Book Blast For The Howling Heart by April Bostic

Friday, August 30, 2013


Hello Everyone! I hope that you're all having a wonderful day today. I'm so glad to welcome April Bostic, author of The Howling Heart, to Emeraldfire's Bookmark. Ms. Bostic is currently on her first Book Blast tour with Pump up Your Book lasting through most of the month of August. This is also my third Book Blast post ever (I'm really getting into the swing of things, now! :)), but I still hope that I do The Howling Heart by April Bostic justice. 

Ms. Bostic is also doing an awesome giveaway - she is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card/Paypal Cash to one lucky winner at the end of her Book Blast. Be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form below, and I wish you all the very best of good luck in taking part!

About The Howling Heart

 
Paige Donovan is an ambitious college graduate who aspires to reach the top of the corporate ladder. She’s climbing fast when given the promotion of a lifetime at a prestigious fashion magazine in New York City. Her bright future comes to an unexpected halt after news of her father’s death. She inherits his old cabin in the Colorado Rockies and just when she thinks her luck couldn’t get any worse, she has a car accident in the mountains and awakens in the small, remote community of Black River.

Soon she’s engulfed in the mystical world of Varulv—wolves descended from 12th century Scandinavia and blessed by Norse gods with the ability to appear human. Paige is desperate to return home, but never expects to fall for her rescuer, Riley Gray, a charming young werewolf from England who offers her an alternate future with his pack. Now she must choose between the career she’s always wanted and the love she’s always dreamed.

Purchase Your Copy From Amazon!

About April Bostic

April Bostic is a New Jersey-based romance author who enjoys unleashing her creativity and letting her imagination run wild. Her love of romance books inspired her to become not just a reader, but also a writer. In December 2008, she self-published her first novel, a contemporary romance with a supernatural twist entitled A Rose to the Fallen. Her first short story, Right Here, Right Now, released in January 2012 is an erotic romance with a dash of S&M.

The following year, she released two more short stories: a romantic urban fantasy inspired by the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche entitled Eros, My Love, and a sexy romantic comedy entitled Love Addiction. After five years, she released her second novel The Howling Heart, a paranormal romance that delves into the mystical world of werewolves and Norse gods.

Visit her website at www.AprilBostic.com.

April Bostic and 'Pump Up Your Book' is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card/Paypal Cash!

Terms and Conditions: 
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive $25 Amazon Gift Certificate or Paypal Cash.
  • This giveaway begins August 5 and ends August 30.
  • Winner will be contacted via email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. EST August 30 2013.
  • Winner has 24 hours to reply.
  • Each blogger who participates in this promotion is eligible to win.
  • Visit each “stop” daily for more entries.
If you would like to participate in this cover reveal, email Dorothy at thewriterslife (at) gmail.com. What a great way to not only win this fabulous prize, but to gain followers and comments for your blog, too! Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!


May you read well and often

Stephen Hayes, Author of The Magic Crystals Series Chats About the Inspiration Behind the Books

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

 Meet Stephen Hayes

Stephen Hayes lives and writes in Melbourne, Australia. Having been born partially blind in 1986 and lost his limited vision in 2000, he started writing stories at the age of eight, winning the Harold Dickinson Memorial Australian Literary Competition for a short story about a haunted house at the age of eleven. He completed his first novella in Braille at fourteen and by sixteen, had completed the first draft of The Seventh Sorcerer.

Since 2002, Stephen has allowed his imagination to run wild with The Magic Crystals saga; sometimes pushing boundaries that today’s somewhat moral society deem to sweep under the carpet. Although classified as fantasy genre due mainly to the prominent magic component, Stephen’s writing also includes a good balance of drama, mystery, romance, humour, and he isn’t afraid to address controversial moral issues.

His latest books are The Seventh Sorcerer and Rock Haulter from The Magic Crystals Series.

Visit his website at www.themagiccrystals.com.

Synopsis from Goodreads:  On the surface, Chopville appears not unlike any other small town in rural Australia. However, its underbelly is more than extraordinary.

Amongst its modest community reside six people from two very different families – they make up the six most powerful people in the world today. Branded as "Sorcerers", they are the only six people in the world with true magical power. Yet these two families do not cooperate together and although there is no open fighting in the year 2010, things weren't always that peaceful.

John Playman knows this as well as anyone; at the age of 14, he is familiar with the concept of magic, having been raised in a family heavily involved in the magical war 30 years earlier, even though he has never met any of the Sorcerers himself. This year, however, all that is about to change; John and a group of his school friends will find themselves in an unprecedented situation and carrying a responsibility almost too great to comprehend.

Chopville sets the scene for summer fun jumping off bridges and getting ready to begin another year with the dreaded Mr. Hall giving them all hell.

John and his cohorts struggle on two fronts with their hormones raging and with the discovery of whom among them is to become the Seventh Sorcerer.

Coming to Amazon and Barnes and Noble on 3 February 2013!

Synopsis from Goodreads: In the wake of their miraculous victory over the dastardly Moran, the teenagers of Chopville think they can now relax and enjoy a few days in the sun before attending a simple school camp. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The original villain is back, only this time he is on a different mission, taking orders from the evil and cunning Hammerson Sorcerers, and his path will intersect those of John Playman and his friends on Rock Haulter.

A desperate race must ensue, Moran and the powers of the Hammersons against the Chopville teens. The prize will be the most powerful of all the Magic Crystals and a control over the balance of life, but such extraordinary power is heavily protected. There is no guarantee that all will live to see the end.

