Monday, September 30, 2013

My SIster's Reaper Book Blast

my sisters reaper My Sister's Reaper by Dorothy Dreyer Sixteen-year-old Zadie’s first mistake was telling the boy she liked she could bring her dead sister back to life. Her second mistake was actually doing it. When Zadie accidentally messes with the Reaper’s Rite that should have claimed her sister Mara, things go horribly wrong. Mara isn’t the same anymore—Zadie isn’t even sure she’s completely human, and to top it off, a Reaper is determined to collect Mara’s soul no matter what. Now Zadie must figure out how to defeat her sister’s Reaper, or let Mara die … this time for good.


dorothy  Author Dorothy Dreyer I'm a Philippine-born American living in Germany with my husband and two teens. I write young adult books that usually have some element of magic or the supernatural in them. I also like to read those kinds of books. Aside from reading, I like movies, chocolate, take-out, coffee, traveling, and having fun with my friends and family. I've also been known to make a pretty sweet cupcake. I tend to sing sometimes, too, so keep me away from your Karaoke bars.




sisters reaper tour


 

  BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/18/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

Little Red Writing Book Blast

Little Red Reading  Little Red Writing by Joan Holub Acclaimed writer Joan Holub and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet team up in this hilarious and exuberant retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, in which a brave, little red pencil finds her way through the many perils of writing a story, faces a ravenous pencil sharpener (the Wolf 3000)... and saves the day. Joan Holub has hundreds of pencils. Some are red. Others are glittery, sporty, or full of holiday cheer. They are all super sharp and good at writing books. They’ve helped Joan write more than 130 books, including Zero the Hero and Knuckleheads. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. Melissa Sweet has illustrated nearly 100 children’s books, including the Caldecott Honor–winning River of Words and the Sibert Medal–winning Balloons Over Broadway. When not in her studio, Melissa loves to ride her bicycle and hike with her two dogs, Rufus and Nellie. She lives in Rockport, Maine.  


Praise "A very funny picture book that, I guarantee you, lots of savvy teachers will be eagerly sharing with students as part of the process of teaching creative writing." -- Richie Partington MLIS, Richie's Picks
"What a CLEVER, CLEVER story!" -- I Love to Read and Write Reviews
"This clever adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood has so many levels of creativity and learning... Every elementary teacher should have this book to begin their writing units." -- Play on Words
"Style, humor, and solid writing advice." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"So rich in words and wry humor-written and visual-that one reading just isn't enough." --School Library Journal, starred review 
"Every writers' group should start with this story." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Every elementary teacher should have this book to begin their writing units." -- Play on Words
"An easy, winning prompt for beginning writers to abandon their fears and take up pencils of their own." --Booklist    

Author Joan Holub I graduated from college in Texas with a fine arts degree, and then freelanced as an art director at a graphic design firm for eight years. I dreamed of working in children’s books, so I moved to New York City and became associate art director in Scholastic trade books, where I designed books for children and worked with editors and illustrators. It was a great job. I illustrated my first published children’s book in 1992 and soon began illustrating full time. I began completing manuscripts and mailing them out to publishers in the early 1990s. In 1996, I sold my first two manuscripts — Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book (Scholastic) and Pen Pals (Grosset & Dunlap). Yippee! Now I write full time and have written and/or illustrated over 130 children’s books. Creating books that entertain, inform, and interest children (and me) is a fabulous job that I truly love.
 
 
   

BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/15/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Toni's Journey #2

Hello there, Writers and Readers!
I’m back, and as promised, I will be writing about a writer’s relationship with characters.
Now this topic is one T.R. Graves and I have discussed a lot!  Although some writers will disagree, it is very, very important to connect with your characters on an almost supernatural level.
LET ME TELL YOU HOW IT WORKS (for me).
My characters and I are one, although they are far more experienced in life than I am.  Let me walk you through my basic day.  I wake up, usually from a dream either about friends of mine or my characters.  There have been some dreams about my characters that I have woken up from that made me pause and question who I am.  In some of my dreams, I become my characters.  And, I know that sounds like I should be locked up for psychiatric help, but that is the life of a writer (#itsawriterthing).  I go to work with my characters lingering throughout my thoughts.  Leave me alone for five minutes and I’ll be in my book.  I will be interacting with my character and them with me (or maybe not so much, we will get to this later).  I go through my day thinking up conversations, replaying scenes, really, really trying to get to know the subtleties that hide inside my characters.  Let me tell you, it works.  Give me a situation or opinion provoking something and I could tell you in detail how each of my characters would feel about it or do, better than I could say for me.  My day goes on, I write, and eventually I go to sleep thinking about my characters, playing out more scenes.  Side note: sometimes I am working on a different book and characters from one of them will be like, that right there sounds more like a _______ comment than _______.  They are always right (right here I almost wrote write.  I swear writing really is engrained in me.  I always want an opportunity to use the word or write the word ‘write’).
More than that though, I really love my characters.  They are a part of me.  I don’t know what I would do without them.  They are like Anne (my muse and BFF) I would be so, so very lost without them.  There are times where I don’t know how to react to a situation and I say to myself, “What would Jake, or character x do?”  Most of the time that works.

