BLOOD OF EDEN REVIEW

BLOOD OF EDEN REVIEW

Blood of eden

By tami dane

BUY HERE NOW ON AMAZON

This was a loaned book from the public library.

GoodReads Blurb:

This mind-blowing new series introduces Sloan Skye, and ambitious intern at the FBI's paranormal unit, where the usual rules of crime fighting don't apply...
Sloan has a sky-high IQ, a chaotic personal life, and a dream: to work for the FBI. Her goal is within reach until an error lands her with the FBI's ugly stepchild: the new Paranormal Behavioral Analysis Unit. She'll get to profile criminals, but the pool of suspects is a little more...diverse. Yet even as Sloan tackles her first case—a string of victims, all with puncture wounds to the neck—she can't silence her inner para-skeptic.
To catch the killer she'll have to think like one. That means casting aside her doubts, and dealing with the bizarre nightmares that started with the job. But the strangeness is only beginning, as Sloan pieces together the shocking truth about a case that's more personal than she ever would have guessed.

My favorite character:

I like Sloan’s mom. She is such an intricate character with her schizophrenia and her eccentricities. I think she may not be schizophrenic at all.

My thoughts:

This book is a quirky and funny urban fantasy. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. Sometimes the story veered off course and I think Tami wanted it that way. There are a lot of back stories that need to be addressed and I hope she does so in future books. I felt it flowed well for what was written.

I would recommend this to urban fantasy fans who like romantic tension sprinkled throughout. The tension between Sloan, JT, and Gabe is great and at times I found myself rooting for one over the other.

It touches on vampires and explores legends that I wasn’t aware of from other vampire books I read.

I give these quirky tale 5 fairies for the funny moments and the storylines that are waiting to be explored. Those peak my interest and I like books like that.

FIND TAMI DALE AT THE BELOW SITES

WEBSITE:

http://authortamidane.com

FACEBOOK : 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tami-Dane

BLAIR WRIGHT INTERVIEW

BLAIR WRIGHT INTERVIEW

Today I’m pleased to share an interview with Blair Wright. One of the youngest writers I’ve had the pleasure of knowingJ

BUY IT AT AMAZON

Blurb from Amazon.com

Dennis O'Connor is bound by the many laws of science and humanity. Clever, but friendless, young Dennis is very unhappily living in the middle of nowhere, Dunhurst, Georgia, having moved from the big city of New York. One day on the way home from school, Dennis receives a chain and amulet in the shape of an odd-looking sun from a complete stranger. Soon after, Dennis wakes up in the kingdom of Darmatia. At the beginning of each century, the four amulets of the four Elvin Kingdoms materialize in random places throughout the world, and the former Santa Claus' must find the amulets and the predetermined owners. When Dennis accepts the amulet, he set in motion a series of events that catapult him from the life of a 13-year-old freshman to the new and slightly incompetent Santa Claus of Darmatia. Now, he must learn the ways of the Elves by the time of his First Flight, and with the possibility of a great war between the Elves looming around the corner, Dennis might end up wishing he was back in the "middle of nowhere Dunhurst, Georgia."

What inspired you to become a writer??

I found myself asking the question “wouldn’t it be cool if…” a lot when I first started reading. So, I started taking some of the characters from their stories and gave them new ones. Eventually I started to feel constrained and started making my own stories and characters.

What character(s) of your book(s) do you most relate to??

Definitely the main character, Dennis O’Connor, mostly because his personality is completely based on my own and 2 close friends whose personalities are similar to mine. It made writing the book easier because all I’d have to ask myself, “What would Calvin, Nick, or I do right now,” whenever I got stuck.

A lot of the younger people, children, teenagers, could probably relate to him too because he feels like he doesn’t have any control of his life. If your parents want to move, then you move. If your parents want you to play a sport (especially when you are younger) you’ll probably end up doing it. He’s thrown from one reality to another and expected by the adults, and because of his situation, everybody else in the book to adapt (the sooner, the better).

How do you visualize your stories? By dreams? Inner monologue with your characters, dreams, etc.?

I did a lot of daydreaming during school.

What is your writing ritual? Music?? Silence? Meditation?

I have to listen to really loud music to tune out distractions.

What inspired you to write The Sword in the Sun?

It’s kind of a funny story. It was the week before Christmas and I was in 4^th grade. My friend, Calvin was telling me how he was excited for Santa Claus to come and I decided to burst his bubble and tell him Santa isn’t real. My teacher, Ms. Jonap heard me (from the very back of the room) and rushed to the front.