The danger faced this week will be greater than anything faced in The Seventh Sorcerer, but that won't stop the teens from having a good time, as only teenagers can. There is to be no shortage of jumping off bridges, feuding with teachers and clashing with their young rivals in this book, but beneath all that, a far more serious situation is simmering.

It is only those closest to the Sorcerers who understand how delicate the peace between the Woodwards and Hammersons is, and how quickly that could change.

Coming to Amazon and Barnes and Noble on 3 February 2013!

I would like to welcome Stephen Hayes, author of The Magic Crystals Series to Emeraldfire's Bookmark. Mr. Hayes was kind enough to write a guest post for me and here it is below in his own words: 

'The Story Behind The Magic Crystals Series'
by Stephen Hayes

The simple and rather dull truth was that the original reason why The Seventh Sorcerer (and therefore the entire Magic Crystals series) came about was because I had a Saturday night in which I needed to do something, and nothing but a brailler and about twenty sheets of braille paper to do it with.

Within a month of that night, I had written the first two books in that original series (each about twenty thousand words), and would eventually go on to write three more in the following two years.

The story was pointless, serving no purpose to entertain me and my sister, as it was based on the games we played as children, and yet it was good enough for me to want to re-write it, on my computer this time, in a way that I could perhaps share with other people—a way that would allow me to thicken the plot and close those holes which the first draft had left open. And so over the summer of 2002-2003, The Seventh Sorcerer began.

I have said elsewhere that the theme of The Magic Crystals is power, but while that is true, it wasn’t the original theme. In fact, far from power, the first six chapters of The Seventh Sorcerer centered around youth. Being only sixteen at the time, it was the sort of writing that came naturally to me, even if much of it had to be cleaned up or removed before publication.

Not only did the writing quickly become my favorite hobby, but as I was going through a difficult period of my life at the time, it also became therapeutically for me to step outside myself and into the lives of my characters, who despite having plenty of troubles of their own (the story would be rather boring if they didn’t), seemed preferable to my own.

I finished the first draft of The Seventh Sorcerer in June 2003, and from then until its publication in 2013, altered it so many times that probably less than half of the original text remains to this day. I would not have considered publishing it at all except that The Magic Crystals, the story which grew from the first book in the series, became one that had much more meaning than I had anticipated, and is now a story that many besides myself can enjoy.

Stephen Hayes, author of The Magic Crystals Series
You can visit Stephen's website at www.themagiccrystals.com.

May you read well and often

Marcia Lynn McClure - Midnight Masquerade

29. Midnight Masquerade by Marcia Lynn McClure (2013)
Length: 175 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Started: 25 August 2013
Finished: 28 August 2013
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Kathy at I am a Reader, Not a Writer for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 4 August 2013
Why do I have it? I like paranormal romance in the form of fairy tales and Marcia Lynn McClure is a new author for me.

She was tired - oh so very, very tired. Never - not in her entire life - had Evony Elorrietta ever known such total, draining fatigue. Forced into hiding when her aunt, Queen Raina and her mother, Queen Charmaine mysteriously disappear within a week of each other, Evony spirits herself, her brother and her sister away to safety somewhere within her Aunt Raina's kingdom. Under the alias of Edith, the lovely princess has found work as a seamstress for a truly odious and abusive woman, in the hopes that she will somehow discover what has happened to the missing twin queens of the realms of Abawyth and Elawyth.

Several months later, Raina's daughters - six sets of twins - become victims to an incredibly strange malady that proves almost incurable. Night after night, the princesses inexplicably disappear, only to return by dawn, completely exhausted and with only vague memories of what has transpired the night before. The call goes out to the surrounding kingdoms that a champion is needed to rescue the 'Sleepy Princesses of Abawyth' - with the promise that whomever successfully vanquishes the spell, will have one of the princesses' hands in marriage. Many gallant princes have tried, and all have failed in the quest...

Stavos Varonin was not as blind as so many nobles and royals. From the moment he saw the pretty young maid dash across the street - directly into his horse's path - he suspected something about her. The young woman's physical gestures - even the simplest movements of her hands - revealed that the damsel who called herself Edith had not always been destitute. The same was true of the children - of their polished manners and the boy's knowledge of horses; his tendency to be bold and fearless of strangers.

Ah yes, Stavos enjoyed a good mystery. After all, interest in the inexplicable circumstances surrounding the royals of Abawyth was the very thing that had lured him to the kingdom - the enigma of the twelve sleepy princesses of Abawyth. And yet now - now his mind was all the more intrigued. Not only was the obscurity of what caused the profound and baffling drowsiness of Abawyth's princesses laid out before him, but he also found his curiosity piqued over the riddle surrounding the very lovely Evony and her siblings.

As Stavos traveled through the village resting on the outskirts of Abawyth Castle, his mind reeled with possibilities. His musings were drawn back to why he had come to Abawyth in the first place - to solve the conundrum surrounding the twelve beautiful princesses of Abawyth kingdom; to solve the seemingly impenetrable puzzle, thereby winning the hand of one of Abawyth's princesses, as his father, King Letholdus of Ethiarien, had commanded.

I absolutely loved this book! I do enjoy reading fairy tale retellings, and this was no exception. I have heard of the fairy tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses - which is the fairy tale that Midnight Masquerade by Marcia Lynn McClure is based on. While I vaguely remember the plot of it, I couldn't actually tell you the version that I read as a child, if I've ever read one before.

I will say that as a child, I watched 'HBO's Fairytale Theatre' or 'HBO's Storyteller's Theatre' - something like that - which was a children's program that I watched every Saturday morning. I may have seen an episode based on The Twelve Dancing Princesses, then. Anyway, I definitely will give Midnight Masquerade by Marcia Lynn McClure an A+! and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.      