I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE! YAY! 
There are a lot of writers who are like me, even ones that write for screen.  March 2010 I met Lee Goldberg (Monk), Paul Wagner (Documentaries), and Hugh Wilson (Bay Watch) to name just a few writers.  They were on a panel talking about screen writing and characters and everything.  It was awesome.  Hugh Wilson was talking and said, “You write and a character says something and everything changes.  That is almost spiritual.”  This couldn’t be truer.  My characters have flipped my story inside out more than once.  Plus, I have to add this made me feel more normal!  Here is this widely known and hugely popular writer, who gets it, who has the spiritual connection with his characters.
Nola Sarina (Gilded Destiny, Jaded Touch, plus an upcoming co-author Wild Hyacinthe) agrees with my stance and like me lets her characters take over, “Sometimes, during revision, writing from scratch gets a sharper voice than re-wording what’s already there.  I like to step away from a story for a while and then let the character tell me the story again from his fresh, enlightened perspective – allowing the character to grow with my style.”
I talked with Nola extensively one day about this and wrote something to her, that I want to share on here (it is only slightly edited to make sense for the blog post): “I promise you, I have looked up from writing and looked to the left and said, ‘but this is my book.’  I hear laughter. And I just sit there in protest until I let Devon have his way. The book and characters take life...we are their way of becoming known, it’s not the other way around. We don't make them known, they makes us known. I think they are their own wonderful breed that we must take dictation from because I have fought him and it turned out horribly, and when I listen to him, it is flawless.”
There are many other writers out there that go through this, it is normal, don’t medicate!  There are some writers who don’t and that is okay, “to each his own”.  And then there are some writers who refuse to admit that they do this, because they are afraid of how they will be received.  To those writers, don’t worry, allow your characters to take charge and scream it from the mountain and we here will welcome you with open arms and similar war stories.  We love meeting our own people!

BUT, BUT IT IS MY BOOK!
I know your book is your baby, but so are your characters.   And your characters are living the story so if they stop you or you get massively painful writer’s block, then your characters are trying to tell you something.  The book I am writing, (Devon’s book) at times I have fought with my characters or Devon and wanted something specific to happen or not happen because I am the writer and it is my $*&%$@&@* book!  I have felt my characters leave me, until I give in and let them write the book and write what happens to them (basically what I said to Nola in my quote earlier). They are ALWAYS right, always!  It is obnoxious.  Like sometimes to the point where I want to punch my characters, because it is my book and I should have control, but no, they took life and took over.  My book would be nothing or horrible if I didn’t listen to them.  After all they know themselves the best; we can pretend we know them as well and 100%, but we don’t.  We may never, and that is okay, really it is.  I don’t think we are ever really supposed to know our characters, because then writing wouldn’t be magical.  It would be boring and a task.  Eventually we will get to know them quite well and almost 100% but there will always be that magical percent that adds the beautiful mystique that hold us hostage as writers.  I mean, really think about it, do you really know yourself?  Do you really know anybody?  And I am not talking like knowing their favorite color or birthday or food.  I mean really knowing someone.  There are always buried deep secrets that we won’t admit to ourselves, let alone other people.  And if we do that, why do we demand we know our characters?  They deserve privacy too.

