, to honor and respect the freedom of others.”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">One
aspect of this book that is especially interesting is that the five
co-authors write from very different perspectives. I previously
published,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth</i>, and invited four of that book’s essay contributors to join me in writing for<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Glimpses of Heaven on Earth</i>,
which made for a very interesting read. I am a fairly conservative
retired CPA and now write and invest full-time. You can learn more about
me at my main website:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.JohnEWadeII.com" href="http://www.johnewadeii.com/"><span class="s3">www.JohnEWadeII.com</span></a>.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">Charlotte,
who is also from New Orleans, left a ten-year career in litigation to
pursue a freelance career in writing, editing, and website/social media
content. She works closely with me on all of my literary, media, and
creative projects. Daniel Agatino is a practicing attorney in New
Jersey, and also teaches law and communications courses on the college
and graduate level. Additionally, he offers radio and television
commentary on current events, especially as they relate to the law.
Michael Nagler is the founder of the Metta Center for Nonviolence in
California, and has given lectures and workshops around the world about
nonviolent solutions. In fact, we recently returned from such a trip to
India. Martin Rutte, who currently resides in Canada, was a co-author of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and founded the Heaven on Earth Project. In addition to writing, Martin is a motivational speaker.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">The
fact that the contributors come such diverse backgrounds means that
this book should truly appeal to everyone. There is no religious or
political agenda, even with the reference to heaven. In fact, there is
an entire chapter on the topic of spiritual harmony, by Michael, who
writes about how we are all as one, spiritually. Therefore, we should
respect other’s choices of religion (or lack thereof). My essay on
democracies does not advocate for a particular political party, but
simply for the right of all people across the globe to have a say in
their government.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">This
book would be excellent for use in a book club, church book group, or
for any other group that is interested in discussing meaningful topics.
And, although some of the subject matter can be quite deep, the book is
simply written and a very pleasant read.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg"><img alt="Glimpses of Heaven on Earth" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-42087" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Editor
and author John E. Wade II has compiled a spiritual guide of invaluable
insight for finding peace and meaning in life while making the world a
better place for all. Along with co-authors Charlotte Livingston
Piotrowski, Daniel Agatino, Michael Nagler, and Martin Rutte, this
collection of enlightening essays and inspirational quotes from renowned
thinkers and leade</span></span>rs throughout history provides the intellectual tools needed to live a more harmonious life.<br />
<br />
Buy <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/GLIMPSES-HEAVEN-EARTH-Quotations-Insightful-ebook/dp/B00LOYGN3O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1405439205" href="http://www.amazon.com/GLIMPSES-HEAVEN-EARTH-Quotations-Insightful-ebook/dp/B00LOYGN3O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1405439205" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Inspirational</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=John%20E.%20Wade%20II&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=John%20E.%20Wade%20II&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with John E. Wade II on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/jwadeii?ref_type=bookmark" href="https://www.facebook.com/jwadeii?ref_type=bookmark" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
<br />Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-33180065483807963692014-11-06T08:00:00.000+00:002014-11-19T07:55:56.892+00:00"Geronimo & the Ones With Religion" - LUCIFER & THE INDIGO KIDS by @Lord_Ra_Krishna #Poetry<i><b>Geronimo... (and the ones with religion) </b></i><br />
<br />
Dear Geronimo...<br />
My Great, Great grand Father<br />
<br />
They took you from us<br />
And our people were slaughtered...<br />
<br />
They didn't break your spirit<br />
You passed it unto me<br />
<br />
And I will spark the movement<br />
As soon as I get free...<br />
<br />
They hunted and chased you<br />
I clearly remember<br />
They would have never caught you<br />
They're lucky you surrendered...<br />
<br />
They tricked you and stole your land<br />
and we even have the audacity to celebrate Thanksgiving...<br />
<br />
They used you for mascots<br />
the Red Skins <br />
and the Chiefs <br />
<br />
Your great land was stolen<br />
By the ones with religion...<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CdrazPXjO_oQePFjXnivVDIX3kZoeLsc6ju_UD1GTF5jqTPOOtgLy2gs3fHMdbe37nNMyjGjZ1G3pQt6g2jDIyKMH1K9nMFSkUnrXNEv_HuSi2jYRj_FUfhShEhSRPlZlGFvHEMhRz4T/s1600/10543606_799244456762857_1951121046706555738_n.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CdrazPXjO_oQePFjXnivVDIX3kZoeLsc6ju_UD1GTF5jqTPOOtgLy2gs3fHMdbe37nNMyjGjZ1G3pQt6g2jDIyKMH1K9nMFSkUnrXNEv_HuSi2jYRj_FUfhShEhSRPlZlGFvHEMhRz4T/s1600/10543606_799244456762857_1951121046706555738_n.png" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
"This
“new age” book of poetry reflects the diverse views and philosophies of
it’s author Ra Krishna EL. It’s an intimate, humorous and thought
provoking group of poems intended to evoke strong emotion. To quote the
German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, this style of poetry can be
called “Zukunfts poesie“ which translates into “Poetry of the future”,
where truly original ideas are presented thru poetry. Also known as post
Nietzschean poetry.<br />
<br />
It’s subjects include society, pop
culture, love, religious dogma, God and the new age of Aquarius. This
book was written and published during the false incarceration of its
author in Chicago’s notorious Cook County Jail, the largest jail in the
country."<br />
<br />
Bu<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">y Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-indigo-kids-Last-Prophet-ebook/dp/B00L3VL7E8/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406567843&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifer+and+the+indigo+kids" href="http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-indigo-kids-Last-Prophet-ebook/dp/B00L3VL7E8/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406567843&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifer+and+the+indigo+kids" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Poetry, Philosophy</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Lord%20Ra%20Krishna%20EL&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Lord%20Ra%20Krishna%20EL&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with Lord Ra Krishna EL on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-Ra-Krishna-El/729737850380185?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-Ra-Krishna-El/729737850380185?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/Lord_Ra_Krishna" href="https://twitter.com/Lord_Ra_Krishna" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-27457592408049564502014-10-24T11:30:00.000+01:002014-11-21T15:22:22.125+00:00Mike Hartner on Family, Happiness & Writing @MHartnerAuthor #HistFic #AmReading #AmWriting<div class="normal" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/68/b9/07ce36fb35db0a8bdc0e99.L._V325840144_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/68/b9/07ce36fb35db0a8bdc0e99.L._V325840144_.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Tell us a bit about your family.</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA"> I have a wife of more than 24 years, and a son who just turned 13</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">How do you work through self-doubts and fear? </span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Day by day.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">What scares you the most? </span></span></span></b></div>
<div class="normal" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Anything negative happening to my family</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b>What makes you happiest?</b> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="normal" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Watching people close to me, including my son and wife, succeed.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">What’s your greatest character strength?</span></span></span></b></div>
<div class="normal" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">My loyalty to family and friends.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">What’s your weakest character trait?</span></span></span></b></div>
<div class="normal" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">My loyalty to family and friends.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Why do you write? </span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">For the rest, relaxation and enjoyment</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg"><img alt="IJames" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41780" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">James Crofter was ripped from his family at age 11. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Within a year the prince was a pauper in a foreign land. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Is nature stronger than nurture? And even if it is, can James find the happiness he so richly desires? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/I-James-Eternity-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00MQHIG0Q/ref=la_B009VJQBEA_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409891856&sr=1-5" href="http://www.amazon.com/I-James-Eternity-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00MQHIG0Q/ref=la_B009VJQBEA_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409891856&sr=1-5" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Historical Fiction, Romance</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Hartner/e/B009VJQBEA/" href="http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Hartner/e/B009VJQBEA/" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Mike Hartner on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Hartner-Author/368690356556759" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Hartner-Author/368690356556759" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/MHartnerAuthor" href="https://twitter.com/MHartnerAuthor" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-76105059331575454892014-10-09T09:00:00.000+01:002014-10-14T12:22:04.388+01:0010 Things You Didn’t Know About @MarcADiGiacomo #GoodReads #Suspense #Thriller<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10 Things You Didn’t Know About Marc A. DiGiacomo</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) I am a real New York Police Detective (retired) who worked for a small town.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2) In A Small Town was my first published work but it isn’t my first story.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3) I am a huge fan of the band Pearl Jam, In A Small Town, is a shortened title of one of their songs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4) I have saved someone’s life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5) I have a dog named Lola, she’s really sweet, sometimes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6) My favorite time of year is the fall.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7) My favorite NFL team is the Miami Dolphins.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8) Unlike Matt Longo, I can never remember any of my dreams.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9) I married my high school sweetheart.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10) I can eat an entire watermelon, as long as it’s perfectly sweet.</span></span></div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/backintown.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/backintown.jpg"><img alt="backintown" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-42265" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/backintown.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/backintown.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
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The
small town of Hutchville, New York is turned upside down. No longer is
it the quaint, sleepy, suburb of New York City. Detective Matt Longo is
back on the job and embroiled in his latest nightmare. Further
complicating matters is the revelation of his partner’s corruption and
organized crime ties; Donny Mello has left a bitter trail of lies and
deceit. With his kid brother and newly promoted Detective Franny Longo
by his side, will Matt be able to put his past behind him?<br />
<br />
Special
Agent Cynthia Shyler, (F.B.I.) has been reassigned due to her meeting
with Matt Longo. Will this move complicate their relationship? Or will a
new stranger in town spin a web that entangles the entire Hutchville
Police Department, especially our most seasoned detective, Matt Longo?</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Back-Town-Small-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B00KWE2PK2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=18M6XPX181RWK0SA250N" href="http://www.amazon.com/Back-Town-Small-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B00KWE2PK2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=18M6XPX181RWK0SA250N">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Thriller</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Marc%20A.%20DiGiacomo&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Marc%20A.%20DiGiacomo&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with Marc A. DiGiacomo on <a data-mce-href="https://facebook.com/MarcADiGiacomo" href="https://facebook.com/MarcADiGiacomo">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/MarcADiGiacomo" href="https://twitter.com/MarcADiGiacomo" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-83283982832257690982014-10-07T12:00:00.000+01:002014-10-30T08:44:15.494+00:00Inviting All Parts of Yourself to the Dinner Table with @AmyLewisAuthor #Memoir #AmWriting #Women<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Integration: Inviting all parts of yourself to the dinner table</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
am a chameleon; I’ve known for a long time. I sit across from someone,
even a stranger, and within 60 seconds I can unconsciously read them and
magically transform myself into what they want/expect/need me to be.