A+! - (96-100%)

May you read well and often

Emma Right - Keeper of Reign

Saturday, August 24, 2013

28. Keeper of Reign by Emma Right (2013)
The Reign Chronicles Book 1
Length: 192 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Started: 20 August 2013
Finished: 24 August 2013
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Tracee at Pump up Your Book and Emma Right for sending me a copy of the book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 June 2013
Why do I have it? I like fantasy and Emma Right is a new author for me.

For sixteen-year-old Jules Blaze - the oldest in a family of five - life has been tough. His father Jon, is a General who is away fighting to protect the Kingdom of Reign from invasion by an aggressive neighboring tribe called the Handoverans. Jules cares for his mother and four younger siblings, and hopes that his father will return home safely.

As a child, Jules had listened with rapt attention to his Grandpa Leroy's many tales and legends of the Keepers of Reign. His stories were about their people - an ancient and regal race known as Elfies - a blend between elves and fairies. Leroy told of tomes written in blood; many of them lost throughout time, their Keepers with them. Eons ago, a curse befell the Elfies and the Kingdom of Reign became a realm without a king.

Life couldn't get more harrowing for the Elfies; or could it? Danger is brewing throughout Reign - the evil King Gehzurolle of Euruliaf, and his army of Scorpents are intent on invading the Kingdom of Reign and ultimately Gehzurolle wants to destroy the Elfies. Already, Gehzurolle's minions Whisperer and Rage, are secreted in Reign, ready to do their master's bidding.

But for Jules his nightmares have only just begun. First off, he has no idea where his father is, as his mother hasn't received any communication from him in months; then his grandparents, Leroy and Bonnie mysteriously disappear, and Jules' Keeper mother soon follows suit. Now Jules has to make sure his four siblings stay safe. And alive. Especially since Jules and his family have inadvertently inspired the scrutiny of Gehzurolle. But why?

In Jules' quest to find answers, to locate his missing family members, and the Ancient Books of the Keepers as well, he loses control of his situations, faces multiple dilemmas while trying to save his family, and his kingdom, and uncovers a family secret that could either save them, or kill them all.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I do like any type of fantasy that features harrowing danger, but that also teaches perseverance through life's challenges and difficulties. I give this book an A+! and will certainly be looking for more books by Emma Right in the future.

A+! - (96-100%)
 
May you read well and often

Our Library Visit For August

Thursday, August 22, 2013

 Hello Everyone! How are you on this fine Thursday? I'm doing just fine. :) Today is my mom's birthday, and in honor of that we decided to go to our local library and then brought home two bagel sandwiches and a box of donuts from Dunkin' Doughnuts for lunch.  We came away with three overflowing bags of books - pretty good, considering the last time we went to the library was only two months ago, in June. :) Surprisingly, both my mom and I seem to have gone to the library every two months this year! :)

We had a wonderful time together - as we always do! It has become something of a birthday tradition for me - and apparently now for mom as well. We spent about an hour and a half at the library - from about 11:30 A. M. to 1 P. M.

Between us, we bought 12 hardcovers, 27 paperbacks as well as 2 oversized paperbacks. We spent a whopping $30 for a total of 41 books. A pretty good haul, if I do say so, myself. :)

At the moment, I'm reading If It's Broken, Don't Fix It: A Candid Look at Our Complacent Education System by Sinhue Noriega, which is quite interesting reading, so far. At page 128, I'm deep into Chapter 6 and should be finished reading the book very soon. I'm also reading Keeper of Reign by Emma Right - a young adult fantasy that I hope to be finished reading as well. I'm planning to put up a review of Keeper of Reign by tomorrow.

May you read well and often

Book Blast For Be Careful What You Wish For by R. K. Avery

Tuesday, August 20, 2013


Hello Everyone! I hope that you're all having a wonderful day today. I'm so glad to welcome R. K. Avery, author of Be Careful What You Wish For, to Emeraldfire's Bookmark. Ms. Avery is currently on her first Book Blast lasting through most of the month of August. This is also my second Book Blast post ever, so I hope that I do Be Careful What You Wish For by R. K. Avery justice. 

Ms. Avery is also doing an awesome giveaway - she is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card/Paypal Cash and One Signed Paperback Copy of Be Careful What You Wish For to one lucky winner at the end of her Book Blast. Be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form below, and I wish you all the very best of good luck in taking part!

About Be Careful What You Wish For:


Bunting Valley, North Dakota - a scenic and picturesque town where nothing dreadful ever happens - is a place where people feel safe leaving their front doors unlocked and their cars running in the driveways. So when beautiful, blue-eyed, three-year-old Maggie Taylor mysteriously vanishes, the Bunting Valley Police Department begins a kidnapping investigation that uncovers unthinkable crimes spanning many years - not only in Bunting Valley, but also in surrounding states and jurisdictions.

Bea Miller is a penniless widow, living a meager existence among the town’s residents with her four young, rambunctious boys. Her entire life she wished and dreamed of having a little girl of her own. When everything she did to have one of her own failed, Bea takes matters into her own hands and lives by the chilling words of her estranged father, “If you want something, take it.”

She and the boys visit a local beach and find the little girl of her dreams. She snatches the girl and they disappear in seconds, only to leave the parents bewildered and devastated.

Through the handwritten journals of Bea Miller, she takes you on a journey into the deranged mind of an individual who believes you can make your own wishes come true—at any expense; and sadly, also at the expense of others.

Purchase Your Copy:


About R. K. Avery:


As a recent graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature, R. K. Avery has written numerous, unpublished, children’s picture books, but her true passion is writing adult fiction.