ON A CLOSING NOTE
When you are writing and editing and thinking and plotting, take a step back.  Take a step back and put your character into a completely new situation.  You don’t have to physically write it, but really, really think into the story, make it as real as the story you are writing, tell people about it if you have to get opinions (this is what it takes to write a book).  Because based on your characters reactions to the new situation or terrible situation (let’s face it most of us are sadistic and torture our poor loves.  We need to though, if people wanted to read happy books about rainbows and butterflies, they’d be in the children’s section not YA and others) you will learn so much about them.  How they breathe, what position they sleep in, how they smell, their favorite shower gel, laundry detergent, cologne/perfume,  how they feel, how they feel things themselves.  How they feel—I can honestly describe my characters down to the touch, how their embraces feel, what their arm feels like when relaxed and touched or tensed and touched, what their hair feels like, the sound of their voice, the sound of their breathing awake versus sleeping, ugh I could go on and on and on.  These aren’t things that necessarily need to make it into the book, but they need to make it into our hearts and brains to make the story work.  Back to my point, throw them into an unscripted, unwritten plot and see how they react, because it will grow them and you and you will learn them even more, and that will make your story worth reading and re-reading and sharing.

My next post will talk about the importance of music while writing.
Peace, Love, and Inspiration
Keep writing and remember
#itsawriterthing 




Listening to: Shattered by David Hodges album: Trading Yesterday (More Than This)


Quote: "When I write, I go to live inside the book. By which I mean, mentally I can experience everything I’m writing about. I can see it, hear its sounds, feel its heat or rain. The characters become better known to me than the closest family or friends. This makes the writing-down part very simple most of the time. I only need to describe what’s already there in front of me. That said, it won’t be a surprise if I add that the imagined worlds quickly become entangled with the so-called reality of this one. Since I write almost every day, and I think (and dream) constantly about my work, it occurs to me I must spend more time in all these places than here." - Tanith Lee

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Emerald Ring Book Blast

 

The Emerald Ring

Sara Bogus's life turns upside down when she discovers an emerald ring that once belonged to Cleopatra. The fun of discovering the ring's unique abilities turns to fear when she finds out a dangerous cult bent on restoring Rome to power is after the ring. Forced to choose between keeping the ring and saving her friends, Sara learns the price of bravery in this electrifying read! The Emerald Ring is a middle grade fantasy novel.  

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Praise

"Filled with fun, magic, mystery, and history, The Emerald Ring and spunky sleuth Sara will have you racing on a pulse-pounding trail that reaches all the way to Ancient Egypt."- Kevin Emerson, author of The Oliver Nocturne series, and The Fellowship for Alien Detection.   "The Emerald Ring is a whirlwind adventure that transports the reader into the mysterious world of Ancient Egypt. A great choice for those who love mythology and magic. " - Suzanne Selfors, author of The Sweetest Spell, Smells Like Dog series, and many more.   "The Emerald Ring is an exciting and mysterious fantasy featuring fast-paced action, a scary villain, and a spunky young heroine." - Suzanne Williams co-author of The Goddess Girls Series.   "The Emerald Ring is a not-so-run-of-the-mill middle grade fantasy novel laced with mystery and intrigue. It has just enough surprises to keep kids turning the page to see what happens next. The author has a real knack with "kid lingo" and has used diverse cultures to her advantage. Definitely a book I can recommend with confidence."- Laurisa White Reyes author of The Rock of Ivanore & The Last Enchanter  

Author Dorine White

I graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in Humanitites. I am a member of the SCBWI and the PNWA. I write middle grade and YA fantasy. My first book, The Emerald Ring, will be published in 2013 by Cedar Fort Books.  

Blog * Facebook * Twitter

   

BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/15/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway  

The Emerald Ring

Sara Bogus's life turns upside down when she discovers an emerald ring that once belonged to Cleopatra. The fun of discovering the ring's unique abilities turns to fear when she finds out a dangerous cult bent on restoring Rome to power is after the ring. Forced to choose between keeping the ring and saving her friends, Sara learns the price of bravery in this electrifying read! The Emerald Ring is a middle grade fantasy novel.  