This can make dating a nightmare when the day comes that they realize I
am not that person. But otherwise, I don’t see this quality of mine as a
problem. It’s allowed me to have a wide range of life experiences that
have added flavor, texture and profound wisdom to my life. I no longer
get confused about who I am, nor do I feel victim to my experiences. In a
mystical way, I know I am none of these things and at the same time all
of them. Being so open with my identity has led me down a lot of
different winding paths – some open and expansive, some muddy and full
of holes and some complete dead ends. I have been an athlete, a mental
patient, a porn producer, a scholar, a self-mutilator, an abused wife,
an actress, a widow, a divorcee and a single mom; I’ve made enough money
to put me in the 1% club at times, and I’ve also lived in poverty.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Inside
It’s taken me a long while, but I’ve gotten to a place where I don’t
judge my past or the more socially unacceptable experiences I’ve had.
But I feared others would judge me, so I did a lot of hiding
publically, keeping too many secrets, separating my life and friends
into compartments. Social media became a bitch; I needed too many
profiles to encompass my whole life, so I rarely participated. The
truth, of course, was no one<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>really</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>cared;
I wasn’t a celebrity and most people were probably too caught up in
their own self-contained dramas. Still, it takes courage for quiet girls
like me to say to all of your contacts – this is who I am. This has
been my life. Having just published a memoir I am very in touch with the
courage it takes to share your story that at times may be raw and
puzzling to those you know.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ultimately
people will think what they think, the only judgments that matter are
my own. And I’ve had a lot of judgments about myself, about the dark
moments of my life. I’m learning to let those go. It takes a lot of
time. I want to sit at a giant dining table and feast with all parts of
me – the parts that look so gorgeous and the parts that look desperate,
ugly and afraid. All parts of me are invited to this luscious, colorful
feast that I call my life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg"><img alt="whatFreedomSmellsLike" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41176" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Diagnosed
with Borderline Personality disorder, Amy struggled with depression and
an addiction to sharp objects. Even hospitalization didn't help to heal
her destructive tendencies. It took a tumultuous relationship with a
man named Truth to bring her back from the depths of her own self-made
hell.Amy's marriage to dark, intriguing Truth was both passionate and
stormy. She was a fair-skinned southern girl from New Orleans. He was a
charming black man with tribal tattoos, piercings, and a mysterious
past. They made an unlikely pair, but something clicked. During their
early marriage, they pulled themselves out of abject poverty into wealth
and financial security practically overnight. Then things began to fall
apart.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Passionate
and protective, Truth also proved violent and abusive. Amy’s own
self-destructive tendencies created a powerful symmetry. His sudden
death left Amy with an intense and warring set of emotions: grief for
the loss of the man she loved, relief she was no longer a target for his
aggression.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Conflicted
and grieving, Amy found herself at a spiritual and emotional
crossroads, only to receive help from an unlikely source: Truth himself.
Feeling his otherworldly presence in her dreams, Amy seeks help from a
famous medium.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
spiritual encounters change Amy forever. Through Truth, she learns her
soul is eternal and indestructible, a knowledge that gives Amy the
courage to pursue her own dreams and transform herself both physically
and emotionally. Her supernatural encounters help Amy resolve the
internal anger and self-destructive tendencies standing between her and
happiness, culminating in a sense of spiritual fulfillment she never
dreamed possible.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An amazing true story, What Freedom Smells Like is told with courage, honesty, and a devilishly dark sense of humor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Freedom-Smells-Like-Memoir-ebook/dp/B00JTHDCSC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Freedom-Smells-Like-Memoir-ebook/dp/B00JTHDCSC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Memoir</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Lewis/e/B00KERPYYQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Lewis/e/B00KERPYYQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Amy Lewis through <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/AmyLewisAuthor" href="https://twitter.com/AmyLewisAuthor" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-u-DEq6B2o3ZSLOwj9JWZOYB9gHA" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-u-DEq6B2o3ZSLOwj9JWZOYB9gHA" target="_blank">www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-82831544344141285332014-10-04T07:00:00.000+01:002014-11-04T16:14:03.494+00:00Branding, Book Covers & Book Marketing for #Authors @KimberlyShursen #SelfPub #WriteTip <div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Branding? What’s that have to do with me?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By </span>Kimberly Shursen</span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Itsy Bitsy Spider,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Hush</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i><span div="" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span></span></span><br />
If you’re familiar with branding, most of us
relate this to logos or a clichés such as “Have it your way,” or Coke’s
“It’s the real thing,” or State Farm’s “Like a good neighbor.” So, what
does that have to do with writing? In my opinion it has a lot to do
with retaining and capturing the right reader base.<br />
<br />
Now
I’ve heard from time to time that authors should write several genres.
I’m not a believer. I’m sure it has been done and done successfully, but
most of us focus on one genre. Why? Because we know it’s where we will
achieve our best writing.<br />
<br />
If you take a look at my
covers, you will notice that this is where I begin the branding process.
I hope that one day readers will look at my covers, and without
noticing my name, will say “That’s a Shursen book.” Now this may never
happen, or may happen after I’m six feet under, but this is my hope. I
use the same somewhat dark colors, and eerie fonts that are always in a
blood red.. So, this is the beginning of branding my products. Okay, I
don’t like to use the name “product” to describe my writing, but we’re
working with the “other” side of the brain when we talk business here.<br />
<br />
Now
we move to the content of the book. Ya gotta have a style. Find it;
implement it; and hang onto it. Don’t let editors tell that you have to
use a complete sentence. How often do we greet someone with “Hello. How
are you? I haven’t seen you in a very long time.” Really? Real, live
people say, “Hey. How’s it goin’?” Characters need to be real. After a
character murders someone would we say; “He ran down the street and
through an alley. His heart was beating so fast, he thought he was going
to pass out.” My words would be; “Racing between houses … through back
yards … into a dark alley … his heart beating out of control, Caleb
could taste the bile that rushed into his throat.”</div>
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<br />
There
are three things readers will get to know about me; 1) no flowery,
continual, ongoing verbiage about centerpieces, hairdos, or designer
clothing, and 2) each chapter will be a cliff hanger, and lastly 3)
there will be an unpredictable ending. There will always be those who
claim they already knew the ending, but it would be highly unusual. Most
readers say they read my novels in either one or two sittings, in spite
of the fact they range anywhere from an 80,000 to a 92,000 word count.
It makes me tingle all over when I know someone couldn’t put my novels
down.<br />
<br />
Many of the “greats” write in different genres,
with book covers that don’t use the same font or types of images. For
me, I don’t feel I would do well writing other genres as I need the
constant tension that writing thrillers offers. I leave that up to my
peers, and enjoy reading their romance, cozy mysteries, historical,
literary fiction, or biographies.<br />
<br />
We all have a unique
niche, and it’s up each of us to find it. With branding, you won’t lose
readers; you’ll find readers who are interested in your style and genre
who will become fans.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg"><img alt="hush" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41080" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Soon
after Ann Ferguson and Ben Grable marry, and Ben unseals his adoption
papers, their perfect life together is torn apart, sending the couple to
opposite sides of the courtroom.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Representing
Ann, lawyer Michael J. McConaughey (Mac) feels this is the case that
could have far-reaching, judicial effects -- the one he's been waiting
for.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Opposing counsel knows this high profile case happens just once in a lifetime.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />And
when the silent protest known as HUSH sweeps the nation, making
international news, the CEO of one of the top ten pharmaceutical
companies in the world plots to derail the trial that could cost his
company billions.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Critically
acclaimed literary thriller HUSH not only questions one of the most
controversial laws that has divided the nation for over four decades,
but captures a story of the far-reaching ties of family that surpasses
time and distance.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>***
Hush does not have political or religious content. The story is built
around the emotions and thoughts of two people who differ in their
beliefs.</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<b> </b>EDITORIAL
REVIEW: "Suspenseful and well-researched, this action-packed legal
thriller will take readers on a journey through the trials and
tribulations of one of the most controversial subjects in society
today."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Katie French author of "The Breeders," "The Believer's," and "Eyes Ever To The Sky."</span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Kimberly-Shursen-ebook/dp/B00HZKBGW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404820465&sr=1-1&keywords=hush+and+kimberly+shursen" href="http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Kimberly-Shursen-ebook/dp/B00HZKBGW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404820465&sr=1-1&keywords=hush+and+kimberly+shursen" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Thriller</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Shursen/e/B00C7ZBTIS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Shursen/e/B00C7ZBTIS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Kimberly Shursen through <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Shursen-Author/286879094678995" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Shursen-Author/286879094678995" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/kimberlyShursen" href="https://twitter.com/kimberlyShursen" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.kimberlyshursen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-uex70LjIEkr9CbwWbuB4zDHIOKw" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.kimberlyshursen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-uex70LjIEkr9CbwWbuB4zDHIOKw" target="_blank">http://www.kimberlyshursen.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-55673743624244663902014-09-20T12:00:00.000+01:002014-10-24T17:06:51.191+01:00Craig Staufenberg on Honest Feedback from Strangers @YouMakeArtDumb #AmWriting #Authors <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/c3/5a/96ae6b8530010a82390835.L._V341319896_SY470_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/c3/5a/96ae6b8530010a82390835.L._V341319896_SY470_.jpg" height="313" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How do you work through self-doubts and fear?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve
never been able to talk myself out of self-doubt and fear. I don’t
recommend anyone else tries it. You just end up thinking in circles. The
second you think you’ve rationalized away your issues, they come raring
back and you return to the same sort of circular thinking. Instead, I
work through self-doubt and fear by getting honest feedback on my
writing from strangers. Most self-doubt and fear comes from uncertainty.
In general, and specifically in writing. But once you share your
writing with others you remove a lot of that uncertainty. You see and
feel how they respond. If there are big problems to deal with, you
identify them. If the writing is basically there, then you can accept
it. Most important—you go through the emotional experience of handling
the responses of strangers. And that inoculates you. It’s easier to move
forward when you know how others react to your work, you know how you
react to their reactions, and there are fewer wild cards in play.