“Having the ability to make people laugh or cry, just by using the written language, is a gift so powerful and I hope, one day, my name will be among those who possess it” ~ R.K. Avery

Be Careful What You Wish For is a psychological thriller. She calls it “works of fiction with truth sprinkled throughout” and is available for sale in both e-Book and paperback or wherever fine books are sold. Having been kidnapped from a beach as a small child, she has pondered time and time again what her life may have been like if her story didn’t have a happy ending. Now she wrote her own ending.

R. K. Avery lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, two kids, and four dogs. She often jokes instead of a sign that says, “Don’t let the dogs out,” she has a sign that says, “Don’t let any more dogs in.”

Visit her website at www.rkaverybooks.com.

Connect and Socialize with R.K.!


R.K. Avery and Pump Up Your Book is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card/Paypal Cash and a signed paperback copy of R.K.’s book!

Terms and Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive $25 Amazon Gift Certificate or Paypal Cash and a paperback copy of R.K. Avery’s book, Be Careful What You Wish For.
  • This giveaway begins August 5 and ends August 30.
  • Winner will be contacted via email on Monday, September 2, 2013.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
  • Each blogger who participates in this promotion is eligible to win.
  • Visit each “stop” daily for more entries!
ENTER TO WIN!



May you read well and often

Virginia Henley - The Marriage Prize

27. The Marriage Prize by Virginia Henley (2000)
The Medieval Plantagenet Series Book 3
Length: 326 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Started: 11 June 2013
Finished: 20 August 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2013
Why do I have it? I like historical romance and Virginia Henley is a new author for me.

Orphaned at a young age, Rosamond Marshal is the royal ward of Eleanor de Montfort - sister of King Henry III and wife of the renowned warlord Simon de Montfort. Under the worldly countess' wise tutelage, Rosamond learns not only the skills of a chatelaine, but also how to wield her feminine power by dressing exquisitely, conversing wittily, and charming men relentlessly. As the beautiful heiress approaches young womanhood, she is fearful of leaving the security of the de Montfort household and fulfilling her betrothal to the dark, imposing bachelor knight Rodger de Leyburn.

Just as Rodger de Leyburn devilishly outmaneuvers Rosamond's various strategic attempts to break their betrothal, so do her numerous entreaties to Prince Edward to forestall her marriage fall on deaf ears. For Rosamond Marshal is truly a marriage prize and the prince is determined to reward Rodger, his dearest friend, with a wealthy, noble wife. Wary of love, Rosamond is unsettled by Rodger's powerful presence, and she is convinced that Rodger's insistent pursuit of her is for her wealth alone.

Slowly and patiently Rodger woos Rosamond, convincing her that his love for her extends beyond her estates and her wealth. No sooner does Rosamond become Rodger's wife and begins to entrust her heart to him, than she finds herself and her husband on opposite sides of a bloody civil war. For Rodger is fighting alongside Prince Edward and the king to quell the barons' rebellion, led by none other than Rosamond's beloved guardian, Simon de Montfort. So, as civil war erupts around them, and Rodger is called to battle, Rosamond faces the ultimate test of loyalty and choices - between the man who stormed her reluctant heart, and the family who raised her as their own...

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I haven't read any of Virginia Henley's books before, although I may have several of her books hidden away on my bookshelf. This book is actually the third in a trilogy - the first two being The Falcon and the Flower written in 1989; and The Dragon and the Jewel written in 1991.

I usually love reading historical romances; primarily medieval and regency romances. And while I don't consider myself a stickler for historical accuracy, I do appreciate reading well-researched historical romances. I give The Marriage Prize by Virginia Henley an A+! and will certainly be looking for more books by this author to read in the future.

A+! - (96-100%)

May you read well and often

Introducing Sworn to Transfer by Terah Edun!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Meet Terah Edun

Terah Edun's latest YA Fantasy novel, Sworn to Transfer, will be released on September 20, 2013. Her next projects include a new YA Fantasy novel with a girl determined to change the odds on the streets of the city she knows best - Sandrin. 

 Sworn to Raise by Terah Edun (2013)
Length: 275 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon

Sworn to Raise Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Ciardis has grown up in poverty, a cleaner in a small vale on the outskirts of the empire. But beneath her empire's seemingly idyllic surface lies a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing ever louder--intensified by the five year anniversary of the soulbond initiations.

Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds herself chosen to train for the Companions Guild. She leaves her home and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A position she'd never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron.

But she must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to bring him down.

This sensational series debut melds intricate storylines with remarkable characters and unforgettable magic. Sworn to Raise is ideal for fans of Kristin Cashore, Michelle Sagara, and Maria Snyder.
 

 Sworn to Transfer by Terah Edun (2013)
Length: 275 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon! - Release Day Sale: $2.99 for a Limited Time

 Sworn to Transfer Blurb: 

Eighteen-year-old companion trainee Ciardis Weathervane has won the friendship of the royal heir and saved his claim to the throne. Yet her interference in the inheritance rights leaves more harm done than good. The Ameles Forest lies unprotected and it's inhabitants are dying.

As humans begin to die in gruesome deaths, the Emperor dispatches the royal heir to the forests with the solution to the kith concerns.

With enemies closing ranks in Sandrin, Ciardis can little afford to leave the city's nest of vipers to take on a new task. But she's given no choice when her loyalty to the crown and courts are called into question.

To keep the Companions' Guild happy and the favor of the Imperial Court, Ciardis will be tested in frightening new ways, especially when she's faced with an obstacle that could risk the lives of her friends and the family she never thought she had.

This second novel continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Raise.