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Praise

"Filled with fun, magic, mystery, and history, The Emerald Ring and spunky sleuth Sara will have you racing on a pulse-pounding trail that reaches all the way to Ancient Egypt."- Kevin Emerson, author of The Oliver Nocturne series, and The Fellowship for Alien Detection.   "The Emerald Ring is a whirlwind adventure that transports the reader into the mysterious world of Ancient Egypt. A great choice for those who love mythology and magic. " - Suzanne Selfors, author of The Sweetest Spell, Smells Like Dog series, and many more.   "The Emerald Ring is an exciting and mysterious fantasy featuring fast-paced action, a scary villain, and a spunky young heroine." - Suzanne Williams co-author of The Goddess Girls Series.   "The Emerald Ring is a not-so-run-of-the-mill middle grade fantasy novel laced with mystery and intrigue. It has just enough surprises to keep kids turning the page to see what happens next. The author has a real knack with "kid lingo" and has used diverse cultures to her advantage. Definitely a book I can recommend with confidence."- Laurisa White Reyes author of The Rock of Ivanore & The Last Enchanter  

Author Dorine White

I graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in Humanitites. I am a member of the SCBWI and the PNWA. I write middle grade and YA fantasy. My first book, The Emerald Ring, will be published in 2013 by Cedar Fort Books.  

Blog * Facebook * Twitter

   

BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/15/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, September 23, 2013

Win a Kindle Fire

fall kindle fire 

This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT! Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HD 7".

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)


Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)


Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)

   
Fall Sponsoring Authors & Bloggers
  1. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
  2. Feed Your Reader
  3. Author Annette K. Larsen
  4. Phantasmic Reads
  5. Author Bella Street
  6. Author Bonnie Blythe
  7. Author Stacy Claflin
  8. MyLadyWeb: Women's History, Women Authors
  9. Book Mama Blog
  10. Word to Dreams
  11. Candace's Book Blog
  12. Once Upon a YA Book
  13. Author Miriam Louise
  14. Author Mary Ting
  15. Author Camelia Miron Skiba
  16. Books4Tomorrow
  17. Author Theresa McClinton
  18. Brooke Blogs
  19. Author Pauline Creeden
  20. Author MK McClintock
  21. Author Kathryn Chastain Treat
  22. Books Unhinged Book Blog
  23. Author Kelly Cozy
  24. Meredith & Jennifer's Musings
  25. These Are But Shadows
  26. My Devotional Thoughts
  27. Author Ally Shields
  28. Dark Motive's Books and More
  29. Nessarox
  30. Fae Books
  31. Author Jennie Sherwin
  32. The Real Bookshelves of Room 918
  33. Auggie Talk
  34. No BS Book Reviews
  35. BookLover Sue
  36. Gin's Book Notes
  37. Bookhounds
  38. Buku-Buku Didi
  39. Author Shelli Profitt Howells
  40. My Nook, Books and More
  41. The Late Bloomer's Book Blog
  42. Clarice's Book Nook
  43. MichaelSciFan
  44. Magical Manuscripts
  45. Author Talia Jager
  46. Every Free Chance Book Reviews
  47. Jessabella Reads
  48. Author Melissa Pearl
  49. Author Elizabeth Isaacs
  50. Bookitty Blog
  51. Author Helen Smith
  52. The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl
  53. Christine's Blog
  54. Write Away Bliss
  55. Another World of Books
  56. The Reporter and The Girl MINUS The Super Man!
  57. Katie's Clean Book Collection
  58. Author Marcia Lynn McClure
  59. Author Shannon Guymon
  60. Ripple Effect Romance Series
Sign up to Sponsor the NOVEMBER Giveaway http://www.iamareader.com/2013/09/november-kindle-fire-giveaway-sign-ups.html   Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire. Ends 10/31/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Stranded Blog Tour

stranded  Stranded (Alaskan Courage #3) When her friend vanishes from a cruise ship, reporter Darcy St. James isn't satisfied with their explanation that she simply left her job of her own accord. Something isn't lining up, and Darcy believes the only way to find the truth is to put herself in Abby's position. Within days, Darcy learns her friend wasn't the only person to disappear mysteriously. Last summer, a woman vanished under almost identical circumstances. Gage McKenna has taken a summer-long stint leading adventure excursions for the passengers of various cruise lines that dock for a few days of sightseeing. He's surprised to find Darcy working aboard one of the ships, investigating a troubling report. Something sinister is going on and the deeper they dig the more Gage fears they've only discovered the tip of the iceberg.


daniAuthor Dani Pettrey Dani Pettrey is a wife, homeschooling mom and author. She feels blessed to write inspirational romantic suspense because it incorporates so many things she loves–the thrill of adventure, nail-biting suspense, the deepening of one’s faith and plenty of romance. She’s a huge fan of dark chocolate, is always in search of the best iced mocha and her dream is to one day own a little cottage on a remote stretch of beach. She and her husband reside in Maryland with their two teenage daughters.