Eliminating uncertainty removes most of the problems; lowering
expectations handles the rest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What scares you the most?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
used to be scared of “failure” as a writer. But that’s such a nebulous
term. At the time I defined it in terms of conventional measures of
success. Money, mostly money. But even broader I dreamed of earning
enough money from writing to enable me to do whatever I wanted and make
whatever I wanted, at any time. But that’s a silly dream, for a few
reasons. I’ve spent periods of my life where I did nothing but write the
books I wanted to write, and I didn’t have to become independently
wealthy to make that happen. I’ve also traveled and done plenty of other
things I thought I needed to be a financially successful writer to
achieve, and did so sans-financial success from writing. Most of what I
hoped to get out of writing success either wasn’t as dependent on
writing success as I imagined, or was something that was ridiculous to
think I could get from writing. So I’m not as scared of “failure”
anymore, and that eliminates the big rocks of self-doubt and fear. The
remaining fears are small—smaller than my drive to write, at least,
which makes it easy to let the writing overtake them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What makes you happiest?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
writing—a toss up between sitting and flowing through the work for a
few hours, and hearing the response of a stranger who has read my work
and connected emotionally with it. These are the two big rewards of
writing. Internal and external, they feed different parts of you. Both
feel great. And both are necessary.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What’s your greatest character strength?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can finish and release things. Every year I better understand how important, and rare, this is.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What’s your weakest character trait?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m sure this is a much longer list, but I don’t dwell on it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Why do you write?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because
I have to—it’s a compulsion as much as anything else. If I don’t write,
I don’t feel good. And if I have a story in mind and I don’t write it,
then I feel I’m letting the story down. I enjoy writing, but, even more,
I feel compelled to write. I’ve been doing it my whole life. It’s hard
to explain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Have you always enjoyed writing?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes.
Not always writing per se, but always storytelling. I’ve been stumbling
on characters, and worlds, and stories my whole life. Since I was five.
The medium has changed, but this is something I’ve done for as long as I
can remember.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg"><img alt="The Girl Who Came Back to Life" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40597" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
you die, your spirit wakes in the north, in the City of the Dead.
There, you wander the cold until one of your living loved ones finds
you, says "Goodbye," and Sends you to the next world. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />After
her parents die, 12-year-old Sophie refuses to release their spirits.
Instead, she resolves to travel to the City of the Dead to bring her
mother and father’s spirits back home with her. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Taking
the long pilgrimage north with her gruff & distant grandmother—by
train, by foot, by boat; over ruined mountains and plains and
oceans—Sophie struggles to return what death stole from her. Yet the
journey offers her many hard, unexpected lessons—what to hold on to,
when to let go, and who she must truly bring back to life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Came-Back-Life-ebook/dp/B00JQRR0JM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402517344&sr=8-1&keywords=craig+staufenberg" href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Came-Back-Life-ebook/dp/B00JQRR0JM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402517344&sr=8-1&keywords=craig+staufenberg" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Middle Grade</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Staufenberg/e/B00J4CHMX8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Staufenberg/e/B00J4CHMX8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>with Craig Staufenberg through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/YouMakeArtDumb?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/YouMakeArtDumb?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/YouMakeArtDumb" href="https://twitter.com/YouMakeArtDumb" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://craigstaufenberg.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-DrQ3iDj9YlxIz66ffrjCdBEDC8Q" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://craigstaufenberg.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-DrQ3iDj9YlxIz66ffrjCdBEDC8Q" target="_blank">http://craigstaufenberg.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-11949341052354822842014-08-26T07:00:00.000+01:002014-08-29T23:08:52.304+01:00A Life Less Ordinary by Victoria Bernadine @VicBernadine #ChickLit #Women #AmReading<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Craig
preceded Manny into his office then stood behind his desk and watched
as she closed the door and sat down at the table. He frowned at her.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s not like you to not pay attention in a meeting,” he said.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny sighed and shrugged. “Sorry, Craig.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“This isn’t about losing out on that promotion, is it?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Not intentionally, but now that you mention it–”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’ve already explained it to you. We had no concerns that you could have done the job.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“That’s a relief, especially since I’ve <i>been</i> doing it.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Craig
gave her a warning look at her slightly sarcastic tone and continued,
“We want to go in a new direction. We decided we needed somebody fresh,
not burdened by the years of history and ‘how things used to be’. We
needed somebody–”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Young?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Craig’s lips tightened. “New ideas, Manny. Somebody with new ideas, to take your area from the status quo to high achievement.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Our status quo <i>is</i> high achievement.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Higher, then.” Craig paused and stared hard at her. “Are you going to be able to work with Steph?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Of course. I’m nothing if not professional and dedicated to my job.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Craig nodded, his eyes boring into hers. “And I appreciate that. I’d hate to think you’re not a team player.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny
flushed but held his gaze for several beats. Craig seemed satisfied by
what he saw and nodded to indicate the conversation was over. Manny
walked to the door, then paused and turned back to him.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Craig? Do I have any chance at all of moving up in this company? I mean, I’ve been here for fifteen years–”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“There’s
always a chance, Manny. You’ll just have to wait and see what comes
up.” He gave her a thin smile, then sat and turned his attention to his
computer.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny left thoughtfully; she knew a brush-off when she heard it.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ALifeLessOrdinary.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For
the last fifteen years, Rose “Manny” Mankowski has been a very good
girl. She turned her back on her youthful fancies and focused on her
career. But now, at the age of 45, she’s questioning her choices and
feeling more and more disconnected from her own life. When she’s passed
over for promotion and her much younger new boss implies Manny’s life
will never change, something snaps. In the blink of an eye, she’s quit
her job, sold her house and cashed in her pension, and she’s leaving
town on a six month road trip.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After
placing a personal ad for a travelling companion, she’s joined in her
mid-life crisis by Zeke Powell, the cynical, satirical, most-read – and
most controversial – blogger for the e-magazine, What Women Want. Zeke’s
true goal is to expose Manny’s journey as a pitiful and desperate
attempt to reclaim her lost youth – and increase his readership at the
same time. Leaving it all behind for six months is just an added bonus.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now,
armed with a bagful of destinations, a fistful of maps, and an
out-spoken imaginary friend named Harvey, Manny’s on a quest to
rediscover herself – and taking Zeke along for the ride.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMJBOSQ" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> & <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/299257" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – ChickLit, Contemporary Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Bernadine/e/B00AN2VS5G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Victoria Bernadine on <a href="https://twitter.com/VicBernadine" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Blog <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://victoriabernadine.wordpress.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_NZu0iup6n2vJwBd--NRvslbSPnw" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">victoriabernadine.wordpress.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-572033214048874662014-08-21T07:00:00.000+01:002014-09-04T16:30:06.841+01:00Earth's 7 vs. 12 Continents - John Smith's Perspective by Roland Hughes #Dystopian #BookClub<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK: That still doesn’t explain Earth That Was.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS: The seven continents.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK: What are you talking about? There are twelve continents!</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS:
Today, yes. Back in the day of Earth That Was, there were only seven
continents and that is a map of them. The picture hanging beside it is a
picture of Earth That Was taken from outer space on a clear day. As
you can deduce from the map, it shows much of the North and South
American continents.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK: American?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS: <sigh> What is the first continent you encounter today when heading in the direction of where our sun sets?</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK: Dians.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS: What is the country we are in right now?</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK: Rica, but shouldn’t you already…</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS:
Back in the day of Earth That Was, Canada was a country occupying the
northern portion of the North American continent and the United States
of America occupied the lower portion of it before you got to this
skinny connecting piece. The sun traveled from this edge to that edge
of the continent each day.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>After
the events of 2013, or during, depending upon how you look at it, part
of Canada became the land mass you now call the Dians continent. The
rest of the North American continent also turned and split up. Some say
it simply had an ocean form over part of it. The difference between
split or sink doesn’t really matter. Today, you cannot walk from one
chunk to the other, so they are considered separate continents.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The
country we live in now was once called America. Several other chunks
floating around the globe were also part of America. You are having
trouble believing what you have been told because some big pieces that
are at the root of the story are under the ocean now. As a country, we
no longer have any means of getting to them or taking pictures for
others to see. At some point, perhaps we will regain that but not at
this point.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK:
Do you really expect me to believe that you have hanging on your wall a
picture taken from outer space? A beautiful picture in full color that
was somehow taken while someone or something was in outer space and
then given to you?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS: It wasn’t given, it was downloaded by my grandfather. Many people had them back at that time.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK: Downloaded?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS:
Yes. With a thing called a computer over something called the
Internet. America had some kind of organization known as NASA, which
sent ships, satellites and people into outer space.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK: Internet? People in outer space? I don’t know what you’ve been drinking but it would have been polite to share!</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS: <chuckle> Do you see that black rectangle resembling a book sitting over there?</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK: Yes.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS:
On the front of it is a little ridge, which you can push to the right,
then lift the top portion of it to open it. Good. Now near the bend
where the two pieces come together is a button with a circle and a line
sticking out of the circle.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK: I see it.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS: Press it.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK:
It is making noises. There are lights flashing. Things are appearing
and disappearing on the top piece that feels like glass. What is
OpenVMS?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>JS: It is the most robust computer operating system ever created by man. Here, let me log in.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SK: Log in? Computer operating system?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/johnSmith.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“John
Smith: Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars” is one big interview.