Courtlight Series:
Book 1: Sworn to Raise
Book 2: Sworn to Transfer


About the Courtlight Series:

It’s a series of full length novels focusing on a young woman’s fight to rise from poverty to elegance. Each book is a clean, teen read with lots of magic and a hint of romance. If you’ve enjoyed books such as the Graceling Series and the Grey Wolf Throne Series then you’ll love this series.



a Rafflecopter giveaway


May you read well and often

Book Blast For Midnight Masquerade by Marcia Lynn McClure

Wednesday, August 14, 2013


Hello Everyone! I hope that you're all having a wonderful day today. I'm so glad to welcome Marcia Lynn McClure, author of Midnight Masquerade, to Emeraldfire's Bookmark. Ms. McClure is currently on her first Book Blast lasting through most of the month of August. This is also my first Book Blast post ever, so I hope that I do Midnight Masquerade by Marcia Lynn McClure justice.

Ms. McClure is also doing an awesome giveaway - she is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash to one lucky winner at the end of her Book Blast. Be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form below, and I wish you all the very best of good luck in taking part!

About Midnight Masquerade:


Stavos Voronin was not as blind-eyed as many nobles and royals. Evony’s physical gestures—even the simplest movement of her hands—revealed that she had not always been destitute. The same was true of the children—of their polished manners and the boy’s knowledge of horses and tendency to be bold and fearless of strangers.

Ah yes, Stavos enjoyed a good mystery. After all, interest in the inexplicable circumstances surrounding the royals of Abawyth was the very thing that had lured him to the kingdom—the enigma of Abawyth’s twelve sleepy princesses. And yet now—now his mind was all the more intrigued. Not only was the obscurity of what had caused the profound and baffling torpidity of Abawyth’s princesses laid out before him, but also he found his curiosity intensely piqued over the riddle surrounding the very lovely Evony and her siblings.

As Stavos strode through the village resting on the outskirts of Abawyth Castle, his mind reeled with possibilities. His musings were drawn back to why he had come to Abawyth at all—to solve the conundrum surrounding the twelve beautiful princesses of Abawyth kingdom—to solve the seemingly impenetrable crux and thereby win the hand of one of Abawyth’s princesses, as his father, King Letholdus of Ethiarien, had commanded.

Purchase Your Copy:

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Kindle

About Marcia Lynn McClure:



Marcia Lynn McClure’s intoxicating succession of novels, novellas, and e-books, has established her as one of the most favored and engaging authors of true romance. Her unprecedented forte in weaving captivating stories of western, medieval, regency, and contemporary amour void of brusque intimacy has earned her the title “The Queen of Kissing.”

Marcia, who was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has spent her life intrigued with people, history, love, and romance. A wife, mother, grandmother, family historian, poet, and author, Marcia Lynn McClure spins her tales of splendor for the sake of offering respite through the beauty, mirth, and delight of a worthwhile and wonderful story.

Marcia Lynn McClure & I am a Reader, Not a Writer is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash!

Book Blast Giveaway Ends September 13, 2013.

ENTER TO WIN!

May you read well and often

Michael J. Bowler, Author of Children of the Knight, Talks About the Legend of Arthur's Camelot and Its Relevance to 21st Century America

Monday, August 12, 2013

Meet Michael J. Bowler

Michael Bowler is an award-winning author who grew up in San Rafael, California.

He majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University and earned a master’s in film production and a second master’s in Special Education. He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several films, most notably “Fatal Images,” “Dead Girls,” “Hell Spa” (later re-edited and titled “Club Dead”), “Things” and “Things II.”

A Boy and His Dragon, published in 2011, is an urban fantasy about a lonely boy in 1970 who discovers both a living dragon and his own true nature, a nature that makes him the most dangerous boy on earth.

A Matter of Time, a Silver Award winner from Reader’s Favorite, was published in 2012. It is a real-world-grounded story of an almost impossible loop in time that leads to undying love and unforgettable heartache.

He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to seven different boys over 29 years with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles for 28 years. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California, something that is sorely lacking in this state.

Children of the Knight, his most current novel, is likely to be controversial in its themes and conclusions. Those children society tends to reject or ignore or abuse or marginalize, who come in all shapes and sizes – black and white and brown and Asian and Pacific Islander and gang affiliated and gay and straight and those who are confused about their sexuality – are the subject of this book, and the story depicts an adult society that tells these kids, in various ways, that they are of no real value.

You can visit Michael’s website at www.michaeljbowler.com.

Synopsis from Shelfari: According to legend, King Arthur is supposed to return when Britain needs him most. So why does a man claiming to be the once and future king suddenly appear in Los Angeles?

This charismatic young Arthur creates a new Camelot within the City of Angels to lead a crusade of unwanted kids against an adult society that discards and ignores them. Under his banner of equality, every needy child is welcome, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, or gang affiliation.

With the help of his amazing First Knight, homeless fourteen-year-old Lance, Arthur transforms this ragtag band of rejected children and teens into a well-trained army—the Children of the Knight. Through his intervention, they win the hearts and minds of the populace at large, and gain a truer understanding of themselves and their worth to society. But seeking more rights for kids pits Arthur and the children squarely against the rich, the influential, and the self-satisfied politicians who want nothing more than to maintain the status quo.

Can
right truly overcome might? Arthur’s hopeful young knights are about to find out, and the City of Angels will never be the same.

Coming to Amazon 

on 20 June 2013!

I would like to welcome Michael J. Bowler, author of Children of the Knight to Emeraldfire's Bookmark. Mr. Bowler was kind enough to write a guest post for me and here it is below in his own words:

'Arthur's Camelot and Its Relevance to 21st Century America'
by Michael J. Bowler

The story of King Arthur and his Round Table of knights has great relevance to modern America in the 21st Century, especially within the context of my new novel, Children of the Knight.