stranded


     

  BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/6/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   

Friday, September 20, 2013

Chasing Hope Blog Tour

chasing hope tour


Chasing Hope  Chasing Hope by Kathryn Cushman A Personal Drama of Shattered Dreams and Second Chances A talented runner fully committed to Olympic dreams, Sabrina Rice's future was shattered by a devastating diagnosis. One forfeited scholarship and several years later, she has new goals and dreams that have nothing to do with running--something that's become far too painful to think on. Until the day she sees Brandy Philip running across the community college campus, easily outpacing security. Sabrina immediately recognizes world-class speed, and it's all the more painful that it belongs to a teenage graffiti artist. When a chance encounter brings the two young women together, Sabrina becomes Brandy's best hope for staying out of juvenile hall. Soon, Sabrina begins to feel an uncomfortable nudge that her new life is just about to be toppled...that God may be calling her to minister to this talented but troubled girl.


kathryn  Author Kathryn Cushman Author Kathryn "Katie" Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy. She is the author of five novels, including Leaving Yesterday and A Promise to Remember, which were both finalists for the Carol Award in Women's Fiction. She is also the co-author of Angel Song with Sheila Walsh. Kathryn and her family currently live in Santa Barbara, California.




 

BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/11/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, September 19, 2013

A Nothing Named Silas

 A Nothing Named Silas by Steve Westover blog tour

In the not-so-distant future, workers are forcibly drafted into their fields, and the Labor party chooses Silas. Because he's new, strong, and trained for Command, everyone wants to use him for their own purposes. But when a strange girl shows him that he can choose his own destiny, Silas must make his first real decision---which side he will fight for.



My review:


A Nothing Named Silas by Steve Westover is a fast-paced, exciting, gripping YA dystopian novel. Westover keeps the reader off balance so that, like his hero, we're never quite sure where the truth lies. The resourceful and courageous Silas' journey into a foreign world is fascinating and compelling. From the first breathtaking race to secure his place in life to the last page of stunning discovery, this is a book you'll pick up and be unable to put down. Personally, I can't wait for the sequel.

Pick up your copy today

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

250 Great Movies

No, I'm not going to list 250 movies that I think are awesome. I'm going to plug Jonathan "Mormon Movie Guy" Decker's new release, 250 Great Movies for Latter Day Saints.



Decker could have just as easily called this book 250 Movies for People Who Care What Their Families Watch. I can’t begin to fathom the amount of time it took him to compile this long list of movies, including a brief description which is also pretty much a review, anything offensive in the movie, a grade, and then he relates it to some scriptural lesson.

Whew!

I would love to sit and debate some of the grades he gave movies (Captain America and Napoleon Dynamite both only scored a B? Dude! B+ for one of the greatest movies ever, Revenge of the Sith? You’re killing me, Smalls! And speaking of Smalls, where’s The Sandlot?). And, you know, I just really love a good rousing debate about movies because I happen to be a big fan of them, so there’s that. Plus, I think the fact that some of his choices even inspire debate is an awesome thing. Debating aside, I have a great respect for probably 95% of his opinions, and 100% for the time, effort, and thought he’s put into his choices.

Some of the movies are specifically LDS movies, but most are mainstream and I think anyone who worries about exposing their kids to inappropriate movies can use this as a guide to watching clean, uplifting, message-laden movies. I recommend it.

Visit Jonathan Decker's website for more movie reviews, or visit his Facebook page.

Grab your copy of the book today.





Jonathan Decker was born and raised in Arizona. He's married, and the father of three. He works as a marriage and family therapist, as well as running his blog, Mormon Movie Guy. He also co-hosts the podcast Mormons at the Megaplex and hosts a segment each week on The KJZZ Movie Show. You can reach him at mormonmovieguy@gmail.com.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Misty Moncur Blog Tour: Fight For You



Keturah fought her way into the army, but now she's in Judea building fortifications, and the only thing she's fought so far is boredom. The work is hard, and the other soldiers don't think she can pull her weight. Her brothers are becoming strangers, and Zeke's jealousy is getting worse - because Keturah is falling in love with the wrong warrior.

But she's not about to let cruel pranks and hurt feelings keep her from doing what she knows to be right. She completes every order with faithfulness - a hasty retreat from the Lamanite army, a spy mission into the enemy stronghold, a midnight assassination. From burying the dead to whiling away hours on guard duty, Keturah will do whatever it takes to protect her religion, her freedom, her peace, and her family.