It is a transcript of a dialogue between “John Smith” (who, as the
title of the book implies is the last known survivor of the Microsoft
wars) and the interviewer for a prominent news organization.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/John-Smith-Known-Survivor-Microsoft/dp/193973200X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> & <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/john-smith-roland-hughes/1102176003?ean=9781939732002" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Dystopian Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Roland+Hughes&search-alias=books&text=Roland+Hughes&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://johnsmith-book.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-70oxuHXvWgcvombsi9GJmpfL5eA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://johnsmith-book.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-26747584949243160782014-08-08T11:30:00.000+01:002014-08-22T18:15:47.829+01:00ANNA'S SECRET #Excerpt by @MargaretWestlie #Mystery #HistFic #GoodReads<div class="Body" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA">“You finish chores,” said Ian after the milking was done. “I must go to a meeting at the church, and I’m late as it is.”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA">Donald shrugged and kept on working.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA">“I’ll not be late. Don’t forget to skim the milk and wash out the buckets.”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA">Donald didn’t reply.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA">Ian turned away. He’s so sullen these days I don’t know how to approach him. Ian reviewed the events of the last few months as he hurried into the porch and poured a dipperful of water into the battered tin wash pan. I wonder if I should trim my beard, he thought. I haven’t done it lately. He regarded himself in the watery mirror and rubbed his hand across his face. I don’t have time if I’m to meet Angus. He dipped his hands into the cool water and rubbed a little soap on them. Clean will have to do. We’ll soon be out of soap. Anna was just about ready to make soap when she died.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA">His heart seemed to turn over in his chest at the sudden memory of Anna tending the soap kettle in the yard, her auburn hair, made a little untidy by the wind and the heat of the task, shining in the sunlight, her strong body bent and turned as she wielded the paddle. He remembered his surprise that she knew how to make soap when he married her. She seemed so young to know the things she knew. I thought I was marrying a child and it was a woman I married. The knot of pain in his heart seemed to tighten. He turned and scrubbed vigorously at his face with the rough towel to banish the tightness. He forced his mind on to practical things. I wonder would Mary make me some soap when she’s making her own if I gave her the fat Anna’d been saving. He buttoned on a clean shirt, the wrinkles in it a testament to his ineptitude with the smoothing iron.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA">At last he was striding up the hill and was soon passing the place where so few months ago Anna had lain in such stillness. He hurried past the spot and did not look at it. He shivered. A hint of night cold was already on the breeze. Somewhere an owl hooted and the rustle of small animals sounded softly in the stubble of the hay field. A twig cracked in Old Rory’s wood. Ian’s heart raced then slowed. It’s nothing, he comforted himself. He looked in the direction of the woods. The rustle of leaves ceased and a faint glow seemed to disappear as Ian turned his head to look directly at it. His heart raced again. He looked straight ahead and strode on even faster. He looked out the corner of his eye. The glow seemed to be still there but when he looked at it directly, it disappeared. He hurried on until his shins began to hurt and he was forced to slow his pace. I’ll walk backwards for a bit. He turned around. The glow that wasn’t there turned with him and seemed to hover over the path he had just traversed. He stopped his backward pace and stood, frozen there by his imagination. The light continued on toward him. Rough voices sounded on the night air but in his fear Ian was unable to take them in.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/annasSecret.jpg" /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anna Gillis, the midwife and neighbour in Mattie’s Story, has been found killed. The close-knit community is deeply shaken by this eruption of violence, and neighbours come together to help one another and to discover the perpetrator. But the answer lies Anna’s secret, long guarded by Old Annie, the last of the original Selkirk Settlers, and the protagonist of An Irregular Marriage. Join the community! Read Anna’s Secret and other novels by Margaret A. Westlie.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IEEXUMO" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> & <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/418795" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Fiction, mystery, historical</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Westlie/e/B00HZRKK10" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Margaret Westlie on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/margaretwestlienovelist" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/MargaretWestlie" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.margaretwestlie.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29ilE1Iu2yMnk-3FJ1ZhE-qq3C3Qg" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.margaretwestlie.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-59125723471901644972014-08-07T12:30:00.000+01:002014-08-08T11:58:48.489+01:00@ClarissaClemens Shares the Effects of Reading Her #Erotic #Poetry in Your Bedroom <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/clarissa.jpg" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>5 Things that May Occur When You Bring My Erotic Poetry into Your Bedroom – (You Have Been Forewarned)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Your Inhibitions Disappear along with your Clothing</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
has been known to happen! Probably one of the single biggest inhibitors
of a satisfying love life is that one or both partners are unable to
open up and feel uninhibited about their sexuality. A glass of wine, the
glow of candlelight flickering on naked skin, scattered rose-petals on
the bed, and silky sheets can set a wonderful tactile scene to help get
things going. Adding erotic poetry to the setting allows the mind to
come and play. Once the brain is engaged, it’s all systems go – bye-bye
inhibitions! With inhibitions out of the way, the imagination can take
over and pleasures shared both physically and mentally.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Add Some Playful to Your Passion</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
is a known fact that laughing is an important component in any
relationship. It eases tensions, builds rapport, and creates a playful
mood. When we were children playing in our make believe worlds, the fun
that we had helped us to build bonds between friends creating best
friends forever (our beloved BFF’s). To be playful with our partners,
with whom we are in love, should be an important ingredient in our
relationship and give us the opportunity to explore intimacy together.
With my sexy poems, a giggle or laugh in response to the lines will
create a light and playful mood.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Some More Stimulation Please</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay,
I am not going to beat around the bush here – my poetry WILL invite
stimulation to the party. I have had so many people (both men and women)
remark to me that my words bring the “Hello” to “Hello Kitty” or “it’s
impossible NOT to be aroused”. The lines of my erotic poetry paint
vivid scenes of sensuality for lovers to embrace. Once the words float
into your mind, the body follows with it’s own interpretive dance of
stimulation.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Try New Things in the Bedroom –</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Going From ‘Vanilla’ to ‘Non-Vanilla’ Activities</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Opening
up my erotic poetry books and reading the seductive lines to your
lover, allows you to hide conveniently behind my words and yet gives you
an opportunity to try some kinky ideas on for size. If the idea behind
the poem gets things going, then fantastic; if one or the other of you
feels shy about it, move on to the next poem. Many of my poems take
place in the “non-vanilla” arena. Things like spankings, toys, light
bondage, Domination/submissiveness all playfully make their way into my
poetry. Maybe you already enjoy this type of play – either way my poems
may allow new sexy activities to enter your bed.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>An Adventure to Take Together – Unlocking Your Fantasies</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s
face it, in order to have a fulfilling sexual relationship with your
partner, there needs to be communication, mutual trust, and respect.
Hand in hand you are reading poems that will take you on a sensual
adventure. It will allow you to playfully and impartially evaluate what
is being played out through the words. It will be like embarking on a
new adventure together. It may open doors to trying something you had
not previously considered. Fantasies fuel passion. I personally feel
that if more people would live out their fantasies with their partner in
life, there would be less cheating because the partner seeking sex
outside the union is probably needing to fulfill fantasies that he or
she is not comfortable sharing at home.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks so much for reading this post! I’m thrilled and honored to be participating in this Book Blog Tour for my book, <i>The Poetic Art of Seduction – The Erotic Poetry Collection.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Seductively yours,</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Clarissa O. Clemens</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/poetic_art_seduction.jpg" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A collection of all 3 volumes of Clarissa O. Clemens’ erotic poetry book series, The Poetic Art of Seduction, under 1 cover! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An erotic gift of lyrical rhyme to
keep on every bedroom nightstand for play. Kinky yet classy erotic
poetry painting sexy pictures and scenes with seductive words to read to
each other and get the mood soaked in seduction. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What critics have said about Clarissa’s poetry: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“…A delicious dance with words…” </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Impossible not to be aroused…” </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“…mouth-watering feast of erotic rhyme…” </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“…her words ebb and flow with a superb sensuousness.” </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“5 Stars is just not enough for this exquisite work of erotic art” </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">78 Passionate poems of seduction are waiting for you to be devoured with lust and desire. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">41Beautifully sensuous photographs have been included to heighten your visual experience with Ms. Clemens poetry. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A must-have for every couple looking for new ways to add the spark back into their flame.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Seduction-Erotic-Poetry-Collection-ebook/dp/B00GZATVHW/ref=la_B008MFS5J8_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401054914&sr=1-3" style="text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-style: italic;">Genre - Erotic Poetry</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-style: italic;">Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-style: italic;">More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Clarissa%20Clemens&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Connect with Clarissa Clemens through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClarissaClemens" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/ClarissaClemens" style="text-decoration: none;">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-75262533821942181112014-06-27T09:00:00.000+01:002014-07-02T19:11:28.261+01:00Scott Moon on George R. R. Martin @ScottMoonWriter #AmReading #Authors #SciFi <div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/1b/7b/3301162c1b5f0ac1d1882e.L._V148754687_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/1b/7b/3301162c1b5f0ac1d1882e.L._V148754687_.jpg" height="320" width="191" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>If you could study any subject at any university what would you pick?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">Cinematography at NYU or USC, probably the former since I’ve already lived in Los Angeles. I love movies and grew up with my mom talking about an interview Oliver Stone did saying the industry needed more people trained in the subject. Of course that was a long time ago. I’m sure things have changed. I’m also fascinated by the Bread Loaf School of English (Middlebury College).</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">New Zealand. I want to live in the remains of the Lord of the Rings sets. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">I enjoy writing longhand, and try as often as possible on the premise it produces a different thought process. I have plans to get a new computer and a new version of Dragon Naturally Speaking. The copy I experimented with a few years ago has gone missing and my battered laptop can’t handle the new versions. To answer the question, I write first drafts, scene by scene, on a computer or phone using Google Drive. Next I edit online using Pro Writing Aid–a new program I like so far. By the fourth or fifth draft, I compile the document into Word and used Serenity Software: Editor. At that point I’m almost ready to pay an editor to look at it, or submit it for traditional publishing, depending on the project.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>What color represents your personality the most?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">Blue has always been my favorite color. I’m not sure what that means.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>Where do you get support from? Do you have friends in the industry?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">No friends in the industry, except other writers. The best support is from independent authors that are going through the same “platform building” struggles. I’ve met a lot of great people on Twitter.