“SANTA IS REAL!”

Her face was SO serious, and she said it with the same amount of honesty that would be reserved for a sentence like, “My name is Amy Jonap and I’m your 4^th grade teacher.” I believed her, however the whole “delivering over a billion present” thing still seemed completely impossible to me. So I spent the rest of that year trying to figure out what the Santa Claus actually does, and I came to the conclusion that the Santa Claus delivers magic, in a sense.

My fifth grade teacher, Ms. Robinson had everyone in class write 1 to 5 page short stories about Christmas that we were going to read in front of the class. I ended up reading this 19 page short story, titled ‘Kid Santa’ to my class. It was about the son of Santa Claus’ first time delivering magic. The people in my class seemed to REALLY like it (which was surprising, because at the point, other than Calvin, I didn’t really have any friends).

Somehow, 25 or so people liking it made me decide that it should be a full length novel, and so from 5^th grade to my junior year of high school ‘Kid Santa’ started to grow and grow (except about the middle of 8^th grade, when I got frustrated and deleted everything and started over) and the rest is almost history.

If you could be a book genre, which one would you choose and why??

A math textbook, because I’m pretty boring! I’m hoping to change that next year when I start college.

What knowledge do you want to share with aspiring authors like myself??

Haha! I’m still trying to figure it out myself, to be honest! Um, I suppose it’d be the generic “see it through till the end” advice. Try your best to add a little bit every day, don’t worry about whether or not it’s good or bad, you can edit later. I just try not to get too frustrated with myself half the time!

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 5 things would you bring and why??

I would bring a dog/cat so that I’d have someone to talk to and/or eat (I’m a pescetarian, but desperate times call for desperate measures!). I’d bring ‘Slumdog Millionare’ on DVD and my laptop so that I can watch it. The last 2 things I’d bring would be two vegetarian burritos from Chipotle.

What other books do you have to write or be written in the horizon??

There are some things that got edited out of the first edition of ‘The Sword in the Sun’ that I want to go back and add in. I also want the 2^nd edition to have another round of edits, there are some copyediting errors in there that I’m not happy about. I’ve also started working on the sequel to ‘The Sword in the Sun.’

If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead? Who would it be and why??

Steven Spielberg, he is my hero (for too many reasons to list).

If you could time travel, what time period would you go to and why??

Anywhere but the future, I watched a really early interview of J.K. Rowling and she was saying how she was excited about the U.S. release of the first Harry Potter book. I spent the entire interview, whispering/thinking/shouting/saying “if only she knew!!”. Imagine whispering/thinking/shouting/saying “if only they knew” literally every minute of every day once you got back to the present!

How do you write your books?? By the seat of your pants? Or is it plotted out in advance??

For ‘The Sword in the Sun’ I’d spend the school day thinking about what I’d think would be cool and then when I got home I’d type out the things I spent the day thinking about. For the sequel I made a plot organizer web, so that there would be a couple more twists. It also makes the writing go by a little faster.

Here is a twist...5 words or less, what comes to your mind first??

Pizza. Toilet. Skittles. Sudan. Oath.

Come say Hi!

Facebook.com/LarryTheBagel

Twitter: @LarryTheBagel

Youtube: LarryTheBagel

77 Shadow Street by Dean R Koontz

77 Shadow Street Review

77 Shadow Street  

By Dean R. koontz

BUY HERE NOW ON AMAZON

This was a loan that I received from our local library.

GoodReads Blurb:

I am the One, the all and the only. I live in the Pendleton as surely as I live everywhere. I am the Pendleton’s history and its destiny. The building is my place of conception, my monument, my killing ground. . . .

The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill at the highest point of an old heartland city, a Gilded Age palace built in the late 1800s as a tycoon’s dream home. Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its rechristening in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. For its fortunate residents—among them a successful songwriter and her young son, a disgraced ex-senator, a widowed attorney, and a driven money manager—the Pendleton’s magnificent quarters are a sanctuary, its dark past all but forgotten.

But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths. With each passing hour, a terrifying certainty grows: Whatever drove the Pendleton’s past occupants to their unspeakable fates is at work again. Soon, all those within its boundaries will be engulfed by a dark tide from which few have escaped.

Dean Koontz transcends all expectations as he takes readers on a gripping journey to a place where nightmare visions become real—and where a group of singular individuals hold the key to humanity’s destiny. Welcome to 77 Shadow Street

My favorite character:

Winnie would have to be my favorite character. He is a kid who ends up finding the strength within to overcome the psychological trauma that occurs in the book and help the autistic girl Iris cope with the terrifying landscape of the future.