First of all, the Britain of Arthur’s time was a fractured, divisive land with disparate groups of peoples like the Gauls, the Gales, the Normans and others vying for power and prestige. In America today, many in the public sector make their livelihood and base their political survival on pitting this group against that group or this race against that one and they never allow for real unity because with unity might come an end to said public person’s career and funding base. In simpler terms, divisiveness is profitable.

When Arthur became High King of Britain his first order of business was to unite all the distinct groups warring against him and each other, which he eventually did through numerous costly battles. However, once done, he had to keep the peace, so as he tells young Lance in Children of the Knight, “I gave them all a purpose in life other than hating one another.” He brings that same purpose to the warring gangs and unrelated street kids he recruits as his new Round Table in the newly released novel.

America of today has systematically failed her children in every area of life, from education to criminal justice to media influences. The one-size-must-fit-all-or-you-can-get-out approach to modern public education is disgusting and antithetical to human nature. Since we can never all be the same, what happens to those kids who just don’t “fit” that one size? They drop out, join gangs or crews, do drugs, make babies they can’t take care of, and engage in all manner of anti-social behaviors they have learned from adults.And what about the war adults have waged against gay youth with their preposterous notion that these kids willingly made a choice to love someone of the same gender and thus willingly chose the hate, mockery, bullying, and marginalization that go with being gay in America today. Let’s face it, there are a lot of stupid, selfish people in this country, and kids are paying the price.

In my book, Arthur returns from Avalon and finds all of this discarded and wasted “might” at his disposal, kids no one else wants, most of them boys with a lot of potential energy within them for good or ill. There are a lot of homeless girls on the streets, as well, but most gangs are male-dominated because of the sense of empowerment these usually poor, ethnic, marginalized kids desperately seek. Before Arthur, all the combined might of these gangs and street youth has been directed toward the detriment of society because that’s all they’ve been taught by the adult world that raised them. They make war on each other and on the innocent. But Arthur comes along and teaches them discipline through mastery of swordplay and archery, and he convinces them, as he convinced the various factions all those centuries ago in Britain, to put aside their own petty rivalries and use their collected might for right in order to finally gain the power they had previously sought through violence and mayhem.

Arthur’s objective is to win the approval and support of the voting public and use that support to take on the feckless, self-absorbed politicians who run Los Angeles. From LA the crusade will then move on to all of California and then to the country as a whole. Its ultimate goal: restoration of the right of children to be children, and human beings,and not the mere property of adults. Will he succeed? You have to read the book to find out.

Oh, and why did Arthur come to America rather than Britain? Since his purpose is to save childhood it is also, by extension, to save this most promising child of Britain from itself. After all, a country that fails its children is ultimately doomed to assume a well-earned place on the scrap heap of history.

Michael J. Bowler, author of Children of the Knight 
You can visit Michael’s website at www.michaeljbowler.com.

May you read well and often

Introducing Keeper of Reign by Emma Right!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Meet Emma Right 

Emma Right is a happy wife and homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific West Coast of the USA. Besides running a busy home, and looking after their five pets, which includes two cats, two bunnies and a Long-haired dachshund, she also writes stories for her children. When she doesn’t have her nose in a book, she is telling her kids to get theirs in one. Right worked as a copywriter for two major advertising agencies and won several awards, including the prestigious Clio Award for her ads, before she settled down to have children.

Visit Emma Right at her home site and blog for tips and ideas about books, homeschooling, bible devotions, and author helps of various sorts: www.emmaright.com and follow her on facebook emma.right.author or her fanpage on facebook.com/keeperofreign

Keeper of Reign by Emma Right (2013)
Length: 340 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Keeper of Reign Blurb:

Sixteen year old Jules Blaze, heir of a Keeper, suspects his family hides a forgotten secret. It's bad enough that his people, the Elfies of Reign, triggered a curse which reduced the entire inhabitants to a mere inch centuries ago. All because of one Keeper who failed his purpose. Even the King's Books, penned with the Majesty's own blood, did not help ward off this anathema. 

Now, Gehzurolle, the evil lord, and his armies of Scorpents, seem bent on destroying Jules and his family. Why? Gehzurolle's agents hunt for Jules as he journeys into enemy land to find the truth. Truth that could save him and his family, and possibly even reverse the age-long curse. Provided Jules doesn't get himself killed first.

May you read well and often

Introducing Deviltry Afoot by Carol Pritt!

Friday, August 9, 2013

Meet Carol Pritt

Carol Pritt lives in the northeast Ohio. She has a large family and enjoys reading, writing, spending time her family and pet.

She has a Associate Degree in Pre-Professional Journalism and a Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from Lorain County Community College.

Deviltry Afoot is her first book.

You can visit Carol Pritt’s website at deviltryafoot.com


Deviltry Afoot by Carol Pritt (2013)
Length: 206 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Deviltry Afoot Blurb:

A mother’s love is a powerful force of nature.

Tina’s daughter is savagely murdered. Tina comes to know the police won’t be able to solve the crime because the answers are to be found in the supernatural realm and sets out determined to find answers herself.

Donald chose evil when he was a living being. Brought back to spirit he continues spreading terror.

As Tina explores, others come to know that something outside the norm is at work in Pendale.

Will the power of love bring light overcoming the spreading darkness?

Will Becky be able to rest in peace?

Deviltry Afoot Excerpt:

Deep into an uneasy dream Tina’s face was twisted in consternation. Dan had not stayed over this evening. She’d told him she needed time to gather strength and come to grips with what lay ahead. He’d looked hurt. She knew he could not understand her need to be alone at such a time.