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>How much sleep do you need to be your best?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">Six to seven hours, though I rarely get more than four in a row. I’m a parent and on-call for work 24/7.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>What books did you love growing up?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">The Doomfarers of Caramonde by Brian Daley and the Elric series by Michael Moorcock were my favorites. I read them once a year all through high school, and a few times since. I also began a serious love of audio books with Stephen King and Dean Koontz. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>Who is your favorite author?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">Currently, my favorite has to be George R. R. Martin. I listen to Song of Ice and Fire series over and over and read them on Kindle. Michael Connelly is a close second.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>What genre of books do you adore?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">Historical fiction. Someday I’ll be smart enough to write one.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>What book should everybody read at least once?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">The Pillars of Earth, by Ken Follett. If I tell you it is about the building of a Cathedral in 13</span><span class="s2"><span style="line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span></span><span class="s1"> century England, you might feel the sudden urge to take a nap, but few books are more suspenseful. The characters are like real people and the plot is merciless.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b>What scares you the most?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">I don’t have a lot of physical fears. I kind of like heights. The one time I was shot at wasn’t as terrifying as I thought it would be. Deep sea scuba diving would scare me, specifically, getting the buoyancy ballast wrong and getting sucked deeper and deeper into darkness as the crushing pressure of water increases exponentially. Clowns are pretty scary. (Just kidding, clowns are merely creepy.)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/enemyOfMan.jpg" /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Lost Hero</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Changed by captivity and torture, hunted by the Reapers of Hellsbreach and wanted by Earth Fleet, Kin Roland hides on a lost planet near an unstable wormhole.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When a distant space battle propels a ravaged Earth Fleet Armada through the same wormhole, a Reaper follows, hunting for the man who burned his home world. Kin fights to save a mysterious native of Crashdown from the Reaper and learns there are worse things in the galaxy than the nightmare hunting him. The end is coming and he is about to pay for a sin that will change the galaxy forever. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Books</span></span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enemy of Man: Book One in the Chronicles of Kin Roland was written for fans of military science fiction and science fiction adventure. Readers who enjoyed Starship Troopers or Space Marines will appreciate this genre variation. Powered armor only gets a soldier so far. Battlefield experience, guts, and loyal friends make Armageddon fun. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Movies</span></span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you love movies like Aliens, Predator, The Chronicles of Riddick, or Serenity, then you might find the heroes and creatures in Enemy of Man dangerous, determined, and ready to risk it all. It’s all about action and suspense, with a dash of romance—or perhaps flash romance. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
From the Author</span></span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for your interest in my novel, Enemy of Man. I hope you chose to read the book and enjoy every page. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you have already read Enemy of Man, how was it? Reviews are appreciated! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have a great day and be safe.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Enemy-Man-Chronicles-Kin-Roland-ebook/dp/B00DAIQO9A?tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Science Fiction</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Moon/e/B0082VIWL8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Scott Moon on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/scottmoonwriter" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/Scottmoonwriter" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-32367232780961242622014-06-26T11:00:00.000+01:002014-07-02T19:15:04.453+01:00@CDVerhoff Points Out Newbie Mistakes #AmWriting #Fantasy #Fiction<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Starting with a prologue</span></b><b>.</b> General rule of thumb, ask yourself if the story makes sense without the prologue. If it does, get rid of it.. When your book contains a prologue, in essence, you’re starting the story twice. It’s difficult enough to hook the reader once, so don’t risk having to do it twice.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Opening with a dream scene</span></b><b>. </b>This is equivalent to playing a trick on your readers. “Ha, ha, reader. I made you think these first five pages were really happening, but they were just a dream. Fooled ya!” Your readers will not be amused.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Overusing exclamation points</span></b><b>.</b> I’ve seen veteran writers recommend no more than one exclamation point per 100,000 words. I don’t live by that guideline, but I try to use them sparingly.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Failing to embrace the word “said”.</span></b> It’s the dialogue word of choice, so apply liberally. Professional fiction writers refer to it as an <i>invisible </i>word. The mind overlooks it, which keeps the reader’s attention on the story, not the prose. That’s a good thing. <i>He replied, he growled, he sighed, she retorted</i>, <i>she quipped </i>and so on<i>—</i>reserve them for rare occasions.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Opening the story with the main character waking up. </span></b>But it’s the most natural place in the world to begin, some will say. I won’t argue the point and neither will a million other new writers who have started their stories exactly the same way. Having the main character wake up and throw the alarm clock is also cliché. So is waking up and shuffling to the mirror to give a character’s description (see #6 below).</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Having the main character look in the mirror or some other reflective surface in order to give physical description.</span></b> I have seen lots of beginner writers, including myself back in the day, start their novel something like this. The main character wakes up, stretches, shuffles over to the basin to splash water on his or her face. The character gazes in the mirror to contemplate his or her emerald eyes, curly disheveled raven locks, or chiseled jaw and six-pack abs. New writers think this is a clever way to sneak in description. but no. It’s usually the mark of an amateur.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Waiting too long to introduce the conflict. </span></b>Paragraph one of the first chapter should deliver the conflict or at least hint at it. It will be difficult to convince your reader to turn the page without it.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Bad guy clichés</span></b><b>.</b> They are easy to pick out because they are they characters dressed in black—usually black leather. They often don dark sunglasses, have pock marked skin, scars and are in serious need of plastic surgery. For some reason, bad guys frequently smell like garlic and onions. For once, I’d like to meet a bad guy in plaid who smells like wintergreen mouthwash.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Adverb addiction. </span></b>Whenever you spot one, kill it. You can usually spot them by the <i>–ly</i> ending. If you can’t go cold turkey, try limiting yourself to one per chapter. If I haven’t convinced you to let go of this manuscript disfiguring addiction, I suggest reading Stephen King’s book, <i>On Writing.</i></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Average Joe and Jane characters.</span></b> I can hear the protests now. Are you crazy? It’s Joe’s ordinariness that makes him so gosh darn relatable. I agree to a certain point, but on some level a character must be larger than life. Part of the draw of fiction is that it draws readers into a different kind of life. They are seeking new experiences, the unusual, the dramatic, the inspiring, disturbing and memorable. Hanging with Plain Jane for three hundred pages isn’t very inspiring. Jane needs to possess extraordinary inner strength, wit, self awareness, deep inner conflict or something that makes her not so average.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Inattention to micro-tension</span></b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">. </span> This is the moment-by-moment conflict that keeps a reader in a continuous state of suspense. Micro-tension is separate from the main conflict, it is not the same as plot. This kind of tension comes from the inside of the your characters, their emotions in conflict, ideas at war with one another, their inner turmoil. Bring it out in your character’s thoughts, his dialogue, and his reaction to the world around him.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Going it on your own</span></b><b>. </b>Four eyes are better than two. Two brains are better than one. I suggest growing a thick skin and seeking honest feedback from a critique buddy. And don’t be snobby about it. Finding an experienced writer to exchange chapters with is like finding gold and a beginner is silver. Both are valuable commodities. If you don’t know any writers who might want to exchange critique with you, a good place to find one is an online site called Critique Circle. I found a great critique buddy on Goodreads by combing through the various writing groups. Hatrack is another possible avenue.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Good luck and happy writing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">C. D. Verhoff</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Promised-Land-Galatia-Novel-Series-ebook/dp/B00FGFYOCY" style="text-decoration: none;">http://www.amazon.com/Promised-Land-Galatia-Novel-Series-ebook/dp/B00FGFYOCY</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Promised-Land-Galatia-Novel-Series-ebook/dp/B00FGFYOCY" style="text-decoration: none;">http://www.amazon.com/Promised-Land-Galatia-Novel-Series-ebook/dp/B00FGFYOCY</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/C-D-Verhoff-Author/106424996172224?ref=br_tf" style="text-decoration: none;">https://www.facebook.com/pages/C-D-Verhoff-Author/106424996172224?ref=br_tf</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SF-covinggton-cond-Emerge-for-kindle-1.jpg" /></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The last survivors of the human race are riding out nuclear winter in an underground bunker when disaster strikes. Forced to the surface centuries ahead of schedule, what they find blows their minds. Who can explain it? Two social misfits work together to unravel the mystery.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After living in a posh underground shelter his entire life, Lars Steelsun is plunged headfirst into a mind-blowing adventure on the surface of the Earth. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As Lars and his displaced bunker mates are led across the grasslands by Mayor Wakeland, a man of questionable sanity who claims to talk with God, they discover a primitive world where human beings are no longer welcome. Even more mystifying is the emergence of new senses and abilities from within. Learning to use them has become a priority, but his biggest challenge comes from the vivacious Josie Albright. Her lust for glory is going to get them both into trouble. Sparks fly when her gung ho ways clash with his cautious personality. Can they overcome their differences to find love and a homeland for their people?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>May not be suitable for younger readers. Contains mild profanity, sexual situations (infrequent), and violence. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Promised-Land-Galatia-Novel-Series-ebook/dp/B00FGFYOCY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390053869&sr=8-1&keywords=Promised+Land%3A+A+Galatia+Novel&tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Epic Fantasy</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/C.-D.-Verhoff/e/B009989JGU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with C. D. Verhoff on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/C-D-Verhoff-Author/106424996172224" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/CDVerhoff" style="text-decoration: none;">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Blog <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cdverhoff.blogspot.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_01jckNtx2of1yN47b1NhEbPVrzg" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://cdverhoff.blogspot.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-9035056837950176332014-06-26T10:00:00.000+01:002014-07-02T19:12:58.722+01:00Bad Blood Brothers - RIDDLE OF THE DIAMOND DOVE by N.S. Wikarski #Historical #Fiction<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bad Blood Brothers</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daniel had just let himself out of his father’s office after his usual weekly progress report. For once, he hadn’t needed to stretch the truth too far. He was close to a breakthrough in cracking the dove riddle. Of course, he neglected to tell his father that the puzzle was likely to be solved with the help of one of the Fallen. If his father had any idea of Chris’s involvement in the relic hunt, no matter how limited that involvement might be, Daniel didn’t like to imagine the repercussions. He sauntered down the long hallway, head down, lost in thought until he sensed that someone had fallen smoothly in step with him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Hello, brother.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daniel looked up with a start to realize Joshua was walking alongside him. “Hello,” he replied uncertainly. “I… I… didn’t see you.