My thoughts:

          I’ve always been a fan of Koontz’s work. That being said, I started reading it thinking it would be like his other books but was pleasantly surprised.   He kicked up the psychological horror up a notch and I enjoyed reading this book immensely. As far as the other bad reviews on this book, I would disagree with most of them. Koontz’s glimpse of the future is hair-raising and touches upon Nano-machine technology which is even now in the working stages. It was a brilliant insight in the minds of the people of Pendleton and you learn what people can and will do when they get to their breaking point. You find out the courageous ones and the ones who are the cowards.

I would recommend this book to fans of future apocalypse scenarios, not quite dystopian but enough to keep you turning the pages and leaves you thinking whether it could really happen. It’s also good for the readers who like psychological suspense and horror.

This gets 5 fairies for giving me food for thought and the heart stopping scenes that thrill as well as horrify you.

William Dye Interview-Author of Mungus

Today, I’m welcoming William Dye to my blog for an interview. He is the author of serial novel called Mungus. He is offering one signed hard copy of his novel. Enter the giveaway on the Rafflecopter form below. 

FIND THE BOOKS AT AMAZON

CLICK THE LINKS UNDER THE BOOK COVERS TO TAKE YOU THERE

http://amzn.com/B007TWOG7K

http://amzn.com/B007V6QLW2

http://amzn.com/B007Z90C1G

http://amzn.com/B007ZUU2IS

http://amzn.com/B0082JKNEO

Brief Synopsis presented by author:

Walter Higgins is an eleven-year-old orphan who feels the weight of the world on his shoulders. Both of his parents are deceased, leaving him the only one to take care of his special-needs twin brother, Saul.

Mungus is a green, wild planet out in the Milky Way. Walt and his brother are forced down onto the world with no guidance and no one to make sure that they are safe. Hungry carnivores stalk the jungles in a wild terrain that is unfit for two little boys. Worse than the wild-life are the natives—lean people with sharp teeth and dark intentions. Walt and his twin brother are apprehended by them, put into shackles, and forced live in the barbed wire confines of Glen Taylor’s farm. Big Glen Taylor is the meanest of all the locals. His angry red face and crazed eyes scare even the bravest of men. There are no breaks from the labor as Walt and Saul are forced to work the land, picking cotton from sun up to sun down. With barbed wire fences surrounding the place and hostile guards standing over the prisoners, no one is courageous enough to fight for their freedom. Love for his brother and a promise made on his mother’s deathbed keep Walt going. He sees that Saul is losing weight. When his brother is changing shirts, Walt notices a nasty scar on Saul’s back where he was whipped. He fears the worst. In a desperate move from a boy who feels responsible for everything, Walt rounds up Saul and tries to escape from Glen Taylor’s farm.

William Dye

Hello, my name is William Dye. I’ve written a serial novel called Mungus that follows two orphans in a post-apocalyptic situation in which humans have decided to leave earth. Because of certain legislation, Walter and Saul Higgins are sent down to the dangerous planet Mungus against their will. The serial novel is available on Amazon and part six will be released on May 21!

Did you always want to be a writer? If so, what medium did you start with? Poetry, Short Stories, Novellas, Novels??

I didn’t always want to be a writer, but I did always want to entertain people. It wasn’t until I was about 16 that I decided I wanted to be a writer. I started with novels, and that’s the form that I enjoy the most. I wrote my first one, Arkadelphia, when I was seventeen. Since then, I’ve completed four and see no end in sight. I think that this will be a lifelong passion.

What was the inspiration for your book series, Mungus?

The inspiration came from my own desire to create a new world. Writing in contemporary times has certain limitations. I really admired what J.K. Rowling did when creating Harry Potter; she created a unique universe where her creativity wasn’t bound to reality. In a similar way, I created Mungus where I could invent my own social rules, characters, and where the plot line was only limited by my own imagination.

Who is your favorite author??

Stephen King. I can’t read enough of his works. I love that when I pick up his books I can expect a well of creativity so that I never know what to expect.

 What is your favorite genre to read and why?

I love to read young adult. I feel as though that genre puts out some of the best work as far as creativity goes.

Do you prefer to be indie published, self-published, or traditional published?? Why?

I would prefer to traditionally published, but I haven’t had any offers. I would love to have the opportunity to only focus on writing.