But in a camp of two thousand boys, the most important thing she has to protect is her heart.

Fight For You is the second novel in Misty Moncur's Stripling Warrior series. Fall in love with these romantic novels set against a vivid Book of Mormon backdrop.




Misty Moncur wanted to be Indiana Jones when she grew up. Instead, she became an author and has her adventures at home. In her jammies. With her imagination. And pens that she keeps running dry.

Misty lives in a marsh near a very salty lake in Utah with her husband and children, where they cuddle up in the evenings and read their Kindles. Well, she does anyway.

Connect with Misty at the links below.

Visit Misty's blog
Like The Stripling Warrior Series
Connect with Misty on Goodreads
Follow Misty on Twitter
Follow Misty on Wattpad


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Pretty Darn Funny: Fitness Challenge

For the final episode of season 2 of Pretty Darn Funny, Nora must lead the PDF crew through 26 minutes of circuit training.


My thoughts: This was my least favorite episode of the season. I just didn't find it particularly funny, though it was mildly amusing. Nora's whining was annoying. The two funniest things about it were the mom leaving behind final instructions for her kids on her cell camera ("Seek after things that are virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy before everybody else does and it gets all mainstream." "Promise me you won't ever go to a Nickleback concert - even if it's ironically") and toward the end when the mom/grandma has a bobbypin hanging from her bangs. Otherwise it was . . . meh. And, as a mom of someone who serves in the armed services, I was offended by the final image wherein they seemed to think their accomplishment was worthy of duplicating the two famous, very similar images of firefighters raising the flag after 9/11 and the soldiers raising the flag at Iwo Jima. I don't know if it was intentional or just appeared that way, but it rubbed me wrong. Maybe it's just my mood. What do you think?



Below, you can enter the contest to win this weeks prize sponsored by Deseret Book, The Power of Starting Something Stupid by Richie Norton

What if the smartest people in the world understand something that the rest of us don't? (They do.) What if they know that in order to achieve success, they will sometimes have to do things that others may initially perceive as stupid? The fact of the matter is that the smartest people in the world don't run from stupid, they lean into it (in a smart way).
In The Power of Starting Something Stupid, Richie Norton redefines stupid as we know it, demonstrating that life-changing ideas are often tragically mislabeled stupid. What if the key to success, creativity, and fulfillment in your life lies in the potential of those stupid ideas?.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, September 15, 2013

The Pitcher Book Blast

pitcherThe Pitcher “I never knew I had an arm until this guy called out, “Hey you want to try and get a ball in the hole, sonny?” I was only nine, but mom said, “come on, let’s play.” This Carney guy with no teeth and a fuming cigarette hands me five blue rubber balls and says if I throw three in the hole we win a prize. He’s grinning, because he took mom’s five bucks and figures a sucker is born every minute. That really got me, because we didn’t have any money after Fernando took off, and he only comes back to beat up mom and steal our money. So I really wanted to get mom back something, you know, for her five bucks.” A boy with a golden arm but no money for lessons. A mother who wants to give her son his dream before she dies. A broken down World Series pitcher who cannot go on after the death of his wife. These are the elements of The Pitcher. A story of a man at the end of his dream and a boy whose dream is to make his high school baseball team. In the tradition of The Natural and The Field of Dreams, this is a mythic story about how a man and a boy meet in the crossroads of their life and find a way to go on. You will laugh and you will cry as The Pitcher and Ricky prepare for the ultimate try out of life.

william  Author William Hazelgrove William Hazelgrove is the best selling author of five novels, Ripples, Tobacco Sticks Mica Highways and Rocket Man and The Pitcher His books have received starred reviews in Publisher Weekly, Book of the Month Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections, ALA Editors Choice Awards and optioned for the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today and other publications. His latest novel Rocket Man due out May 1, 2013 was chosen Book of the Year by Books and Authors.net. He runs a political cultural blog, The View From Hemingway’s Attic. A forthcoming novel, The Pitcher will be out Sept 1, 2013. He lives in Chicago.

pitcher tour


BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 9/30/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Salt Lake Comic Con - A Smashing Success!

So, yeah, I'm a week behind in posting this, but since we were still in the middle of the blog tour for The Experiment I didn't want to have too many conflicting posts.