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, that was typical. Daniel never saw his sibling’s approach. Joshua always had a way of gliding up on a person unawares. He’d been doing that since they were boys. Daniel never knew why. Perhaps Joshua hoped to surprise him in some wrong-doing. The Scion glanced at his brother’s archly smiling face. They looked nothing alike. Daniel took after his mother. There was no trace of the Diviner in either his physique or his temperament. Joshua, on the other hand, looked like neither of their parents. His hair was dark. His eyes were a deep shade of brown which bordered on black. His features were narrow and sharp and his bearing was restless, like a hungry predator. Overall, he reminded Daniel of a grey fox. All that was missing was the mask.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the moment, Joshua was studying his brother with an expression of cool appraisal. “You’ve been spending a good deal of time with our father lately.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daniel hesitated before replying. He could hardly explain why they met so frequently. The relic hunt was a closely-guarded secret. He had to think of another pretext. “Since I’ve been appointed as father’s successor, he feels the need to instruct me in the work of shepherding the Nephilim.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For some unaccountable reason, Joshua bristled at his explanation. “Yes, of course. The role of the Scion must be a great responsibility for you. Are you sure you feel qualified to carry that burden?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now it was Daniel’s turn to give his brother an appraising look. Was he actually jealous? The Scion chose not to answer the question directly. “It’s not for me to decide if I’m qualified to carry that burden. Father obviously thinks I am.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daniel could tell he’d struck a nerve. Joshua turned aside hurriedly to cover something—but what? After a few seconds he recovered and resumed the conversation. “There are rumors. You know how the women like to gossip. I don’t give them any credence, you understand, but some believe that father has given you a special task to fulfill. Something so secret that no one is allowed to know of it.” He paused and then added, “Silly idea, isn’t it?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daniel raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. “That’s ridiculous,” he agreed. Apparently, his recent mastery of the art of deception suited a variety of occasions. No wonder the Diviner singled out lying as a capital sin. A person who was as adept a liar as Daniel could get away with a great deal.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The two men came to a junction in the corridor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Well, I’m going off to the study hall,” Daniel offered, hoping his brother would take the hint and leave him alone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Joshua wasn’t to be deterred so easily. “What a coincidence. I’m going in that direction too.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daniel sighed in resignation and turned down the hallway to the right. Joshua wasn’t the only one who had been listening to gossip. The Scion had heard a few choice rumors himself and he decided to test their accuracy. He began with just the right note of innocence in his voice. “My wives have been chattering lately as well. It’s impossible to ignore them, really. I heard a tidbit about you, brother.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now it was Joshua’s turn to mimic surprise. “About me? What did they say?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Oh, it wasn’t only the three of them. These rumors have been circulating around the compound for some months now. It was something about a secret organization within the Nephilim whose job it is to report sinful behavior to the Diviner. Somehow you got mixed up in that rumor. Supposedly you’re part of this new group. Talk about far-fetched.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daniel peered hard at his brother. Joshua appeared momentarily too stunned to respond. Then he threw his head back and laughed—a bit too loudly and a bit too long.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“That’s absurd,” he finally replied. “Surely you don’t believe such stories?” His dark eyes searched Daniel’s face intently.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Scion cultivated a blank expression. “I believe that you’re in charge of a spy organization just about as much as you believe I’m working on a confidential project for father.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The two men stared unblinking at one another for a few moments.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Here’s my destination.” Daniel opened the door to the study hall. “Time for me to work on that clandestine task of mine.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘Yes, I may as well be going too,” Joshua volunteered. “Time for me to write up a report on everyone’s suspicious behavior. What an amusing notion.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daniel cast a final look at his brother’s face. Joshua wasn’t smiling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/RiddleofTheDiamondDove.jpg" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>THE ARKANA SERIES: Where Alternative History Meets Archaeology Adventure</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Volume Four – Riddle Of The Diamond Dove</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>“</i></b><i>From Kindle Nation fave N. S. Wikarski comes the long-awaited fourth book in her fascinating seven-part Arkana archaeology thriller series — with more of the wonderful characters, sly humor, intrigue and mayhem that come together to create the absorbing world of her intricate, fast-paced mysteries.” (Kindle Nation Daily)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Global Treasure Hunt</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Where do you hide an ancient relic that has the power to change the course of history? As Cassie Forsythe and her Arkana team discover, you scatter clues to its whereabouts across the entire planet. Five artifacts buried among the rubble of lost civilizations point to the hiding place of a mythical object known as the Sage Stone. Thus far psychic Cassie, bodyguard Erik, and librarian Griffin have succeeded in recovering two of those artifacts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Opposing Forces</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cassie and Company find their lives threatened at every turn by agents of a religious cult known as the Blessed Nephilim. The cult’s leader, Abraham Metcalf, wants to exploit the power of the Sage Stone to unleash a catastrophic plague on the world. The quest for the next piece of the puzzle has led both sides to Africa. They must comb an entire continent–their only lead a riddle carved onto a mysterious dove sculpture. Even as the Arkana team struggles to decipher the clue, new dangers hover over their colleagues at home.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Other Dangers</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Metcalf’s child-bride Hannah has taken refuge at the home of the Arkana’s leader Faye while mercenary Leroy Hunt creeps ever nearer to her hiding place. His search for the girl brings him dangerously close to the secret location of the Arkana’s troves–a collection of pre-patriarchal artifacts which confirm an alternative history of the origins of civilization itself. While Hunt closes in on Hannah, Metcalf’s son Daniel dogs the footsteps of the Arkana field team in order to claim the next artifact before they do. Daniel recruits a clever ally along the way who might be more than a match for the opposing side.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Collision Course</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When the forces of the Arkana and the Nephilim converge on a ruined city in a forgotten corner of the dark continent, the shocking outcome is beyond even Cassie’s powers to foresee. The quest for the Sage Stone will veer in an unexpected direction once both sides solve the Riddle Of The Diamond Dove.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H203THC?tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Alternative History Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/N.-S.-Wikarski/e/B001K8RR5W/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with N. S. Wikarski on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/N-S-Wikarski/111546722263900" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-43179886921175840752014-06-07T10:30:00.000+01:002014-06-08T12:19:03.440+01:00@RobertBreeze Opens Up About Writing as Personal Therapy #SciFi #AmWriting #AmReading<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’d say without doubt the biggest influence on the books was George Carlin. I discovered his genius about 2008 and the inspiration for the books was born. I found his opinions visionary and invigorating, one key lesson I took on board about the importance of almost becoming a spectator on life and finding the humour in it.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Writing about subjects like Politics and Religion is heavy stuff. It quickly became obvious that the key to solving a lot of the issues in society is to get to the root cause of the problem and change the system from there. Unfortunately I can’t see this happening, certainly not in my lifetime due to narrow-minded moronic politicians, and that realisation can make you frustrated and angry. I think Carlin worked this out and it highlights the genius of the man, that in a way he was his own therapist. He knew he had to detach himself from the harsh realities of certain situations and become a humoured spectator on life.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It got me thinking about this and I think that if you don’t take this route and get too involved it could lead you down a couple of paths, both horribly terminal. You could potentially let the frustration of not being able to instigate change overcome you; you’re conscious of the very real problems around us yet are powerless to change them. The other path is one that Kurt Cobain famously took; that you feel so much love and pity for everything and everyone that suffers, that you can’t take that pain any more, that it just makes you too sad.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Carlin said the trick really is not to give a fuck. You can’t really allow yourself to consider the fact that children are starving in their millions because of the decisions that our world’s leaders have made else it’d be too much for me, it’s too heartbreaking. Homeless people, cruelty to animals, women wearing bhurkas, even the look on a guide dogs face, all these things instinctively hurt my soul a little and so in considering them and how to combat such problems I needed a defence mechanism.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, when writing, I get all the knowledge needed for each book, write the book, then flush the knowledge out of my head and stop accessing that side of my personality in order to concentrate on having fun. Because that’s what life’s about at its core. Yes do what you can through actions to try and change things, but underneath it don’t give a fuck, you only live once just enjoy it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2082.jpg" /></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Frank Noon divides opinion. Whilst some say he’s a philosophical genius, some say he’s a fanciful dreamer who deliberately courts controversy with his anti-establishment views about the failings of modern society.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Seemingly nearing the end of his life in politics, he reluctantly fronts an experimental inter-galactic government project late in the 21st century aimed at making life on an overpopulated Earth more sustainable. As he battles to gain control of a relative asylum, consisting of a cross section of the populous as much at odds with themselves as the situation, he unwittingly embarks on a life-changing journey of self discovery.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As they learn more about the project and its intentions how far-reaching might the consequences be for the future of humanity?</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/2082-Chronicles-Hope-Robert-Breeze-ebook/dp/B00BFXKQ3C/ref=tmm_kin_title_0/279-9178601-4144401?ie=UTF8&qid=1361384624&sr=8-1&tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Political Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Robert-Breeze/e/B00BG6206O/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Robert Breeze on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chroniclesofhope" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/robertbreeze" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