Did you ever experience a major life changing event that impacted your writing?

I consider obtaining positive reviews on Amazon as a major life event. It really gave me a lot of confidence in my talents.

If the world was on the edge of extinction, how would you survive??

Create a spaceship and travel to Mungus. I already know all about it, what to avoid, what to eat. That would be pretty simple.

What advice would you give to other aspiring writers like myself??

I think that reading a lot is the most important thing that you can do. If you’re well read, you can build a storehouse of what you like, what’s good, and what’s bad.

What other projects do you have on the horizon??

Well, I have two completed novels that I’m preparing to publish on Amazon. One is called Arkadelphia, my first novel that I’ve ever written. It’s a horror novel set in Arkadelphia concerning two teenagers who work on a tree farm. Another novel that will be released soon on Amazon that I have completed is called The Neighborhood. This one is, like Mungus, a post-apocalyptic novel. The story takes place on earth eight years after The Great Disaster. The novel follows Josie, a seventeen year old girl who an odd society wants to be a princess.

Tell us about 5 books that changed your life in some way??

The Road-Cormac McCarthy—this novel has the most beautiful imagery.

Harry Potter- Such a great series.

The Stand-Stephen King—I learned a lot about characterization from this novel

Under the Dome by Stephen King—this novel was written after so many thought King was past his prime. He came back and wrote a great novel! Inspiring!

The Giver—Just a great YA novel.

If you could time travel, what time period would you go to and why??

1960’s. I’m reading 11/22/63 right now and I’m very intrigued.

And a fun one, what would you do if there was a zombie apocalypse?

Find a makeup artist to paint me like a zombie, knock some of my teeth out, and try to fit in. If you can’t beat them, join them.

FIND WILLIAM DYE ON AMAZON

http://www.amazon.com/WilliamDye/e/B0081C8IEO/

Thanks for joining me and being a part of my blog!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FREE PAR-TAY MAY 7TH THROUGH MAY 9TH

***USED WITH PERMISSION FOR THIS PROMO***

Announcing

Spring Fling Free Par-Tay

May 7^th – 9th!

Celebrate the coming of Spring!!!

What can be better than great books at a great price?

How about Dozens of Great books that are FREE!

THREE DAYS ONLY

May 7^th – 9th

Romances from sweet to HOT, Thrillers, Mysteries, Zombies and more!

All FREE at Amazon.com

Fantastic ebooks, many by award-winning and best-selling authors.

Let's Par-Tay!

Welcome to  Spring Fling Free Par-Tay,

A party for readers!

Go to our website to see all the great books and sign up to win a FREE Kindle!

www.freepartay.com

 

Guest Post from Author Shaunda Kennedy Wenger (+ HUGE giveaway!)

Five Reasons that make Indie Authors a Good Catch (or at least, a good pie)

1.     20/20 Hindsight (flipped for a little 20/20 foresight

First, Indie Musicians. Next, Indie Filmmakers. Now, Indie Authors. Don’t miss out on what everyone is eating up!

2.       Price. Indie Authors don’t have a slew of middlemen lining up on payday wanting their piece of the pie. What does that mean for YOU? More pie. (Who doesn’t like pie?)

3.       Diversity. Banana crème. Lemon meringue. Chocolate pecan. There are plenty of pies (I mean, books) to choose from.

4.       Supporting grassroots economy. When readers buy from an Indie Artist, that receipt helps to directly support that artisan. Meals may be put on a table, little league fees may be paid, costs for publishing may be recovered, or another unique PIE may be made. Cool!

5.       Driving the trends. Taking part in an emerging trend can be personally rewarding and satisfying. Indie Authors represent the next group of brave pioneers, who are stepping into an arena that hasn’t yet been charted. Readers who take stride alongside them can be a part of a new era, where they can share their OWN discoveries of their favorite Indie Author Heroes. (Anyone who bakes good pie = #HERO.)

6.       I know! I’m one over! But I couldn’t let you go without rewarding you for reading this far. After all, there’s a Load of FREE GIVEAWAYS to talk about! A party, a.k.a., Spring Fling! May 7-9 at www.freepartay.com. Go on! You’re invited! All sorts of PIES will be served. Come hungry.

Shaunda usually blogs about writing, her books, and toodles-and-tidbits of other stuff at www.shaundawenger.blogspot.com (Yes, toodles is a word, because Indie Authors can do that.) Feel free to visit her there, but not before visiting www.freepartay.com first!