He offered to sit up with her all night. She told him she was wrung out; she would be able to sleep a bit. She longed to fall into unconsciousness and to block all thought.

Her bedroom felt airless. The little clock on her nightstand seemed to have a very loud tick tonight. The dials revealed it to be 1:00 pm. 

Still asleep Tina shifted her weight to lie on her back. Her heavy cotton nightgown became bunched up under the small of her back. Suddenly she brought up her hands folding them over her chest in the position that the dead are laid out.

Beads of sweat broke out on her face, although the temperature in her room was a cool sixty-four degrees. She was carrying groceries to her car in a dark parking lot. Behind her there was a small convenience store. It was lit up. The buildings light stopped at the front of the building.

Tina tossed her bag of groceries into the passenger side of the seat. Just as she lifted her leg to get in behind the wheel she thought of her mother. She’d yell up a storm if she could see her now. As a teen Tina was lectured countless times about getting into a car alone. First check out the back seat to make sure no one was lurking there, she could still her mom stress.

Tina sat her leg back down on the pavement. She opened the back door. All clear. She slid into the front seat closing her door and rolling down her window most of the way. Glancing out her open window she began to shake all over.

Two hands with long tapered fingers suddenly grasp the window! As if in slow motion a hooded figure raised itself! Her door was flung open wide. It pushed her backward sending her sprawling across the seat.

She was immobile from fear. The thing lowered itself to her feet. It covered her with its form inch by inch. Its dark cloak was spread wide to enfold her completely.

Her heart thumped so hard she felt ready to pass out praying she would. It was up to her head now. Tina was so cold it was as if she were entombed within a block of ice. The smell of decay surrounding her was so rank she could not catch a good breath.

The hood slipped back a bit. She could not decipher its features clearly. She could only make out black pinpoint eyes. Drool oozed from its mouth. A great gob of spittle plunked down on her forehead. She let out a scream.

She thought she’d cried out, and awoken. It was actually only phase two. Still dreaming she thanked the Lord that it was only a nightmare.

Lights flickered from the traffic through her drapes. Something in the room didn’t feel right. The sheet was shifting downward of its own accord. Two hands grasp the foot of the bed as a cloaked figure crawled up and over her! She surrendered herself up to it.

She was entirely passive until sirens from a passing rescue unit brought her to an actual waking state ending her ordeal. Rest would elude her the remainder of the night. She sighed and got up from the bed. First light would signal the start of her greatest trial. She must commend her only offspring to eternal rest.


May you read well and often

Carol Pritt - Deviltry Afoot

Thursday, August 8, 2013

26. Deviltry Afoot by Carol Pritt (2013)
Length: 202 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 4 August 2013
Finished: 7 August 2013
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Dorothy at Pump up Your Book for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 29 July 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and Carol Pritt is a new author for me.

When Becky Sanders is brutally murdered, her mother Tina is devastated and vows to find her killer and bring them to justice. Little does Tina Sanders realize that her daughter's murder is only the beginning in a reign of terror for the tiny town of Pendale. Seeking justice for Becky, Tina starts her own investigation of these gruesome murders; which ultimately leads her into the supernatural realm. For all signs point Tina toward an seeming impossibility - the murderer is one Donald Fate, a merciless assailant who apparently died in 1961.

The police have no tangible clues to go on, and are understandably reluctant to accept Tina's claim that their perpetrator is a phantom. To the detective in charge of Becky Sanders' case, Tina is just a grieving mother who is chasing intangible ghosts in order to deal with her daughter's death. As terror spreads through Pendale, Tina begins to wonder if a mother's love alone is strong enough to defeat such a dreadful and demonic evil.

I quite enjoyed reading this book; I found the story to be extremely scary, and the ending was a satisfyingly creepy cliff hanger for me. If I did have one tiny complaint about the book though, it would be that my copy had a number of spelling and punctuation errors throughout the story that made it slightly irritating for me to read. However, this may be just an isolated occurrence that I discovered.

Overall, I give Deviltry Afoot by Carol Pritt an A! In my opinion, this book was a very commendable debut from a promising author, and I look forward to reading more from Carol Pritt in the future.

A! - (90-95%)
          
May you read well and often

Blog Tour For Wrage by Joseph Spencer From September 2, 2013 to October 31, 2013 - Come Join Us!

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Hello Everyone! I am delighted to announce that Joseph Spencer will be touring the blogosphere to promote his occult crime thriller Wrage. This is Joseph's second virtual book tour with Pump up Your Book! He will be coming to a blog near you from September 2, to October 31, 2013! Come join us for all the fun!

Mr. Spencer is also doing an awesome giveaway - he is giving away Two (2) Starbucks Gift Cards to two lucky winners at the end of his Blog Tour. Be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form below, and I wish you all the very best of good luck in taking part!

Wrage Blog Tour Information:

Meet Joseph Spencer

As a boy, Joseph Spencer immersed himself in the deductive logic of Sherlock Holmes, the heroic crime fighting of Batman and Spider-Man, and a taste for the tragic with dramas from poets like Shakespeare and Homer.

Before Joseph took to spinning his own tales, he pursued a career in print sports journalism, graduating summa cum laude from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He covered such events as NASCAR’s Subway 500 race in Martinsville, the NBA Draft Camp in Chicago, the Junior College World Series, and Minor League Baseball’s Midwest League All-Star Game during a ten-year career throughout the Midwest. Now, he works as an emergency telecommunications specialist with an Illinois police department. The combination of years of writing experience with a background working with law enforcement professionals gave rise to his writing aspirations.