</div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-36830251402534646372014-06-05T09:30:00.000+01:002014-06-05T23:14:40.840+01:00NIGHT'S FAVOUR by Richard Parry @TactualRain #Fantasy #Thriller #AmReading<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Breakfast was a mash of overly bright post-dawn light and harsh jarring sounds. He’d choked back some dry white toast, using black coffee syrupy with sugar as a chaser. After he kept that down, he brushed his teeth twice before leaving the house, jacket slung over his shoulder. He was already sweating through his shirt by the time he almost made his bus, watching it pull away from the stop as he rounded the corner.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The driver of the next bus was a man sitting proud behind the wheel, stamping with binary control at the gas and brake pedals, lurching and cursing his way through the crowded morning streets with nausea inducing irregularity. The only blessing was that no one wanted to sit next to him — even Val could smell the Bacardi sweating through his skin.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He spent his time before his meeting surfing the Internet and drinking bad coffee and stale water. He avoided his co-workers, taking refuge in his cubicle. The office hummed with the gentle background of cloistered productivity, phones and conversations overlaying each other into white noise. All except Werner in the cube next to him; that man shouted into his phone like he was trying to raise the dead. Maybe he was — he worked the marketing angle of the project they were on.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By the time he had his meeting with Davies, the shaking in his hands had stopped, the world returning to normal levels of brightness and colour. He was still sweating through his shirt.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sit, Val.” Davies’ tailored suits were a thing of office legend, fitting a frame that spent a lot of time eating healthy food and doing whatever it was they did down at Gold’s Gym. He stood behind a baroque desk, a screen, keyboard, mouse, and cellphone laid out just so.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Val’s personnel file was open on the desk too, a couple pages marked with cheerfully coloured Post-its. A gold pen, Cross brand embossed on the clip, sat ready on a legal pad.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No notes, yet.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Val shut the office door behind him and settled into a chair designed for thinner men. “Hey, Pete. Look —”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Hear me out, Val. It’s not what you think.” Davies shuffled a few of the pages of the file, as if he hadn’t already read each page twice. “You’ve been with the company a while.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That was a bit unexpected. “Uh, sure. Since —”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Davies held up a hand. “Almost five years. Done some good work for us. Really saved our asses in that coding war with Unisys.” He chuckled to himself, as if it was some beachhead victory they were remembering together. “Top performer three years in a row.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Val shifted a bit. The padding on the chair was worn thin, and he felt like was sitting on raw plywood with sackcloth nailed over the top. “…Right.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“There’s not really a delicate way of talking about this.” A smile that was more a grimace sat on Davies’ face. “Since Rebekah passed, well, we’ve noticed some changes.” Davies looked at Val’s gut, then picked up the Cross, tapping it on a paragraph in the file. “Fact is, we still need you.” The clock on the wall ticked by a few more seconds, the sounds of the city outside the open windows gentle. “But we need the old you. You’re a wreck —”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Hey Pete, c’mon. I crank out the code like you need. I’m the first guy to punch in every morning…”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“And the first guy to hit the Blues at lunch. After lunch, you’re back at your desk, but you’re thinking about your next drink. When was the last night you didn’t knock back even just a few?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Everyone has a pint after work, Pete. Be serious. We work in computers. And our clients are assholes.” Val tried for some easy camaraderie. “Who wouldn’t drink on a government contract?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s not like we work in the ER, Val. And if it was the work that was the problem, we could fix that. You work in a team of what, ten guys?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yeah, and they come down for a beer at lunch too!”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“They don’t all go down. With you.” Davies examined a perfectly manicured nail. “At the same time. Fact is, they’re going down to make sure you’re ok. A few of the guys — and I’m not naming names, it’s confidential — are worried about you. They said they want to keep an eye on you. They’ve come to see me, to ask me to … intercede.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He grabbed a sheet from the file — this one suspiciously laid out in corporate style — and spun it on the old wooden surface towards Val. “It’s a leave form, Val. It’s on the house. But it’s got conditions.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Val didn’t lean forward to look at the form. “You’re getting rid of me. Gardening leave. I don’t know if I should be flattered or pissed off.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Davies tapped the paper again. “Maybe you should just be… Well. I think we both know ‘happy’ is a bit of a stretch, considering. Get your house in order. Drive up the coast. See some friends.” He paused, as if the idea had just occurred to him. “Get some help, Val. See someone.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Val reached forward to get the sheet, seeing his hand shaking with either anger or the memory of the hangover. <i>Maybe a heavy salting of both</i>. The form was straightforward — a month of leave, but with a small catch.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The company wants some return, of course.” Davies looked down in carefully constructed abashment. “We want the old Valentine Everard back. We want you a productive member of the family again. We’re going to … invest, shall we say … a few weeks. What’s a few weeks? That’s on us.” Nodding, Davies replaced his expression, looking Valentine right in the eye with an affable smile. It was like watching a super marionette, as if all those management courses had taught him which emotions to try and fake, and when. “But you’ve got to do your share. A part of the bargain.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was there in black and white. They’d even helpfully supplied a phone number and a website — probably one of the narcissists in HR. Those fuckers thought of everything with their saccharine sincerity. They wanted him in an alcoholics group of some kind.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“If I don’t sign?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Davies swapped the grandfatherly smile for a look of grandfatherly reproach. “Well Val, then things might have to get formalised. You know how it is.” As if it was out of his hands. Just one of the boys, Val and him in this thing together. “But we — well. I don’t want it to get formalised.” He handed the Cross to Val.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After he’d signed — <i>like there’d been a choice</i> — he walked out to collect his jacket. He felt as if the entire office watched his walk from Davies’ office to his cube, the air heavy with the silence of funerals. The hessian partitions were covered with the same old crap, charts jostling for supremacy next to Dilbert cartoons. The odd slice of fake humanity was shown with photos printed in cheap colour on the office laser — corporate functions, team building. Outside his own cube, he saw a photo of himself peeking out from under layers of project charts and productivity estimates. It was like growth rings on a tree, those layers — the closer to the heartwood of the hessian backing, the older they were.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He remembered that shot, pulling it out. The photo showed him sprawled on the ground, the thick rope for tug-o-war draped over him and his team buddies. He’d been thinner then, the grin cracking his face one of delight.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was probably about the time when Rebekah had first told him she was pregnant.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/NightFavour.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Valentine’s an ordinary guy with ordinary problems. His boss is an asshole. He’s an alcoholic. And he’s getting that middle age spread just a bit too early. One night — the one night he can’t remember — changes everything. What happened at the popular downtown bar, The Elephant Blues? Why is Biomne, the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, so interested in him — and the virus he carries? How is he getting stronger, faster, and more fit? And what’s the connection between Valentine and the criminally insane Russian, Volk?</span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EBNA0MU/ref=cm_sw_su_dp?tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Action, Thriller, Urban Fantasy</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R16</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Parry/e/B00EBQJTI8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Richard Parry on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/therealrichardparry" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/TactualRain" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.rage.net.nz&usd=2&usg=ALhdy298b5_o0TqkCRTGBjb5UB4LozGGHQ" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.rage.net.nz</a></b></span></span></div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-72850553794629042752014-06-04T08:30:00.001+01:002014-06-11T22:42:43.916+01:00The Jonas Trust Deception by A.F.N. Clarke @AFNClarke #Thriller #AmReading #BookClub <a href="http://www.amazon.com/JONAS-DECEPTION-THOMAS-THRILLER-ebook/dp/B00FHREXVI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1380368226&sr=8-8&keywords=AFN+Clarke"><b><i>The Jonas Trust Deception</i></b></a><b><i> </i></b><br />
<b><i>by AFN Clarke</i></b><br />
<br />
<b></b><br />
<a href="http://www.afnclarke.com/">AFN CLARKE</a> is the author of 8 books, including the best selling memoir <a href="http://www.amazon.com/CONTACT-AFN-CLARKE-ebook/dp/B00870EKH4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1384055447&sr=8-3&keywords=AFn+Clarke">CONTACT</a>, that was serialized in a British newspaper and made into an award winning BBCTV film. His latest novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/JONAS-DECEPTION-THOMAS-THRILLER-ebook/dp/B00FHREXVI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1380368226&sr=8-8&keywords=AFN+Clarke"><i>The Jonas Trust Deception</i></a>, is a Thomas Gunn thriller and follows the success of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ORANGE-MOON-AFFAIR-Thomas-Thriller-ebook/dp/B00CGL2Y6Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1384055447&sr=8-2&keywords=AFn+Clarke"><i>The Orange Moon Affair</i></a>. Readers have called it “classy, complex and cunningly compelling” and a “powerful force in the thriller genre”. In solving the mystery of an ongoing conspiracy involving his old friend Morgan, Thomas Gunn, ex-Special Forces, takes an action so shocking and bold, that even his team fear he’s lost his mind. The question is, has he? To get a taste of things to come, here’s an excerpt from the book. And for more information visit <a href="http://www.afnclarke.com/">www.afnclarke.com</a> or the Amazon Kindle store.<br />
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********<br />
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There is something so totally desolate about sitting in a prison cell staring at the blank grey walls that, unless you’ve experienced it, you’ll never understand. There is a finality and hopelessness that is almost beyond comprehension. A despair that sucks at your soul. My salvation was that I knew that my stay here was going to be short-lived, but what the future held was one big question mark. I had the distinct feeling somebody had put a ring in my nose and was leading on a mystery tour with more questions than answers.<br />
<br />
Left alone with just the usual sounds of dissatisfied inmates, clinking keys and slamming doors for company, I thought back to the frantic last few days.<br />
<br />
Confusion would be an apt description of my state of mind.<br />
<br />
What facts could I scramble together?<br />
<br />
Several dead bodies at Morgan’s ranch.<br />
<br />
A small but ruthless Mexican Mafia gangbanger, with the unlikely nickname of ‘El Cobra Poco’, who seemed as if he could be a strange ally.<br />
<br />
And the mysterious Robert Sutherland.<br />
<br />
What other questions remained?<br />
<br />
There were many, starting with who would have wanted to kill Morgan? Everything went back to my request for her to investigate the financial dealings of the Griffin Trust and its Chairman Ted Lieberman.<br />
<br />
How was the Mexican Mafia involved if what Sutherland said about Morgan working for him was true?<br />
<br />
I could just lie here all night long and create imaginary scenarios, but that wouldn’t supply any answers, so I closed my eyes and concentrated on emptying my mind.<br />
<br />
Sleep was what I needed. <br /><br />
It must have been two hours after the jail cell lights went out, that the goons came for me. Dragged me off the bed and frog marched me down the corridor to the back of the jail and down narrow stairs to a basement garage without saying a word. There was a nondescript cream coloured painter’s van waiting with the rear doors open, and I was unceremoniously bundled inside.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/THE-JONAS-TRUST-DECEPTION.jpg"><img alt="THE JONAS TRUST DECEPTION" border="0" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/THE-JONAS-TRUST-DECEPTION.jpg" height="200" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="130" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/JONAS-DECEPTION-THOMAS-THRILLER-ebook/dp/B00FHREXVI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1380368226&sr=8-8&keywords=AFN+Clarke">Amazon</a> </div>
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<i>Genre – Thriller</i> </div>
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<i>Rating – PG-13</i> </div>
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<i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/AFN-CLARKE/e/B00873GRUO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1">the author</a> and <a href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/2013/11/jonas-trust-deception-f-n-clarke/">the book</a> </i></div>
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<b>Connect</b> with A.F.N. Clarke on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AFNClarkeInc?fref=ts">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/AFNClarke">Twitter</a> </div>