The first annual Salt Lake Comic Con was held here in Salt Lake City on September 5, 6, and 7. I had a feeling it was going to be big when they pre-sold so many tickets they had to change the venue. But I couldn't begin to imagine just how big it really would be. It was the biggest (meaning most attended) inaugural Comic Con ever, and the 3rd most attended of any Comic Con ever. On Saturday, there were over 80,000 people in attendance. The fire marshall closed the doors, and they were refusing to let people in, even if they had a ticket!

My booth at Salt Lake Comic Con 2013
It was an exhilarating three days, though. I wasn't able to get around nearly as much as I wanted to, spent most of my time at my table, but I did manage to sneak off a few times. And wouldn't you know it, that's when someone would come to buy a book! I did have my beautiful daughter-in-law with me for the 3 days, though, so she would just text and tell me to get my butt back to the table.

My daughter-in-law, AKA Princess Leia

The amazing energy in the place kept me pumping, even when exhaustion threatened. I had to be there at a time that for me is basically the middle of the night (because I work at night and so usually sleep a good portion of the day). But the people who attended were friendly, fun people. And those who were there as vendors blew me away with their creativity.

Me and the talented Kienan Lafferty

I was sandwiched between two such talented people. To my left sat the handsome Kienan Lafferty, who quickly sold out of his original drawings from his free online comic book called Emma, which he calls "a little girl meets the walking dead". How cool is that? I went online and read them (he has 2 issues up) and they're pretty dang awesome. You can read his comics free here.

Me and the awesome Dan Shaefer
To my right sat the uber cool Dan Schaefer, who just happens to be the storyboard artist for the TV show Grimm. He also writes comic books, and was one of the original artists for the cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (90's version). Dan has a company called Filmstoryboards.com, and guess what they do? Super nice guy, too. He was only charging $3 for his comics, not the $20 most others were!



Look: I'm touching Stan Lee!
Captain Kirk!

My son, who I love to geek out with, was there on a VIP pass, and managed to wrangle a ticket to get a photo with Stan Lee. As he was standing in line, he called to tell me he could have two people in the picture, and did I want to come? Um, hello, YES! Someone gave him a free photo with William Shatner (who was charging $75 a pop!), so he let me come for that as well.



My daughter and I went to get a photo with Hercules . . . I mean, Kevin Sorbo. That dude is still rockin' it at age 54. (Recognize my beautiful daughter? She was the model on the original Geek Girl cover with black hair.)

Fuzzy photo of . . . David Tennant?

So, now here's my stalker story. As in, I'm the stalker. (Don't judge yet.) There was this dude walking around who was a dead ringer for David Tennant. Have I mentioned David Tennant is my all-time fave Doctor? No? Well, he is. So this guy comes by my table on the first day and I ask him if I can take his picture. Didn't have my glasses on so I didn't realize it was fuzzy (stupid old eyes!). So I spent the next three days trying to find him. On the second day, my daughter found him and took a picture with him in what she calls her "creepy" pose (she's not wrong).

Lexcie in her creepy pose with Doctor Who

But finally, twenty minutes before the thing ended on the last day, success! I found him and nabbed a photo.

Doctor Who?

There was a ton of cool Doctor Who stuff, and people there, which helped feed my obsession. The Doctor Who I'm with in the picture below is my friend's son, and he came to my table specifically to get a picture with me because I asked him to. What a sweetheart, huh?

Future Doctor?

I want for my next birthday!

I want both the dress, and the body
to fit into the dress!

If you don't watch Doctor Who, you'll think this is
dumb. If you do, you'll think this is the
coolest t-shirt ever.


Comic Con was one of the funnest things I've done in a while. I highly suggest if you ever have the chance, you get yourself to one. Heck, come to the Salt Lake Comic Con next year. I guarantee they'll be having one, and it's going to be even bigger. Then, while you're there, come find my booth and say hi, because I can promise I'll be there - maybe with my own cosplay on!

How awesome is this?

Cool R2-D2 cake.
Both of these cakes, as well as the Tardis cake, were made by Mad Hatter Cake Studio.

There was a single person in this dinosaur costume, but he kept hitting people with his tail!
Little Mermaid and the Tardis? Yes!

Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, aka Nicholas Brendon


Glory from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, aka Clare Kramer

Yeah, dad, that's creepy (baby is real)

I could take this Hulk, all I need is a pin

You can even be historical at Comic Con