Joseph was married to Dr. Amy (Waggoner) Spencer, an accomplished veterinary doctor, on March 14, 2012. He received word his debut novel was accepted by his publisher, Damnation Books, the next day. Joseph is hard at work on the rest of the series. Book 2 – Wrage – was released June 1, 2013. The Spencer family enjoys reading Charlaine Harris, George R.R. Martin, Mary Janice Davidson, and most paranormal stories. The Spencers also enjoy quoting movie lines from The Princess Bride, Rain Man, Bridesmaids, and Office Space.

Visit his website at www.JosephBSpencer.com.

Connect and Socialize with Joseph!

 
TWITTER | FACEBOOK 


About Wrage:

Sometimes the toughest fight lies within yourself.

As more dark secrets come to light, the battle for souls pushes Prairieville to the brink of war in the living and supernatural realms.

Jeff Wrage swears a blood oath to Abaddon, the supernatural avenger of murder victims, to hunt the crooked cop who butchered his wife. Jeff wonders whether he can be the executioner Abaddon requires. Their pact throws the supernatural realm in chaos and threatens to trigger an apocalyptic fight for control of the afterlife between the Sons of Darkness and Sons of Light foretold in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Orlando Marino sees the death of Cyrus Black as his opportunity to restore the Marino family’s stronghold in Prairieville’s organized crime scene and become a mob kingpin. He unleashes a plague, turning its victims into mindless followers. Cyrus’ heir is busy rooting out a traitor and is unable to stop the coming turf war in the realm of man.

The fate of all rests with Homicide Detective Anna Duke, who steps into the shoes of her mentor while coming to terms with unrequited love. As she tries to clear the fallen hero’s name, she takes on a case where corpses go missing. Her new partner is reported dead. She learns the truth about her true identity and uncovers a trail of secrets questioning her tragic past. She journeys to avert the destruction of all creation.

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Damnation Books!

Terms and Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • Two winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Starbucks Gift Card.
  • This giveaway begins September 2 and ends October 31.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, November 4, 2013.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
  • This is an international contest.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!



Wrage Virtual Book Publicity Tour Schedule



Monday, September 2 - Character Interview at Beyond the Books
Tuesday, September 3 - Book Featured at Examiner
Wednesday, September 4 - Interview at I’m Shelf-ish
Thursday, September 5 - Book Trailer Reveal at The Book Connection
Friday, September 6 - Guest Blogging at Bookingly Yours
Saturday, September 7 - Interviewed LIVE on Blog Talk Radio’s A Book and a Chat (11 a.m. eastern, call ins welcome!)
Monday, September 9 - Interview at Between the Covers
Tuesday, September 10 - Guest Blogging at The Dark Phantom
Wednesday, September 11 - Book Trailer Reveal at Moonlight Lace & Mayhem
Thursday, September 12 - Interview at Blogcritics
Monday, September 16 - Interview at Review From Here
Tuesday, September 17 - Book Trailer of the Week at Pump Up Your Book
Wednesday, September 18 - Character Guest Post at Lori’s Reading Corner
Tuesday, September 24 - Interview at As the Pages Turn
Thursday, September 25 - Book Featured at Plug Your Book
Monday, October 7 - Interview at Fantasy Pages
Tuesday, October 8 - Guest Blogging at The Story Behind the Book
Wednesday, October 9 - First Chapter Reveal and Book Trailer Reveal at Read 2 Review
Thursday, October 10 - Interview at Red Room
Friday, October 11 - Interview at Between the Covers
Monday, October 14 - Book Review, First Chapter Reveal and Book Trailer Reveal at Deal Sharing Aunt
Tuesday, October 15 - Book Review at Emeraldfire’s Bookmark
Wednesday, October 16 - Guest Blogging at Emeraldfire’s Bookmark
Thursday, October 17 - Interview at Pump Up Your Book
Friday, October 18 - Book Review at Review From Here
Monday, October 21 - Book Featured at Book Marketing Buzz
Tuesday, October 22 - Top 20 Interview at Literarily Speaking
Thursday, October 24 - Interview at The Book Rack
Monday, October 28 - Book Trailer Reveal at If Books Could Talk
Tuesday, October 29 - Book Review at Mary’s Cup of Tea
Wednesday, October 30 - Book Spotlight at Authors and Readers Book Corner
Thursday, October 31 - Guest Blogging at The Book Connection

May you read well and often

Reading Wrap-up For July at Emeraldfire's Bookmark

Thursday, August 1, 2013


Hello everyone out there and I hope that you all had a terrific reading month for yourselves. I am known as Emeraldfire around the Internet and this is my new personal reading blog.

Anyway, I started out July with about two hundred unread books lying around the house and ended the month with...umm...uncountable amounts of books unread. All of the books that I acquired this month came from authors and Paperback Swap.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Changes to the TBR pile 

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Rift Healer by Diane M. Haynes
- Human No Longer by Kathryn Meyer Griffith 

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! :))
- Children of the Knight by Michael J. Bowler
- Second Chance Grill by Christine Nolfi
- I, Walter by Mike Hartner
- Canapes for the Kitties by Marian Babson
- Vampire Blood by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
- Wrage by Joseph Spencer
Deviltry Afoot by Carol Pritt
- Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Rift Healer by Diane M. Haynes
- Human No Longer by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
- Defend and Betray by Anne Perry
- The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, a very good reading month for me, considering. Here's a further breakdown:

Books Read: 2
Pages Read: 605
Grade Range: A+! to A!

So, there you go! The reading month that was July. I hope that you all had an equally good reading month; if not a little better. :) See you all next month! :)

May you read well and often