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<b>Website <a href="http://www.afnclarke.com/">http://www.afnclarke.com/</a></b></div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05282612408824060535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-1441359498540856482014-06-04T08:30:00.000+01:002014-06-05T23:12:57.199+01:00Anne-Rae Vasquez on Fun & Interactive Stories @Write2Film #AmReading #YA #Paranormal<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Doubt (Among Us Trilogy) is a story told in a young/early adult voice about former child prodigies Harry Doubt, creator of the Truth Seekers online game, and Cristal Hernandez. Harry decides to take the game offline when his mother and other gamers’ loved ones family go missing. Their search for the truth uncovers supernatural forces among them which inadvertently triggers the beginning of the end of the world as they know it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The story mixes social media communications such as text messaging and video messaging as a form of communication between characters as they go on missions to find their family members.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All characters have aliases and avatars which is displayed as a splash page image at the beginning of the book. The official website of the book (amongus.ca) also has detailed M.O.’s of the characters so readers can also view and interact with the characters on the website.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The story although geared to young adult/ early adult readers is also entertaining for general readers who are interested in the supernatural, sci/fi urban fantasy, apocalyptic genres with themes similar to the TV show Fringe (by J.J. Abrams).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a filmmaker, journalist and web design programmer, I tell stories in multiple mediums. Doubt (book 1 of the Among Us Trilogy) was literally created from an interactive online reality game that I created with the help of my developmental editor (Josefina Rosado).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The official website http://www.AmongUs.ca interacts with visitors allowing them to participate as Truth Seekers following the theme of the story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted to give readers another way to connect with my story. Entertainment does not need to be contained in one medium. I believe in telling your story in many mediums. How do we do this? One way was to entice readers to participate in the experience of the story as it is being written. Putting Theory to the Test Here was the plan I used for fan recruiting for my new novel Doubt, Book 1 of the Among Us Trilogy:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1) Design website for the book series using the theme of the story</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Theme: Truth seekers who are online gamers use the internet to communicate with each other and also hack into global networks to save the world from catastrophic events caused by an unknown entity.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2) Entice beta readers to read drafts of the chapters as I write them but only awarding the first 10 who register</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3) Assign characters from the novel to each beta reader.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4) Provide the beta reader with their assigned character’s strengths, weaknesses, personality traits and physical characteristics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5) As more chapters in the book are written, the ten beta readers will be asked to provide input with the incentive that what they write may be included in the next chapter. They will not know until the next chapter is released.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">6) Release each new chapter to the first ten fans as an award for having joined early.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">7) As more beta readers register to the site, ask them to create their own character and post the character’s 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses and 3 physical characteristics on the website.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">8) Entice additional beta readers to complete simple mission assignments related to the story with the incentive that their character may be chosen to be written into the Book 2 and Book 3 of the series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">9) Give beta readers a Thank you credit on a Thank You page on the site and also on the credit page when the book is published.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">10) When the beta readers pass a mission assignment, a chapter will be released to them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Using this approach to write Doubt, I also allowed fans to participate and shape the story. This has helped build the fan base and also promote the book launch. The release of the book is November 9, 2013 and because of this approach, Doubt is being featured at the Rain Dance Book Festival in Canada.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you’re a reader, what do you think of this approach to writing? If you’re an author, how did you write your novel?</span></div>
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About Anne-Rae Vasquez</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anne-Rae Vasquez is a freelance journalist for Digital Journal.com, author, film maker and web design programmer. Her latest novel, Doubt, is the the first book in the Among Us Trilogy series. Her other works include: the novel and screenplay for the award winning feature film and web series Almost a Turkish Soap Opera, Salha’s Secrets to Middle Eastern Cooking Cookbook Volume 1, Gathering Dust – a collection of poems, and Teach Yourself Great Web Design in a Week, published by Sams.net (a division of Macmillan Publishing). Almost a Turkish Soap Opera was her feature screenplay and film directorial debut. Anne-Rae Vasquez is available for interview.</span></div>
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PR Contact Details</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">J. Suarez c/o AR Publishing 7360 137 Street #517 Surrey, BC Canada V3W 1A3 +16046085747</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DoubtAmongUs.jpg" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Do you love shows like J.J. Abrams’ Fringe and read books like Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>“Doubt” mashes fringe science, corporate espionage and paranormal encounters to catapult you into an out-of-this-world experience.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At 21 years old, Harry and Cristal are fresh out of university with their PhD’s. Labeled all their lives as being ‘weird’ and ‘geeky’, they find true friendships with other outcasts by playing online virtual reality games.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Harry Doubt, a genius programmer and creator of the popular online game ‘Truth Seekers’, has a personal mission of his own; to find his mother who went mysteriously missing while volunteering on a peacekeeping mission in Palestine. His gaming friends and followers inadvertently join in helping him find her; believing that they are on missions to find out what has happened to their own missing loved ones. During Harry’s missions, Cristal and the team of ‘Truth Seekers’ stumble upon things that make them doubt the reality of their own lives. As they get closer to the truth, they realize that there are spiritual forces among them both good and evil, but in learning this, they activate a chain of events that start the beginning of the ‘end of the world’ as they know it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Doubt is Book 1 of the Among Us Trilogy. Among Us is a book series which delves into the world of the supernatural and how it intersects with the everyday lives of seemingly ordinary young people as catastrophic events on earth lead to the end of times. Among Us weaves the theme of a young man and woman, who while not fully understanding their ‘abilities’, are drawn together in their desire to find out the truth about the world they live in which is similar to themes used in J.J. Abrams’ TV shows Fringe and Lost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What readers have to say…</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a big fan of the show Fringe, this book appealed to me tremendously. The writing was well done, and the way the “supernatural” forces were introduced was great.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A good, clean read for any age.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was an excellent story that I’m sure both adult and teen urban fantasy fans will enjoy. You don’t have to be a gamer or know one to identify with the characters. They’re very well developed and definitely feel like people. I would definitely recommend it to a friend and I’m really looking forward to the second book.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">…the novel is written in such a languid style, it moves on effortlessly and absorbs the reader into the story completely. Although the story itself revolves around the online gaming industry, one does not have to have an in depth knowledge as it is ably explained and discussed within the plot line.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">OMGosh! I just finished reading “Doubt” INCREDIBLE! I couldn’t put it down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>˃˃˃ >>> Depth and Substance mashed up with Fringe Science. Will entertain young and old alike.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is intended for mature young adults and new adults. Ages 16 to 45 +</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>˃˃˃ >>Inspired by real Truth Seekers Aaron Swartz and Harry Fear</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The main character Harry Doubt was inspired by Aaron Swartz, internet prodigy and activist, co-founder of the Creative Commons and Reddit, and Harry Fear, journalist, documentary filmmaker and activist whose coverage of the conflict in the Middle East was seen on UStream by millions of viewers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doubt-Among-Trilogy-Anne-Rae-Vasquez-ebook/dp/B00F35AEGW?tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Young Adult, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Thriller</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Rae-Vasquez/e/B009DWAZ92/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Anne-Rae Vasquez on <a href="http://facebook.com/amongusseries" style="text-decoration: none;">Facebook</a> & <a href="http://twitter.com/write2film" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a href="http://amongus.ca/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://amongus.ca</a></b></span></div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1154805117046110201.post-44134923703297843362014-06-04T07:30:00.000+01:002014-06-05T23:11:17.784+01:00Order of Earth (Elements of Ink) by Jennifer Cornet @J_Cornet #Fantasy #Fiction #AmReading<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Angel fussed with her purple and pink hair in the back of the town car. Angel was the techno-color counterpart to Onyx’ all black femme-fatal look. Her hair had bright purple roots that faded down to washed out pink tips as if she stole her hair from a little pony toy. She wore hot pink and white studded cropped halter top, and black glittery hot pants. The outfit barely qualified as clothing, but with her flawlessly tight body, she looked like she had walked straight off the runway up to the club door.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The car dropped the girls off in front of <i>Envy</i>. The line to get in the club was nearly two blocks long. Not an uncommon occurrence for the hottest new club to hit South Beach. Onyx took a look down the dauntingly long line filled with beautiful woman and equally as attractive men, impatiently waiting to get in at the mercy of a man the size of a silver back gorilla, with half the intelligence and personality. He would look them over one by one with his small flash light, check his clipboard, evaluate their worthiness to enter, and shake his head yes or no.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Can’t we just go to <i>Love</i>? There is never a line at <i>Love</i>,” Onyx pleaded with her friend. The thought of waiting hours in the line only to be turned away at the door for not being hot enough wasn’t exactly what she had in mind for her night of freedom.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“There is never a line at <i>Love</i> because no one would be caught dead there. It hasn’t been hot in almost a year, you know that. Not to mention in this new outfit, so help me god, I’m getting noticed.” There was no use arguing, Angel always wins. She noticed the defeated look on her friends face. “Don’t worry, honey. You know I don’t do lines.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure enough, the pair didn’t go anywhere near the line. Angel marched up to the bouncer, her five inch stilettos clicking on the pavement with each step, and she tapped the muscle-bound man on his gigantic shoulder.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“End of the line,” his voice boomed, not even looking up from his clipboard.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Now that’s no way to talk to your favorite patron,” Angel purred.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The door man turned, his steely expression cracked revealing the slightest of smiles. Onyx couldn’t decide what was more intimidating: his grimace or his smile.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sorry,” he said as he nodded his head towards the entrance letting the girls into the club, much to the protest of the legions of people waiting in line. Angel balanced on her tip-toes and planted a gentle kiss on the giant’s cheek before heading in.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The bass from the speakers hit Onyx as they made their way through the dimly lit, snake print covered corridor that led from the front door into the heart of Envy. She could feel the beat pound in her chest causing her pulse to quicken. The rest of the noise flooded in as she ventured further into the club. The corridor gave way to a massive courtyard thronged with bodies dancing on the floor. Envy had two levels with an open ceiling the same size and shape as the dance floor below. The lower level had three bars along the walls, leaving the forth wall for the DJ booth and stage. The upper level, the VIP sections, was a ring around the building, giving both a perfect view of the people below and the beautiful night sky above. Portions were sectioned off with dark green velvet curtains. Body painted dancers swung through the open space on the second level, suspended by cables. Green, yellow, and purple lights shot up from the ground floor, giving the entire club a mysterious, carnival like glow.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/OrderOfEarth.jpg" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For Onyx Bay, what started as a cathartic ink session takes an unexpected turn when a specialized blood test at the tattoo parlor reveals her true identity, which threatens to turn her entire world upside down.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Onyx learns that she is the descendant of a fantastical race of creatures who control the global elements, she discovers that her own blood makes her a valuable prize for competing forces, known as the Orders. As the truth about her bloodline spreads, she finds herself at the center of a supernatural bounty hunt pursued by both human and creature members of the Orders willing to do anything to claim her as their own. The hunt intensifies when a prophet foresees she will tip the balance of power and upset the peace among the Orders. As she attempts to evade capture and survive, Onyx is forced to choose between her humanistic past and a supernatural destiny in order to take control of her own future.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FAQOZ6O?tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Urban Fantasy</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG – 13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ben-Woodard/e/B005J3HR1S/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a href="http://www.jennifercornet.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.jennifercornet.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
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